The Zing Prize:  Catch Us if You Can We are planning the Zing Prize as means for showcasing highly-efficient innovative vehicle designs, and to promote understandable and scientifically valid methods for measuring fuel efficiency in new  vehicles which do not necessarily fit old molds.   Over the years, there have been many attempts at "equivalent" MPG (MPGe) figures for vehicles that use fuels other than gasoline.  Most of these are not useful, because people who buy and use alternative fuels (such as natural gas, propane, biodiesel, etc.) already have methods for weighting the value of one fuel over another in ways that are important to one individual but not another.   One user may be concerned mainly with local ecological impact, another with carbon footprint, and another with simple economics.  No single MPGe addresses these differences.  MPGe becomes especially unhelpful and misleading in the case of electric vehicles, which burn their fuel (typically 75% carbon based fuels in the US) elsewhere, instead of onboard the vehicle.  Electric vehicle owners already typically measure efficiency in miles per kilowatt-hour, because kilowatt-hour is the unit used for buying electricity.  Introducing MPGe to these people makes what should be a simple calculation very difficult.   Therefore, we plan to measure efficiency in a simple and straightforward manner.  Miles-per-gallon for liquid fuels, miles per kilowatt hour for electricity, and the usual units for the "fringe" fuels (propane by the pound, etc.)    If you are interested in sponsoring or helping with this competition, email Ken (@ this website.)

Contact Info: Gaia Transport Corporation 727 Bayliss Drive Marietta, GA 770-973-2336 678-983-8957 Email us

Your ad could be here! Initially, we will be looking for sponsors in two areas.  First are those companies who genuinely want to do the "right thing" (and want to be seen as doing the "right thing").  The Zing Prize competition is a great way to be involved in helping to pass along a healthier planet to the next generation... and a terrific PR bargain!   A second category is for companies whose products are used in our prototypes and production vehicles.  Every component we select must meet very high standards for efficiency, durability, producibility and economy.  It's not good enough to simply say "who cares about expense, let's make everything in carbon fiber."  This needs to be a producible, real vehicle that real people will buy at a reasonable price.  The vehicle must make economic good sense, in addition to being a vehicle buyers can feel good about.  When we find manufacturers who can make great components economically, we are happy to let the world know.