For economy put the car on a diet
Lotus Elite
Traditionally, the automotive industry
has reduced weight primarily by downsizing, a strategy that
has succeeded in cutting the weight of a typical car from
1700 kg to 1300 kg over the past 20 years. Today, that
strategy has reached its limits. Substantial improvements
will be possible only through a new approach: making the
automobile body out of lightweight materials instead of
basic carbon steel.
A car with a lighter body can use a lighter engine, less
massive suspension, and a less elaborate structure. These
secondary weight savings can roughly double the benefits:
for every 5 kg saved by reducing the weight of the body,
another 5 kg can be saved by downsizing other parts of the
car.
That was also the principle Colin Chapman instilled into
Lotus (and that concept is still the engineering basis for
today’s Lotus Exige S, for example). However, most auto
engineering design centers felt that to produce lightweight
cars would require expensive lightweight materials. Whilst
this might be fine for low volume production (like Lotus),
it was not a practical goal for the mass market. It was
easier to build more powerful engines than it was to reduce
weight. But that was before the world became engulfed (I
couldn’t resist that pun) in escalating petro-mania.
In 1993, energy analyst Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain
Institute suggested that major automakers could use existing
materials and technologies to produce an ultra-lightweight,
highly fuel-efficient vehicle. The ‘supercar’ he envisioned
would incorporate lightweight plastics, computerized
controls, and a hybrid powerplant. It would weigh roughly
500 kg and achieve well over 150 miles per gallon. Lovins
felt it would, however, need a revolution in the industry to
change the engineering concepts of ‘power’, rather than
‘weight’.
He also proposed the use of monocoque (one-shell) unibodies.
Lotus was a manufacturer to adopt this technology with the
Lotus Elite, in 1958. The modified monocoque body of that
car was made out of fibreglass, making it also one of the
first production cars made out of composites.
Lightweight materials are becoming cheaper to manufacture
and use. Magnesium and aluminium alloys created car parts
that were cost-competitive with conventional components. An
example is that BMW uses a magnesium block and they took 10
kg off the weight of the engine alone, obviously a major
gain and lowered the car’s centre of gravity by 25 mm so it
improved handling.
The petro-climate has made many rethink their strategies and
one of these is Swiss Mindset AG company which is now
building a super lightweight eco-car. The aluminium space
frame structure is combined with composite body materials,
reducing the weight by 30 percent compared to conventional
construction methods.
Mindset has announced that it is planning to produce its
super lightweight eco-car fitted with hybrid drive, two
gull-wing doors and narrow 22 inch wheels by 2010.
Designed by Volkswagen’s former design director, Murat
Gunak, the prototype features design aspects from the
hatchback and coupe with a long bonnet and rectangular rear
with glass roof. Mindset is engaged in the development of a
so-called “alternative automobile concept” at a time of
rising oil prices and widespread measures to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions in Europe.
A fully-functional prototype will be produced later this
year with a market launch scheduled for the second half of
next year, combining an electric motor and a combustion
engine in a dual serial-hybrid engine. The main energy
source is a lithium-ion-battery.
A fully-charged battery guarantees a cruising range of over
100 kilometres, sufficient for most city driving and daily
commutes. In the hybrid mode an optional, compact combustion
engine is activated, which, at a constant optimal engine
speed, functions as an electricity generator to charge the
battery, boosting the cruising range to over 800 kilometres.
Mindset
Eco-Car
F1 changes for 2010
The following rule changes have been published by
the FIA. Though not as dramatic as the rule changes
introduced for the 2009 season, the revisions for 2010 could
still have a significant impact on the teams’ relative
performance.
The biggest change for the 2010 season is the banning of
refuelling during races for the first time since 1993. Pit
stops will still be necessary, as drivers still have to use
both dry-weather tyre compounds during a Grand Prix. Those
stops will now be much quicker, quite possibly under four
seconds.
The change requires cars to have a much larger fuel tank -
up from around 80 litres to something nearer 250 - and will
have a major effect on race strategy, with drivers having to
pay more attention to tyre and brake conservation. To
accommodate the bigger tank, the cars are likely to feature
wider rear bodywork and a longer wheelbase. As a result, the
weight distribution will be quite different to that of a
2009 car.
In place of the previous points allocation, which saw the
top eight drivers scoring 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point
respectively, from 2010 the top ten finishers in a Grand
Prix score points. Under the new system, the race winner
takes 25 points, with 20 and 15 being awarded for second and
third places respectively. The next seven finishers will
score 10, 8, 6, 5, 3, 2 and 1 point respectively. (At least
we didn’t get Bernie’s medal system!)
