Zoleco: custom aerodynamic car, 1.0L Suzuki drivetrain

[Frank Lee]

Did we watch the same vids?

[luvit]

you need to watch the entire segment of each video, listen to the last full 30 seconds of the third video.. then read your questions

[nemesis]

I'd have to agree with Frank on this one.

[zoltanbod]

Hey Frank i wrote a detailed reply to all your questions but by the time i was done it would not post for i became unlogged.I will try again later.Is there a limit to how long these replies can be?

[cfg83]

zoltanbod -

Originally Posted by zoltanbod

Hey Frank i wrote a detailed reply to all your questions but by the time i was done it would not post for i became unlogged.I will try again later.Is there a limit to how long these replies can be?

You can either click the "remember me" checkbox when you log in, or write the response into Notepad (or your computer's equivalent), and then copy/paste into your response.

CarloSW2

[Christopher Jordan]

I followed (sort of) the same path building my velomobile from scratch in 2004, but not nearly as extensive. Heck of a lot of work! The E-Pod is still in use 6+ years later, but my original plan of "popping them out like plastic garbage cans"and selling thousands of E-Pods diminished to 1 and only 1.

In 2007 I bought an older factory made 3-wheel vehicle on Craigslist and found terrific economic surprises- lower registration/insurance/operating costs. I would certainly jump at buying a two or three person 3-wheel car but my past overspending between trikes and cars in Craigslist is catching up to me now.

Excellent project! Best of luck. Thanks for the videos!

[zoltanbod]

[Hey Frank,i will try to answer your questions.Yes it does seat four.With two tall people up front there is still about 10" of leg room in the back.However due to the car narrowing in the rear seating is shoulder to shoulder.Once completed the car will be thoroughly tested and tuned with no energy recovery system to establish the fuel mileage baseline.Then the energy recapture technology will be installed and tested to see how much waste heat recovery can be used to supply the energy requirements of the fuel vaporization process.I would also like to test thermo electrics on the exhaust to see how much of a charging suppilent it can be.A momentum energy gathering system to suppliment the braking system would be a great addition .You should understand that i must first build the most efficient car shape and configuration that i can.Then with this baselined prototype i can try new efficiency ideas as they present themselves.The modular chassis design allows for different drive trains to be used,which ones at this point i don't know.As long as it fits the confines of the body it is a possibilty.Yes i claim it to be aerodynamic.The teardrop shape is the most areodynamic shape going The guys at Race Tech 102 :aerodynamic drag claim that the measured drag coefficient of a streamlined half body(teardrop with flat bottom)is.09 .The frontal area of the Zoleco is 17 sg ft with lots of streamlining .This will keep the frontal pressure low, but more importantly turbulence created by flow detachment at the rear of the car is virtualy eliminated. Here is a list of contributers to the coefficient of drag in % .Rear body 33,wheel whells 21.4,underbody 14.3,front body 11.9,projections and indents 7.1,engine compartment 6.0 ,skin friction 6.0.If you consider the streamlined front,full belly pan,no whell openings,small grille area,minimal projections and indents with the tapered tail -yes it is aero!You say it doen't look light.Well,the chassis tubing material wieghs 350lbs,the engine/trans maybe 200lbs,suspension components are light,carbon fibre body and interior we all know is light,the windshield and all the rest of the glass is as light as it can be.I cannot see it adding up to more than 1300 or so lbs.I am using a carbonfibre body over the tubular space frame in the name of overkill for the prototype.Better safe than sorry.In the future i would love to injection mould the floor pan and bond it to the body should that process avail itself.My research of tadpole configured trikes indicates that for optimum handling as much of the vehicles mass should be over the drive wheels as possible.The component location you speak of related to this matter is the brake booster and master ,which is moved from the engine compartment side of the firewall to the interior.It's original location is then occupied by heat exchangers.As far as my Chinese water torture videoaugraphy goes,well,hey it could have been better.Just trying to put it out there without too big of a production.So finally the last question was what would make you want the Zoleco over the Swift donour car?Well there is no accounting for taste.The Swift is a great little ecobox.While the Zoleco is two to three times the mileage in a head turning,futuristic,exotic,sport coupe that would allow you to servive a serious car crash.It is a priceless differance ,thank you very much.QUOTE=Frank Lee;161298]Absolutely, I can and do appreciate the scope of such a project.

Here, unsugarcoated, are some of the parts that trouble me:

At first it was to seat four, later on it doesn't quite.

It's supposed to have an energy recovery system of some sort... well? What sort?

It's supposed to have modular options for different powertrains... well? What powertrains?

How fast is it?

How quick is it?

How many mpg does it give?

It's claimed to be aero, but we lack any supporting evidence, not even a frontal area value.

Sure doesn't look like it's going to be light.

Why use carbon fiber AND a space frame? Is the shell a structural member or not?

Why make body molds before a prototype has even run? Do you really think there will be no changes?

Some of the comments about where components are to be located make me question your understanding of chassis dynamics, especially as they relate to trikes.

As far as selling the concept, I thought the videos were sort of like Chinese water torture. What exactly is here that is supposed to make me want this over the Swift donor car???

Why are you going on about a venture when you have essentially nothing but a shell? Were I to follow through on my dream car build, I'd build it, refine it, have performance and other specs in hand, THEN THEN THEN hound everybody for "investing" and buying stratospherically priced initial builds. UNLESS, of course, all your interested in is grabbing start-up cash. Like Aptera. Moeller air car. Etc. Etc.

Hey, with this amount of vagueness you're gonna get the hard questions sooner or later...[/QUOTE]

[zoltanbod]

Thanks alot.

[zoltanbod]

Yes i clicked remember when i logged in and low and behold when i finished my long reply to Frank's questions it still posted.Thanks a bunch .

[zoltanbod]

Yes that is the plan!