On the possibility of making a 100mpg car, a GM Exec in recent Popular Mechanics Article had this to say:
"There's no business case for it," says GM's Juechter. "How many people would spend $200,000 on a car that would ultimately save them a few thousand dollars on fuel over the life of the car?"
$200,000!!! wow! that's expensive!
100 mpg is not the milestone some think it is. Although the Automotive X-Prize offers 10 million for a car that will get 100mpg+, we drove by that milestone in 2003, when the VW Lupo (available only in Europe) achieved 100mpg+, for well under 200K.
But more excitment is yet to come! The real innovation is coming from VW and other outsiders. If innovation is coming from the US, it will come from small start-ups who will destroy the GM nay-sayers. Here’s the leaders and their cars--
VW – The 282 MPG Car
Although the stated mileage is 280, mileage averaged 317 MPG on a highway drive. It was unveiled in April 2002, after a three-year development cycle. [Source]
Volkswagen was going to introduce the radiclly cool GX3 (47mpg+) for under $17K in the California market, but at the last minute they pulled it because of legal fears. The GX3's radical design, however does show that VW has the imagination to push car design in the future.
Right now, they're selling the Polo Blue Motion in Germany. It gets 62MPG--with low sulfur diesel coming to the US soon, we'll probably see this car.
Tesla Motors Roadster – The All Electric Speed Demon
The highly efficient Tesla Roadster gets the equivalent of 135 miles per gallon with an enviable 0-to-60 time of around four seconds. [source]
Tesla is scheduled to deliver the car to drivers (note to GM execs: the car sold out almost a year before it ships) in September 2007.
Here's the latest scoop on how it's going for Tesla--
Tesla Motors has unveiled the validation prototype of its electric-powered roadster, one of the last steps toward assembly-line production. Plans are for the $100,000 high-performance two-seater to be in owner garages this fall.
Though official figures will be released after Environmental Protection Agency test results are in, the car is expected to have a range of 220 to 250 miles, a top speed of 130-plus mph and a 0-to-60-mph time of about four seconds. All this is not only possible but probable for a carbon-fiber-bodied car with a bonded, extruded-aluminum chassis. Electric drivetrains have 100 percent of their torque available at 0 rpm, so quick launches are easy, even though the Tesla tips the scales at 2600 pounds.
After the roadster, the next product from the Silicon Valley start-up will be the WhiteStar sedan, a performance-oriented four- or five-seater in the $50,000-to-$60,000 range, due out in 2009. The design of the sedan is not yet finalized. CEO Martin Eberhard says that right now, the engineers and designers are "arguing about it." The roadster will be built at Lotus in England; the sedan will come out of a Tesla assembly plant in New Mexico.
A smaller sedan will follow the WhiteStar, with the eventual goal being a full line of electric cars, the smallest of which would even be affordable, making Eberhard, perhaps, the new Henry Ford. [source]
Loremo – 157 MPG & about $13K to $18K
Loremo expects the car to be on the streets of Europe by 2009, with prices starting from under $13,250 USD for the LS, and under $18,000 USD for the GT.
It runs on gas, is only 800lbs(!) because of the materials they used, and has a unique body structure designed for safety. Check out this link for more info.[Source]
It could be a real contender with its price and design.
Aptera Motors - 230 MPG
Getting 230 MPG at 55MPH, the Aptera is a truly radical design. The founder is totally devoted to fuel efficiency. It runs on gas or electric.Their site has more details. Does it look like a UFO on wheels to you?
Venture Vehicles
Venture plans three types of vehicles--gas 100+mpg, hybrid 300+mpg, and all electric.
On its website, there are some great videos of the vehicle being test driven--the vehicle tilts 45 degrees and is on three wheels. Click on the menu on the pages left side to see the videos. It's pretty wild.
How to Make the Cars of the Future - Source Popular Mechanics
Of course, the concern is that many of these cars are not safe--the court is still out on this. Here's a video of the Smart Car crashing into a wall at 75MPH. If you watch it, you can really see that design does matter.
Most of these cars are made with lighter, but stronger materials than cars today. Like the Smart Car, they basically rely on new, stronger materials like carbon fiber and aluminum, and a more refined body structure. Most of the design changes borrow from high-performance race car designs and in some high-end street car designs. Carbon fiber is expensive, but recyclable. So, eventually it will become less expensive.
Plug in Hybrid Conversions does some neat things like puts solar panels on hybrids to get 100MPH+ or adds batteries to Hybrids to get more power from batteries.
Who will win the X Prize? Maybe Toyota--
Meanwhile, over at Toyota. . .
100-MPG Toyota Prius in the Works for 2009
Due in two years as a 2009 model, the next Prius is set to be an evolution, company sources say. The hybrid will retain the same basic 1.5-liter hybrid drivetrain. But Toyota is now on a mission to do two things: drive the economy ratings skyward, and cut the associated costs by 20-30 percent.
Oh, so that means $20,000 or less. . .no wonder GM is going under--but others besides Toyota will push the boundaries of fuel efficiency farther --