Progressive Automotive X Prize - 100+ MPG

The X Prize Foundation attempts to achieve radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. The Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize is a $10 million prize to the first team to build a 100 MPG affordable and useful automobile. The goal is to inspire a new generation of viable, fuel-efficient vehicles that offer more consumer choice, reduced oil consumption, and reduced automotive emissions.

More than forty teams are competing, and Amber Composites chose to sponsor Cornell’s 100+ MPG Team. With fifty-five students working on their plug-in hybrid (PHEV) drivetrain, Cornell’s X Prize team will bring the world one step closer to a cleaner and more efficient automotive industry.

Testimonial

"We were inexperienced with prepreg materials, and we needed an easy layup process that still yielded world class results. Not only does the 8020 system satisfy these requirements, but also the Amber Composites support staff was extremely useful in helping us achieve superior results quickly and without wasting time and material. We were also very pleased with the 8020 system’s versatility, allowing us many different plug and mold materials and processes to choose from. The long out-life also gave us a lot of flexibility and reduced wasted material.

Our partnership with Amber Composites has allowed us to produce our body to precise tolerances with a beautiful finish. On top of that, the support that Amber Composites offered us allowed us to quickly get up to speed and begin producing top quality parts with little or no prior experience with prepreg materials. We are consistently impressed with the resiliency and quality of the material that you gave us. We continue to be able to manufacture parts on short notice with exceptional results. Thank you for all of your help, I cannot have imagined this going better than it has. We would like to thank Amber for making our project possible and for helping us in our mission to make the automotive sector more energy efficient."

Requirements

• Excellent surface finish
• Lightweight, rigid panels suitable for everyday use
• Quick layup times and fast learning curve

Amber Solution

• Glass 300gsm and Glass 850gsm 8020 used for the body panels & nose cone
  
• RP201 8020 used for the hatchback system
  
• Rapi-core 8020 used to reinforce the body panels