One Liter Car Technology Changes the Automotive Industry

One liter of fuel for one thousand kilometers used to be only a dream. But now that Volkswagen has come up with the L1 concept car, this dream has become something very real. The company says the L1 is close to production and this could only mean that it expects a huge demand for the car. It adds that for this car to become commercially viable, there has to be three things: a supremely efficient powertrain, great aerodynamics, and light engineering.

The L1 commercial car is going to be a hybrid, likely using a two-cylinder, 39-hp turbo-diesel engine combined with a 14-hp electric motor. It's also going to have a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Technically, it can reach a speed of 100 kph but fuel economy is sacrificed here with the engine burning 1.38 liters per hundred kilometers.

The superb aerodynamics of the L1 is possible because it is slim, so slim it's described as cigar-shaped. Instead of having the seats side by side in pairs, they're lined up like in a jet fighter. It's also quite low which keeps air resistance minimum in the undercarriage.

The light weight of the L1 is achieved with the use of a carbon fiber body, thus much of the weight comes from the engine and chassis. The total weight of the car is less than a ton at 838 pounds. As it is, the physical design of the L1 might not be appealing to a wide audience, but it's the idea of a super fuel-efficient vehicle that's the main attraction. With just a little tweaking of the Volkswagen design engineers, they can make a new commercial L1 (the L2?) which will be more down-to-earth and family-friendly.

We can expect other companies to follow the example of Volkswagen and see more of this kind of 1- liter car.



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Hydrogen Cars Set for Commercialization with New Storage System

Hydrogen engines, along with other new engine and fancy gadget systems for automobiles, are likely set for commercialization with a new hydrogen storage system developed with the help of funding from General Motors. According to GM researchers led by Issam Mudawar, this storage system aims to make the task of filling-up with hydrogen as easy as filling-up with gasoline. The secret to a quick fill is the heat exchange system which allows the gas to be absorbed by metal hydride powder.

The process of hydrogen absorption by the metal hydride produces heat that slows down the process and at least 40 minutes would be needed to fill a hydrogen tank that allows a traveling distance of 300 miles. With the special heat exchange and removal system similar to what's used in refrigerators plus cooling fins, the time needed to get a full tank is reduced to only 5 minutes, almost the same as what's needed to get a gasoline tank full. This is what would make the hydrogen car practical and ready for commercial production.

The hydrogen gas is used to power fuel cells that run the electric motor of hydrogen cars. The main advantage of using these electric-hydrogen cars is it produces zero emissions with only water vapor as the byproduct of the energy conversion needed to run the car. Water or course, is harmless and is beneficial for life on earth. There's now a system being developed that can extract hydrogen from urine. This is a good way to make hydrogen gas cheap and readily available. People and animals like cows produce tons of urine everyday and they are good sources of hydrogen.

If all cars used hydrogen fuel, the world would indeed be a better place with air that's more breathable. With the practical technology for hydrogen production and storage and now available, tomorrow looks very green.



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