NY to Paris: Greening the Great Race

A lot can happen in one hundred years. And in the case of automotive milestones and developments, this week marks the 100-year anniversary of the 22,000-mile New York to Paris race of 1908. Just as accessibility to fuel has changed dramatically, the race itself has morphed in appearance. Especially since alt fuelers and hybrids will take the starring role. Thanks to Eric Powers, president of Hybridfest, Inc., for sending a heads-up on this hot hybrid story. This Tuesday, February 12th commemorates the day when six autos set off from Times Square to the cheers of 250,000--on what's been called "the toughest race ever devised." And for you history buffs, there's even a cool interactive map of the 1908 fuel stops and landmarks.

And while it's much easier to find fueling stations today, this year's race is all about MPG. That's because the winner of the hybrid class (the MPG Challenge) will be determined by the best overall mile-per-gallon average. But since it's a race, there's the added challenge of making good time AND high fuel economy. Another reflection of the changing times will be the way the 40 teams of entrants will be tracked when the race begins on May 30: using GPS.

“We will have cars running on up to five different fuels,” said Mike Ewing, a spokesman for the race organizers, according to The New York Times Wheels blog. “Biodiesel, ethanol, methane, propane and, of course, gasoline. We can’t have anything too exotic, such as hydrogen, which we are not allowed to use in China. We will also have hybrid-electric and plug-in hybrids.” You can be sure there'll be some serious hypermiling happening at the race too, since it's all about going as far as possible on as little fuel as possible.

We'll keep you updated on the happenings--and in the meantime, if you're planning a summer vacation now, check out Madison, WI on the third weekend in July. As the site of the Hybridfest, it's the place to be for all things hybrid, even while The Great Race is underway.

Great Race 2008 graphic © courtesy Great Race Sports, Inc.