The West Philly Hybrid X Team has taken on a new Challenge and we need YOUR help today! What’s the challenge? It’s GE’s $200 million Ecomagination Challenge, an innovation experiment where businesses, entrepreneurs, innovators and students share their best ideas on how to build the next-generation power grid. We know that’s a mouthful, but voting for the EVX Team’s entries in the Challenge is easy. Click to read the story, then click on the ideas.  We appreciate it.

On August 3, the X PRIZE posted a blog at the request of Aptera regarding the MPGe this California based team had obtained. Apparently there was a dispute about whether they had obtained 164.3 MPGe or 178.2 MPGE. The discrepancy had to do with communications between the Aptera charger and the battery pack. The blog sounded astoundingly similar to an experience we had.

The West Philly Hybrid X Team is in the shop 4 days a week. One group of students is working on designing an ideal school while the other group is working to improve the fuel efficiency of our competition vehicles. Without the rigid school year schedule we’re able to go on field trips, too. The school group visited two different schools and visited two green roofs.

The fuel efficiency group went to Temple University to see an Audi a group of engineering students converted to an electric hydrogen fuel cell hybrid. It was fascinating. The Temple folks had the biggest electric motor we’d ever seen and one of the mechanical engineering students built the battery management system wire by wire, cell by cell. It was impressive.

One thing that wasn’t impressive was the absence of one of our team members, Brandon Ford. Our summer program ended at 1 PM, but we didn’t have to be at Temple until 2:30. We all agreed to meet back at the shop at 2 PM. Brandon didn’t show up. Ms. R. demanded an explanation. We thought all our fans would like to read it.

My excuse for not going to Temple is that I was locked out of my house at first. That took me a while to get back in to the house. Then I began my journey to walk to school for the trip, but I was held up and this is how it all began.

First, I came to the corner and there was some guy selling drugs. He tried to sell me some stuff, but I said no and he got mad. So, I had to beat him up.

After that I came across a baby that had no one to care for it. I called child services and waited with the baby. They came and picked up the baby. I continued on my way to school for the trip.

Next, I tripped and fell, busted my lip and knee. It hurt a lot, but I didn’t cry.

I walked down the block and came across a platinum ring that was the shiniest ring I ever saw. I looked in shock and awe when suddenly; a black bird swooped down and took my diamond. I threw a rock at the bird. Then the bird dropped the ring in a manhole. I said just forget it, and continued on my way to school.

I walked up the block a little; these people from church tried to sell me some things such as books for Jesus and followed me for 3 blocks until I saw my old girlfriend. She then hollered at the church people and they ran in fear of her godly wrath and they left.

After that, she chased me for five minutes until I ran into an alleyway and got away. She said she was going to catch me on the rebound, and I screamed, “Whatever!”

After I ran away from my ex, these dudes wanted to jump me. “Man, back up suckers,” I said. All they did was laugh when I tripped yet again and railed on me.

So now I’m limping my way to school, but I wasn’t moving faster than the little engine that couldn’t.

All of a sudden, the cops pulled me over, and I was in police custody. But I knew I had to make it to the school, so I picked the lock with a fingernail file and stayed on track to school.

Now I’m really close to school but then this fool name Bushwick said I owed him some money. “I don’t have a job,” I said. “I don’t care, I want some of your money.”

“Fool please, calm down.” Just like before, I got capped. He took my money, and I started crawling to school for the trip to Temple. I also had to fend off four stray cats.

Now I’m around the corner from the school and I’m almost there. These little kids stop and just beat my legs. I crawled around the block and looked over the corner, and I realized that they were gone. These are the reasons why I did not make it to the Temple trip.

I was born a Phillies fan in 1952. I lived through the heartbreaking pennant race of 1964, but I knew we could wait until next year. Sixteen years later, in 1980, the Phillies finally won the World Series. It was their first World Series victory in the 97 years since the team’s founding. Folks in Chicago have been waiting for 102 next years for the Cubs to win the Series.

The Michigan International Speedway is filled with all good things this week. Good cars. Good technicians. Good people doing really amazing things in the Progressive Automotive X Prize. There are a whole bunch of good folks here at the Speedway chasing dreams and chasing $10 million in prize money.

In the fall of 2007, the West Philly Hybrid X Team started talking about the Automotive X Prize. We were going to build a car that gets 100 miles per gallon. “It’s not rocket science,” Simon assured us time and again. We all say it now. So what a shock we got this week when U. S. Congressman Chaka Fattah called to tell us that Dr. Robert Braun, NASA’s Chief Technologist is coming to meet the team and take a look at our technology. Anita was the one who pointed out the irony, “All this time saying it’s not rocket science and now a rocket scientist is coming to see us.” Go figure.

What's more amazing is that our Chief Research Engineer Keith Sevcik's life desire is to be a rocket scientist.

But this isn't the only funny thing that’s happened lately. Maybe it’s because we’re now approaching 3 years, or maybe it’s because the automotive world isn’t as big as we thought, or maybe it’s just a series of coincidences, but there are some funny things happening.

Back at the start of our X Prize meetings, students broke into groups. Some formed a PR Team, while others worked to launch a website. Another group investigated available vehicles and their weight.

When we were looking at cars that we might want to use to convert to a hybrid, one that was very attractive was the European Ford Fiesta. We followed the web to see if it was coming to the US. In April 2008, the New York Times carried a long article about James Farley, Ford’s new marketing guru who wanted to bring new products to market. I thought this was so exciting I carried the article in my briefcase for months. Then, I wrote to him on behalf of the team. We asked for support of our efforts and we asked to speak to one of his staff about how Ford intended to market its new vehicles.

We finally found out. Not from Mr. Farley, but from Philadelphia friends who are part of the Ford Fiesta Movement, a marketing effort to showcase Ford’s new small car across the country. 20 people – all extremely active on social media – were selected to drive the Fiesta and present the car and their respective communities to the public. In Philadelphia my friends Kendra Gaeta and Laris Kreslins were chosen. They were Team Philly in the Fiesta Movement. Just how unlikely is that?

They drove their Ford Fiesta all over Philadelphia and hosted a bunch of events to highlight the work of non-profit organizations including the Mighty Writers, the West Philly Tool Library, Mill Creek Farm and PAWS. For the last event, Team Philly invited the EVX Team and a bunch of other folks to the Riverview movie theater to see a great documentary about Philadelphia photographer Zoe Strauss and to see Iron Man 2. The West Philly Hybrid X Team was their partner for this very cool event, which meant I got to say a few words about our 100 MPGe Ford Focus and our terrific team members. As partners, the Fiesta Movement will make a contribution to the EVX Team. So, 2 ½ years later we learned about Ford’s marketing plans and got some unexpected financial support. What do you call that?

One more thing. Elon Musk has a cameo in Iron Man 2. Elon Musk is the CEO of Tesla Motors, the electric car company that had been one of our chief competitors in the X Prize until a few months ago. There were over 600 Hollywood movies made last year. Only one had an electric car maker. That’s the one we got invited to see. Go figure.

What do you figure’s next?