Next-Generation VLC Improves on XPRIZE-Winning Design
9/25/2012
Altair will study suspension, vehicle impact, and structure to improve performance while minimizing weight on the Edison2 VLC 4.0 vehicle. (Source: Altair ProductDesign)
JamesCAnder: >Does every fringe hybrid or electric vehicle have to look wacky is some way like Homer Simpson's car?
Only the ones that win the $5,000,000.00 design competitions... ;-)
No mention of the runner up, which, could have been lighter faster and/or farther-ranged (but was probably dumpier!). Nice glossy paint job, btw! Thems the breaks, water-powered hover car made-out-of-balsa-wood-and-no-paint! Hope that $300 second prize covers your airfare!
I kid. But in a 'design competition' you need to 'dazzle em'. And there you go. Nice work, Edison2 team! (seriously)
An interesting writeup, aside from all the acronyms. Aside from the impressive fuel economy and the very low drag, though, there was not a whole lot of details about performance and handling. Such a lightweight car might be quite a handful in any crosswind situation, and I wonder if any testing has been done in that area. Given the driver skill level that most cars seem to be designed for, any vehicle less stable than a passenger train would have a hard time meeting the legal requirements for being marketable.
But possibly there has been more consideration given to that than has been presented. A follow-on with a lot more details would be quite educational and very interesting.
What's interesting about the photograph is that it looks like it started out as a 3 wheeler then had the rear wheels tacked on as an after thought. Since 3 wheelers are regarded as motorcycles could it be that an alternative is provided here which fits in with that market and achieves the 100 mpg for a 2 place 3 wheeler?
@JCA: I have to agree that some of these cars looks so sci-fi and out there, it's hard to imagine them in any kind of commercialized form. That said, if you compare the cars from the 60s and into the 70s with today's aerodynamic designs, at the time, they would have seemed pretty farfetched. I suppose it's all relative.
A drag coefficient of of 0.16 is really low, even in the world of concept cars. By comparison, the EV1 (which was actually a production car) had a drag coefficient of 0.195, according to Wikipedia.
The basic design of the front end is a little reminiscent of some of the early designs of the Tucker. Per the movie, the fenders were to rotate when the front wheels turned. The idea was scrapped due to aerodynamic concerns. I wonder if this iteration will be better.
Does every fringe hybrid or electric vehicle have to look wacky is some way like Homer Simpson's car?
These lightweight concept cars are so lightweight, they are scary to the average driver. My old 1985 Ford Crown Vic LTD would cut through where cars like butter on the road. Perhaps they should take some design cues from Tesla Motors Model S and Roadster, 89 MPGe and 119 MPGe respectively. They are efficient and look great.
Keep this in mind, the Toyota Prius has a curb weight of 2921 lbs and gets 50 MPGe. I am sure if Toyota removed as superfluous devices, tech, and comforts , it could get in the 100 range.
Now, if they would only adapt it for the consumer.
I agree - I would like to learn more. I also can't wait to see what a future version might bring. This car is cool. It looks like it's about to take off.
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