While the Volkswagon prototype is potentially a practal commuter vehicle, there are even greater fuel economy breakthroughs achieved every year by students competing in the Supermileage Competition. On June 25th, 2001 a Supermileage team travelled 640.3 miles on a single gallon of gas, at an average speed of 40 miles/hr, without using the intermittent engine power strategy. Their vehicle cost $12,000 (not including labor & assembly time) and used a 2 horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine. It was nicknamed Snoopy and is shown below:
Smaller vehicles, smaller engines. Reduction is the way to go. Let's face it, this is a motorized vehicle that can go 40 mph and cover a distance of 600 miles on a single tank of gas, and that is a lot further & faster than most people will ever get on a bicycle. If fuel ever becomes so scarce that we have to use such vehicles, then that is what we will do. I must say that the construction of these vehicles is so light that their drive systems might be augmented with solar power. The difference of course is that solar powered cars might be more useful in the summer. Also, I would design these vehicles with a modular construction, that would allow the interchange / augmentation of either electric or gas engines. For example, compare the above vehicle with the one shown below:
One might imagine a 5th wheel that is driven by a small gas engine, or perhaps 3 electric wheels and a 4th gas-engine driven wheel.
Space/Science » in reply to Re: Volkswagon's 1-liter per 100 km Vehicle
Re: Volkswagon's 1-liter per 100 km Vehicle
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- Thanks, interesting stuff! n/t
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