Some wonderful and informative video footage was prepared before and after our March 20th announcement of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE. John shared the great Jay Leno video statement of support in his lastest post and I linked to the video of our NBC Today Show appearance two posts ago. But there is lots more exciting video to watch, so I thought I'd embed the rest of the clips here for your viewing enjoyment!
March 20th Press Event Highlights
Progressive Insurance Joins Forces with X PRIZE Foundation
We're big fans of Jay Leno. He's well known and respected as an authentic car guy, but perhaps it's not so well known that Jay's Garage is a Green Garage - complete with solar power, wind power, eco-friendly chemicals and processes, etc.
Thanks to PAXP Advisor Gale Banks, I spent an evening at Jay's garage about a year ago (understatement: fun). Gale has kept Jay up to date on the development of PAXP, and recently asked him to speak on camera about the importance of PAXP. Jay was kind enough to do so, and we used his video statement as a dramatic opening of last Thursday's formal launch of the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE at the New York International Auto Show. Jay's video is cool - check it out here.
The video led into the event's highlight: our announcement that Progressive Insurance has become the title sponsor of the Automotive X PRIZE. We also announced that the Department of Energy is providing a $3.5M award to sponsor the PAXP Education Program. Additionally, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that New York City will host the first stage of the 2008 Qualifying Race. You can see excerpts from the launch event here. For more details, see Cristin's post. All-in-all a good day (another understatement).
We are thrilled to introduce the Title Sponsor of the Automotive X PRIZE – Progressive Insurance! The newly renamed Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE was announced yesterday at the New York International Auto Show, and we could not be more proud to partner with Progressive. This is about two organizations that support innovation coming together in a way that can make a real difference in the world.
Cars from Letter of Intent teams at Rockefeller Plaza for NBC's Today show
Yesterday started off with a great segment about the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE on NBC's Today show:
Later that afternoon, Progressive CEO Glenn Renwick and X PRIZE Chairman and CEO Peter Diamandis announced the partnership to a crowd of automotive press, industry influencers, and notable guests in the public and private sectors.
X PRIZE Chairman & CEO Peter Diamandis Greets Progressive CEO Glenn Renwick
“The Progressive Automotive X PRIZE is a call to action to promote and inspire innovation,” said Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation. “The environmentally friendly cars created as a result of this competition will affect everyone who drives in ways we can’t even imagine today. Let the race begin!”
“We’ve been working hard to make a difference in car insurance for 70 years,” said Progressive’s CEO, Glenn Renwick. “Now we have a chance to make a difference by supporting the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE. This competition will result in more choices of more fuel-efficient vehicles for drivers and will be a catalyst for moving this technology forward, faster.”
“This competition represents what we’re all about in name and spirit—new ideas, competition and always working to do better,” added Renwick. “Being a part of this gives us a chance to make a real difference.”
Watch Part One of the announcement press conference:
In the run up to the official launch of the prize, it’s been clear that we were on the brink of something huge. Our list of supporters is growing very long, and in the past few weeks we’ve received statements of support from California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Jay Leno, and resolutions of support and praise from both houses of Congress.
On hand for the announcement at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan was New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who shared the news that NYC will host the official start of the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE races in 2009.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg at Progressive Automotive X PRIZE press conference
"The Progressive Automotive X PRIZE is an excellent example of how the private sector can spur solutions to our most complex challenges," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Here in New York City, we are also stepping up to the plate on energy conservation, by transforming our taxi fleet into hybrids and cutting the City's energy use by 30% over the next ten years. It's all part of PlaNYC, our plan to create a greener, greater New York. Development of a super-efficient car would be a major step forward in the fight against global warming - and it would help us reach our goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in New York City by 30% by 2030. To maximize national and international awareness of the X PRIZE, I am pleased to announce that New York will be the starting point for the race next year."
Progressive CEO Glenn Renwick, X PRIZE Chairman & CEO Peter Diamandis, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Energy announced it plans to make up to a $3.5 million USD grant to the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE (subject to appropriation from Congress) for a national education program that
will encourage young people to pursue careers in energy-efficient
sciences and technology. The education program will engage students through a comprehensive online knowledge center and national contests that ask them to imagine what the role of transportation will be in their future world. The program will be designed to build excitement among students, engaging them in a competitive and creative process while conveying the X PRIZE approach to fostering breakthroughs that benefit humanity through competition.
This is a very exciting day for us, but it’s only the beginning. We believe momentum will continue to build, and innovations that come from the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE will not just be on the road, they’ll be in our driveways. Start your environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient engines!
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