Henderson, a native of Bellingham, WA, completed the first Avion prototypein 1984 and drove into the Guinness Book of World Records in 1986 after aborder-to-border trip that averaged 103.7 miles per gallon. In thatrecord-setting trip, he drove along the West Coast from Mexico to Canada.This time, he plans to start at the Canadian border on the morning ofOctober 11 and end at the Oregon border later that afternoon, stopping inVancouver and Seattle along the way.

Henderson is a contender in the $10 million Progressive InsuranceAutomotive X PRIZE. He is among more than 120 teams from 28 states and 17countries who signed a letter of intent to compete for their share of a $10million prize purse, which will be awarded to those that can design andbuild production-capable, 100 MPGe (miles per gallon energy equivalent)vehicles that people will want to buy and that meet market needs for price,size, capability, safety and performance.

Once registration closes at the end of this year, and the field ofcompetition is in place, qualified competitors will begin preparing for arigorous cross country stage race that will combine speed, distance, urbandriving and overall performance. The race is set to kick off in New YorkCity in September 2009, and will continue in up to nine other major marketsthroughout the U.S. Progressive Automotive X PRIZE organizers are indiscussions with city and state officials in Portland and Seattle with thehope of bringing a stage of the race to the Pacific Northwest in 2010.

Since setting his first world record in 1986, Henderson and his co-designerBill Green, a professor at Virginia Tech University, have found ways tomanufacture their fuel-efficient cars -- which run on diesel gasoline -- inlimited production, using standard engine parts and drive-trains that areinnovative only when teamed with the lightweight, aerodynamic Avion chassisand body.

"The Avion is fun to drive, and it gets great mileage," says Henderson withunderstated pride. "Our test car has achieved 80 mpg at 70 mph, and we'vereached 114 mpg at 55 mph driving on public roads from Eugene to Portland,Oregon. That's pretty amazing, especially considering we designed it overtwenty years ago."

The Avion is among six Washington state teams who hope to win theProgressive Automotive X PRIZE. Other teams from the Pacific Northwest whohave signed letters of intent to compete include Western WashingtonUniversity of Bellingham, WA; Commuter Cars of Spokane, WA; and KineticVehicles of Creswell, OR. Additional competitors include India's TataMotors, TTW of Turin, Italy, Tesla Motors of San Carlos, CA and CornellUniversity of Ithaca, NY.

About the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE Competition:

The goal of the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE is to inspire a newgeneration of viable, super fuel-efficient vehicles that offer moreconsumer choices. Ten million dollars in prizes will be awarded to theteams that win a stage race for clean, production-capable vehicles thatexceed 100 MPGe.

The Progressive Automotive X PRIZE will place a major focus onaffordability, safety, and the environment. It is about developing real,production-capable cars that consumers want to buy, not science projects orconcept cars. This progress is needed because today's oil consumption isunsustainable and because automotive emissions significantly contribute toglobal warming and climate change.

For more information about the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE, please visitwww.progressiveautoxprize.org or email progressiveautopress@xprize.org.

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Contact:Carrie Fox301-585-5034carrie@cfoxcommunications.com