New hybrid from VW - "Up! Lite" 70 mpg (US) hwy

[ai_vin]

https://www.volkswagen-media-service...tlichkeit.html

[Daox]

Very nice! Thats pretty much a ecodriver's dream car, diesel with regenerative braking AND low Cd (.237). 70 mpg highway sounds nice to me. It even looks good.

Other specs:
.8L turbo diesel engine (51 hp)
7 speed tranny
65 hp electric motor (10 hp continuous)
lithium battery pack
1532 lbs (695 kgs)

[MetroMPG]

Interesting. Looks more like a rendering than a photo, though. (Is it a real car?)

Going to read about it now...

Haha:

The technically challenging 2-Liter fuel consumption car might be launched globally.

Way to maybe grab the bull by the horns, VW!

Nice to see them pushing the idea out there though. Gets people thinking, talking about efficiency.

Meanwhile, EcoModders are DOING something about efficiency!

[basjoos]

So they are FINALLY coming out with some 4 seat cars (at least in concept form) that begin to approach, but not yet surpass, my car's highway mileage. It does look like it has a bit less cargo space than the aerocivic. Much better aero than on most cars, although I can see considerable room for improvement. It'll be interesting to see how many of the ideas on this concept actually end up on a production vehicle.

[tjts1]

Its real.
La 2009 Volkswagen Up Lite — Autoblog
It has windshield wipers and a real interior therefore its a production car in disguise. But knowing VW the awd, hybrid, carbon fiber and weight claim is pure vaporware. Remember the old UP concept that was supposed to be rear engine, rear wheel drive? Also vapor ware. This looks like a derivative of the Polo with a lowered roof.

[ai_vin]

Originally Posted by basjoos

So they are FINALLY coming out with some 4 seat cars (at least in concept form) that begin to approach, but not yet surpass, my car's highway mileage. It does look like it has a bit less cargo space than the aerocivic. Much better aero than on most cars, although I can see considerable room for improvement. It'll be interesting to see how many of the ideas on this concept actually end up on a production vehicle.

Ah yes but imagine what YOU could do with their engine in your car. Among the features it has: In two of its operating phases, the hybrid drive of the Up! Lite was designed to operate without any TDI propulsion at all.

•In coast-down, activated by the driver taking his or her foot off the gas pedal (car coasts, TDI engine is shut off).

•For shorter distances of up to 2 km (1.2 miles), e.g. in residential areas, the E-motor can power the Up! Lite all by itself. In this case, a lithium-ion battery supplies the energy.

[Rokeby]

It looks like a real-world capable, appeals-to-the-slowly-waking-up-typical-
consumer version of the L1:



Which wouldn't be a bad thing.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Meanwhile, EcoModders are DOING something about efficiency!

Originally Posted by basjoos

So they are FINALLY coming out with some 4 seat cars (at least in concept form) that begin to approach, but not yet surpass, my car's highway mileage.

Case in point!

[NeilBlanchard]

Here's the ABG post on the VW Up! Lite:

LA 2009: Volkswagen Up! Lite Concept teases with practical, lightweight innovation — Autoblog Green

It is a "real" car:







Video cameras!


Less than 1,600 pounds, 0.8L 2-cylinder diesel with electric motor, active cooling grill opening. 0.237Cd, 4 seats ... I love it.

The centerpiece of the Up! Lite powertrain is the newly designed 0.8 TDI two-cylinder turbo-diesel engine with a power of 38 kW / 51 PS. Furthermore, the electric motor (10 kW) – designed as a pulse start module (starter, alternator and E-drive) – also reduces the load of the TDI, provides added propulsion (boosting) and works to recover kinetic energy (regenerative braking). During boost phases – e.g. in a quick passing maneuver – the TDI and E-motor combine for a total power of 48 kW / 65 PS. Incidentally, a version of the TDI used in the Up! Lite was also used aboard the L1 concept car that Volkswagen presented in September at the IAA Motor Show in Frankfurt.

In two of its operating phases, the hybrid drive of the Up! Lite was designed to operate without any TDI propulsion at all. First phase: In so-called coast-down, activated by the driver taking his or her foot off the gas pedal (car coasts, TDI engine is shut off). Second phase: Over shorter distances, e.g. in residential areas, the E-motor can power the Up! Lite all by itself. In this case, a lithium-ion battery supplies the energy. Since it is capable of pure electric driving, the configuration is classified as a full hybrid. Shifting work is handled by a 7-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) like the one used in the new Polo. Moreover, the Volkswagen is equipped with a Stop-Start system.

[MadisonMPG]

GIGANTIC video cameras... wtf?