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Old 07-16-2012, 07:23 PM   #436 (permalink)
aerohead
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Quote:
Originally Posted by divedaddy03 View Post
I hear what you're saying.

So far they are getting 100+ mpg with an ICE...!! Wow, huh?

As far as safety in your mind, is there a better way to build a safe vehicle that's easily put together by a DIYer?

Take a look at their YouTube channel (WIKISPEED crowd funding video - short - YouTube) and build log (WIKISPEED - WIKISPEED), it's interesting what they're doing.

I'm not saying it's the best idea but it's pretty darn cool.

Wayne
SC
It's a tough call.There is very little actual engineering data from which make any judgement.
The first 'race' car which they show I can see getting 100 mpg,if that's with the EPA 'highway' cycle,averaging 49.6 mph. It's got the mass of East Germany's Trabant,and GM's Ultralite so that's good.
The 'race' car,if they'll put the roof on it and roll up the windows, with it's narrow 1-person greenhouse,and small frontal area should be able to squeak by aerodynamically.
I don't believe any of the other body variants will be able to achieve the mpg mentioned.
The chassis remains 'scary' to me.Sure,the occupant of the car may survive a collision in the laboratory under extremely precise collision geometries,but after that I wouldn't know.
And I would not want to be struck by such a vehicle.
Need more data.And those tests are extremely expensive.Many tens of thousands of dollars per crash car.
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