The Future is Now with 100 km on 1L of fuel!

December 11, 2009 -- Filed under Clean Diesel, Technology, alternative fuel by Stephan

I was wondering the other day: “How would a Volkswagen TDI possibly look like in – let’s say 20 or 30 years from now?” Imagine a world with gas at $5 a litre (or more!), while global warming has transformed the southern border of Canada into a tropical paradise with lush vegetation and palm trees growing wild on Montreal’s Sainte-Catherine Street, Toronto’s Yonge Street and in Vancouver’s Stanley Park.

OK, gotta be honest here: experts actually agree on a new ice age looming if we don’t learn how to control our frantic consumption spree that is driving greenhouse gas emissions to new heights. The idyllic picture of higher temperatures that make people in the North dream about palm trees in their backyard seems somewhat erroneous: increased temperatures will more likely mean extreme weather events in the south, disastrous droughts in already arid corners of the planet, and a much colder climate in present temperate European and American regions. Seems that the warm influx of the Gulf Stream is at stake too! That obviously begs the question: How would the car of tomorrow need to look like to help us curb the potentially disastrous effects of global warming? What technologies are in the making at VW to help us prevent a disaster?

What technologies like Clean Diesel does the future hold? Let’s have a closer look at what’s happening in Germany right now.

The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions obviously depends on reducing fossil fuel consumption. As such, several options are open to car manufacturers looking for green solutions—and Volkswagen is an industry leader in this effort. Vehicle weight reduction (through Volkswagen’s Leichtbaustrategie), engine efficiency improvement (what Volkswagen refers to as “Motorentechnik”) and the search for alternative energy sources like ethanol or electricity (what Volkswagen has named its “Alternative Energiequellen”) are all on the books.

“Leicht ist gut!” – “Light is good!” or “The lighter the better.”

Let’s take a look at VW’s Leichtbaustrategie first. Volkswagen took up the challenge of doing what other car manufacturers thought was a pipe dream: a car that would consume one litre for every 100 kilometres (235 mpg). In 2009, this dream became a reality with the incredible Volkswagen L1 (a name alluding to the 1 litre), which was presented to Volkswagen shareholders by the company’s president, Dr. Ferdinand Piëch, during the annual general meeting. To highlight the event, Dr. Piëch didn’t hesitate to drive the futuristic vehicle off the assembly line himself and all the way to the meeting’s venue. Seems he had every faith in this first L1 model!

To see the L1 in motion, you may want to watch this :

A (rather) rare look at Volkswagen’s L1 prototype designer studio

And now some tech talk: The L1 weighs only an astonishing 290 kg with unpainted carbon fibre skin over a magnesium-alloy sub frame. For aerodynamics, the car seats two in tandem, rather than side-by-side. Total aerodynamic drag is minimal with a drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.159, compared to 0.30 for typical cars. The L1 features an aircraft-style canopy, flat wheel covers and an underbelly cover for smoother airflow. Engine cooling vents open only as needed. The external dimensions of the car are 3.47 m (11.4 ft) long, 1.25 m (4.1 ft) wide and 1.0 m (3.3 ft) high. Cameras and electronic displays replace rear-view mirrors. There is a whopping 80 L (2.8 cubic ft) of storage space. The engine is a one-cylinder 299 cc (18 cubic in) diesel producing just 6.3 kW (8.4 hp), but the production version will use a 2-cylinder version with somewhat higher power. It will also differ in its toned-down hybrid design. Fuel economy is 0.99 L /100 km (238 mpg), which means that if diesel were $3 a gallon, the fuel to travel 400 miles would cost $5!

Now imagine this: Despite its futuristic look and revolutionary concept, the L1 is not a « concept car » but a “real car” designed to run on streets. Volkswagen confirmed the L1 to be available as soon as 2010 as a limited series vehicle, produced exclusively in the Volkswagen prototype factory at only around 1,000 cars per year. Launch of a single-seater is expected first in Shanghai during 2010. The price? $31,400 to $47,100 US. It is unknown if distribution will include Canada or the United States.

As a German tree-hugger living in North America, I would certainly like to drive a car like the Volkswagen L1. But I’m curious: is it something that the American people would be tempted to buy? Let me know…

Cheers,

Stephan

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