100+ mpg, cheap, 2-seat hybrids: Would you?
The VW L1 conceptInevitably, if America is to end its foreign oil dependence anytime before 2040, it's going to take some serious out-of-the box thinking. And two-seat vehicles could be one bright breakthrough.
While Aptera has some cool thoughts on two-seat vehicles, the reengineered VW One-Liter L1 concept - potentially available by 2013 - might be the most compelling idea thus far.
Thanks to its 838 ponds and a slim 0.195 drag coefficient, the L1 diesel hybrid achieves a whopping 170 mpg.
Certainly, two-seats won't work for many, but for plenty of other commuters, couldn't such a vehicle be a hit if priced right?
Labels: diesel hybrid vehicles, VW, vw l1 diesel hybrid
posted by Dahcredyns at
8:48 AM
11 Comments:
ugly... butt ugly...
I have a simple calculation that I think many folks use no matter what MPG rating a car has.
Will a more expensive hybrid version of a car end up saving me gasoline money over the life of that car?
If the answer is yes.. people will buy it. If the answer is no.. some might but most won't.
Looking at Europe and Japan where gasoline is gawd awful expensive.. does it result in more folks buying hybrids?
You would think that with the higher price of gasoline in those countries that there would be a similar boost in the popularity of Hybrids but that does not appear to be the case.
So why would we think that raising the price of gasoline over here would?
just asking...
except for Toyota.. the other manufacturers seem to be treating the hybrid issue like it's some sort of a scam... that only the weak of mind would really be interested in.
I'm not saying that is a true statement - only that..that's the impression I get from some of the other manufacturers who say they are getting into hybrids.
others would be more charitable calling such folks "early-adopters" but someone once told me that with new stuff.. you did not want to be on the front of the bleeding-edge bow wave but behind it.
well they drive much smaller vehicles in those areas, for one thing. likewise, people in those countries aren't nearly as dependent upon the automobile as in america.
so i believe the dynamics are very different.
as for hybrid popularity, honda and toyota have focused all of their hybrid efforts on america and japan.
in japan, the prius is the top selling vehicle. the honda insight achieved the same mark earlier this year.
also, in europe, gasoline, i've heard, is taxed far more aggressively than diesel.
finally, if hybrids are a scam - plug-in hybrids are a far bigger scam.
still, toyota is heavily invest in hybrids. honda is and has been ramping up its hybrid investment. likewise, hyundai might be the most lithium-capable automaker in the industry.
so, in europe and the us hybrids have been called, and might be, a scam.
japan and korea, however, don't seem to believe that hybrids are a scam.
so who would you rather invest in: honda, toyota and hyundai or gm, chrylser and daimler?
most any of them.. especially the ones who might partner with the Toyota technology.
I'm not saying they're a scam.. but that some of the manufacturers .. not the Toyota/Honda or even the Hyundai and maybe not even the TaTa.
but the fringe /new entry manufacturers... they fundamentally don't have faith in the technology and as much as admit that theirs are "me too" entries.
but methinks you dismiss the European question too quickly.
Those folks are interested in functionality and efficiency and if they are not buying hybrids.. what is the reason?
hybrids are city cars. i think most europeans bypass city cars as much as possible choosing to take public transportation.
when they drive, turbo-diesels + high gasoline taxes result in more interest for diesel.
still, every major european automaker has diesel hybrid concepts. in the next few years, a number of these vehicles will hit the market.
likewise, neither toyota nor honda, has aggressively tried to market hybrids to europe. that will change in about a year or two when toyota begins selling the Auris hybrid.
VERY VERY VERY Unsafe. Thats the only reason i wouldnt buy it. And its pretty ugly
With new technology these cars can be made very safe in the far majority of collisions.
That doesn't mean I don't acknowledge your safety concerns, I'm sure many - most - agree with you.
Still, that's pretty stellar fuel economy.
and the more fuel efficient the cars are - the less gasoline they buy and they less gas tax they pay
.. and the more we get pushed to toll roads...
.. Europe and Asia are also using what is known as cordon tolls where they essentially draw a line around the city and everyone he crosses over it gets get with a toll.. the more sophisticated ones charge according the the existing congestion so that when the city gets very congestion the tolls get ungodly high...
In these situations - I'm not sure how important gas mileage is going to be. You could spend 10 times as much in tolls as gasoline...
a proliferation of toll roads wouldn't surprise me.
those congestion taxes are often, or at least more often, being driven by CO2 emissions.
hybrids and other battery powered vehicles would offer huge potential there and i think you'll see more and more incentives for hybrid and EV drivers in congestion taxed areas.
still, in these areas, public transportation should be the goal.
Given a choice between the VW L1 and the Aptera, I would sooner sit in the Aptera any day.
Tom G.
It's a good thing I'm not an auto designer because I actually like this vehicle.
Must have been too much Jetsons when I was a kid?!
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