Design Ideas on a car for primary highway use

[zman]

Nissan Leaf has a pretty good solution for city driving, yet there is not a specialized car for highways. All the car companies build cars which have satisfactory city and highway performance characteristics, none of them are great at either.
Lots of people commute long distances at highway speeds yet there is not a specialized car on the market which is built with great highway performance in mind.

If you were on a design team for Ford, GM, Toyota, etc. and a project landed on your desk to design a specialized highway car what would you come up with?

[Old Tele man]

1) AERODYNAMICS optimized for 55-65-75 mph
2) COOLING (a) engine radiator, computer control of air-opening; (b) "siphon-jet" a/c cooling for passenger.
3) ELECTRICAL solar-collector roof (semi-see thru) to agument battery
4) GPS built-in, with central display.
5) CAPACITOR backup storage to propulsion batteries.
6) FULL wheel covers ("aero")
7) HIGH-pressure/narrow tires (60 psi)
8) ENGINE = very small diesel to power AC-generator.
9) SEATS very small/thin mesh, with HEAVY seat belts (let the belts & airbags protect you, not the seat); 2+2 seating.
10) SUSPENSION: computer-controlled, active shocks: HIGH for slow speeds, LOW for high speeds...let computer "adjust" for minimum aero drag.

[bryan11]

Excellent design ideas, Old_teleman

[AeroModder]

Zero lift is a must to maintain stability, especially if you're using low-grip, low rolling resistance tires.

Cheaping out on the seats might be a bad idea. It would have to be comfortable for distance driving. A bad seat will kill your back.

[rbrowning]

After spending the past 8 years commuting 100+ miles a day I've had a few minutes to think of this.

1) I think that I would go with a very narrow car with 1+1 tandem seating with the back seat more of a child seat / grocery stowage area. Seldom did anyone every ride with me even on the weekend and then we COULD have used my wife's car. I believe it would be best to keep a wide low front end for stability and visibility with either a single rear wheel or two that are closer together. Something like the Fuel Vapor Technologies Ale model in the X-prize contest.

2) Friction reduction throughout the drive train. Ever notice how quickly your non-drive car tires stop spinning when up on jacks compared to a bicycle tire? And the extra flywheel mass should keep it spinning longer. Lets look at bearings and lubes, retractable break pads, everything.

3) Eliminate power steering.

4) Reduce electrical load with all LED lights. Also make the size of the sound system somewhat realistically sized. I think 100 watts would be better than 1000.

5) Reduce parasitic loss by going to an electric cooling fan that coordinates with open able grill louvers and an electric water pump that work together to get your engine up to operating temp ASAP and then keep it there by expending the least amount of energy necessary.

6) Excellent side blind spot visibility with cameras instead of external mirrors.

7) Contour adjustable seats. I know this isn't a FE issue per Se but it is the one point of contention with my 06 Impala. I love the car and was astonished at getting 32-33 MPG (US) all summer in a big car with a great ride. But the seats sucked and my chiropractor loved it.

[Clev]

Agreed on pretty much all of the above.

I'd still like to have a simple (transmission tailshaft?) freewheeling hybrid option. I commute 130 miles roundtrip five days a week, and at least 5-10 miles of every day's commute is stop and go, or at least driving <45 mph. I'd love to have a simple lightweight way to shut off the engine and still crawl.

[Bicycle Bob]

The iconic aileron office chair does OK with a tension panel for the back. It would just have to be strengthened to take a rear-end collision. The recumbent bike lads find that careful shaping of the frame, and adjustment of the fabric tension are key. Frames have to adjust for length of spine to keep more than 60% happy.

[Clev]

Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob

The iconic aileron office chair does OK with a tension panel for the back. It would just have to be strengthened to take a rear-end collision. The recumbent bike lads find that careful shaping of the frame, and adjustment of the fabric tension are key. Frames have to adjust for length of spine to keep more than 60% happy.

Something with very good side support. Not all highways are straight and level.

[MadisonMPG]

Originally Posted by rbrowning

After spending the past 8 years commuting 100+ miles a day I've had a few minutes to think of this.

1) I think that I would go with a very narrow car with 1+1 tandem seating with the back seat more of a child seat / grocery stowage area. Seldom did anyone every ride with me even on the weekend and then we COULD have used my wife's car. I believe it would be best to keep a wide low front end for stability and visibility with either a single rear wheel or two that are closer together. Something like the Fuel Vapor Technologies Ale model in the X-prize contest.

2) Friction reduction throughout the drive train. Ever notice how quickly your non-drive car tires stop spinning when up on jacks compared to a bicycle tire? And the extra flywheel mass should keep it spinning longer. Lets look at bearings and lubes, retractable break pads, everything.

3) Eliminate power steering.

4) Reduce electrical load with all LED lights. Also make the size of the sound system somewhat realistically sized. I think 100 watts would be better than 1000.

5) Reduce parasitic loss by going to an electric cooling fan that coordinates with open able grill louvers and an electric water pump that work together to get your engine up to operating temp ASAP and then keep it there by expending the least amount of energy necessary.

6) Excellent side blind spot visibility with cameras instead of external mirrors.

7) Contour adjustable seats. I know this isn't a FE issue per Se but it is the one point of contention with my 06 Impala. I love the car and was astonished at getting 32-33 MPG (US) all summer in a big car with a great ride. But the seats sucked and my chiropractor loved it.

So basically...

Craig Vetter Fuel Economy better mileage

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by rbrowning

After spending the past 8 years commuting 100+ miles a day I've had a few minutes to think of this.

1) I think that I would go with a very narrow car with 1+1 tandem seating with the back seat more of a child seat / grocery stowage area. Seldom did anyone every ride with me even on the weekend and then we COULD have used my wife's car. I believe it would be best to keep a wide low front end for stability and visibility with either a single rear wheel or two that are closer together. Something like the Fuel Vapor Technologies Ale model in the X-prize contest.

2) Friction reduction throughout the drive train. Ever notice how quickly your non-drive car tires stop spinning when up on jacks compared to a bicycle tire? And the extra flywheel mass should keep it spinning longer. Lets look at bearings and lubes, retractable break pads, everything.

3) Eliminate power steering.

4) Reduce electrical load with all LED lights. Also make the size of the sound system somewhat realistically sized. I think 100 watts would be better than 1000.

5) Reduce parasitic loss by going to an electric cooling fan that coordinates with open able grill louvers and an electric water pump that work together to get your engine up to operating temp ASAP and then keep it there by expending the least amount of energy necessary.

6) Excellent side blind spot visibility with cameras instead of external mirrors.

7) Contour adjustable seats. I know this isn't a FE issue per Se but it is the one point of contention with my 06 Impala. I love the car and was astonished at getting 32-33 MPG (US) all summer in a big car with a great ride. But the seats sucked and my chiropractor loved it.

I would have thought of moving.