Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard
What about the VLC is a problem? It is one of the most efficient car designs ever; let alone a 4 seat design.
|
Trying to sell it off as a 4 seat design is only the beginning of the problem ...
It's not a new path in automobile design, as Edison claim.
It's trying to fit 4 people in a traditional pre-war race car .
The car industry has long since worked out that idea isn't going to
float ...
Being only a rolling chassis, it's got no doors on it, and it's already very cramped.
That ain't going to get any better with doors and a roof (+internal liners) on it.
They can talk about deflecting crash energy, but that crossbeam is directly on the passenger cell.
Making a sturdy passenger cell is no big deal - Smart's done that - but it transfers the huge loads to the occupants. Not good either.
If the crossbeam gives way ... where's the wheel going to end up ?
Have you seen or found any crash test pics / videos ?
All I've seen is the alu block they hit - which was fine afterwards, simply because the VLC has far less energy in it than a regular car does.
That's fine for what it crashes into.
But what about the VLC itself ?
Even then, crash testing is only about getting rid of the car's own energy.
IRL, that's not exactly what's happening.
Anything beyond a motorcycle is going to be far, far heavier than the VLC, and carry a far bigger punch.
How on earth is it going to absorb it ?
I'm actually driving one of the smallest cars on the market today.
In Europe where we have a long history of them.
Yet I have severe reservations about the VLC.
In the
bigger is better market known as the US ???
As for being practical ...
It's not very wide, not very high.
The aero shape severely restricts internal volume.
So it's not going to carry much either ... nor bulky items.
Starting with a boxfish shape - not unlike your CarBEN - would have made it a lot more practical.
Without sacrificing the efficiency, and giving more spare room to make it safer, more practical and more comfortable.