Volkswagen to Make Limited Edition of 1-Liter Car (282 MPG!) in 2010

Nice, but I'm still getting tired of hearing about "limited production" and "European market first" and "by 2010" whenever one of these future dream machines is announced. And especially when the manufacturer is VW.

With all of those things under consideration, it will be half a decade, or longer, before an affordable version is widely available in the US.

I love the design of this car. As the previous poster mentioned, this should not be a limited edition. Instead this should be in their regular lineup, promoted as a great commuter / city car. We need an affordable version of this car here in the USA, and we need it now!

Brilliant, the future of personal transportation.
Uses here today technology, no filthy/heavy/expensive batteries.
At 660lbs. it uses less energy than any hybrid or electric car.

THE APTERA OUT PERFORMS THIS CAR IN PRICE PASSENGER COMFORT, PRICE, GAS MILAGE, HIGH TECH ELECTRONICS SOLAR, STRUCTURE AND MORE

It should be noted that the 282mpg is imperial gallons. When converted to US gallons it is 235mpg.
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/07/laugh-at-high-g.html

FINALLY, someone has designed a car that meets 95% of our needs. They need to roll intro production soon, have the prices come down, and become a NORMAL car. The days of SUVs, crossovers, Jeeps, and huge trucks are coming to an end, and cars like this will be taking over the roads.

By the way, a cD of .16 is great, but that is also multiplied by the frontal area, which is obviously much smaller on this car than any other which is partly why it gets great mileage. 280mpg sounds a bit high, but even at 100 or 150 it is a step in the somewhat right direction.

Put in an option to pedal, make it 200 pounds, and super cheap and I might buy it ;)

The Aptera will beat this to market (late this year to next year) and outperform it in all areas, from efficiency (~300MPG) passenger comfort (3 seats, un-cramped interior) to safety (That acrylic bubble is a death trap without a helmet. It might stay intact, but your skull won't!).

And a limited edition too! How lovely.

Oh, and the Aptera is a work of design genius, while that looks like a pickle with the end cut off.

Heck of a job, major motor industries of the world, heck of a job!

I hope VW releases this car in the U.S. and the CLEVER Car too (a BMW related concept three wheeler). But I also hope they do some more work in the styling deparment of the One-Liter car. As it is now, it looks like something I would have seen on the cover of a '60s Popular Mechanics about they type of car we'd all be driving by 1985.
...yes, I'm that old.

Won't body parts for these cars be expensive and hard-to-get? People drive crazy and little bumps that another car could take without denting would break the carbon fiber boards in these, I'd think. Not that it's not worth producing regardless.

Sorry, Andy. The Aptera is in fact less efficient than this car. The actual mileage of the Aptera Typ-1h is 130 mpg. It's only if you plug it in and give it 10 kWh of juice every 120 miles that you get 300 mpg.

Forgot to mention…

You also fail to realize that the VW 1-Litre car was Steve Fambro's inspiration when designing the Aptera. ;)

Look at the design, CLOSELY, study the design, and build it as a kit car! We will probably actually never see it produced by a major car company, so we need to take matters into our own hands.

RC

Hello Eco-Friends overseas! By reading this article or your comments, I have to say something. We can't solve the climate crisis by using cars. Just producing cars will kill mother earth - independent how less or zero energy they need by using them. Sorry, its a fact. And faster you understand this, we can talk about clever and eco-friendly mobility and urban infrastructure. I'm from Car-Germany and I can tell you, that the idea behind the climate-policy of 'environmental-friendly'-cars (nonsense word) is to sell more and more cars. This will raise the global motorization rank. We win nothing! The car-industrie has to change into mobility-services and bike-bus-tram manufactures.. Sunny greetings!

Aptera looks great but it still needs to be plugged in, and how is that electricity being generated? guess it depends on your location or wether you take that responsibility into your on hands.

1999 unmodified honda insight potentially gets between 50 - 160 mpg DEPENDING on how you drive (hypermile)

Pretty sure honda didn't forget about a car so ahead of its time...

They got the design super cheap from a kid, then did a little engineering.

With any other car, they would have decided the world market, and set production to meet it. With the green car, they pretend there is limited market, then run micro production making it high cost per unit and thus limit interest.

I would have preferred to see the one liter gas version complimented by an electric version.

