Saturday, February 23, 2013

Volkswagen XL1: 261 mpg !

Volkswagen XL1 will be world mpg champ

"True to being futuristic, it's a two-seat, plug-in hybrid that can run 32 miles on electricity alone before its diesel engine kicks in. But even with that engine, it's hyper-efficient: VW boasts that it needs only 8.3 horsepower to cruise at 62 miles an hour.

Makes sense given that the engine has only two cylinders and puts out only 47 horsepower. The electric motor is good for another 27 horsepower.

"The 261-mpg fuel consumption figure is a record that has not been achieved by any other vehicle to date, showing that Volkswagen is redefining what is technically feasible in the automotive industry," the automaker says. XL1 also has a top speed of 99 mph and can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 12.7 seconds, according to VW."


It is unclear if VW will bring new super-efficient car to USA.
Maybe because the price of fuel may not be a big issue in coming years here :)
All thanks to hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling same technique used for shale gas,
and now for oil, with apparently huge unconventional reserves found...

U.S. Oil Output to Overtake Saudi Arabia’s by 2020 @ Blumberg.com

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