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12th
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The Edison2 Very Light Car, the hypermiler that won the X Prize competition, is a triumph of design over novelty
So much for alternative energies as the immediate future of the automobile. The solution that beat out steam and electricity a hundred years ago wins again -- and not just by using a high-energy-content liquid (in this case E85) to fuel an internal-combustion engine, but also by embracing the formula espoused by Henry Ford, Ettore Bugatti, Colin Chapman, and many others: keep vehicle weight low. Add greatly reduced aerodynamic drag, and you have the whole philosophy, as most elegantly expressed by Felice Bianchi Anderloni, founder of Carrozzeria Touring: weight is the enemy, air resistance the obstacle.
Photo Gallery: Gas wins (again) - Automobile Magazine