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Old 10-07-2009, 07:04 PM   #71 (permalink)
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Honestly I love the claimed gas mileage, but my very first impression was:
Where is Batman and The Boy Wonder?

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Old 10-08-2009, 01:28 AM   #72 (permalink)
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If it is put into production obviously they will dumb it down. Make it wider, raise the ride height, put a bigger engine in it, and add weight. It will probably get ~60mpg once all that is done.
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Old 10-08-2009, 01:37 AM   #73 (permalink)
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If it is put into production obviously they will dumb it down. Make it wider, raise the ride height, put a bigger engine in it, and add weight. It will probably get ~60mpg once all that is done.
They would HAVE to raise that height. Gosh a pebble could hang up either of those tires! Actually the lack of any wheel clearance is my #1 gripe. It removes any chance it could have from being marketable to regular drivers. But if they only wish to sell to a very limited number of well to do Elite Drivers, then they would seem to be well on there way to Jay Leno's garage!

However if they raise the height they will be messing with it's center of gravity and make it even more prone to tip over like a motorcycle off it's kick stand. They can't really win for losing when it comes to making this a mass production car. (imho)
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Old 10-08-2009, 03:48 AM   #74 (permalink)
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I was thinking a 3 wheel version would make the most sense. The 2 rear wheels on the 1L are so close it wouldnt affect handling.
It is a transverse mid-engine car and likely the batteries are in the rear too. With a high probability of it having a rear weight bias, you do not want the single wheel back there.

The rear track is 31.9".

To go trike they'd likely have to stick the rear wheels out on outriggers, Aptera style, and go with one wheel in the front... or totally start over to get a fwd layout. They may have gone with a four-wheel layout for political/marketing reasons- they want to classify it as a car and not a trike or motorcycle. VW has done concept and research trikes before; they must have decided they are in the car and not trike business.

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The most likely of these solutions is having several more latches on the door, so that it can be more a part of the structure of the vehicle, and the overall weight can be less than otherwise -- and you would have better crash strength; without giving up some conveniences.
Right on! I have long thought that to be the best solution. Back in the day I flew some Socata aircraft i.e. Tobago and Trinidad, and IIRC they have a neat/strong/effective multi-latch system that I think would make for a nice lightweight, quiet (superior wind noise control), and strong automotive door.

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#1: It does not look safe to me.
#4: Those rear wheels are ripe for most anything to get STUCK between them and the wheel wall.
They would HAVE to raise that height. Gosh a pebble could hang up either of those tires!
I will not go into my Americans are pu**ies rant again, except to say for anyone willing to hop on a motorcycle, the 1L represents a huge safety improvement over that. I've read that they built the "cage" to race-car crash performance specs.

I do agree that tight wheelwells are a problem with mud/slush and the like. I've personally experienced loss of steering due to ice build up- had to stop, lay on the road, and kick the wheelwells clear before I could turn the wheels more than a few degrees! (This happened on a Type 3 VW.) (As an aside, over on the pickup aero thread, people are lamenting the giant wheelwells pickups have. That they are more likely to off-road and end up slogging through mud/slush, possibly with chains, is one reason we won't see them with tight wheelwells and skirts.) It may be that for a few months in the winter and/or spring the 1L owner would be smart to run it without the skirts; and VW might be wise to make those really low-hanging spats easily removeable too.

Incidentally, Aptera has the same fender/tire/ground clearance limitations but it would not be a simple matter of pulling the skirts off that unless you don't mind pelting the entire vehicle with road goo from naked front wheels.

The 1L has 22" O.D. tires on 16" rims; front sidewall height is 3" while rear is 3.2". Looking at the pics I'd guesstimate ground clearance for the floor at a rather generous 5.5" and for the wheelspats, 3" front and 4" rear.

For those that are really concerned about ground clearance perhaps it could be kitted thusly:



At some point (Perhaps when gas hits $10/gallon? Or maybe when the media, govt, and public finally accept the fact that petrol is a finite resource?) people are going to have to make adjustments, and using 5,000lb machines to haul 180lb loads is going to be one of the first things to go.

Last edited by Frank Lee; 10-08-2009 at 04:47 AM..
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Old 10-08-2009, 06:46 AM   #75 (permalink)
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Hi folks,

This new version IS the more realistic version! It is heavier, much less costly, more powerful than the original. It gets 170mpg vs ~280 (1.38L/100km vs 0.89).

The thing that will make or break it is the canopy entry.
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Old 10-08-2009, 08:09 AM   #76 (permalink)
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The solution would be to abandon the carbon fiber and make it out of sheet metal.

A trike configuration would allow it to avoid the US standards that apply to cars.

The Aptera type configuration would probably be best.

If it's only going to carry 2 people then maybe the best way to look at it is it could be built to be much safer than any motorcycle, while still enjoying the lower level of govt dictated requirements that keep many Euro designs out of the US.

Under $8k out the door, and say 100 MPG and you have a viable compromise.

That configuration may be the way I go with my first practical HH vehicle.

regards
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Old 10-08-2009, 11:50 AM   #77 (permalink)
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Quote:
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how it does in yaw with those big ol outriggers?
...a CATAMARAN CAR -- motorcycle with outriggers!

...four wheels in "diamond" shape postioning.
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Old 10-08-2009, 01:24 PM   #78 (permalink)
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...a CATAMARAN CAR -- motorcycle with outriggers!

...four wheels in "diamond" shape postioning.
I believe they're called "training wheels"
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Old 10-08-2009, 02:01 PM   #79 (permalink)
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Hi,

The interesting thing is the Aptera was a direct design response to the VW 1L -- the main thing they wanted different was the side-by-side seating.
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Old 10-08-2009, 07:22 PM   #80 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Tele man View Post
...four wheels in "diamond" shape postioning.
It's been tried; http://www.autocycles.org/

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