Oregon Public Broadcasting

Ten million dollars is on the line. And a team from Western Washington University is in the competition.

It's called the Automotive X-Prize. The challenge: design a car that averages 100 miles to the gallon. Austin Jenkins reports.

Starting up, it sounds like a gas-guzzling jalopy.

But actually this is the sound of a gas-electric car called Viking 45 – the result of nearly half-a-million dollars in research and development.

A sporty two-seater, it was designed by automotive engineering students at Western Washington University in Bellingham with funding help from billionaire Paul Allen.

Team member Ben Romeijn-Stout says the goal of the X-Prize is to usher in one giant leap for vehicle fuel efficiency.

Ben Romeijn-Stout: “The major vehicles on the market at the moment, they're topping at about fifty miles per gallon. This competition is aiming to double that. We're looking for a hundred miles per gallon.”

The Viking 45 is designed to drive on battery power for up to 40 miles. But it's also a high-performance sports car with a top speed of more than a hundred miles an hour.

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Viking 45