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Would you rather drive an electric car (as they exist today) or a hyper mileage-capable car that should be available today?
I bring to your attention the Volkswagen XL1. A car I never heard of until a few days ago. A Diesel Electric hybrid car capable of 280 MPG. 10 Years ago! This genius little car is powered by a 2-cylinder 0.8L (49 Cubic Inches!) diesel engine, generating less than 50 HP. The lightweight car weighs under 800 KG (1,800 lbs-ish). So, 0-to-60 time is about 12 seconds, which may get you shot in some cities, but it gets there and is drivable at freeway speeds.
So what do you think? Apply this technology to a more normal, 4-seat, 5-door hatchback kinda thing... Maybe bulk it up a few pounds, add a bit of horsepower... Make it biodiesel compatible... maybe get around 200 MPG?
The one off-hand comment in the video that really sparked my interest, was that as a result of Volkswagen's Dirty Diesel Scandal. This project got killed, and Volkswagen switched its research focus to electric cars... That really got my conspiracy theorist juices flowing!
Discussion (117)
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Rational people want less pollution.
Zealots want no pollution and their extremism drives the narrative, such that steady improvement is never good enough.
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I've always liked the idea of hybrids. It works for submarines.
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Lithium-ion batteries are inflammable. Very inflammable. I'd rather schlep around 21 gallons of gasoline than 450+ kg of battery.
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I owned a 3 cylinder, 1.0 liter ICE Geo Metro for several years. It was quite adequate for my daily commute getting mileage around 40 mpg average on combined city street and Interstate driving. It was inexpensive, cruised quite well at 70 mph and performed well right up to the end when the front stub frame, which had rusted, broke while I was on my way to work. I drove it the rest of the way to work and home again in the evening with the steering wheel cocked at a crazy angle. Looking at the thickness of the metal in the stub frame, I decided to give it away rather than repair it. If the front end had been a little beefier, I might have kept it a few more years. I miss the under $10 fill-ups. It did not have any unusual technology for the time. 0-60, yes, it could do that.
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I disliked the Jeep hybrid the rental company foisted on me in Germany, largely because it was a hybrid, but not only because of that. I've liked driving other hybrids.
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