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

[shovel]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Nice find, Neil.

Super secret lightweight A/C too (A/C required by AXP rules to keep interior temps below 95F). With a completely sealed passenger compartment! If a conventional compressor is too heavy, what's the plan?

The X-Prize probably doesn't explicitly prohibit a refillable dry ice compartment.

Probably going to use a stirling type compressor. If they do dry ice, I hope for the drivers' sake they at least put THAT in an atmosphere-vented chamber with a heat exchanger for the completely sealed cabin

[JasonG]

Give me a sawzall and I'll make one efficient tadpole trike out of that thing !
I think the x-prize requires it to be a car. 3 wheels makes it a motorcycle.
Love this thing. I hope the sell a kit. :thumbsup:

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Not sure about the door. Might check their gallery: Edison2: The Very Light Car (X PRIZE Contender) - Gallery - The Very LightCar

One thing I noticed: doesn't seem to have any (conventional) suspension.

Transverse composite leaf spring with locating links?

[NeilBlanchard]

I think it would be fairly simple to put a low drag passive fresh air system in; with the intakes in a high pressure or high velocity zone, and the exhausts into the trailing fascia (unless the engine exhaust is there, which it may well be...)

The front suspension is inside the wheel -- probably a trailing arm? The rear suspension is a trailing arm (that is also a cog & chain case) and the structural tubes pivot in two large diameter bearings on the inside end, and there is a spring/shock unit there. So all the wheel travel is provided by trailing arms; and there is no vertical motion in the horizontal airfoil struts that join the wheels and the chassis.

[RobertSmalls]

They say they're going with the 5 gallon tank instead of the 3 gal, to achieve the 200mi range required by the X-Prize rules. That's less than 66 miles per gal of ethanol, or < 78 mpge.

[NeilBlanchard]

Loads of new pictures from first day testing at the track:

Edison2: The Very Light Car (X PRIZE Contender) - Gallery - NCCAR TestDay

[Frank Lee]

I've always wondered how wheel fairings "fare" in x-winds...

[gone-ot]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I've always wondered how wheel fairings "fare" in x-winds...

...obliquely, I'm sure.

[Bicycle Bob]

In a crosswind, front disk wheels on bicycles are very hard to control, due to the center of pressure being ahead of the usual axis of rotation. This car seems to take that into consideration somewhat, with the extended tails on the fairings. Cars have better gyroscopic and inertial stability anyway. As for side force, the shape has turned from an inefficient monoplane lifting body to a triplane with two or four fairly low-aspect ratio wings added.

[cfg83]

Frank -

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I've always wondered how wheel fairings "fare" in x-winds...

Would it be fair (or fare? ) to say that the issue depends on where you live? In Los Angeles the frequency of windy days doesn't make it too much of a problem. On the other hand, if I lived in wind-farm country, I am guessing that I would have problems.

CarloSW2