Volkswagen unveiled the L1 concept car at IAA 2009. The L1 has a 2 cylinder 0.8 liter engine which propels the 838-pound CFRP-bodied L1 to an outstanding 240 mpg. A second, cramped passenger sits directly behind the driver. Not for the claustrophobic. There are 50L or 1.76 ft3 of trunk space. The L1 has been in development since about 1998 – limited production starts in 2010 and you might be able to buy one by about 2013.
The TDI, E-motor and 7-speed DSG are located at the rear, and they combine to create the most fuel efficient road-legal car hybrid drive in the world. Proof of this are its 1.38 litre per 100 kilometres fuel consumption and 36 g/km CO2 emissions. Serving as the primary drive source is a completely redeveloped two-cylinder turbo-diesel with common rail direct injection (TDI). It is operated in two different modes depending on the load conditions. In the standard “ECO” mode, the 800 cm3 TDI develops a power of 20 kW / 27 PS (at 4,000 rpm); in “Sport” mode – used to reach top speed, for example – the car’s power rises to 29 kW / 39 PS (at 4,000 rpm). The TDI’s maximum torque is 100 Newton-meter (at 1,900 rpm). Naturally, the L1 also has a Stop-Start system that automatically shuts down the engine when vehicle has stopped and restarts when the accelerator or E-pedal is pressed.
Volkswagen says the L1 is the “most fuel-efficient automobile in the world”, a claim that is probably true, notwithstanding the Chevy Volt .
While the fuel efficiency claim may well be true, it does not make up for the fact that the L1 is one fugly vehicle and looks like a cross between a coffin and a hearse. We’re considering nominating the L1 for inclusion in some future list of 100 Ugliest Cars.
Sure, the VW L1 emits a mere 36g/km of CO2 (which is astonishing in view of the fact that joggers emit about 78g/km), has a drag coefficient of 0.16 (that’s about ½ the CD of an average car) and might well save the world etc, but there’s no fun in driving these things. We here at GadgetManiac suggest you get either a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, or an Audi R8 or a BMW 135i M Sport coupe (our 3 current faves), before tree huggers succeed in getting sports cars banned.
Here’s the first official shot of the 9700 (codenamed Onyx), T-Mobile’s first 3G BlackBerry.
The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is the successor of the well known BlackBerry Bold.
For starters, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 rocks the same optical track pad seen on the BlackBerry Curve 8520. That means slipping from menu to menu is easier than ever but apparently RIM’s preloading it with the Amazon MP3 store, so that’s slightly interesting. T-Mobile says 9700 will support UMA Wi-Fi calling, visual voicemail, and corporate email. They also confirmed that it will have TeleNav GPS Navigator and Amazon MP3 store pre-installed. From what we can tell, it’s due in early November, but pricing is still unclear – we hope that RIM and T-Mobile have saved the best surprise for last.
General Motors today announced that their Chevy Volt electric car will get more than 230 miles per gallon in city driving…or approximately 1 litre per 100 Km.
Terrific…that’s almost as good as the Nissan Leaf which is EPA rated at 367 MPG and on the same order of magnitude as a walking human, estimated to achieve about 912 MPG.
In view of the fact that the most fuel efficient car on the market today is the Toyota Prius at 48/45 MPG city/hwy, GM has either achieved some tech breakthrough to achieve a 5x performance improvement or is practising some variant of Enron-style accounting by claiming miles driven electrically as miles driven via gasoline.
The Daily Telegraph complements their list of most the 100 most beautiful cars published March/2008, with the opposite, i.e. a list of the ugliest cars of all time. Telegraph readers voted as follows…
Lamborghini introduced their new Estoque at 2008 Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris a few days ago. Lamborghini president Stephan Winkelmann states that the Estoque is a ‘prototype’, and it’s “for everyday use”.
Not a bad-looking sports car considering it’s an AWD four-door four-seater. The front-end grill and air dams define it as a Lambo for sure, but the side view bespeaks a different influence…Jaguar C-XF perhaps?
General Motors was a start-up company 100 years ago today on September 16, 1908. Happy birthday GM!
GM celebrated by officially launching the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. The Volt’s 400-pounds of lithium-ion batteries gives it a range of 40 miles, enough for most urban commuting. The car’s 1.4-liter gasoline/E85 engine provides extended range by powering the electric drive unit while recharging the batteries. A full gas tank, together with a fully-charged battery will take you about 400 miles.
The Chevy Volt will be available late 2010. ~$35K before a potential $7,500 green tax credit.
With a length of 2,985mm and height of 1,500mm, with 3+1 seats, the forthcoming Toyota iQ micro urban car is even smaller than the Tata Nano, the world’s cheapest car.
AutoblogGreen has some nice new pics of the diminutive Toyota iQ, 1 of which is shown above, and must be close to a life-size depiction of the thing.
And LeftLane is reporting that the iQ’s 1L engine may be cut in 1/2 to make room for a plug-in hybrid engine with a range of 15 miles in electric mode.
At a price of 1,300,000 yen, the Toyota iQ is about 6x the price of the Tata Nano. The iQ gets about 50 mpg, while emitting only 99g of CO2 per Km.
Volkswagen unveiled the L1 concept car at IAA 2009. The L1 has a 2 cylinder 0.8 liter engine which propels the 838-pound CFRP-bodied L1 to an outstanding 240 mpg. A second, cramped passenger sits directly behind the driver. Not for the claustrophobic. There are 50L or 1.76 ft3 of trunk space. The L1 has been in development since about 1998 – limited production starts in 2010 and you might be able to buy one by about 2013.
