VW Confirms 1L Concept Will Become Reality in 2010
Image source: Wikipedia
There’s been talk about the VW 1L concept for years. Since VW built the original, fuel economy, safety, price, and release date has been speculated upon and argued about, and I’d finally stopped thinking it was ever going to happen. However, according to VW’s CEO, it should hit the market in 2010.
The VW 1L is so named because, in theory, it only consumes one liter of fuel per 100 kilometers traveled. For those of us in the US, this translates into about 235 MPG. Definitely far and above anything on the market currently. The concept, developed in 2002, actually got better fuel economy, scoring a sweet .89L/100km in VW testing. It’s likely to use more fuel in real world use, but with that kind of mileage in testing it’s unlikely that anyone would complain about an “unsatisfactory 200 MPG.”
The thing is, that kinda of fuel economy comes at the price of riding in an extremely small two seater, with the two seats being one in front of the other, a la jet plane, rather than a standard side by side. The 1L also looks frighteningly close to the ground, which is part of how it pulls off a drag coefficient of .159, much better than any current production vehicle. While the final design isn’t done, VW will probably power the car with a 1 cyclinder diesel engine of displacement lower the .5 L, meaning the car’s speed will top out at 120 km/h.
The other obvious issue is the one I’m sure you’re all wondering about too. How safe is this thing? While I’m not usually one to complain about small cars, the 1L is extremely light and low to the ground. If it were released in the US I could easily see it being run over by any old F150 or Hummer. Nothing is out right now about safety, but as the production date nears, I’m sure VW will be doing lots of testing to reassure the public.
2010 isn’t that far off, in fact, it’s about the same time the Volt is supposed to be hitting the streets, so you’ll likely hear a lot more good and bad about this car in the coming months.
Posts Related to VW’s 1L and other Green Car Technology:
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Source: Motorauthority
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Terry:
“I’d settle for 60 MPG in a normal size sub-compact car.”
The 2008 VW Jetta TDI stick will be sold in September and gets 60 mpg. It was already spotted on a truck, car carrier, today May 7th, 2008 in South Carolina. The guy who spotted it called his VW dealer. The dealer says one model is going to each dealership now, for test drive purposes. Stop by your nearest dealer and leave your number. Have them call you when it gets in. They said 30-40 percent of the Jetta wagons will be TDI. They guess the sedan percentage will be higher.
My 2000 VW Jetta TDI 5 speed stick gets 43 mpg and has 184,000 miles on it. The new ones have 6 speed stick and a more up to date computer chip. 60 mpg. Good luck.
Reading the linked article, I found this-
“Everything in the car was made out of lightweight carbon-fiber or magnesium, gears were hollowed, and bolts were made from titanium… the VW 1L was designed without side mirrors (too much drag), instead relying on internal video screens to guide the driver.”
So much for sub-$20,000.
I want a plug-in hybrid that seats at least 4 safely and modern nuke plants down the wire supplying the juice when I charge it over night for pennies.
This thing is a joke.
ooops….
Bev, thats 100 Km on ~1 litre. ~4 litres per gallon hence 62.1 * 4….
Wow, I’m glad some of you guys weren’t advising the Beetle’s and Mini’s stylists. “It’ll never sell. Make it look just like an Escort. Our customers demand generic styling!”
They need to keep this original styling, or as close as possible after refactoring it for production. The people who are interested in this kind of car are exactly the sort who appreciate driving a car that’s unique. A boring, conventional design will lose your best customers and your best buzz, and won’t make up for it in sales to people who’d prefer to buy a Focus or a Prius anyway.
If my 6′4″ body will fit in it, and its under 30K, I will buy one. I will keep my truck and use this to go to work in. At 235mpg I would need less than 5 gallons a month.
Let me guess. 235 mpg. Price tag? $91,0000. Right? Probably. Thanks I’ll pass.
I would buy one in a heartbeat if it is affordable. I currently make do with a Yamaha Royal Star motorcycle as my 2nd car (only 45mpg in town/50 mpg highway). It would be safer, warmer, and dryer than a motorcycle. Can’t wait to see one in real life.
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Faster please! I need on now. Imagine going cross country with one tank of fuel
Brian
http://www.waterpetrolcar.com