What Have We Changed?
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 09:50AMAt the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Edison2 unveiled a model of our next generation Very Light Car. Here’s a picture. We’d like to take a minute to explain what’s different and where and how we’re moving forwards from our X Prize cars.
First, a little bit of history. Richard Petty was once asked when the first car race took place and he famously answered, “shortly after the second car was built”. The X Prize was not exactly a race but it was in the end a competition between cars and the teams who built them. Competitions need rules and over the years race rules have been tested by circumstances and have evolved to cover all that has been learned. Being a different kind of competition, the X Prize rules were written without the benefit of years of accumulated experience and this created a lot of problems as the difference between teams’ interpretations and officials’ intent emerged.
For the most part, the differences were resolved in a fair way by reasonable adults: teams had to do some rework and a few rules got re-written and in some cases softened. Sometimes the rules softening worked against us. For example, we initially faced a requirement for “safety glass” windows and, since time prevented us from designing the complex tooling required to make compound curved glass, we designed the VLC to have a flat wrap windscreen. By the time we learned the X Prize Foundation would accept “stuff you can see thorough that won’t shatter” for “safety glass”, meaning we could run a polycarbonate screen, it was too late to change and refine our body shape.
Now that we are no longer constrained by well-intentioned but sometimes counterproductive rules, we are making a number of design advances, such as:
- Moving to compound curvature windows and exterior body panels has enabled us to subtly but substantially reprofile the central fuselage for even more interior space. Our early cars could, and often did, carry 4 full sized adults and their gear. The next generation VLC can carry even more.
- The new, smoother lines promise even better wind cheating performance. With half the drag of a Prius, our early cars are the most aerodynamically efficient 4 seat cars yet built. We expect to exceed that with a better optimized shape.
- New, raised and reprofiled “wings” are designed to meet FMVSS bumper standards. Edison2 learned about crash-worthy design the hard way, through more than a century of combined professional auto racing experience. Now we have more design freedom, we’re applying that experience.
- Larger diameter tires permit more travel from our patent pending in-wheel suspension, giving a smoother ride and also reducing rolling resistance.
- A new rear window gives better rear vision than the camera it replaces, and the hatch it mounts to gives access to luggage space now available above our rear-mounted driveline.
- It takes a lot of work to get from proof of concept to production capable. The path involves redesigning almost every component and system of the Very Light Car. So under the skin are all the advances you can’t see.
Of course, some things stay the same. Not just Very Light Car Principles – light weight, low drag, breakthrough efficiency – but also the orderly, thorough way we do things. Not much happens by chance at Edison2, and that includes working towards what is really an all-new car.
Reader Comments (17)
Is that a physical full-scale model or a CAD model? It is getting harder to tell these days.
I like it! The wheel pods are now much more firmly attached -- it looks good. I'm puzzling about the tube-like form on the top edge of the from wheel pods...
I think we are seeing the hand of Jason Hill in this design?
I looking forward to more updates -- information will build interest!
Sincerely, Neil
Hi John,
I think it is a scale physical model -- probably a 1/5th scale? The split face CMU, the floor mat, the reflections and texture on the floor, the doorframe -- all look real.
Here's a full size picture: http://www.apteraforum.com/showthread.php?t=3909&page=15
The last clue is the slight "hand shake" that would not be in a rendering...
Oh, the tubular top edge on the wheel pods -- are they for side view mirrors?
Neil
Neil,
Thanks for the input. It is really exciting to see some progress in the design.
John C. Briggs
Hi
This car is getting better all the time, can't wait till you are able to get it into production, & I can purchase one! Do you have any time table on this happening? Also, how does the steering work on this new model, it doesn't look like the firmly attached wheel pods allow for any movement?
Darrell
This fourth generation V LC looks great. Clean quiet cool running electric drive would be ideal for the VLC. Batteries will be much lighter in the near future. Ford already plans to reduce the weight of its 23 KW Ford Focus EV battery to 125 pounds, by using improved battery chemistry. A 23 kW battery in a VLC would virtually eliminate range anxiety. . And Ford has already reduced home charging time to three or four hours on the Focus EV; half the time it takes to charge the Nissan Leaf on 220 volts.
Better yet, market the VLC-EV with a matched set of solar panels that would recharge the car battery every day. Solar charging would eliminate the cost a home charging station and grid electricity. Many people would be attracted to a car that comes with its own 25 year fuel supply, The VLC-- solar carport could also become the backbone of a solar powered home. The big car battery could provide reserve power for the solar home at night.
