Frankfurt concept: Volkswagen L1
In the quest for producing the most miserly user of fuel possible, VW has gone to extraordinary lengths with this, the L1 concept. It's a two-seat diesel-electric hybrid, and it makes a Toyota Prius look like a rainforest arsonist.
What's all the fuss about?
The numbers. This car is all about its amazing claimed fuel consumption and emissions figures. Because it weighs just 380kg and is powered by an electric motor and diesel engine combo, it's capable of 189mpg and just 39g/km of CO2.
Any new technology?
Not as such, although the L1 uses every trick in the book to post its stunning fuel economy. For a start it's shaped like a bullet so it cuts through the air like one, the result of which is a seating arrangement that sees the passenger sitting behind the driver. It's made of aluminium and carbon fibre to keep weight down, so the powertrain doesn't need much poke to push it along. It's got a 0.8-litre 29bhp diesel engine linked to a 14bhp electric motor, and the whole thing works like a Prius, which means that electric-only power can be used for short distances at low speeds, or alternatively to give the diesel engine an extra push when needed.
Will it ever see the light of day?
Possibly. Cars that look like this are usually flights of fancy whose purpose is merely to point towards something else. However, VW claims the cost of manufacture isn't prohibitive and that an L1 could appear at some point in the not-too-distant future. The LED screens and wing cameras will go, though, replaced by something far more anodyne. Possibly made from hemp. Who knows?
Frankfurt concept: Volkswagen L1 pictures
