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Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr
That was an amazing project, even though much of those futuristic designs of the '90s look too dated now.
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Well, it is sleeker than a Mini, but considerably heavier and can't even carry its own weight. Wikipedia says:
"The General Motors Ultralite was a 1992 low emission vehicle concept car intended to demonstrate the benefits of advanced materials and low fuel consumption.
The goal was to make a four-passenger show car capable of 100 miles per US gallon (2.4 L/100 km; 120 mpg‑imp).[1] It was rated at 88 miles per US gallon (2.7 L/100 km; 106 mpg‑imp) by the EPA,[2] but could achieve 100 miles per US gallon (2.4 L/100 km; 120 mpg‑imp) at a steady state cruising speed of 50 mph.[3]
The carbon fiber shell was fabricated by Scaled Composites and it weighed only 420 pounds (191 kg). The total weight of the car was 1,400 pounds (635 kg).
The car had gullwing doors and no B-pillar.[4] The Cd was 0.19, significantly lower compared to production cars of the decade.
Its three-cylinder 1.5 L two-stroke engine could produce 111 hp (83 kW), which made a speed of 135 mph (217 km/h) possible. The car could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than 8 seconds.[5]
The shape was reminiscent of the Ford Probe concept, and the Ultralite presaged the production General Motors EV1 electric vehicle and other production models. "
That's the trouble with starting from a regular car and trying to lighten it, instead of starting with a velomobile, and adding highway capability. How VW got their Ein Litre up to battering-ram weight I don't know.
Plastic pollution has been in the news lately, and those of us who work with carbon fiber have learned that it makes perhaps the nastiest dust on earth. Carbon's rigidity is for racing car chassis, not the bodywork. - road cars are more forgiving with softer handling, and far more crash resistant with Aramid fiber. Racers tend to use more Carbon because in a crash it shatters into parts that can be stuck back together instead of absorbing more energy by turning into a bag.