The Volkswagen XL 1 gets 261 miles per gallon. The guys from the show Top Gear (British Version) test of the car and got over 340 miles per gallon.
From top gear's site: "It looks like a mini-supercar, it's as specialist as a Veyron, and it's certified in the official tests at 314mpg and 21g/km CO2. Which means it practically runs on thin air (it actually tested at 340mpg, but the officials imposed a rounding error - from 0.83/100km to 0.9). Yet it's comfy and decently roomy for two, has air-con and navigation, and will cruise at 100mph."
You may think that this vehicle has some amazing superduper space-age technology but in reality all it is is a very light car that is a plug-in diesel hybrid. Diesel hybrids date back to World War I where it was used in submarines. Submarines up until use of nuclear power used diesel engines and electric motors powered by batteries for when the submarine was underwater. A Volkswagen XL – 1 uses a small two cylinder diesel engine capable of generating around 42 hp and electric motor that generates around 30 hp. This car can cruise at 62 mph with only 8 hp.
Diesel motors are considerably more efficient than gasoline motors. Another thing that makes hybrids more efficient is at the internal combustion engine can run at a steady state where it is most efficient. This new Volkswagen is very light and it uses low resistance tires. It is also aerodynamically very slick.
This car represents a harbinger of things to come for big oil and it also poses a threat to the automobile industry as we know it. The body design looks quite classical and timeless just like the early Volkswagen beetles. Diesel motors outlast gasoline motors as we all know electric motors can last a very long time. Think about how long the motor in your refrigerator can last. When leader motor breaks down they probably can be easily replaced and swapped out to be rebuilt.
Companies will follow suit and improve upon this design. A vehicle like this that can deliver close to 10 times better gas mileage than most cars today could potentially make oil quite worthless. It may even be possible for some clever backyard tinkerers to take small cars like the Ford Festiva or Chevy Geo and convert them to plug-in diesel hybrids.
I'm NOT a big fan of German cars because most of them today are unreliable crap so don't go chalking this up to the myth of superior German engineering but I have to give Volkswagen a lot of credit for bucking political system and releasing this vehicle.
I can only speculate as to the political ramifications that would come from devaluing oil. When oil becomes worthless it could throw the Arab states it even more chaos than they already are from that bullshit they call Islam. The Saudi's see this coming and have recently dedicated billions to the development of solar energy. Under the Obama administration oil and gas exploration and production had increased dramatically. When pieces of trash Republicans like that slutty pig Sarah Palin chant drill baby drill they're to dishonest too admit that it is already going on. They are also too dishonest to admit that currently America's biggest export is gasoline. A sudden drop in the value of petroleum and other fossil fuels could cause a great economic shakeup for the filthy rich in the world and a major change in the social order. The energy industries as a whole to take a huge hit as floor petroleum prices could affect the prices of all fossil fuels.
Even sissy boy rednecks who drive those noxious gas guzzling pickup trucks as everyday transportation would probably be open to a plug-in hybrid system for their trucks because it would give them more beer money.
Read more at Car and Driver.
What will happen to the world when driving becomes nearly cost free? What will the criminal elite do in order to screw us? Charge us for the air we breath?
Maybe this time they will be the ones to get screwed. Maybe some sort of innovation will happen that will affect the healthcare industry which is currently the largest cabel of criminals on the planet surpassing the baby raping Roman Catholic Church. Perhaps we're seeing honesty and science triumph. Let's hope and let's reward financially good companies that do good things and let's boycott companies who make trash as they trash the environment and give money to political trash ie Republicans.
Money is power and so starving the criminal elite of their power is the best thing we can do because they will be brought down to a level where they will finally be answerable to the rule of law.
The technology already exists for the clever do-it-yourselfer and shade tree mechanic to convert many existing vehicles to plug-in hybrids and plug-in mild hybrids. In the case of a rearwheel drive pickup truck or cargo van and electric motor can be easily married to the drive shaft providing electric power to the rear wheels. A charging port can be installed that can be used to charge batteries in the car is parked in the garage.
Even if you're driving an older vehicle you can still stick it to the man. Simply replacing your alternator with an alternator/motor or an integrated starter generator can significantly boost horsepower and miles per gallon. A configuration like this is considered a mild hybrid.
Read more about plug in bolt on mild hybrid systems...
Plug-in hybrid conversion kits are now available.
Some are available that incorporate solar power to do some of the charging.
How people are adding 12 extra HP with motor alternators!
