WWU students test drive Viking 45, X-Prize contest begins April 26 in Detroit

Students from Western Washington University's Vehicle Research Institute took Viking 45 to the test track this week, cruising the roads at Pacific Raceways in Kent. WWU is one of just two universities still in the running for the Progressive Automotive X-Prize, the first stage of which begins Monday, April 26, in Detroit, and runs through May 7.

The purpose of this first stage, the "shakedown competition," is to conduct safety inspections and on-track dynamic safety evaluations of competition vehicles, according the Progressive Automotive X-Prize website. Teams must submit their cars to on-the-ground challenges for the purpose of shaking out problem areas and preparing their vehicles for the knockout qualifying stage that follows, all without risk of elimination by the judges. Vehicles will be tested on braking speed, lane change ability, acceleration and refueling/recharging time, among other elements.

The WWU X-Prize team will be blogging and tweeting from the event, too. Check out the team's blog at http://wwuxprize.blogspot.com/, and follow them on Twitter at http://twitter.com/WWUXPRIZETEAM. Also, check out the team's Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/WWU-X-Prize-Team/193528425235.