Who will spark the next revolution in auto fuel-efficiency? It’s a good bet it will be one of 22 innovators announced this week as registered teams for the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE.

The X PRIZE promises $10 million (U.S.) to the team that can win a stage race with a clean-running, production-capable vehicle that gets more than 100 miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent (42.5 kilometers per liter).

Announced during the Los Angeles Auto Show, the first X PRIZE contenders include two teams whose names are for some reason confidential. The remaining 20 selections include representatives from 10 different U.S. states and five countries.

They include:

Adiabatic (New York);

Aptera (California);

• Avion (Washington);
• BDCOTSRUS (Florida);
• Eddison*2 – Mass Management (Virginia);
• Enermotion (Ontario, Canada);
• Envera (California);
• Kinetic Vehicles (Oregon);
• Kinetix Motors (California);
• MDI/ZPM (Nice, France/New York);
• Millmac (Florida);
• Nelson Tywa Power Corp. (North Carolina);
• Physics Lab of Lake Havasu (Arizona);
• Red Light Racing (Maryland);
• Synergy Innovations Electric Mini (London);
• Tata Motors (India/Coventry, U.K.);
• TTW Italia (Turin, Italy);
• Western Washington University (Washington);
• Wikispeed (Colorado);
• ZAP (California).

Incidentally, there’s still time to enter if you’ve got a super-car design in mind: the deadline isn’t until early 2009.

Once the final round of teams is announced, X PRIZE contenders will compete in a multi-city race in the U.S. in 2009 and 2010. The $10 million, along with ample bragging rights, will be awarded in 2010.

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