From Indiana, the cradle of motorsports, comes BITW Technologies, a collection of gear heads, engineers, mechanics, entrepreneurs, and dreamers that have an interest in highly efficient automotive performance. Many years of experience in a variety of automotive and mechanical subjects uniquely qualify team members to build and race a 100 MPGe vehicle. Team leaders George Voll and Dan Boyd began to develop a project in 2003 that has become the team’s entry. During their high school years the two cut their teeth on SAAB 93’s and Volvo 544’s, along with various odd compact cars, tractors and diesels. This background along with racing experiences has led them to the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize competition. Our entry in the mainstream class is a multi-fuel diesel internal combustion engine in a late model production chassis with simple modifications, which will use bio-diesel during the competition.

The BITW Technologies team believes that the proper application of existing technologies can perform beyond expectations. Our production concept is inspired by the successes of Carroll Shelby and Briggs Cunningham, yet with total performance as the core objective. With fuel prices on a continually steep increase, BITW’s alteration concept is very marketable, capitalizing on diesel technology which gives the driver fuel flexibility not available with a gasoline powered ICE. 

The duo became interested in this contest after discovering it was not a "formula" race. Racing is a great sport, but now there is a class for everything. This seems to bracket creative ideas out of venues where the exposure would inspire further experimentation and study of innovations. One famous example would be the 1967 Granitelli Gas Turbine Indianapolis 500 entry. This car was beyond the grasp of the typical USAC mechanic, which created some controversy. If the car had not been successful in the race, it would have been a footnote on the program, an oddity quickly forgotten. As it happened, that was not the case. While not getting the pole, it took the lead less than 30 laps into the race which it held for 172 laps. If not for a bearing failure in the transmission with 4 laps to go, it would have won the race. History would have been altered. The mass produced gas turbine car could have been a reality. Instead, USAC restricted the gas turbine into a non competitive state where they would no longer threaten the dominance of piston ICEs. Even today, restrictions are affecting the AUDI TDI Grand Prix car. The turbocharged diesel is too scary for the competition, thus more rule changes.

The removal of limits to imagination or innovation is the prospect that fuels BITW Technologies’ interest in the X Prize competition. This is not regional, but global in scope, with international contestants making this event more exciting. It recalls the golden age of racing, when a small upstart aircraft company could win at Monte Carlo and hybrids were Anglo American combinations like AC and Ford. 

In respect to the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize competition, the team has been modifying a car that fits the mainstream category, which is for traditional four-passenger vehicles with room for cargo. It is what you would call a reapplication of existing technology. Voll got the idea while talking with a customer about a diesel powered lawn tractor. Realizing the economy potential and engine design, he did some research on the torque curves and found similarity to the Geo Metro; thus the seed was planted. Now, over ten thousand miles later, the team has an automobile that performs well on a daily basis while working towards 100 mile per gallon-equivalent fuel economy while running on a simple bio-fuel. Our goal is to share this application with drivers and families around the world.