The minimum weight of the car has been raised from 605 kg to
620 kg. The initial thinking behind this was to offset the
disadvantage faced by taller, heavier drivers. (Most F1
drivers are very small - look at Massa and Heidfeld, for
example.)
When slick tyres returned to Formula One racing in 2009, the
tyre size remained unchanged. In terms of contact area, this
meant that the fronts gained proportionally more grip than
the rears. This has been addressed for 2010, with front tyre
width reduced from 270 mm to 245 mm, theoretically helping
to bring back a better grip balance. Also, the ban on
refuelling means cars will be around 100 kg heavier at the
start of a race than in 2009, so Bridgestone will use
slightly harder tyre compounds to compensate.
Teams are no longer allowed to use the wheel rim covers that
became so commonplace in 2009. Their removal means one less
thing to go wrong when pit crews are trying to change a set
of tyres in less than four seconds, and could also aid
overtaking by making the airflow immediately behind cars
less turbulent. (I’ll believe that when I see it!)
Thirteen teams (26 cars) will feature on the grid in 2010.
This means a slight alteration to the knockout qualifying
session, which will now see eight drivers (as opposed to
five) eliminated each time in Q1 and then Q2, leaving ten to
fight it out for pole in Q3. The ban on refuelling means
that cars will qualify on low fuel in all three phases of
the session.
If a team declares that one of their current race drivers is
to be substituted by a driver who has not participated in an
F1 race in the two previous calendar years, one day of track
testing will now be permitted, on an approved circuit not
being used for a Grand Prix in the current season. This is
to avoid scenarios such as that seen in 2009 when Jaime
Alguersuari made his Formula One debut with Toro Rosso
having only previously driven an F1 car in straight-line
testing.
If a driver switches car between qualifying and the race
then he must start the race from the pit lane. A change of
car is not allowed once the race has started.
Each driver may use no more than eight engines during a
championship season. Should a driver use more than eight
engines, he will drop 10 places on the starting grid of the
event at which an additional unit is to be used.
Each driver may use no more than one gearbox for four
consecutive events. Every unscheduled gearbox change will
require the driver to drop five places on the grid at that
meeting. Every subsequent unscheduled gearbox change will
require the driver to drop five places on the grid.
If a driver fails to finish a race due to reasons beyond his
or his team’s control, he may start the next meeting with a
different gearbox without incurring a penalty. (Ask your
team mate to crash into your gearbox!)
Gone in 4
Seconds
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I asked which American auto maker
manufactured bodies “in house”, but claimed they were
built by an “outside” body builder? Clue: it is not Le
Baron. It was the Duesenbergs who called their body shop
LaGrande, but used several body shop suppliers to make
the coachwork.
So to this week. A radiator ornament was used on Hispano
Suiza, Isotta Fraschini, Bugatti and Bentley. What was
it made from, and by who?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first
correct answer to email [email protected].
Good luck!
Aston Martin shopping
trolley
Is this the ultimate snobbery? Aston Martin
have produced a tricked up version of Toyota’s iQ and
called it the Aston Martin Cygnet (a young swan). It has
a new front and grille but retains the 1.3 litre engine
with the CVT box.
Now while the Toyota ‘donor’ car is certainly an ugly
duckling, the Aston Martin is certainly not a swan in my
book, either.
Aston
Martin’s ugly duckling
So how does this new shopping trolley fit into the Aston
Martin luxury image? The idea of a luxury city car is
appropriate, said Ulrich Bez, chief executive of Aston
Martin, “This concept is akin to an exclusive tender for a
luxury yacht,” claims Mr. Bez. Since I have neither a luxury
yacht or an Aston Martin in the garage, AM are obviously not
really aiming for my end of the market. In fact, a
prerequisite to ordering your baby swan is that you must
have at least one upscale Aston Martin in your garage
beforehand.
Price in the US is estimated to be around $35,000, so it is
certainly not the 2010 version of a Daihatsu Mira. And
talking about the Daihatsu, I drove to a rather upscale
restaurant, complete with valet parking, in the family buzz
bomb last weekend. The valet parking boy took one look at
Mira and with his nose in the air pointed his finger in the
direction of the car park. He was certainly not going to
besmirch his fine uniform by being seen at the wheel of a
Mira. I won’t tell you what signal I gave him with my finger
…
