[cfg83]

RH77 -

Originally Posted by RH77

...

That's the one I had! I knew I should have taken a picture or something. The rear bumper is a target for scratches on a rental (suitcases, cargo, golf clubs, etc.) It was gouged pretty good in a couple spots. It could be a softer plastic, or the lack of paint didn't offer a layer of protection.

That's neat about the Fremont folks. I wonder if they'll be making the '09 there? It's a complete re-design...

Anyhoo, I'm headed back to the rental lot to pick up a sedan for a weekend trip to St. Louis. I think Teggy is starting to get jealous...

RH77

Just to beat a dead radish, , if I had ever gotten a Vibe, I had worked out a way to try to use the side rails as a foundation for a Kammback :



Not to scale, of course.

I don't know about the 2009 Vibe. I hope it will still be in Fremont. You made me search genvibe and I found someone doing MPG musings :

Hypothetical car concept- 100mpg 2009 Vibe!
http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=9641

- The bodystyle would be something very similar to the Vibe, only lower drag. A nice smooth profile would cut drag to around .20 or .22, which is respectable. The body itself would, most realistically, be an aluminum spaceframe. This is already in production in the Audi A2 and A8. This type of construction uses extruded aluminum beams linked together like a skeleton. It looks sort of like a "birdcage" race car body. Body panels would be composite plastic, like Saturn- light weight, no dents, no painting. The advantage is 1/3 weight savings. For even lighter weight and higher efficiency, use carbon fiber for all or part of the spaceframe. Maybe some sort of composite plasic for doors, hood, and hatch.

- Power would be supplied by a small, highly advanced rotary engine. The advantage here would be light weight. I'd use a Russian refinement of the standard Wankel rotary that is as clean and efficient as a piston engine. Look up "Wankel engine" on google for how this type of engine works. The engine would crank out no more than 30hp (probably closer to 20hp) and be roughly the size of a coffee pot. It would burn compressed natural gas or propane. Or perhaps alcohol.

- Huh? you say. That's not enough to power a car! It'd be a slug! Nope, I reply. That rotary engine is hooked up to a flywheel generator. The engine only runs for about 2 minutes out of 12. It exists solely to spin up to speed a heavy carbon-fiber cylinder. This cylinder is lined with magnets and spins around a wire-wrapped stationary core. It's inside a vacuum chamber that reduces friction, and it generates power using the heavy wheel's momentum. Every so often, the wheel is kicked up to speed again by the engine. The rest of the time, the flywheel stores power in its momentum and generates power off of that. Advantage: the engine runs very seldom, and can be run at its most efficient RPM when it does run. Maybe there's a capacitor bank to store electricity for passing or mountain driving. Engine + generator= about the size of a small trash can. Maybe two feet long, 9 or 10 inches wide at the absolute most.

- This power is fed to compact, efifcient electric motors in the wheels of the car. No transmission, no diffs, no driveshafts to gobble up power with friction losses. Electric motors create 100% of their power at any RPM range, so all that's required is modulating the amount of power the motor gets. In-hub, the motor has maximum efficiiency. Go to http://www.e-traction.com for more info. Alternative technology: An new Japanese development may, if valid, lead to electric motors 80% more efficient than existing ones, and would be perfectly suited to this application. This would allow the engine and flywheel generator to be even tinier. Brakes would be regenerative, feeding power into a small battery for EVEN MORE efficiency.

- Depending on your desires, the car could be rear-wheel drive, front-wheel drive, or 4wd. Maybe 2wd for efficiency in the summer, and swap in 2 extra (rented?) motor wheels for traction in the winter? Rear-wheel for sporty driving, if you want.

Don't know how practical it is, but it is pretty creative.

CarloSW2