On Saturday,11th, five teams began the Escape From Berkeley race, an eco-friendly contest to go from Berkeley to Las Vegas by "driving all manner of alternative-fuel-burning jalopies, roadsters, and even a frying oil-fueled Mercedes-Benz, with a single goal: to complete the race using no petroleum.
“Gentlemen, start your whatever they are,” the M.C. shouted to begin the race, which offers the winner $5,000.
"The final catch of the race is that participants — artists, environmentalists and even a cattle farmer from Alabama — have to find or scavenge their go-go juice, whether it is used vegetable oil from restaurants or twigs and sticks from the side of the road. All the vehicles, which had to be street legal, were allowed to start with a single gallon of whatever fuel they used.
The race’s route also presented some challenges, running from the relatively mild terrain of the Bay Area, across the Sierra Nevada via the Tioga Pass (elevation 9,943 feet) and through the deserts outside Las Vegas.One of the racers, Wayne Keith, 59, is a cattleman from Alabama, who decided five years ago that he wanted to be independent from gas.
“When gasoline hit $1.75, I bailed out,” Mr. Keith said. “I’m a hostage to no one.”
His adapted pickup burns wood in a pair of burners in the pickup bed and uses the gases created by the combustion — primarily hydrogen and carbon monoxide — to drive the engine. He said the ready availability of scrap wood on his farm made his energy expenses almost nil."Along with the call to make the most eco-friendly vehicle, there's also a race to make the first 100mpg vehicle, The Automotive X Prize. Progressive Automotive is giving $10 Million to the winner. They must "design, build, and sell super-efficient cars that people want to buy." The X Prize Foundation has been established to encourage competition and innovation, the 100mpg challenge is only one of the prizes given.
