Tesla Joins Automakers To Replace Side Mirrors With Cameras

Tesla Motors and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers want to change the laws dictating the use of side mirrors, replacing them with video cameras.  In the never-ending war for better fuel economy, side mirrors are the latest battlefield, and eliminating these aerodynamic anchors could drastically improve the fuel economy of many vehicles.

As Jo has pointed out, making the relatively minor change of removing the side mirror winglets can add as much as 1 MPG to the overall fuel economy of a vehicle like the Ford F-150. By Jo’s estimates, an extra 1 MPG in real world driving would save over 22 million gallons of fuel per year…just on new F-150 sales. So while Ford has gone to great lengths to reduce the drag created by the side mirrors on the 2015 Mustang, and even built the new 2015 F-150 out of aluminum to save weight, getting rid of side mirrors would be an even bigger victory.

Tesla rekindled the passion for wingless cars with Tesla Model X concept, which debuted with video cameras instead of side mirrors…though at the Detroit Auto Show a year later, the Model X wore more traditional sideview mirrors. Volkswagen had the same idea with the XL1 concept, which also debuted sans side mirrors, as these are the cause of a lot of aerodynamic lift, especially at high speeds. Getting rid of those mirrors means much slicker cars, which can go even farther using less energy, whether that be electricity or petrol power.

That’s why the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents Toyota, GM, Volkswagen and most of the other major automakers doing business in America, have joined in Tesla’s efforts to lobby Congress to change the laws to allow video cameras instead of side mirrors. Tesla and AAM submitted a petition yesterday to take the next step towards mirrorless cars. So while GM is resisting Tesla’s efforts to upset the dealer franchise model, they’re on board with Tesla’s efforts to get rid of side mirrors.

Go figure.

While a few years ago such a proposal might seem silly, Congress has opened the floodgates to this kind of lobbying by dictating that all-new vehicles made by 2018must include a back-up camera as standard equipment. It isn’t much of a jump from there to side cameras, instead of mirrors. I mean, if even the basest of base model vehicles now has to have a monitor on-board, why not use it for more than just backing up or changing radio stations?

Source: Automotive News

Audi plotting a 235-mpg, "affordable" four-seat city car

Volkswagen has its XL1, the aero coupe that promises 235 miles per gallon through the use of a two-cylinder TDI diesel, an electric motor with a lithium-ion battery pack, and a seven-speed DCT. Rumored to hit showrooms next year, it will be sold in limited markets and in limited numbers. Over the corporate fence,Autocar reports that Audi is also working on a 1.0-liter car, but theirs looks to have a very different brief.

The report says that it's known as the "1.0-liter car" internally, but it won't use the same engine as Volkswagen's entry and the displacement codename might or might not describe the car's actual engine size. There will definitely be an electric component involved, however. The tiny bit that is known comes courtesy of Wolfgang Durheimer, Audi's technology chief, who says the car will utilize a version of the steel platform the A1 is based on. He tells Autocar that it will "be an 'affordable' full four-seater" and it will provide "all the creature comforts of a normal car, including climate control."

Instead of an Audi version of the XL1, this sounds like Ingolstadt's take on the BMW i3, but with better mileage. The Autocar piece says it's at least three years away from showrooms, but the Audi future product plan changes so frequently, so the timeline is hardly set in stone. The concepts, if and when they do arrive, should be very interesting, at least.



Source: Autoblog Green

Groundbreaking pre-production Volkswagen XL1 caught testing on the ice

Just over one year ago, we heard reports suggesting that Volkswagen would actually be building a production version of its Formula XL1 concept for limited consumption. And while the skeptics among us were quick to dismiss these reports with a resounding "yeah, right," this latest set of spy shots show that Volkswagen is indeed making progress on an honest-to-goodness road-going model of its 1.0-liter fuel economy warrior.

It's still unclear exactly what will power the production XL1, though the concept car featured a two-cylinder TDI diesel paired with an electric motor, lithium-ion battery pack and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. All in, this is said to be good for an astonishing 235 miles per gallon. It might look big and sleek, but the XL1 is about as long and wide as a Volkswagen Polo. It should be ultra-light, too – the concept version tipped the scales at just 1,753 pounds.

The XL1 might look sleek and sporty, but performance will be anything but. The latest reports state that the production car will be limited to a stop speed of about 75 miles per hour, and that it'll take 32(!) seconds to shoot from a stand-still to 50 mph.

We'll keep our eyes peeled for future XL1 prototypes as development continues, but for now, scroll through our attached high-res image gallery to see the space-age VW for yourself.



Source: Autoblog Green