Vehicle Research Institute

A team of students from Western Washington University are heading to Detroit for the final round of the Automotive X Prize competition.

The Knockout phase of the Automotive X Prize delivered more blows and thrills, as remaining teams completed the required tests. After a long and stressful past few days, the teams all seemed thrilled to be returning home—at least when done by choice.

Western Washington University's sporty coupe, the Viking 45, has passed all the tests in the knockout round of the Progressive Automotive X Prize - an international competition to build a super fuel-efficient vehicle that consumers want to buy.

While the Automotive X-Prize has not yet issued any official press release about which teams have made it through the Knockout Stage, some of the teams are spreading the good news about their results. Western Washington University, the team behind the Viking 45, says it is one of 12 teams left…

They say they’re in it to win.

A team of students from Western Washington University’s Vehicle Research Institute is now one of just 12 teams still in the running for the $10-million Automotive X-Prize Competition.

"The race for the Automotive X-Prize is nearing the final round and a team from Western Washington University is still in the running. It's a $10 million competition to build a car that can get 100-miles-to-the-gallon."

"The Automotive X Prize entered the second-week of its Knockout phase Monday, with the remaining teams proceeding through emissions and dynamic testing. Consumer Reports is again conducting most of the track tests, such as acceleration, braking, and emergency-avoidance maneuver evaluations…

"A challenging first week of the Automotive X Prize Knockout Phase is now complete and several more vehicles have been eliminated due to the latest tests on emissions and fuel economy."