OK... I live in the wild wooly wintery north. These cars don't cut it on the roads covered for 6-9 months of the year with ice and snow. The Aptera definetely doesn't - it says so on their website! Unfortunately, for people who live in the north or in snowy mountainous areas, the much-despised-by-Californians-and-Floridians SUVs and other 4WD vehicles are still needed. I for one will feel a whole lot less stressed and distressed to read about how 'everyone should be driving fuel-efficient vehicles etc' when they start designing them to be effective in ALL road conditions, not just sunny ones.

IMO they should make it longer so there is "trunk" room behind the second seat. If it weighed a little more it wouldn't really matter as its Cd would be lower. Also, they should make this thing a pure EV. Its light weight and aerodynamics make this very possible. See below:

1 liter of diesel equals 32,895btu
This vehicle consumes 1L/100km
This vehicle requires about 329btu/km
but...
The diesel engine probably averages 33% efficiency
Adjusted energy requirement is 110btu/km
That's equal to about 0.032kw/hr/km
For a 200km range, a 6.4kw/hr battery would be needed
Assuming LiFePo has an energy density of about 100w/kg and costs about $0.60/w...
That's about 64kg and $3,840 of batteries.

4wd hybrids and electrics will come, Toyota already has one, the Previa in Japan and Hong Kong. I don't know how it scores on handling on ice though.

I like this one a lot more than the Aptera, but bring 'em both on. More choices. They'll sell more of the better ones.

If it had AC and cost half as much it would be far more attractive. If I was alone and tried to buy a load of groceries or something I wouldn't be able to do it unless I went to the store every other day. Not enough space. I prefer to make one trip every couple of weeks.

@Nomadeca: They wouldn't do so well in VERY sunny conditions either. The canopy is just asking for a sunburn and a heatstroke.

"THE APTERA OUT PERFORMS THIS CAR IN PRICE PASSENGER COMFORT, PRICE, GAS MILAGE, HIGH TECH ELECTRONICS SOLAR, STRUCTURE AND MORE"

Not true. Besides that, the Aptera is a wide threewheeler, that still takes up a lot of space on the road and parking lots. This VW 1L car doesn't.

the Aptera does NOT outperform this car's efficiency.
the Aptera can only do 130 mpg,
but they give higher figures obtained by drawing energy from the grid
(and that doesn't indicate fuel efficiency)

more or less practical than a scooter?

It's a motor cycle with a roof and probably just as dangerous. Anyone looked at accident statistics for motorcycles? I'm glad you would all trade your life for some gas savings. Your kids appreciate it too.

Hey Aptera fans, chill out! All high mpg vehicles should be encouraged. Certainly the market is big enough for more than one ultra high mpg vehicle.

That said, I think the Aptera engineering and performance is very impressive.

so the car is still going to run on gas, just less? consider it half assed. isn't all this gas running in the hot summer sun poisioning the air and slowly taking it's toll on the earth making the trees look like shit? i'm still for the hydrogen power car, try taking a walk in July in 5 o clock traffic. it would so suck to be a flower.

the shape is the most air dynamic that it can be.
The engine is sized properly for the weight and driving requirements.

add that all together and you never see this car in USA. Mothers will be screaming about this car, that it is not safe. And noone should be driving it. and they are right, in society where driving errors are associated with car manufacturers.

Its a shame that VW can not bring this car to states.

They should make it 2 seats....
its obvious why

"They should make it 2 seats....
its obvious why"

Look at the 4th picture. It has 2 seats

You'll order them from Europe and import them to your country. You'll save the money on gas and you'll rewarded!

haha if i see that on the nj turnpike my hummer will destroy it HAHA

I would buy this car. As and artist and designer I have to say it is much better looking than the Aptera- I just looked that car up after I read through these comments. that one is just too weird and different for the general public IMO.

I have lived in tha snowbelt in Colorado for 30 years. Yes 4wd is the best, got one in '03, but I got by for the prior 20 with front drive and all season tires, and rear drive with snows on the back for the 5 years before that.
Rear drive, ummm, no thanks instability and limited traction, although great for doing doughnuts.
Front drive, quite good. Stable, good traction.
4wd, the best, but only marginally over front drive. Clearly better if you don't plow your driveway. Better in the 0-25 mph acceleration than front drive. Above 25mph the tires on my front drivers hook up on the snow, and there is no difference in capability with 4wd.
Front drive with winter tires easily beats 4wd with all seasaon tires.
The ultimate piece of equipment for winter driving is that thing between your ears.

