The Very Light Car prototype
The Very Light Car (VLC) is a prototype design for 2- and 4-passenger
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
s emphasizing low weight and overall efficiency. It was originally developed by the
Edison2 team for the
Automotive X Prize
The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE (PIAXP or AXP) was a set of competitions, programs and events, from the X Prize Foundation, to "inspire a new generation of super-efficient vehicles that help break America's addiction to oil and ste ...
competition. Two such 4-passenger cars were the only qualifiers in the finals of the "mainstream" division of the competition, and one of them won the 2010 division prize of $5 million with a competition fuel economy of 102.5
MPGe
Miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (MPGe or MPGge) is a measure of the average distance traveled per unit of energy consumed. MPGe is used by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to compare energy consumption of alternative ...
.
The design emphasizes mainstream rather than exotic materials, extreme low weight (less than 450 kg (1000 lbs)) and very low aerodynamic drag (
coefficient of drag
In fluid dynamics, the drag coefficient (commonly denoted as: c_\mathrm, c_x or c_) is a dimensionless quantity that is used to quantify the drag or resistance of an object in a fluid environment, such as air or water. It is used in the drag e ...
<0.16). Significant design innovations include in-wheel suspension and safety design derived from endurance auto racing.
Edison2 team
Edison2 was founded by
Oliver Kuttner
Oliver may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and literature
Books
* ''Oliver the Western Engine'', volume 24 in ''The Railway Series'' by Rev. W. Awdry
* '' Oliver Twist'', a novel by Charles Dickens
Fictional characters
* Ariadne Oliver ...
, a
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
entrepreneur and auto enthusiast, and is headquartered in
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch (1740–1820), John Lynch, the city's populati ...
. The VLC development involved over 100 of its own and other companies' employees. After the contest, the team brought on designer Jason Hill and electric vehicle expert Ron Cervan.
X-Prize competition vehicles
Their four competition vehicles were powered by small (250cc) one-cylinder
E85-gasohol-fueled internal combustion engines. The aim was to achieve the prize's requirement of 100
MPGe
Miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (MPGe or MPGge) is a measure of the average distance traveled per unit of energy consumed. MPGe is used by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to compare energy consumption of alternative ...
or higher
fuel economy. A small E85 internal combustion engine was chosen for the competition in order to have the lowest possible powerplant and fuel weight, high
energy density
In physics, energy density is the amount of energy stored in a given system or region of space per unit volume. It is sometimes confused with energy per unit mass which is properly called specific energy or .
Often only the ''useful'' or extract ...
, low
pumping losses, and an engine design with an efficiency sweet spot at cruising speed; while meeting mileage and emission standards.
The fuel-vs-batteries tradeoff was especially onerous in the mainstream class, because it had a higher 200-mile range requirement, doubling the potential size of a heavy battery pack for hybrid and EV designs.
Their two 4-passenger cars were the only qualifiers in the finals of the "mainstream" division of the competition. All other mainstream entrants broke down in qualifying rounds or failed to achieve minimum MPGe requirements. One of them won the 2010 division prize of $5 million with a fuel economy of 102.5 MPGe.
Edison2 could not participate in final validation tests at
Argonne Laboratories because two engines were damaged during the coast-down portion of final tests before validation. "Competition officials ruled that Edison2 was not at fault for the incidents at Coast Down that damaged the engines of both of their Mainstream Class entries." In the absence of time and finances to repair and calibrate engines, "officials granted Edison2 a waiver from validation testing. However, Roush laboratories, a separate third party, had conducted
dynamometer
A dynamometer or "dyno" for short, is a device for simultaneously measuring the torque and rotational speed (RPM) of an engine, motor or other rotating prime mover so that its instantaneous power may be calculated, and usually displayed by the ...
tests for Edison2 in preparation for Knockout and Finals rounds of the Xprize, and officials reversed an earlier decision to eliminate any vehicle unable to complete validation and agreed to review those results to determine whether they can be accepted in lieu of testing at Argonne." After Coast Down and before tests at Argonne Labs, Xprize officials determined: "The engine failures were found to have been caused by third-party drivers of the vehicles, however, and were not blamed on vehicle design or capabilities." Edison2 was permitted to provide independent third-party validation reports instead of undergoing the same validation testing as other finalist teams. Progressive Automotive Xprize posted Edison2's final MPGe results in a press release on their website.
In addition to its entries in the X Prize "mainstream" division, the team also entered one additional vehicle in each of the two "alternative" (2-passenger) divisions. The side by side alternative class entrant, #96, "failed to meet the minimum 67 MPGe fuel-economy requirement" during the knockout phase of the X Prize competition and was eliminated. The tandem alternative class entry suffered catastrophic engine failure, possibly due to a software problem, and was also eliminated.
"A $2.5 million software problem: Catastrophic failure eliminates local supercar from competition"
"The Daily Progress", 27 July 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2013
Current work
After winning the X-Prize, Edison2 continues work on further VLC prototypes, developing more aerodynamic bodies, an electric drive train, and further refining the innovative in-wheel suspension. In addition, further prototypes are aimed more at consumer acceptance than bare-bones competition requirements. The eventual aim is to have established auto manufacturers pick up low-weight designs for mass production, and possibly license individual technologies, such as the in-wheel suspension.
Recognition and awards
*Shared the 2010 Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE
The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE (PIAXP or AXP) was a set of competitions, programs and events, from the X Prize Foundation, to "inspire a new generation of super-efficient vehicles that help break America's addiction to oil and ste ...
.[
*Selected by ]Time Magazine
''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...
as one of the 50 Best Inventions of the Year 2010
References
External links
* Eric Cahill
"The Competition Isn’t Over Yet: Why Validation Matters"
Progressive Automotive XPrize Blog, August 26, 2010
* John O'Dell
Edmunds.com Green Car Advisor, August 17, 2010.
* Bryan Gentry
"Lynchburg Man Hopes His Efficient Car Will Change the Auto Industry"
''The News and Advance'', January 9, 2010
* Brian McNeill
"Car of Tomorrow: Kuttner's 100mpg Vehicle Still in X Prize Fight"
The Daily Progress
''The Daily Progress'' is the sole daily newspaper in the vicinity of Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It has been published daily, since September 14, 1892. The paper was founded by James Hubert Lindsay and his brother Frank Lindsay. T ...
, November 8, 2009
Edison2 website
Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize website
"Light, Fuel-Driven Car Goes For 100 Mpg X Prize"
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
''Morning Edition'', July 22, 2010
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Sustainable transport
Concept cars
Microcars