[NeilBlanchard]

Volkswagen XL1 Test Drive - MPGs in the One Liter Car - Popular Mechanics

Driving the rear wheels is essentially half a 1.6-liter TDI turbodiesel engine. It's an all-aluminium unit, using plasma-sprayed bores instead of iron liners. Displacing 0.8 liter, it produces 47 hp and 88.5 lb-ft of torque. A 27-hp, 74 lb-ft electric motor is sandwiched between the engine and a seven-speed twin-clutch transmission. A 5-kwh lithium-ion battery pack lives in the rear with the powertrain. In normal hybrid operation, XL1 starts in electric mode and stays until the driver floors the throttle, speeds exceed 62 mph, or the battery is depleted below 20 percent of maximum charge. There's an EV-only mode, in which the car remains on electric power until the battery has just 10 percent of its charge (typically about 22 miles), whereupon the motor starts to charge it and drive the wheels. Recharge time with 240 volts is just over an hour. The XL1's top speed is limited to 99 mph, and it can accelerate to 62 mph in 11.9 seconds. Fuel economy is tricky to determine since fuel use is supplemented by electrons, but on the NEDC (Europe's version of the EPA) Combined cycle, the XL1 returned 261.4, which should provide a 340-mile range from the paltry 1.8-gallon fuel tank.