这次比赛活动的目的是推动开发比现在路上跑的车耗油量低很多的车型。推动这次活动的部分原因是各界对环境的关注，另外也是因为石油价格攀升到接近每桶100美元的水平。

• Automotive X Prize Executive Director Donald Foley says backers of the competition want to move the industry away from vehicles that rely on petroleum-based fuels.