Automotive X-Prize: "The Very Light Car" (also very aero) with conventional engine

[XprizeRoadTrip]

Can't judge it yet gang.
I can only assume those are design mockups for general lines/aero, not functional aspects like turning radius. The front is probably still being tweaked on that "orange" one posted earlier, which is why it wasn't in the teaser shot. Heck, even the Xprize car turned only as much as tests required, which had it turning wide, but enough for avoidance and skidpad tests. I'm sure the consumer version will handle basic driving needs like tight parallel parking, etc.

[NeilBlanchard]

Here's a new video with a long interview with Oliver Kuttner and Ron Mathis. Go here: Charlottesville Inside-Out: LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph; Edison2 | ideastations.org click on the video, then click below on the Edison2 car, then go to 17:30 for good view on VLC 4.0 The whole interview is great though.




There is a lot of new info to chew on. I'm wondering if the front wheel fairings are now fixed; since the headlights are on them, and hinging them would either open up large gaps or there would have to have telescoping panels or flexible material to allow for the pivot? They could have hinged panels on the outside?

Yep, with both the mirrors and the headlights on the front wheel fairings, I'm pretty sure it means that they are fixed. The circular panel over the front wheel must then be pivoting. (Not unlike CarBEN...)

I also wonder about the front suspension -- the unique need to reinvent it may no longer be needed. At the very least, the front structure can now be much simpler -- it was a large diameter, long aluminum tube. But now that the front fenders are joined to the main chassis with a much broader shell, it could easily become small diameter steel tube frame. Which will be much lower cost and stronger.

If a more conventional front suspension could be used, then the VLC *could* have front wheel drive, which would be much better for an electric drivetrain, since you can then get much better regenerative braking.

[NeilBlanchard]

designby11: *VLC 4.0





Okay, the two things that jump out at me: the front wheel openings means the front fairings do not pivot; and the rear doors! And the side view mirrors look soooo 20th century! I mean why can't the law be changed to allow video mirrors?

[Frank Lee]

nice thumbnails.

[Stan]

Originally Posted by dcb

What I am going to ding them for is failure to launch. Seems like more time is spent in washington than in manufacturing. I appreciate it is complicated, but they had a business plan going into the x-prize and got a decent chunk of change to get started.

How can one ding them for failure to launch? AFAIK there are no Federal standards for VLCs...you compete heads-up with Toydachevord on safety and emissions standards or you go home. Or you build a motorcycle (nttawwt).

This country NEEDS the legal framework for VLCs or we will never get beyond the current automobile paradigm, so 'spending time in Washington' is critical. It's bad enough IMO that the Feds own GM, which places them in an inherent conflict of interest when it comes to doing anything that threatens GM's dominance of the market. (Yes, I realize they had little choice but to rescue the company.)

It looks to me as if they are spending the money intelligently. Lobbying to get rules in place for VLCs and VSCs (very small constructors... ) while refining the design to a producible and salable product makes perfect sense to me. I'm a manufacturer in the motorsports sector growing by retained earnings, so they have my most sincere support!

PS - Yes, I'm aware I'm responding to an old post...just wanted to get this point off my chest!

[NeilBlanchard]

Here's a screen capture of the video of the quarter scale model:

[XprizeRoadTrip]

Wow - that's quite different than the last "orange" render car. The angle of view, white color, clear windows, rear door and rear vent throw me off visually vs the orange one, but all the major lines check out, haven't changed much and the door & vent needed to be added anyway. I like how the vent cutout doubles as the door handle cutout. The two-tone theme with black on the bottom is OK. If plastic body panels, that makes a lot of sense; black would be unpainted and could scuff up from road shrapnel/rocks/dirt and still look great. I have ABS music gear and unpainted plastic is FAR better than a surface treatment when it comes to hiding abrasions on a wearable surface.

Overall it's "busier" visually than the orange one thanks to rear door, added vent, two tone color, clear windows and revealed wheels. But in here in the USA, you gotta reveal some wheel or people geek out on ya - LOL.

[NeilBlanchard]

I know that this arrangement is less complicated, but it also would help aero to have a panel to complete the shape. Hinge it to steer; but that is tricky, to be sure.

[NeilBlanchard]

Here's an image on Design by 11 blog:



http://designby11.blogspot.com/

[NeilBlanchard]

Eric sent me an email with a long video by two folks from Edison2; David Brown and Brad Jaeger:

Telluride, CO | TelVue CloudCast Video Player

There are new details on crash testing and a few new renderings. The VLC v4.0 has an aluminum frame -- and they hope to have a running version in a few months.