The Alé from Fuel Vapor Technologies is the first actual entry for the Automotive X-Prize that we've come across. For those that need a refresher course, the X-Prize Foundation is the organization that got a private plane into orbit by dangling some big bucks at the end of a stick. The Automotive X-Prize will similarly offer a large amount of cash money for the car that can run the cleanest and longest on a tank of gas. While the rules haven't been finalized nor the amount of prize money announced, you can follow the Foundation's progress at its blog. The Alé has been designed with the Automotive X-Prize in mind, and as such the three-wheeler can achieve 92 mpg. But it's not one of those completely impractical MPG whores that sacrifices all performance and practicality for that kind of mileage. It does 0-60 in under 5 seconds, runs a 12.9 second quarter mile, and corners at 1.7g! The Alé is powered by a four cyinder gasoline engine that uses a patent-pending fuel vapor system that literally allows it to run on fumes. According to its inventor, George Parker, most gas engines run on an 14.7:1 to air to gasoline ratio. The Alé uses a ratio of over 20:1, allowing it to stretch the amount of miles it can extract from a good old gallon of go juice. It's also extremely slippery and weighs only 1,300 lbs. The Ale is a front-wheel drive car, meaning the two front wheels are very busy both powering and steering this mega mileage trike. Who knows how it handles or if its relatively outrageous claims are true, as it's trapped inside a crowded SEMA hall at the moment. Hopefully we'll hear more about the Alé in the coming days as the Automotive X-Prize challenge progresses.
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