Volkswagen to produce 1-Liter car in 2010, should get over 200MPG

Engadget ^ | 5/9/08 | Darren Murph

[dangerdoc]

Although you can definitely pre-order an Aptera if you're okay with space-aged design, Volkswagen is hoping to provide another option for those looking for ridiculous MPG and a little bit of normalcy in construction. Okay, so maybe the 1-Liter isn't exactly standard fare -- with its plastic / magnesium shell and all-glass roof -- but at least it packs four whole wheels and an iconic VW badge, right? According to Motor Authority, the automaker will be producing said vehicle and pushing it to market as early as 2010, and while the minuscule engine will only take you to 75MPH, it will still seat two people -- one in front of the other, though -- and get around 235MPG. No word on a price or any of that good stuff, but we're hearing that they'll only be produced in "limited numbers" whenever they're launched.

[Notary Sojac]

Good on your hubby.

My last three cars combined weighed less than 8500 pounds; and I've never had any complaints either ;-)

I'll carry on the flameware for ya, never fear.

[naturalized]

From their website:

In fact, Aptera is a motorcycle manufacturer registered with DOT and CA DMV. This means, among other things, that we are able to issue VIN's. Our 'world identifier number' is '5WT', so all of our VIN's begin with '5WT'. Knowing the public perception of motorcycle safety, we made the decision to make safety a fundamental part of the design of our vehicles. For example, the Typ-1 roof is designed to EXCEED rollover strength requirements spelled out in FMVSS 216 for passenger vehicles. The doors EXCEED the strength requirement spelled out in FMVSS 214. We decided not just to meet many of the specs for passenger vehicles, which are set above and beyond the requirements for motorcycles, but we chose to exceed them whenever possible. Just a few of the many parts of the safety systems on the Typ-1 are airbag-in seatbelt technology, a front subframe and a firewall that redirect energy around the occupants.

In other words, you will have some feel-good safety features, but you are on your own when it comes to a real world crash.

But it looks cool.

[steve86]

75 mph on the flat seems about right...roughly same as my one liter Geo Metro...won’t get that up a grade unless there’s a huge magnet at the top. P.S. top speed is more a matter of aerodynamic drag coefficient and power than it is power-to-weight ratio. The latter is important in acceleration.

[TLI]

The real VW, and still no real name...

From this angle it looks like four wheels

“The conceptual necessity for a small frontal area led to an unusually narrow and very flat body form being chosen. The body was developed in a wind tunnel, is 3.47 metres long, but just 1.25 metres wide and just over a metre in height, and is made completely of carbon fibre composites. To save weight, it is of course not painted. The carbon-fibre-reinforced outer skin is tensioned over a spaceframe that is not made of aluminium, but rather of magnesium, which is even lighter… Deformation elements at the front end and the spaceframe construction provide impact and roll-over protection comparable to that of a GT racing car.”

[blasater1960]

That's nice...but wouldnt it be wiser to get our domestic production up so we arent sending billions to our enemies and don't have to drive these things?

Clinton locks up shale forever. Liberals and Juan McCainez lock up anwar. Jeb locks up Florida and Ahhnold locks up Cal.

Were pretty much screwed, folks.

[jbp1]

unless it is part electric, the mpg will not get close to 235, and even then, if its electric, the mpg is a lie.

someone needs to convert the amount of KWHs pumped in when charging a hybrid. This can be used in an equation that gives the $/mile when running electric.
so if running electric costs were 500 KWH for a month
at $.02 per KWH, so that was $10 for the month.
If the car ran 400 miles on electric for the month
that would be
$ .025/mile,
then for $4.00/gal gas,
that would be 160 mpg.

and the car specs should call out mpg on gas
and mpKWH, with an estimated effective mpg based upon gas at $x.xx/gal and $x.xx/KWH.

either way, the greenies are a bunch of toads

how is a 1.0L gasoline car going to get better mileage than a 0.5L motorcycle? did it say electric

[FlashBack]

Looks cool enough but until they’re on the market used and cheap it’s out of my $ range...just picked up a 95 Taurus 3.0L for 600.00 myself.

[Hawken54]

I once owned an 84 Suzuki SJ410 with a 1 liter engine. Would do 65 on the interstates :-). Was one hell of alot of fun to drive and would go anywhere. Got great gas mileage too. Not likely that it would have been fun in a crash I will grant you, but as for engine displacement I rather think that choosing the proper gearing helps quite a bit with performance.

