We love underdogs, don't we? And when the underdogs are manufacturers facing (and staring down) great odds, it just makes them all the more appealing.
Back to this in a minute ...
For those of you unfamiliar with the X PRIZE Foundation, it's an organization committed to rewarding technologists and engineers with cash ($10-million U.S.) for solving difficult challenges. An X PRIZE was awarded for space flight back in 2004. There are currently X PRIZE initiatives in place for putting a rover on the moon, genome sequencing and building a "green" car.
The Automotive X PRIZE (AXP) is committed to helping solve what its Web site calls "the most severe global crises of our time: oil dependence and climate change." The AXP $10-million will go to the team that builds a car that gets 100 MPG and wins a race against the other entrants.
Which brings me back to underdogs - or, at least MY favorite underdog of the moment: Illuminati Motor Works.
These 6 guys in the photo make up Illuminati Motor Works. They work out of Kevin Smith's garage in Illinois. They forage for parts from junkyards. They've rolled up their shirtsleeves and entered the fray, against teams that are often better funded, with more resources and more people. The guys from Illuminati are formidable technologists that are using their intelligence, creativity and moxie to compete.
They are Everyman(ufacturer).
Illuminati is on the list to compete, accepted into the first round and ready to roll. There's a long road ahead, and they need support.
Take a minute and visit their site. Drop them a line. Donate a few bucks.
Give these underdogs a fighting chance. We need more - much more - of this kind of competitiveness and drive.
