Volkswagon CEO Martin Winterkorn has confirmed that their L1 concept car will be turned into a production car that will be available for purchase in 2010.
The L1 is designed to go 100 kilometers on 1 liter of gas (which equates to 235 miles per gallon) but are they sacrificing too much in search of fuel economy?
The car is a two seater but not side by side - the passenger sits behind the driver, max speed is 75mph, there is no storage space, and there is no information about the safety of this tiny vehicle that could be crushed like a bug by 75% of the vehicles on the typical US highway.
Realistically this will only be usable for trips in cities and on the back roads, and for those kind of trips why not just forego the car and ride a bicycle instead, not only is it green but it's healthy for you too.
Hmmmm. SO this vehicle has no use in bumper to bumper traffic in cities, and the fact that is enclosed and protects you from the weather is of no value? Perhaps the writer would rather be bumped by a car riding his bike than be bumped while driving this vehicle. I also guess he'd rather peddle a 50 mile commute as apposed to sit comfortably behind a wheel and let the motor/engine do the work.
People are going to need to get used to lighter weight cars if they expect large gains in fuel economy.
This editorial seems poorly thought out.
I'll take one - it fits my commute.
Thanks for the comment, and I'm glad it works for you.
My comments were directed more at the fact that there will always be trucks on the road so it will be dangerous to drive one of these on a typical big city American highway.
For smaller trips I still recommend a bicycle as you get exercise, get to enjoy the fresh air (especially if other people are riding bikes instead of driving and creating pollution), and don't spend a fortune (in both $ cost and construction energy) on a fancy car that gets 235mpg compared to cycling which gets infinite mpg.
I'm not a fan of green for the sake of green, and this vehicle has to prove that over it's construction and lifetime it is better for the environment than it's alternatives while still being safe.