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

[Frank Lee]

Heh heh, that's a fair assumption!

I was wondering if they're too slender for attached flow, and if there ends up to be much turbulence. Yes, my conditions are frequent, heavy x-winds whilst cruising at 50-55 mph.

[NeilBlanchard]

Hi,

Edison2 has a new video of the VLC on the track:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PH_g...layer_embedded

And there is an longer video where they talk about the design philosophy and shows the car in various stages of development:

Edison2: The Very Light Car (X PRIZE Contender) - Video

[NeilBlanchard]

Last I heard, the 2-seat VLC is just 650 pounds!

Here's a picture from the X-Prize -- these look better with a shorter nose, I think. The near one looks like the 4-seat car.

[RobertSmalls]

Consumer Reports posted a few photos of the car. These show the in-wheel suspension and the interior. What kind of tires are those?



I love this car. It looks like it was designed specifically for the X-prize competition, which isn't surprising given the racing background of the team. Hopefully it will pass Progressive's tests, even if it may be completely inviable as a daily driver.

[NeilBlanchard]

It looks like the sidewall has "Continental" on it?

[NeilBlanchard]

Okay, I'm posting the answers to some of the questions that have been asked on this thread/forum about the Edison2 Very Light Car:

The VLC with 4 seats weighs about 715. It has heat, AC, a radio and every reason to eventually with about 40 lbs of stuff meet FMVSS. As a matter of fact it will deflect in a 40 % offset and may well become the best performer in that event of all (like an Indy car). In a side impact 35% collision the offending car has to travel through 18 inches of absorbing structure and the occupant never sees more than 17 g out of an allowed pass fail of 70 g. That will be better than most cars.

I am 6'4" and 250 lbs and am comfortable in the back. it has more legroom than an Audi A 8.

In effect what the VLC does is this: We substitute distance for mass. It is all about gradual deceleration. We have the world's smallest suspension in order to use that space for a preprogrammed gradually imploding structure. We are the first to do this and it will become the standard. We own the IP

We have done this before. See the horrific crash of the Doran JE4 at VIR (2 cars hitting at 130 mph speed differential (it was on speed channel for a year). Also the Edwards crash at Canada in a Daytona Prototype (that car looked like a Dallara Mc Donalds car it was our chassis design). This was the highest crash data recorded impact in the history of Grand AM we designed both chassis. The drivers walked away each time...

We are very good at this and now we are exercising our craft on this. ERROR number one in automobiles is that they engage. Cars must deflect. The VLC is full of stuff like that. It will take several years to optimize but it will show a new path.

Formula cars have withstood crashes for years with very low injury rates if you consider the circumstances...

We claim a weight of 1000 to 1200 lbs for the VLC because we know we are not over-promising there. The X Prize cars are there to be proofs of concept and they are designed to the minimum and to win. (We read the rules).

A VLC SUV with 6 seats will still get 80 mpg that is important.
We are not pushing our cars at this time. We are pushing our method, a method that is more efficient. You might choose to share this with your interested friends. The VLC is fuel source agnostic. (we really do not care). We just know that for us in the time for the X prize the ICE was more realistic and for those who see the numbers we clearly demonstrated that last week that we are right.

We have no intention to build 1000 units. As one of your friends pointed out we intend to teach someone how to build a million "VWs of the future" and we will keep their designers on task...

[NeilBlanchard]

I'm passing along further comments:

[Before] you get to our cabin first you must work your way through our sidepods and outriggers. Those are there for the absorbing purpose mostly. Further our chassis is a diamond. When you hit it in the side it becomes longer and when you hit it in the front it becomes wider...

it is all about gradual deceleration / speed adjustment.

Our car will be much safer in some crashes and it will be less safe in others. The best advice is to not get into a crash in the first place. That is why it stops 42 feet shorter than the requirement with the no drag X prize brakes. It is easier to stop (turn) a light car. Once again physics prevails.

In the end we can only do so much. If you run straight into a Chevy tahoe with no overlap you loose. We can not help that. It is a rare type of accident but then...

The 17 G above is with a (I believe) 4000 lbs car as mandated in the FMVSS. In effect we end up sliding sideways but without serious injury... Scary but better than in most other cars...

This still needs a lot of work but it is the lowest hanging fruit and the only real way to do this. The idea that a car is safe because it is made from composites or that a car is safe because it is heavy or because it has a strong frame rail alone is not enough. This is hard to do but it can be done.

Everything is a give and take. The art is finding the best compromise.

Also:

At the X Prize shakedown all the teams were in for a surprise about how tough the requirements are. This is after all for 10 million dollars. We race for a living and in some places had real trouble, which we will overcome. The fact that the Aptera had difficulty in the lane change and then passed it with a three wheeled vehicle is a tribute to them for having done the job well. Three wheelers are inherently not as stable. (They may have other offsetting advantages). As a matter of fact the Aptera was very nice. The build quality exceeded my expectations and it looked better in the flesh than on photos.

All teams ate humble pie. Even the Tango was on the ragged edge. He consumed way too much electricity. It was not obvious but we could tell from the sound under acceleration. He will be lucky to go 50 miles if he continues to drive the way he did. We really like Rick and he has done a tremendous job but the laws of physics are not negotiable. His car weighs 3000 lbs...

The fact is Aptera did well, looked good and have something to say. The fact is the X Prize is real and the tests are hard.

The fact is there is a reason why GM has not built a 100 mpg car to date. It is hard to do.

[cfg83]

RobertSmalls -

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

Consumer Reports posted a few photos of the car. These show the in-wheel suspension and the interior. What kind of tires are those?



...

I searched tirerack.com and also looked for Contintental *motorcycle* tires in other places, but I couldn't find a tread that matched the picture you found. I am wondering if it is very small-sized ContactPro style of tire.

Do we know the tire size of the VLC?

CarloSW2

[cfg83]

Hello -

Got it! ContiEcoContact EP :

Tyres Continental ContiEcoContact EP tyre size 175/65 R13 - www.iTyre.com


CarloSW2

[RobertSmalls]

And they're available in a wide variety of 13", 14", and 15" sizes, including 155/65R14 and 145/70R13. The former would keep my Insight's speedo accurate while being 1cm narrower than what I have, and the latter would be good for a car whose wheels are outside the body, like the Edison2.