VW's 1L is back ("XL1" latest version of concept, side-by-side seating this time)

[SoobieOut]

Originally Posted by menaus2

I love this car, If even half of the ideas are applied (especially the mass production on carbon fiber frames) it will help stimulate the industry in the right direction. Could use a boat-tail, front wheel covers and ultra-capacitors married to the batteries to even out the rate of charge/discharge the battery sees.

I read somewhere that most of the carbon fiber production is in the military or aviation industries. All of the other carbon fiber for bike frames and golf clubs is from the lower quality scraps, left over from the high dolllar industries.

I wonder if this will change sourcing for carbon fiber in the future?

[NachtRitter]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

Provided that they're more affordable than a Veyron, and for sale to non-celebrities, of course.

Probably quite a few things more affordable than a Veyron that nevertheless I cannot afford....

Might be better to say "more affordable than a Tesla"? Still out of my range, but at ~5 - 10% the cost of a Veyron, it's a lot closer to "in range"

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by NachtRitter

Probably quite a few things more affordable than a Veyron that nevertheless I cannot afford....

But wait they have improved its fuel economy in the 2011 model

It’s a Start: 2011 Bugatti Veyron Increases Fuel Efficiency by 1 MPG |

Now it gets almost the same FE as my 1982 diesel suburban pulling a trailer.

On the original topic I really wish VW could get these into mass production at an affordable price, I think something that few realize is a 3 seater covers almost every situation (having had one) that a 4 seater will. For me a 3 seater would be all I need, very rare I need 4 seats, usualy just one. Possibly extending the car a bit more to offer a single rear seat would make an unusual but more appealing (to americans at least) car.

Cheers
Ryan

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by rmay635703

But wait they have improved its fuel economy in the 2011 model

It’s a Start: 2011 Bugatti Veyron Increases Fuel Efficiency by 1 MPG |

In this case 1 MPG is nothing to laugh at! That's a 7% improvement.
Notice that the improvement is only in highway milage, city milage stayed the same at 8 MPG. This implies that modifications were in aerodynamics, not weight reduction.

[Dawie]

For a cheaper basic model they could loose the hybrid batteries/electric motor/control system.
This will save some cost and weight, although lack of regenerative braking will hurt stop/drive city consumption.

Another option may be an Atkinson-cycle gasoline engine. The 7-speed transmission may make it possible to keep it in it's efficient part of the bsfc map.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by Dawie

For a cheaper basic model they could loose the hybrid batteries/electric motor/control system.
This will save some cost and weight, although lack of regenerative braking will hurt stop/drive city consumption.

Another option may be an Atkinson-cycle gasoline engine. The 7-speed transmission may make it possible to keep it in it's efficient part of the bsfc map.

I agree that if they make this car for real (aka mass production) that they shoudl offer varying drivetrains with the assocaited cost savings.

I personally would like the diesel without the hybred as I could care less about the accelleration, especially if it still had a start stop function.

I don't think you would see the gas engine getting the kind of efficiency you would be very proud of.

Small gas engines, even those made for efficiency are almost always less efficient at their optimal load range as compared to a larger engine.
Reason being it is much more difficult to make small gas engines efficient, comparing 800cc to say a large 3 liter, its not impossible, just expensive and in this application may not save money over a diesel.

Also I am wondering how the $.10 cent a pound chicken feather carbon fibre setup is coming?

[nimblemotors]

it isn't a lot different looking than the EV1

1999 GMC EV1 Images. Photo: 96_GM_EV1_DV-07-CC_01.jpg

[cfg83]

nimblemotors -

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

it isn't a lot different looking than the EV1

1999 GMC EV1 Images. Photo: 96_GM_EV1_DV-07-CC_01.jpg

Yeah, I was thinking of that. The rear window slope on the EV-1 isn't as good as the XL1 non-window, but that was a GM requirement for rear visibility.

CarloSW2

[NeilBlanchard]

Volkswagen XL1 Test Drive - MPGs in the One Liter Car - Popular Mechanics

Driving the rear wheels is essentially half a 1.6-liter TDI turbodiesel engine. It's an all-aluminium unit, using plasma-sprayed bores instead of iron liners. Displacing 0.8 liter, it produces 47 hp and 88.5 lb-ft of torque. A 27-hp, 74 lb-ft electric motor is sandwiched between the engine and a seven-speed twin-clutch transmission. A 5-kwh lithium-ion battery pack lives in the rear with the powertrain. In normal hybrid operation, XL1 starts in electric mode and stays until the driver floors the throttle, speeds exceed 62 mph, or the battery is depleted below 20 percent of maximum charge. There's an EV-only mode, in which the car remains on electric power until the battery has just 10 percent of its charge (typically about 22 miles), whereupon the motor starts to charge it and drive the wheels. Recharge time with 240 volts is just over an hour. The XL1's top speed is limited to 99 mph, and it can accelerate to 62 mph in 11.9 seconds. Fuel economy is tricky to determine since fuel use is supplemented by electrons, but on the NEDC (Europe's version of the EPA) Combined cycle, the XL1 returned 261.4, which should provide a 340-mile range from the paltry 1.8-gallon fuel tank.

[MetroMPG]

Manual brakes too.

I love the concluding sentence:

The XL1 is a new breed of supercar, one that is every bit as extravagant, technical, beautiful and exotic as a Lamborghini or a Ferrari, but that points to a new kind of world where we understand that natural resources are finite and precious, and maybe a new style of driving where we try to conserve them.

...mostly because it lends credibility to an article I once read that called the Geo Metro a "performance car" for the same reasons.