Neil - Rear view mirrors mounted on the wheel pods would be problematic. Proper adjustment of the mirrors would require you to have the wheel pods pointed perfectly strait forward. When driving your field of view from the mirrors would change every time your turned the steering wheel even slightly, since the pods turn with the front wheels. And road vibration from tires would make wheel pod mounted mirrors much too shaky to provide a clear image while traveling.
Darrell,
I wouldn't worry about the steering because it doesn't look like you can actually get into the vehicle. :). Suspect it is a scale model. Still cool to see progress.
John,
Sorry, I can't help myself here. But if we are going to have EVs in our future, we should all learn what we put into the "gas tank." We put KWH in the "gas tank" not KW.
Later
John C. Briggs
In the end, it's commercial success is all going to come down to cost.
Anyone care to speculate?
I'm a cheerleader for you guys - keep it up! The curvaceous new design is great.
Like others, I am anxious to learn projected production schedules and prices.
I would love to see a complete car less drive, for DIYers to add their own systems to. For my situation an EV setup would be best. Offering chassis/body "kits" might exempt the car from the costly federal testing requirements?
It's good to see you guys are still busy, and doing stuff. I like both versions, the VLC version 3, and the new 4th generation.
By the way everybody, from the looks of things I'm betting that those are places for signal lights to go, because the front pods are closer in to the body than the rear pods, thereby making it possible to see the back of the front pods' turn signals from the rear of the car.
Pauls: You are right that in the end it may come to cost, however, if people knew what they were getting for their money, I think cost would not be as important to major auto manufacturers as value.
You see, this car that they want to build is not the least bit designed for resale value.
Perhaps auto manufacturers will wake up and realize that there are, and will be more, and more consumers interested in the durability, build quality, fit, detail, and quality performance of the car, rather than how many speakers, seats, and cup holders it has.
They probably won't, but I'm hoping one will become enlightened as Edison 2 is, and actually produce these marvels of super efficient fun personal transportation units for the commonwealth of America.
Edison 2, I'm with Randal Son, if indeed it turns out that big auto manufacturers will not listen, then screw em', and we'll find a way around it. We're with you on this, I know, because there isn't a soul on this page that doesn't want to help you succeed in your endeavor.
Good luck with Ford gentlemen, and give em' hell if they need it.
Check out the new prototype of Volkswagen.
Type XL1.
They claim a rediculous low mileage of > 100 km/L.
Seems too good to be true......
VW's XL-1 looks like an updated GM EV-1 -- The previous VW' 1 liter car attained nearly the same mpg numbers with a diesel only version, so 313 mpg for the hybrid could be real under ideal conditions. I wonder what the MPG would be under X-prize test cycle conditions? The 0.186 cd is not quite as low as the VLC, and the weight for the XL-1 is a lot higher at 795 kg (of which 227 kg is the drivetrain, 153 kg is running gear, 105 kg for the electrical system, and only 80 kg for the interior). The 22 mile range battery and electric drive account for some of that extra weight.
This link reports the car will go into production for sale in Germany and England. http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-01-volkswagen-xl1-world-economical-car.html
It will be interesting indeed to see how this car and its attendant developement processes evolve through time. After the last two winters we have had ( I live in the Great Lakes region) my only real concern (other than price) really about how this car is configured is what about snow/ice/etc gunking up the wheel fairings? Could you make a "winter kit" with just bare bones fenders one could mount in place of the full wheel skirts with hand tools? Or design it in the first place so that one may remove the greater portion of the fairing so that slush does not build up as one drives through sloppy streets?
Just a random thought from the peanut gallery here...
You guys working on the Edison2 are awesome!
I autocross an F500 (just over 600lbs) with 85-90hp, and have had it up to ¯¯¯HERE¯¯¯ with the weight of current street cars.
Any chance of a substantial increase in power in your VLC while keeping the weight and cost down? I can't really afford an Elise. I keep hoping SOMEBODY will make an affordable <1200lb car with > 100hp.
BTW, new body looks great. (Now if only you can actually see out of it on the road...)
-Dan
Battery technology is really advancing -- Check out this USA technology, perfect for an electric VLC -- The same professor is working on vastly improved Solar Cells
http://prietobattery.com/tech.htm
Again, nice job and good work