Not only can this thing fly off cliffs, it can also float through flooded cities. I see more floods in our future, don't you?

The XPCar is competing for the X-Prize this year. If it wins (we can only hope) it will be easier for this outside-the-box startup to get the millions of dollars in funding it needs to fully develop what will be a very affordable and practical car. Because of its novel inflatable construction (think blow-up), once it's in production, the company will likely achieve its target pricetag of  under $10,000.

Based on the same robust cushioning technology that safely landed the Mars Rover on Mars, this is essentially a giant airbag around the driver and passengers. Cushioned way down in there is the metal chassis and all those parts that shoudl be made of metal -- the ones needed to keep everything moving along. But the parts that don't have to be metal are not.

And that makes the car from Mars super safe for those of us who don't drive as safely as we might. Even the steering column is not a hard metal thing that will poke you in the chest like it does now in the event of a crash. Instead a center-mounted steering wheel swings out of the way in a crash.

Most of us know it's all that metal in cars that is mostly responsible for killing you and hurting you when you crash. The shrapnel, body-compression immobility, lung compression, dismemberment and other serious results of a crash are most often caused by the inflexibility of metal and the permanent deformation of the metal car body around or into your body. None of that happens with this car.

XP Car says two average adults with a high school education can unpack and inflate the vehicle in under two hours. Should you and your friend lack this educational milestone, XP envisions distribution centers or stores like Sears or Costco selling these and assembling them for you. They should probably be authorized to declare them legal as well -- your Masters degree will not change those closed minds at the DMV when you try to register this thing you put together two hours ago.

These will be electric cars, powered by batteries, fuel cells and combinations of both, capable of speeds up to 120 mph. They'll take all your gear, and include your cupholder, your iPod mount and so on -- everything you've come to expect in a car.

Oh, you don't have iPod mounts in your car? Well, let's just hope the XPrize judges see what I see in the inflatable car. Because who wouldn't want an innovative, safe, green and affordable EV with iPod mounts?