QTWW Will have all the puzzel pieces before any others.

Looks great! A natural for a 'busha transplant.

As light as the car is, it should be fairly safe, remember, if someone slams into you, your car is gonna go flying, its not going to sit there and get completley crushed like a heavier car will. If the structure of the car can withstand a shock impact of 1g then the damage done to the car is going to be mainly cosmetic in nature, as normal "Good" tires generally break loose and lose traction at 0.96g's. Beyond that, the car will take a hit and end up going in a completley different direction. This car does not need to be a limited edition car, it needs to be a full production car and the american government needs to give people a tax incentive to buy one. This type of technology needs to be forced on people for the benifit that it will give everyone. Especially the middle/upper class, who think they shouldnt have to drive a tiny gimpy looking car like that. Also driving a smaller car like that, you'd end up freeing up space on the roadways, and the lane configuration could be changed accordingly, thereby reducing traffic conjestion.

Dude I totally love that punch buggy and would drive it in a heartbeat!

JT

@clipmedia: I'm sure, but the whole "cars are inherently bad, regardless of how we design, build, or power them" argument is stale and doesn't hold water. Should we encourage and build infrastructure for walking, biking, and rail over driving and flying? Yes, of course. But there are, whether you want to admit it or not, cases and situations in which the car is the more natural choice. The elderly or disabled may not be able to bike or walk, even to get to other forms of transit. Rural communities will not be building rail that gets close enough to anyone's home to walk or bike to the station.

For these cases, we should of course encourage use of the most efficient cars that will get the job done. There is plenty of green energy out there to use in the manufacturing and powering of vehicles, if we set our minds to using it. Technologically, there is nothing impossible or even all that difficult about making a car 100% recyclable; or making a factory that carefully manages and recycles all of its waste. And there are a number of fuel options other than oil for cars in the coming years. So I'm not quite sure at what stage the unsustainability becomes an unavoidable part of the car. We can't just assert something like this as an unsupported but unassailable fact. We need reasoning to be led to believe it.

FINALLY, someone has designed a car that meets 95% of our needs.
hehe! Never laughed so much!!
And just where did you get those figures from? Has anyone ever driven a vehicle with a single cylinder diesel engine?
You must be joking. 1,000 of these produced a year will be 999 too many.
Hope you enjoy driving it

Cars like this will be the future, looking to the prices of gas today!

"Finally decided to put it into production" I keep seeing these words over and over again in these articles. Shame on every car manufacturer who didn't put these fuel efficient vehicles into production years ago. Bowing to big oil.

@clipmedia and @Anthony. I see both of your sides here. I agree that many of the manufacturers are trying to design and build new cars for us to buy, and in doing so they take a toll on our environment and resources - I think we all understand that point.

@Anthony is absolutely correct in that we need to be encouraging others to do what they can now to help the environment. Changing the mind of the average person is not an easy task - it takes time and vigilance. If it takes new and intriguing car designs to bring environmental concern to people's attention, and we are able to boost fuel economy in doing so, that would seem like progress in our mission.

But I personally thing that we have all lost sight in this chat about the real issue – yes, it is great that VW is producing more of these vehicles, but that doesn’t help all of us now. Most of us simply won’t be able to get one of these cars – they cost too much and there quantity is limited. We should be focusing on topics now about the small steps we can all take to start saving fuel and reducing hydrocarbons. Steps like:
1. Driving slower
2. Considering hybrid vehicles
3. Using fuel harmonizers like Envirochip (I just heard about this – it’s a new chip that can reduce hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 75%) – that is a great idea that we can all take advantage of today
4. Keeping our vehicles serviced – preventing engine and smog system problems is just as important as fixing them when something does happen.

We can all start making small changes today that can help us with our cause – obviously we can’t all have a VW 1-Liter Car, but there are things that we can start doing today. What other ideas do all of you have?

by the time this car hits the road, i will be too old to drive

its like a back to the future car. great job! but shouldn't they build cheaper energy saving cars instead of the usual expensive cars that only the filthy rich could afford. I mean with the rate of the population booming and the gas price increasing and the earth dying, they should cater to the middle class soon.

well i get that it takes a lot of time but it wouldn't hurt to be more efficient and design cars that are eco-friendly and really affordable.

car companies though should get a heads up and design their new cars more practically. the features have a purpose and isn't all for aesthetic reason.

at the very least we are becoming greener little by little. i hope other car companies are also in the process of making these changes :)

Nomadeca : "OK... I live in the wild wooly wintery north. These cars don't cut it on the roads covered for 6-9 months of the year with ice and snow."

