VW Concept Microcar Gets 235 MPG

Hugh Pickens writes "Volkswagen is bringing new meaning to the term 'fuel efficiency' with a bullet-shaped microcar that gets 235 mpg. Called the One-Liter, because that's how much fuel it needs to go 100 kilometers, the body's made of carbon fiber to minimize weight and the One-Liter makes extensive use of magnesium, titanium and aluminum so the entire vehicle weighs in at 660 pounds. Aerodynamics plays a big role in its fuel economy, so the car is long and low, coming in at 11.4 feet long, 4.1 feet wide and 3.3 feet tall with a coefficient of drag of 0.16, a little more than half that of an average car. The One-Liter could have a sticker price of anywhere from $31,750 to $47,622, and VW plans to build a limited number in 2010."

built-in coffin

[caffeinemessiah]

So small, light and snug (from the picture), that when you get knicked by a Toyota on the autobahn, it can substitute as your coffin too! Now THAT's eco-friendly.

660 pounds

[Anonymous Coward]

Some Americans weigh that much!

Re:Big Deal!

[Typingsux]

In 2006, this vehicle [gizmodo.com] got 3,145 miles per gallon, and some high-school students last year won a mileage contest by creating a similar vehicle that got mileage in the 1000-mpg range.

If VW want to impress, they will have to do a hell of a lot better than that.

The problem with your post is that all of those kids are probably mysteriously dead.

Re:built-in coffin

[goombah99]

Surprisingly the name in germany is "totencrappen" which is the german word for "suppository coffin", but the english translation was too long, so they went with one-liter.

concept vaporware

[M. Baranczak]

By the time this car makes it into regular mass-production, (if it ever makes it at all), it'll look just like every other car on the road.

Re:So in a car wreck

[Ryan1984]

Does that mean in 65 million years, we'll have cars powered by extinct soccer moms?

Re:Big Deal!

[Free the Cowards]

This is Slashdot. If you can't do better in every possible way than every single thing that has ever been done before, then you're worthless.

Re:photo not yet slashdotted link

[Anonymous Coward]

Is it 2010 already?!?

Re:photo not yet slashdotted link

[Provocateur]

Look how small it is! Oh, it's just a HUGE license plate. My bad.

Re:Big Deal!

[Anonymous Coward]

Try consuming less, McFatFamily.

Re:Convincing one of safety of small vehicles.

[mrogers]

Get it in orange, yellow, bright green, etc and being seen on the road should be much less of a problem.

That's great until someone mistakes it for a Tic Tac and eats it.

Re:built-in coffin

[Cederic]

I know girls that would rather enjoy that.