Subject: 282 MPG Volkswagen. July 11, 2008.
If you have a new, very fast, computer you might try
to get the information about this VW they are thinking
about putting out. When I tried to record it on disk
my computer said that I have made all sorts of errors
and requested I turn it off.
You can access this information at
google.com
type in the words
282 MPG Volkswagen
and then look at the first article on the page. It
shows a lot of nice pictures of the VW in operation
and the specs of the car.
Good luck,
John Winston. johnfw@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(JW I did get the following information about the
car from google.com
........
"With gas prices going through the roof and
regulators requiring cars to be ever more miserly,
Volkswagen is bringing new meaning to the term "fuel
efficiency" with a bullet-shaped microcar that gets a
stunning 282 235 mpg.
Volkswagen's had its super-thrifty One-Liter Car
concept vehicle -- so named because that's how much
fuel it needs to go 100 kilometers -- stashed away for
six years. The body's made of carbon fiber to minimize
weight (the entire car weighs just 660 pounds) and
company execs didn't expect the material to become
cheap enough to produce the car until 2012.
But VW's decided to build the car two years ahead of
schedule.
According to Britain's Car magazine, VW has approved
a plan to build a limited number of One-Liters in 2010.
They'll probably be built in the company's prototype
shop, which has the capacity to build as many as 1,000
per year. That's not a lot, but it's enough to help VW
get a lot of attention while showing how much light
weight and an efficient engine can achieve.
VW unveiled the slick two-seater concept six years
ago at a stockholder's meeting in Hamburg. To prove it
was a real car, Chairman Ferdinand Piech personally
drove it from Wolfsburg to Hamburg. At the time, he
said the car could see production when the cost of its
carbon monocoque dropped from 35,000 Euros (about
$55,000) to 5,000 Euros (about $8,000) -- something he
figured would happen in 2012. With carbon fiber being
used in everything from airliners to laptops these
days, VW's apparently decided the cost is competitive
enough to build at least a few hundred One-Liters.
VW's engineers -- who spent three years developing
the car -- made extensive use of magnesium, titanium
and aluminum to bring it in at less than one-third the
weight of a Toyota Echo. According to Canadian Driver,
the front suspension assembly weighs just 18 pounds.
The six-speed transmission features a magnesium case,
titanium bolts and hollow gears; it weighs a tad more
than 50 pounds. The 16-inch wheels are carbon fiber.
The magnesium steering wheel weighs a little more than
a pound. How much of the concept car's exotic hardware
makes it to the production model remains to be seen.
Low weight only gets you so far in the quest for
ultimate fuel economy; aerodynamics plays a big role.
The One-Liter is long and low, coming in at 11.4 feet
long, 4.1 feet wide and 3.3 feet tall.
It features an aircraft-like canopy, flat wheel
covers and a belly pan to smooth the airflow under the
car. The engine cooling vents open only when needed,
and video cameras take the place of mirrors. The
passenger sits behind the driver to keep the car
narrow. The car has a coefficient of drag of 0.16; the
average car comes in around 0.30 and the Honda Insight
had a Cd of 0.25.
As for the engine, the concept had a one-cylinder
diesel engine producing 8.5 horsepower and 13.5
foot-pounds of torque. Car says the production model
will use a two-cylinder turbodiesel for a little more
oomph. Doubling the number of cylinders is sure to cut
fuel economy, so VW may install a diesel-hybrid
drivetrain. The engine turns off at stop lights to save
fuel, then automatically restarts when the driver
depresses the accelerator pedal.
(Update: The car re****tedly has anti-lock brakes,
stability control and airbags. According to Canadian
Driver, "Volkswagen says the One-Liter Car is as safe
as a GT s****ts car registered for racing. With the aid
of computer crash simulations, the car was
designed with built-in crash tubes, pressure sensors
for airbag control and front crumple zones.")
What's it gonna cost? Car quotes "one well-placed
insider" who says the One-Liter could have a sticker
price of anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 Euros (about
$31,750 to $47,622). That's a lot of money. But then,
the One-Liter, despite its diminutive size, is a lot of
car.
'Update: Turns out the 282 mpg figure refers to
Imperial gallons; the proper figure when converted to
U.S. gallons is 235 mpg.
John Winston. johnfw@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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