That's what people said about the SMART car, too.

I saw plenty of them on the road last winter, which was pretty bad in terms of snowfall, and their drivers had no problem with braking, starting, accelerating, and actually staying on the road.

Personally I think electrically assisted velomobiles have it all over the 1L and the Aptera, with infinite miles per gallon. But so few people are willing to burn fat instead of biodiesel these days.

I'm a fulltime cyclist but I would love a car like this!

Some of the previous commentators should read up more on this amazing vehicle before going off half-cocked.
See: http://www.greatchange.org/footnotes-1-liter-car.html
In particular the safety level is far superior to a motorcycle, with ABS, ESP and airbags.

Two seats and 80 litres luggage space is what 95% of commuters driving past my house need. Most of them are driving one person in a large sedan or 4wd.

120km/hr and 1litre/100kms is a terrific bonus for both us and the environment compared to 9-12 litres/100km for a typical large sedan.

I think VW should be making the car simpler instead of more complicated, as well as mass producing it. This has the potential to be the next Beetle!

An all electric version for urban use would be terrific too- and its certainly not rocket science given what the VW engineers have already achieved.

hey
1 L per100 hmm pretty good
A few more mods hmm.....
0.5 L per 100
...........................
what would they pay me.....
yes double what you have got

I'll stick to my bike thanks. At least if most vehicles on the street were this size, cycling would be safer.

It would be cool to have such a vehicle, but we should really spend some time discussing what makes a vehicle a "car". To me this layout is much more similar to a motorcycle than a car. More weather protection for sure, and it does not tilt in turns or fall over when you stop, but a car is more than just a vehicle that allows two people to get from A to B. So, while I am very much in favour of vehicles like this (since most cars do not move much more than 1.something people) and you cannot deny that such a gasoline mileage is desirable, it seems to me that the headline "282mpg car" is misleading and was created to get people to look while unfortunately not offering what it seems to promise on first look. This is not a car that can do what a car is expected to be capable of by most people. It could be a great solution for many people. Just like the Messerschmidt Kabinenroller was decades ago. I would like to see cars that can hold four people (of reasonable size) plus some space for some luggage.

Karsten
http:www.polluteless.com

Uh...thats great I guess. But doesn't it seem prudent and even sickeningly logical for car manufactures to just release cars right NOW that ..oh...lets say DOUBLE...or even TRIPLE our fuel efficiency?
Why the huge pie in the sky numbers at some future date, then tell me to buy their "efficient" 35mpg cars now?

And it would also seem logical that we as citizens of our countries simply make it the law that all cars to be sold in our respective countries must get at least 60mpg? The manufactures will simply have to comply or face going out of business. And if they do it will not break my heart. Someone else will meet the requirement and become the next Mega Corporation.

Sub-$15,000, sub-$15,000,sub-$15,000, sub-$15,000!

Nomadeca: OK... I live in the wild wooly wintery north. These cars don't cut it on the roads covered for 6-9 months of the year with ice and snow.

Don't worry about it...you wont be getting any snow in another 20 years due to global warming...it will parctically be subtropoical where you live...so you can drive whatever you want...30 years ago it used to snow in the Santa Cruz Mountains every winter 1-7 feet...20 years ago we would get a dusting of snow 0-1 feet...now...we never have to worry about pesky snow and ice...it never snows here anymore...

Don't like the idea of the efforts that are doing in designing more efficient cars for just two passengers, when the majority of us... have family! What's the use! Focus on everyday cars like SUVs, Mini Vans, Pickups! Welcome to reality!

It is funny to see how much success has this OLD concept on Treehugger.

When this concept went out in 2002 (and the director at that time made hundreds of km with one litter), I was actually visiting the R&D dept at VW.

I asked to one main engineer whether this project was serious or "pure marketing" (blink). He said "Pure Marketing of course".

At the same time, I had the privilege to ride a lupo 3 liters in the factory. They sold a few hundreds of those in the world ...

