Vision becomes reality – Volkswagen’s “Formula XL1”: Volkswagen XL1 prototype consumes just 0.9 l/100 km! Wolfsburg / Doha, 25 January 2011 - Future mobility is one of the most stimulating topics of our time. The key question here: Just how much could the energy consumption of cars be reduced if all the stops were pulled out for efficiency? There is now an answer to this question, and Volkswagen is delivering it in the form of the new XL1. Combined fuel consumption: 0.9 l/100 km. No otherhybrid car powered by an electric motor / internal combustion engine combination is more fuel efficient.
The most efficient car in the world. The new 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept shows the way forward for extreme economy vehicles and clean technologies. It also demonstrates that such cars can also be fun. The feeling when driving the XL1 is truly dynamic - not based on pure power, rather on its pure efficiency. Two examples: 1) To travel at a constant speed of 100 km/h, the prototype only needs 6.2 kW/8.4 PS – a fraction of the performance of today’s cars (Golf 1.6 TDI with 77 kW and 7-speed DSG: 13.2 kW/17.9 PS). 2) In electric mode, the XL1 needs less than 0.1 kWh (82 Wh/km) to complete a one kilometre driving course. These are record values.
Powering the 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept is a compact 800 cc TDI two-cylinder common rail diesel engine developing 47 hp. It's linked to an electric motor producing 27 hp, resulting in a total of 74 hp - a modest output yet more than enough when the low kerb weight of 1753 lbs (795 kg) of the vehicle is taken into account. Two-cylinder TDI uses mass production technology: The 0.8 litre TDI (35 kW/48 PS) was derived from the 1.6 litre TDI, which drives such cars as the Golf and Passat. The 0.8 TDI exhibits the same data as the 1.6-litre TDI common rail engine in terms of cylinder spacing (88 mm), cylinder bore (79.5 mm) and stroke (80.5 mm).
When the full power of the hybrid system is engaged, the Volkswagen prototype accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 11.9 seconds; its top speed is 160 km/h (electronically limited). Yet these numbers alone do not tell the whole story: Since the XL1 weighs just 795 kg, the drive system has an easy job of propelling the car. When full power is needed, the electric motor, which can deliver 100 Newton metres of torque from a standstill, works as a booster to support the TDI engine (120 Newton metres torque). Together, the TDI and E-motor deliver a maximum torque of 140 Newton metres in boosting mode.
That leaves 230 kg, which is precisely the weight of the body - produced largely of CFRP - including wing doors, front windscreen in thin-glass technology as in motorsport and the highly safe monocoque. A total of 21.3 percent of the new Volkswagen XL1, or 169 kg, consists of CFRP. In addition, Volkswagen uses lightweight metals for 22.5 percent of all parts (179 kg). Only 23.2 percent (184 kg) of the new XL1 is constructed from steel and iron materials. The rest of its weight is distributed among various other polymers (e.g. polycarbonate side windows), metals, natural fibres, process materials and electronics.
The styling of the 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept is borne out of functional requirements - easy access to the interior is granted via a pair of elegant scissor doors that hinge on the A-pillar while the profile of the car has been honed in the wind tunnel, the result being a remarkable coefficient of drag figure of 0.186. The XL1's overall length and width are similar to those of a Volkswagen Polo yet its height is more akin to that of a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.
Although the 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid is still very much a concept, its unveiling marks the next step towards the birth of a new class of Super Efficient Vehicles, while the advent of a process such as RTM is a significant milestone
