Automotive designer/builder Jack McCornack of Cave Junction, Oregon, is the proprietor of Kinetic Vehicles, an organization that designs alternative, fuel-efficient, low cost sports cars, in addition to selling racecar kits for street, autocross, and track uses. Over the past 40 years Jack has built a name for himself in the spectrum of independent automotive design, accumulating many followers. He actively takes on new challenges and puts his concepts into action. His most recent challenge, summoned up by the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize (PIAXP) competition, is to build a viable, super fuel-efficient car that gets at least 100mpg, is production worthy, and is salable in today’s automotive markets. In August of ’07, Jack immediately got to work building his prototype MAX which, in giving credit to his sponsor, Mothers Earth News, stands for Mother’s Automotive X challenger.
What factors were taken into consideration in designing a 100mpg car?
“I hope we’ve considered all the important ones. The compromises required are daunting. For example, conspicuous vs. stylish; we want to be visible without being garish. What’s the best compromise for a car our size? How much ground clearance is the best compromise for drag, handling, driver’s access and driver’s view? Bigger engines require more fuel; smaller engines require more planning when merging with other traffic. What’s the best for us? Some of these questions will be answered when the X Prize Foundation releases the final rules.”
What were the most difficult problems you’ve faced while building MAX?
“The most difficult in the problems solved category was adapting the Kubota engine to an automotive transmission (a Toyota T-50). The most difficult still remaining to be solved will either be streamlining or exhaust emission control… though it might actually be crash protection. It’s hard to say until we solve them.”
How much has MAX cost to build?
“We’re not done. Our target is an all weather sports car that will cruise down the road at 100mpg. That can be built by a talented scrounger/builder for $10,000. We’re well under that to date (excluding my time, which is debatable) but we’re not done yet either.”
How long did it take to complete MAX?
“Max is a work in progress. We have a couple of years in it now, and I expect we’ll still be fiddling with it the night before the flag drops on the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize, (PIAXP). I think in the first two weeks of May we’ll be designing and building MAX a streamlined body. “Complete” MAX? A likely story.”
While the PIAXP competition is still another year away, MAX had the fortunate opportunity of a trial run, competing in the first ever Escape from Berkeley rally held last October. The premise of the Escape from Berkeley rally is that a natural disaster has transpired and you must escape without any money or fuel. The specific parameters are that your vehicle can run on anything other than a petroleum based fuel and that you have to acquire that fuel by any means possible without purchasing it with money. Here’s what Jack has to say about that…
“Every time we had to refuel, we had to pop the hood off, so we learned to stop in front of the little grocery stores. When people asked “what’cha doing?” we’d tell them we were racing from Berkeley to Las Vegas on vegetable oil, but we weren’t allowed to buy it. And when they asked ‘how do you get it then?’ we’d tell them people give it to us, and then we’d put on our Cocker Spaniel puppy faces and hope for the best.”
3 days, 800 miles and 15 gallons of vegetable oil later, the “Prisoners of Petroleum” (MAX and his passengers Jack McCornack and Sharon Westcott) rolled into the Sahara parking lot in Las Vegas with the best time sheet to take home the win and the prize; a not so stingy $5,000.
“The secret of our success was: we had one fewer problem than anybody else, so we won it.”
What did you do with the prize money?
“The very first thing we did was write an entry fee check for Escape from Berkeley 2. That will be Berkeley to Mexico and it’s coming up soon. Escape from Berkeley was sooo much fun, we’re already planning our 2010 entry. I hope it’s an annual event for as long as the government keeps giving me driver’s licenses.”
Last checked, MAX was getting about 70mpg at 50mph, which we can all agree is pretty stellar. But Jack still has some tweaking to do to get him to 100mpg for the PIAXP competition. Among the many factors involved in great fuel efficiency, a streamlined chassis is one of them. They shall have to wait and see what gas mileage MAX is getting after they outfit him with a shiny new streamlined body.
Next on the roster for MAX will be Escape from Berkeley 2, which will be held in June and will extend from Berkeley, CA to Ensenada, Mexico. Though my experience of this very drive in a gas guzzling ’65 Ford pick-up will be polar opposite to that of Jack’s veggie-fuel-efficient streamlined racecar, it’s still quite a nice drive no matter which way you cut it. Hopefully MAX will be able to defend his title. Regardless, this will be another good practice run before the big PIAXP competition in May 2010, of which we will be featuring full coverage.
As for Jack, he always seems to be up to something new.
“We’re building MAXine, a gasoline powered version with a Geo Metro engine. It’ll have considerably more pep than MAX and be more practical for most people, less expensive to build and still should offer excellent fuel economy, 75mpg or so.”
For more information on Jack McCornack’s various projects and MAX’s future adventures check them out at www.kineticvehicles.com.
