West Philadelphia High School HybridX Team

Micah Hauger, 5th grader at Lower Merion (left) helps members of the West Philly Hybrid X Team Azeem Hill, senior, and Diamond Gibson, junior, rebuild the drivetrain of their EVX Focus in preparation for entry in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize. West Philadelphia High School’s Auto Academy entered the $10 million competition earlier this year, beating out over 80 university and industry teams with its entries, a Ford Focus equipped with an electric motor, and a biodiesel sports car built from a do-it-yourself kit. The team came up short of the 100 m.p.g. requirement to win but garnered national attention and plenty of hometown excitement.