300 mpg prototype Aptera

[91CavGT]

This looks pretty cool!!! I haven't listened to the audio yet (family is watching a kiddie movie in the same room as me), but the design and thought looks pretty extensive. I don't know about all of the touch screen and electrical extras inside though.

http://www.dpccars.com/car-videos/12...age-Aptera.htm

[GasSavers_Minger]

Not a fan of the design...but I guess I'm more of a honda (crx/civic hatch/insight/crz style).

Cool that it can get that high mpg though

[cfg83]

91CavGT -

I like it a lot but I want a lower price point, say $10-$15K. The "airplane cockpit nose" is intriguing.

CarloSW2

[GasSavers_DaX]

Wow, he said the entire car has less drag than a typical windshield wiper? That's amazing if true...

[JanGeo]

Yeah latest news is they are taking orders and have a lot sold - I also got invited to join their Yahoo group some how . . . some who. . .

ApterasSuperMPGElectricTyp-1e

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/...ElectricTyp-1e

[cfg83]

Hello -

I was looking at this and it reminded me of the Aptera with it's wheels retracted :

The World's Most Efficient Cars
http://www.primidi.com/2005/07/05.html

Like every year, this is the season for the Shell Eco-Marathon annual fuel-economy competition. Last week, the hydrogen-powered Swiss PAC-Car II broke a new record, using 1.02 gram of hydrogen to finish the race. This is the equivalent of 5,385 kilometers per liter of gasoline. For users of other units, this translates to a whopping 15,210 miles per British gallon or 12,670 miles per U.S. gallon. And this week, the British Ech2o car will attempt to break this record. Its designers say that this car, also hydrogen-powered, "can travel on less electricity than it takes to power a light bulb." It will be driven by a 13-year old experienced go-kart driver." Read more...

Attachment 1187

And here's a book on it :

The World's Most Fuel Efficient Vehicle Design and Development of Pac-Car II
http://www.vdf.ethz.ch/loadAllFrames...ArtDetail=3134

The goal of the PAC-Car project, a joint undertaking of ETH Zurich and its partners, was to build a vehicle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell system that uses as little fuel as possible. PAC-Car II set a new world record in fuel efficient driving (the equivalent of 5,385 km per liter of gasoline) during the Shell Eco-marathon in Ladoux (France) on June 26, 2005.

This book, addressed to graduate students, engineering professors and others interested in fuel economy contests, is the first to summarize the issues involved when designing and constructing a vehicle for fuel economy competitions. It describes the adventure of developing the PAC-Car II and others some specific technical advice for anyone who wants to design an ultra-lightweight land vehicle, whatever its energy source.

Attachment 1186

If the book's in English, then it would have some useful info, yes?

EDIT : This was my Space Odyssey post!

CarloSW2

[cfg83]

Hello -

I found this nice little tidbit explaining the different drivetrain options :

(Performance Tab)
http://www.aptera.com/details.php

The real deal about Aptera's Mileage

With the All Electric Aptera, it is very easy to figure out the mileage range. The mileage is determined by the distance you can drive, under normal circumstances, until the batteries are effectively drained. In the case of the first Aptera typ-1e, we have calculated the range to be about 120miles.

With the Plug-in Electric Hybrid version of the Aptera(typ-1h) the mileage of the vehicle is difficult to describe with one number. For example, the Typ-1h can drive 40 to 60 miles on electric power alone. Perhaps for such a trip, the engine may only be duty-cycled for a few seconds or minutes. This would produce a fantastic number, an incredible number that, though factually true, would have no useful context, i.e. it's just a point on a graph.

An asymptotic decaying exponential is an accurate way to describe the fuel mileage of the Typ-1h. For example driving say, 50 miles, one might calculate a MPG number that's 2 or 3 times higher, say, 1000 MPG. As battery energy is depleted, the frequency of the engine duty cycle is increased. More fuel is used. at 75 miles, the MPG might be closer to 400 MPG. Again, we're using battery energy mostly, but turning the engine on more and more. Just over 100 miles we're just over 300 MPG, and just beyond 120 miles, we're around 300 MPG.

So why pick a number at 120 miles? Well, it's more than double of most available plug-in hybrid ranges that achieve over 100 MPG. It's three times the distance of the typical American daily commute. It's a meaningful distance that represents the driving needs of 99% of Americans on a daily basis. Sure, it's asymptotic, after 350-400 miles it eventually plummets to around 130 MPG at highway speeds where it will stay all day until you plug it back in and charge it up.

Soooo, it's engine-only mode is 130 MPG.

CarloSW2

[JanGeo]

Sounds like they need a graph of gas vs distance that way you can determine how much gas it will take to travel that 325 mile trip etc.

[samandw]

Originally Posted by JanGeo

Sounds like they need a graph of gas vs distance that way you can determine how much gas it will take to travel that 325 mile trip etc.

Found Here:
http://www.aptera.com/details.php

Click the "Performance" tab.

[boxchain]

Originally Posted by DaX

Wow, he said the entire car has less drag than a typical windshield wiper? That's amazing if true...

Adding 'windshield wiper airdam' to mods TODO...