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

[NeilBlanchard]

A picture of all four of the Edison2 VLC's at the X-Prize:

[The Toecutter]

I bet this car ends up doing 0-60 mph in about 11 seconds.

It is probably my least favorite of the cars I have looked at in this competition, but the engineering behind it is also the most impressive of the X-Prize cars that I have seen. What is nice about this ethanol engine is that the designer can take advantage of the small sweet spot on the BSFC map where there is diesel-like thermal efficiency thanks to the high compression ratio... Being that the engine is one cylinder, it's going to be trying to shoot the piston through the top of the engine, but the designers of the car have probably designed a way to reduce the vibration tremendously. The safety designed into this car is incredible.

I'd be much more interested if a diesel version were to be made. I look forward to seeing what gets built based on their concepts, whether by them, or someone else. They have lots of great ideas.

[NeilBlanchard]

An article and a new video of the Edison2 Very Light Cars:

Consumer Reports Cars Blog: Automotive X Prize Video: Edison2 Very Light Car - Beneath the carbon fiber

[NeilBlanchard]

The folks at Edison2 have been working on their 4-seat car in the GM wind tunnel!

The number is 0.145 by the old CD method. it is 0.161 by the new SAE standard.

There is a new standard way to measure Cd, I guess! Maybe that is why GM's measurement of the 3rd Gen Prius was so different than the "official" number?

Anyway, here are some pictures:

[RobertSmalls]

Do we get smoke visualizations?

0.161... and such a funny-looking frontal area. Cd is only half of the story, and this car has a smaller A than most cars of its height and track width.

[NeilBlanchard]

Hi Matt,

These are the only pictures so far -- I'll ask if there are others.

[RobertSmalls]

While you're at it, I'd like to know what reference area goes with that Cd figure. The Edison2 VLC is worth adding to the Wiki.

[NeilBlanchard]

Here's an article from the Washington Post:

washingtonpost.com

[NeilBlanchard]

The 4-seat Edison2 Very Light Car has a frontal area of 1.7082 sq m (18.387 sq ft) for a CdA of 0.248 sq m (2.667 sq ft) using the "old" Cd of 0.145; or 0.275 sq m (2.96 sq ft) with the new SAE Cd of 0.161.

Some photos of the car that was in the GM wind tunnel on the highway!

[NeilBlanchard]

Here's a very good video from the X-Prize Knockout Round (and I appear fleetingly in the background).



Also, notice the gray-ish air *scoop* on the side of the #98 car as it appears around 0:48 seconds. I wonder if this helped keep things cooler -- I suspect that it did; because the NACA intake is recessed into the side of the car that is already set at an optimal angle for low drag. So, the air would not be able to "close in" fast enough for the NACA intake to gather much pressure. They do have the exhaust vent ideally located, right on the trailing fascia, so there would be low pressure developed there, to help draw the air through the engine air plenum.