Volkswagen is building the first 1 litre car in the world.
The 1 litre car had long been rumoured in the media. Now it is here. At the end of his period in office, the former Board Chairman Dr Ferdinand Piëch drove the research vehicle from Wolfsburg to Hamburg and consumed an average of 0.89 litres over 100 km. This means that Volkswagen has once again impressively demonstrated its technological leadership.
Important goals of the development were the minimisation of all driving resistance by means of lightweight construction, excellent aerodynamics, development of new tyres and chassis parts, taking account of ergonomics and current safety standards as well as familiar operation options. The target of reaching consumption of one litre fuel for 100 kilometres, however, meant turning away from conventional vehicle concepts. The driver and passenger sit one behind the other in the high-tech vehicle, the plastic bodywork characterises an aerodynamic streamlined shape and the engine is located transversely, in front of the back axle.
One Cylinder with 299 Cubic Centimetre Capacity
The engine is a one-cylinder diesel with an automatic, sequential direct manual gearbox. The crankcase and cylinder head of the 0.3 litre engine were made of aluminium with a monoblock construction. In principle, the one-cylinder SDI is not a derivation of a familiar engine, but a technologically highly sophisticated new development. The aspiration diesel direct injection engine has an output of 6.3 kW at 4,000 rpm and helps the car weighing only 290 kg to a maximum speed of 120 km/h/75 mph. The pump-nozzle high-pressure injection with a six-hole nozzle and pre-injection supplies working pressures of over 2,000 bar/29,400 PSI.
The tight space for an engine did not allow the use of a series production gearbox. That is why a compact six-gear manual gearbox made of magnesium with a stop-start system including free-wheel function was built, which is operated via a rotary switch in the cockpit.
Figure from the Wind Tunnel
To keep the air resistance as low as possible, an unusually narrow and very flat silhouette was chosen. The bodywork of the 3.65 m long, 1.25 m wide and just over one metre flat vehicle developed in the wind tunnel is completely made of carbon fibre. It was not painted for reasons of weight. The outer skin is stretched over a spaceframe, which is not made of aluminium, but of much lighter magnesium.
The front view is much more reminiscent of the Volkswagen W12 Coupé than a typical research vehicle. To achieve consumption of one litre, the engineers has to stretch aerodynamics (cW value: 0.159) to its limits as well as working on the engine. As there was to be space for two people, but the front area had to be as small as possible, the two seats were arranged one behind the other, like in a glider. Entry is via a 1.50 m wing door, which is pulled down on the left-hand side for easy entry.
Instead of exterior mirrors, the car has cameras in the side indicator lights that show the traffic behind on two little monitors in the cockpit to the left and right of the central round instrument. When parking, the area behind the vehicle is visible due to a reversing camera fitted centrally in the high-mounted brake light. The storage space behind the seats has a capacity of 80 litres.
Lightweight Construction under the Bonnet
The entire front axle construction with a double wishbone made of aluminium and magnesium including spring-absorber unit weighs only 8 kg. The driven rear axle has many lightweight construction elements. The leaf spring is made of fibreglass-reinforced plastic, the transverse pipe and the wheel carriers are made of aluminium, the wheel hubs of titanium. The drive shafts and the wheel bearings are integrated in the axle construction. The direct mechanical steering is also made of aluminium and magnesium. The seat frames are also made of magnesium and light, but extremely firm stretch fabric covers are used instead of classic upholstery.
In cooperation with a tyre manufacturer, Volkswagen has developed a wheel-tyre combination that counters propulsion with as little mass as possible. Like the bodywork, the 16 inch rim is made of carbon fibre compound materials and, at 1.8 kg, is over 50 per cent lighter than a conventional rim. The special tyre mix and the profile were designed so that the driving resistance was reduced by 30 per cent in comparison to a standard tyre of the same size. The rear wheels are fully covered.
Gaining Energy with Brakes
A starter generator with so-called recuperation is used to generate energy. Here, the braking energy is fed into the generator and thus recovered. A nickel-metal hybrid battery is used to store the energy. The board network is designed in CAN-Bus technology. The bi-xenon dipped headlight consumes only 32 Watt with the same light output as a conventional 60 Watt headlight. That is also why no headlight cleaning system is needed. The entire headlight element is made of polycarbonate and in total weighs only 1.5 kg. The day driving light, all indicators and rear lamps are designed using LED technology.
As Safe as a Racing Car
In spite of the consistent lightweight construction, great importance was attached to safety from the outset. Anti-locking system, the Electronic Stability Programme ESP and a driver's airbag are all part of the safety equipment. Deformation elements in the frontal area and the spaceframe construction ensure collision and toppling protection equivalent to that of a GT racing car. So-called crash tubes with integrated pressure sensors to control the airbag in the front of the car take up all of the deformation energy so that the foot well remains intact. The 6.5 litre tank made of aluminium - with an opening designed for automatic robot filling - is located in the collision-protected area behind the passenger. Four aluminium disc brakes and aluminium brake callipers in combination with an anti-locking system of the latest generation ensure safe slowing down. The entire braking system weighs only 7.8 kg.
