Automotive X Prize Team Announces a Partnership with Hamer Toyota & Scion

July 8, 2009 - PRLog -- Woodland Hills, CA — The San Fernando Valley Hybrid Alliance [SFHA] today announced a strategic partnership with Mission Hills Hamer Toyota Scion.  Hamer Toyota Scion is SFHA’s newest partnership in its quest to win the multimillion dollar Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE, an international competition designed to inspire a new generation of viable, super fuel-efficient vehicles to offer more consumer choices.

Today, Hamer Toyota & Scion delivered a Scion xB to Pierce College, which is the SFHA main automotive garage. Over the summer session Tom Rosdahl, Pierce College Automotive Professor, and his highly trained students will begin work on the SFHA Competition Vehicle. Dennis Washburn, Executive Director of the Pierce College Foundation, Kenn Phillips, Vice President at The Valley Economic Alliance, Russ Kutrosky & Dave Gilman, Hamer Toyota & Scion, and Greg Smart, CEO of Smart Compton Hydrogen Company & Chairman of SFHA, are responsible for bringing this partnership together.

The SFHA vehicle of choice for the Progressive Automotive X Prize is a Scion XB, which are being provided by Hamer Toyota Scion. Kenn Phillips from the Valley Economic Alliance says that, “Hamer Toyota Scion is a perfect partner for the SFHA because Hamer’s team is knowledgeable and established as a leader in the auto industry.

“We have selected to use an existing vehicle for the X Prize and modify the power-train, as opposed to the alternative of designing and constructing a vehicle from the ground up; developing the car from the ground up is a daunting, expensive, complicated and time consuming task due to federal automotive regulations,” says SFHA Chairman Greg Smart.

The SHFA goal for the Progressive Automotive X Prize is to create a state of the art power-train.  Power-train manufacturing is a key component in the automotive industry. The global consumer and its persuasion to environmental trends are forcing automakers to engineer and produce power-trains that are not only economical to manufacture, but more fuel efficient and leave a limited carbon footprint.

“By making a modification to an existing vehicle many Federal regulations regarding the chassis and safety are met by the original manufacturer, therefore allowing the SFHA to focus a bulk of the organizations time and resources on the power-train,” says SFHA Technical Director Adam Compton.

Fuels used in the SFHA X Prize Competition Vehicle:

Diesel
Hydrogen/Oxygen
Electric (Plug-in and regenerative breaking)
Solar


The main focus of the competition is to attain 100 MPGe. The SFHA approach to achieving the goal is utilizing the vaporized diesel augmented with hydrogen and oxygen gas to create a complete burn of the fuel. In coordination with the power created above, an addition of regenerative breaking, solar and plug-in power will supply auxiliary charge to the battery and capacitor bank that provides power to the cars propulsion system [electric engine, single motor with a single differential]. By using diesel and plug-in as the only external source fuel, the power-train meets the existing fuel infrastructure and there is need to prove commercial viability of an alternative fuel. The power-train reduces a user’s carbon footprint and provides a vehicle that significantly improves MPG.

About Hamer Toyota & Scion- Hamer has been serving the greater Los Angeles and Santa Clarita areas for over 70 years in the same convenient location. At Hamer Toyota & Scion there is an amazing selection of quality new and used Toyota & Scion cars, trucks, and SUV's to offer our customers along with competitive financing to fit your budget. Hamer has an award winning parts and service department to help keep your vehicle on the road in peek performance.

About the existing Hybrid Alliance Partner’s

•   Smart Compton Hydrogen Fuel Company is our lead sponsor to date. Smart Compton Hydrogen Fuel Company builds Hydrogen Resonance Cells [HRC] and associated circuits that generate pure hydrogen and oxygen gas (hydroxy gas) from water using a few different controlled separation processes. The hydroxy gas is used to augment or boost gas powered vehicles, which improves MPG, horsepower and produces cleaner emissions. A Smart Compton H-power fuel cell can be put on almost any vehicle... Smart Compton H-power fuel cells create Hydrogen on demand, so there is no hydrogen storage or having to go to a hydrogen fueling station. www.schfuel.com

•   The Valley Economic Alliance's goal is to foster economic growth and prosperity for businesses in the San Fernando Valley. The Alliance is helping to bring thousands of new Green Jobs to the San Fernando Valley and is a major relational contributor to the Hybrid Alliance.

•   Los Angeles Pierce Community College has one of the leading Automotive Service Technology Departments and is the home garage for the retrofitting the San Fernando Hybrid Alliance competition vehicle.

•   Completes Plus is a leading Los Angeles wholesale automotive parts warehouse distributor, which will be providing parts on their extensive line card at no cost. Our contact is Jim Hubka, www.completesplus.com.

•   Cygnet is a metal stamping & fabricating company that specializes in metal stamping and precision sheet metal fabrication, which will be providing metal working, tooling and part fabrication at no cost. Our contact is Keith Swan, www.cygnetstamping.com.

About the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE Competition: The goal of the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE is to inspire a new generation of viable, super fuel-efficient vehicles that offer more consumer choices. Ten million dollars in prizes will be awarded to the teams that win a stage competition for clean, production-capable vehicles that exceed 100 MPGe. The Progressive Automotive X PRIZE will place a major focus on affordability, safety, and the environment. It is about developing real, production-capable cars that consumers want to buy, not science projects or concept cars. This progress is needed because today’s oil consumption is unsustainable and because automotive emissions significantly contribute to global warming and climate change. For more information about the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE, please visit www.progressiveautoxprize.org or email progressiveautopress@xprize.org.

About Progressive: Progressive, founded in 1937, is one of the country’s largest auto insurance groups and a leading insurer of motorcycles, recreation vehicles, boats, and commercial vehicles. The Company offers competitive rates and innovative products and services that meet drivers’ needs throughout their lifetimes as well as 24/7 online and in-person customer and claims service.

One of Progressive’s Core Values is Excellence. To the Company’s more than 26,000 people, it simply means seeking constant improvement. Over time, this has meant introducing revolutionary ideas that make car insurance easier to shop for, buy and use. It’s this same innovative spirit that’s behind the Company’s sponsorship of the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE. The Progressive Automotive X PRIZE will inspire innovation that will produce more fuel efficient vehicle choices, helping to make a difference in people’s lives. Progressive’s products and services are available locally through more than 30,000 independent insurance agencies in the U.S., online at http://www.progressive.com and by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE (1-800-776-4737).

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Smart Compton Hydrogen Fuel builds hydrogen fuel cells and associated circuits that generate Hydrogen Oxygen gas from water, used to augment gas powered cars improves MPG, Horsepower, and produces cleaner emissions.