330 MPG! Aptera Hybrid Promises Amazing Mileage for Less Than $20,000

[corporate_mike]

CARLSBAD, Calif. — Accelerated Composites LLC, a small startup company here, said it is developing the Aptera, a two-seat hybrid passenger car delivering 330 mpg at a steady 65 miles per hour — at a price under $20,000.

The company said the car, which may be ready for production in two years, will have acceleration and handling similar to that of the Honda Insight hybrid. The first Aptera prototype may be ready by March.

The prototype under construction will be powered by a single-cylinder, 12-horsepower diesel engine and a 24-horsepower DC electric motor, and will have a continuously variable transmission. Power is delivered through a single rear wheel mounted on a composite swing arm. The car is expected to have an electronically limited top speed of 95 miles per hour and an estimated 0-to-60-mph acceleration of 11 seconds.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=108992

[beam me up scottie]

1. This is from January.

Has this been reported anywhere else?

If true, this is the best news I've heard in a long time.

[roguevalley]

13. I want one. Does it have bumpers?

:evilgrin:

[beam me up scottie]

14. I can't even tell where the door is on that thing.

I live in Amish country, I see their buggies all over town.

What a trip it would be to see those two types of transportation parked side by side at Walmart.

[aden_nak]

2. I hope those guys have bodyguards.

[fishwax]

yep n/t

[Trillo]

3. The aerodynamics of the body don't appear to allow

pneumatic bumpers. I'd venture to say there are going to be other bureaucratic hurdles the vehicle will need from the law to ever be approved.

Overall, great news! I want need either one of these, or a horse and carriage.

[upi402]

4. I wonder

does the weight of the front wheel cover assembly cost more energy off the line than reduced wind resistance at speed...

Anyway, I sure hope this pans out. Toyota needs some push from American ingenuity (or whatever).

[Solo_in_MD]

5. I don't think the physics works to delvier that kind of mileage

Take the weight of the car and the energy in one gallon of diesel and do the math.

[upi402]

7. Is it a new generation battery?

:shrug:

[ContraBass Black]

10. I'm more concerned about the body.

I think the materials necessary to make something that looks like that and passes crash tests will push the cost well over $20,000.

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. At a steady speed, the weight doesn't come into it

it's air resistance, and transmission and tyre losses that count. However, I did a calculation of 330mpg at 65mph, and that comes out to the engine using about 10 horsepower in chemical power:

65mph/330mpg = 0.2 gallon/hour
130500 btu per gallon *0.2 gph = 26100 btu/hr (http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/papers/misc/energy_conv.html)

26100 btu/hr * 0.293 Watts per btu = 7650 Watts (http://www.energy.iastate.edu/renewable/wind/wem/wem-18_apen_a.html)

7650 Watts / 746 Watts per horsepower = 10.3 horsepower

If they're using chemical energy at that rate, the output of the engine is, at best, 40% of that (http://www.llnl.gov/str/April04/pdfs/04_04.3.pdf), or 4.1 horsepower. I'm very doubtful that an engine running at 4hp can keep something like that going at 65mph. I think they'd have to be using the electric motor as well, draining the batteries - in which case the 'mpg' figure is cheating, because it's not just diesel providing the power.

[w4rma]

6. 3 wheels? Is that safe at 65+ MPH? (nt)

[Solo_in_MD]

15. Technically its a motorcycle

And should be perfectly safe.

[Zinfandel]

8. The oil companies and Auto makers will sabotage and put an end to it

Fast.

[NEOBuckeye]

9. Screw the greedy bastards! They got us into this Peak Oil mess n/t

[Solo_in_MD]

16. Not to worry, the number they are advertising is incorrect

- Figure out the rolling resisitance (friction, wind etc)
- Add in the other losses in the drivetrain (mechanical, heat...)
- Take the amount of energy in a gallon of gasoline

Do the math.

[OneBlueSky]

11. here's a drawing of the car . . .

I don't know . . . three wheelers tend to be pretty unstable . . . I wouldn't want to be riding in one at 65 mph or anything close to it . . .



http://www.acceleratedcomposites.com/

[symbolman]

12. Looks like

a rolling COFFIN to me.. they'd better paint them bright red, and put some kind of rotating lights on top or flags or something.. this car is even more invisible than a motorcycle..

still, might be fun to have in Hawaii :)

[DelawareValleyDem]

17. Looks pretty streamlined.

But I think I'll wait until NHTSA and IIHS run some crash tests