Important goals of the development were the minimisation of all driving resistance by means of lightweight construction, excellent aerodynamics, development of new tyres and chassis parts, taking account of ergonomics and current safety standards as well as familiar operation options. The target of reaching consumption of one litre fuel for 100 kilometres, however, meant turning away from conventional vehicle concepts. The driver and passenger sit one behind the other in the high-tech vehicle, the plastic bodywork characterises an aerodynamic streamlined shape and the engine is located transversely, in front of the back axle.
One Cylinder with 299 Cubic Centimetre Capacity
The engine is a one-cylinder diesel with an automatic, sequential direct manual gearbox. The crankcase and cylinder head of the 0.3 litre engine were made of aluminium with a monoblock construction. In principle, the one-cylinder SDI is not a derivation of a familiar engine, but a technologically highly sophisticated new development. The aspiration diesel direct injection engine has an output of 6.3 kW at 4,000 rpm and helps the car weighing only 290 kg to a maximum speed of 120 km/h/75 mph. The pump-nozzle high-pressure injection with a six-hole nozzle and pre-injection supplies working pressures of over 2,000 bar/29,400 PSI.
The tight space for an engine did not allow the use of a series production gearbox. That is why a compact six-gear manual gearbox made of magnesium with a stop-start system including free-wheel function was built, which is operated via a rotary switch in the cockpit.
Figure from the Wind Tunnel
To keep the air resistance as low as possible, an unusually narrow and very flat silhouette was chosen. The bodywork of the 3.65 m long, 1.25 m wide and just over one metre flat vehicle developed in the wind tunnel is completely made of carbon fibre. It was not painted for reasons of weight. The outer skin is stretched over a spaceframe, which is not made of aluminium, but of much lighter magnesium.
The front view is much more reminiscent of the Volkswagen W12 Coupé than a typical research vehicle. To achieve consumption of one litre, the engineers has to stretch aerodynamics (cW value: 0.159) to its limits as well as working on the engine. As there was to be space for two people, but the front area had to be as small as possible, the two seats were arranged one behind the other, like in a glider. Entry is via a 1.50 m wing door, which is pulled down on the left-hand side for easy entry.
Instead of exterior mirrors, the car has cameras in the side indicator lights that show the traffic behind on two little monitors in the cockpit to the left and right of the central round instrument. When parking, the area behind the vehicle is visible due to a reversing camera fitted centrally in the high-mounted brake light. The storage space behind the seats has a capacity of 80 litres.
Lightweight Construction under the Bonnet
The entire front axle construction with a double wishbone made of aluminium and magnesium including spring-absorber unit weighs only 8 kg. The driven rear axle has many lightweight construction elements. The leaf spring is made of fibreglass-reinforced plastic, the transverse pipe and the wheel carriers are made of aluminium, the wheel hubs of titanium. The drive shafts and the wheel bearings are integrated in the axle construction. The direct mechanical steering is also made of aluminium and magnesium. The seat frames are also made of magnesium and light, but extremely firm stretch fabric covers are used instead of classic upholstery.
In cooperation with a tyre manufacturer, Volkswagen has developed a wheel-tyre combination that counters propulsion with as little mass as possible. Like the bodywork, the 16 inch rim is made of carbon fibre compound materials and, at 1.8 kg, is over 50 per cent lighter than a conventional rim. The special tyre mix and the profile were designed so that the driving resistance was reduced by 30 per cent in comparison to a standard tyre of the same size. The rear wheels are fully covered.
Gaining Energy with Brakes
A starter generator with so-called recuperation is used to generate energy. Here, the braking energy is fed into the generator and thus recovered. A nickel-metal hybrid battery is used to store the energy. The board network is designed in CAN-Bus technology. The bi-xenon dipped headlight consumes only 32 Watt with the same light output as a conventional 60 Watt headlight. That is also why no headlight cleaning system is needed. The entire headlight element is made of polycarbonate and in total weighs only 1.5 kg. The day driving light, all indicators and rear lamps are designed using LED technology.
As Safe as a Racing Car
In spite of the consistent lightweight construction, great importance was attached to safety from the outset. Anti-locking system, the Electronic Stability Programme ESP and a driver's airbag are all part of the safety equipment. Deformation elements in the frontal area and the spaceframe construction ensure collision and toppling protection equivalent to that of a GT racing car. So-called crash tubes with integrated pressure sensors to control the airbag in the front of the car take up all of the deformation energy so that the foot well remains intact. The 6.5 litre tank made of aluminium - with an opening designed for automatic robot filling - is located in the collision-protected area behind the passenger. Four aluminium disc brakes and aluminium brake callipers in combination with an anti-locking system of the latest generation ensure safe slowing down. The entire braking system weighs only 7.8 kg.
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