[dangerdoc]

You did not read the link. The car does not use electricity, it is a .5 liter deisel. And to answer your last question, your motorcycle has the aerodynamics of a brick.

[Intimidator]

You couldn’t lower the price enough for me to drive one of those matchboxes. Part of the reason I drive a large car (other than all the people I’ve got to transport) is, if I get in a wreck, I want to make sure I win it. People can impugn the safety of SUVs all they want (rollovers, whatever) — you’ll not survive an accident when you’re not even big enough to hit the body of another car (i.e. your body hits their tires). I’ve had family members walk away from catastrophic accidents (including one with a dump truck hitting a driver door at 45mph) precisely because they were in a large car (Suburban, in the case of the dump truck accident).

Guess the motorcycle is out for you also huh?

[Uri’el-2012]

[HardStarboard]

>>>O.k folks. Here's where the 300mpg lie is laid bare.<<<

They give a well reasoned and sound explanation of where this figure comes from on their website. Go to the Performance tab under the Vehicle details section an check it out. Excerpt below....(this if for the Hybrid, not the all electric version)

With the Plug-in Electric Hybrid version of the Aptera(typ-1h) the mileage of the vehicle is difficult to describe with one number. For example, the Typ-1h can drive 40 to 60 miles on electric power alone. Perhaps for such a trip, the engine may only be duty-cycled for a few seconds or minutes. This would produce a fantastic number, an incredible number that, though factually true, would have no useful context, i.e. it's just a point on a graph.

An asymptotic decaying exponential is an accurate way to describe the fuel mileage of the Typ-1h. For example driving say, 50 miles, one might calculate a MPG number that's 2 or 3 times higher, say, 1000 MPG. As battery energy is depleted, the frequency of the engine duty cycle is increased. More fuel is used. at 75 miles, the MPG might be closer to 400 MPG. Again, we're using battery energy mostly, but turning the engine on more and more. Just over 100 miles we're just over 300 MPG, and just beyond 120 miles, we're around 300 MPG.

They go to say that if your driving on the engine for long distances, mileage falls to around 130 mpg.... still pretty damn good as far as I'm concerned.

The engineering thought that went into this little bug can only be called exquisite....I want one; not to save the world but because it looks like a hoot to drive!

[calex59]

IRCC, the original 1939 “People's Car” had a 925cc/36HP (0.925L) engine. (1500cc is about 100 cubic inches.) They gradually upped the displacement to about 1800cc in the final Super Beetle.

Actually the first VW bug had a 25hp, 938cc engine, 36 hp didn't come along until years later, but you were close. At any rate the engines weren't very big!

[HardStarboard]

>>> P.S. top speed is more a matter of aerodynamic drag coefficient and power than it is power-to-weight ratio. <<<

Agreed. But if your at, say, 5500rpm at 70mph and your trying to get to 75mph at your redline of 6,000, your well beyond the peak of the torque curve and the HP curve is going rapidly toward a flat line....it's gonna take a while.

[HardStarboard]

>>>I hope so! Maybe it can be allowed in the carpool lane :-)<<<

Go to the Aptera website. Its rated car-pool lane legal in California....!! Neeto.

[HardStarboard]

I've got a picture somewhere in some closet of two of my girlfriends who were leaving Denver to move to San Francisco in the early 60's.

They were each in a Healy Sprite...the first one had San Francisco in big letters on the side, the second, or Bust. They drove tandem the whole way out there.

Those were fun days....

[HamiltonJay]

My 91 VW Fox GL was powered by an inline 4 1.8 litre engine and got 40+ MPG highway, and it was a very nice reliable compact car.

I would assume that VW should have no issues with a 1 litre enging getting close to 200 MPG based on the weight this thing will likely be based on the materials listed.

Frankly if you want to see every car get 50-100 MPG easily, without changing much else, just switch over to carbon fiber from steel.

[VictoryGal]

> Go to the Aptera website. Its rated car-pool lane legal in California....!! Neeto.

Yyyyyes!!! thanks for the tip :-)

[6ppc]

Looks like a UFO! Kinda cool looking.

[dangerdoc]

I’m not recommending that anyone drive one of these or argue that we should not drill.

We are not completely screwed. I think American technology can pull us through. In real energy terms, a car is about 10% efficient and a semi is about 15%. Within the next 5 years, we will see power plant/drive train systems that are 50% efficient. That means real full-sized cars should get more than 100 mpg with econoboxes getting over 300 mpg and simi trucks should get about 18 mpg. The decreased demand will kill the oil industry for years.

Every thing is a cycle. Boom and bust.