Now that oil is rising, they digg in their old files what they have to make some Communication with no expense.

Great job !

Winter driving:

I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the northern-most city of its size in North America. It gets plenty cold here (-41°C), with high snow loads for most of the year.

We have never owned a 4WD, but always picked the most efficient car (Geo Metro, Toyota Echo, Toyota Prius).

4WD is nice, but by no means a necessity, even here. Most of the cars I see in the ditch in winter in our rural area are 4WD and pickups. Ice is ice. In heavy snow, just drive more slowly.

4WD just allows you to get stuck at higher speeds and in deeper snow ... :-)

Safety:

The 1-Liter-car is made of a carbon fibre composite, which can have 6-12 times the structural strength of steel on a weight basis. According to VW, this car has the safety rating of a GT class racing car.

Also, we tend to focus on active rather than passive safety. Would you rather sit in a SUV that crashes into a concrete wall at high speed because, due to its high mass, it cannot break in time, or stop 50 feet from the wall in a 1-Liter-car?

:-)

godo, author of "The Carbon Buster's Home Energy Handbook", www.carbonbusters.org

The Insight failed and this is even less impractical. If I really want high MPG there are much better ways. Additionally, saftey is limited in this car due to it's low stance which cannot be seen easily. Even if it is "safer", it is more esposed to crashes. Better put flags up.
This is smoke an mirrors just for tree huggers Not of the day-to-day world. Get real VW.

I remember when a long-time friend bought a hybrid car back in 2002. I thought the idea was great and I thought the car was great. A little small but for driving around the state it was perfect. Then I saw a documentary titled "Who Killed the Electric Car" and realized that an uninformed choice is almost as bad as no choice at all.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489037/

Nice collection of such a beautiful cars at one place. All the cars are unique and different look.

The NEW BUG.

I would love to drive that car, I love the fighter jet cockpit effect.

Of course by the time it was setup for US spec, it would cost twice as much and be half as efficient.

Wow, this new VW looks a lot like a 61 year old Saab: http://www.drive.ru/images/saab/saab-01-92001.jpg

The U.S. government should not be allowed to dictate standards to car manufacturers and dick us around in so doing. Anything with a bumper has more protection than a motorcycle and should be permitted.

it's great, in future i would like to drive a car like this

I WANT 1000000 Miles per gallon of WATER!!!!!!!

How the hell would this get approved for safety in Europe let alone the USA!?!?!?

There appears to be about 4 inches between the front and the back seat..................

This looks a lot like the Pulse/Litestar cars that Jim Bede designed back in the 70s-80s. They were basically modified motorcycles with a cabin built around them. They looked like little fighter-jets. Although I think they still look pretty wicked cool, I've always wondered what a modern version of them would look like, and I think this is it.

Vehicles like these are neither practical nor safe because they are too lightweight. I have driven the older VW Bugs and they were much heavier than 800 pounds (driver included), and on windy days the car was all over the road and at times very hard to keep it in my lane. I have also driven on icy roads in a light weight Datsun that was blown from the lane I driving in sideways into the other lane so fast, it took a few seconds to realize it happened. That's just not safe! Being in or causing an accident is just not worth the extra MPG to me. At higher speeds (60 to 70 MPH) lightweight vehicles become even lighter on the road, and it doesn't take that much wind to blow you all over on the road. I'll stick with my Honda Element and be happy with 30 MPG and a really safe vehicle.

I doubt that will take off, accept perhaps for tandem cyclists or motor cyclists that want a bit more protection, but still want the close to ground feeling of speed. Generally though, people like to sit next to each other as they see driving as a social event.

I doubt that will take off, accept perhaps for tandem cyclists or motor cyclists that want a bit more protection, but still want the close to ground feeling of speed. Generally though, people like to sit next to each other as they see driving as a social event.

Why not just make a 4 seater car and make it get 100-150 miles per gallon, and cost around 15K. Why is it car makers always go overboard with something only produced in limited numbers, instead of just making something we can actually use!

At 30k you won't see as many of these cars on the road as one would hope. And the people who really need them will never be able to afford them. YEA for the 10% hav's! The 90% of the have-nots will be walking.

Is it me or do all of the vechicles mentioned look like rolling coffins. Which is exactly what they will be if you wreck at even 35MPH.