Jetcar 2.5

[MetroMPG]

<img src="http://www.metrompg.com/posts/photos/jetcar.jpg" align="right">

someone recently pointed me to the Jetcar website. cool machine. aero, tandem, diesel. fiberglass body. german.

2.5 L/100 km average (113 mpg Imp. / 94 mpg US).

http://www.jetcar.de/english/index.htm

while i was looking through the pics on their site, i noticed the wheels were identical to the wheels you can get on the smart car. i headed to the smart site to confirm this and then noticed the 2 cars also share the same drivetrain specs.

posted a comparison, if you're interested:

http://www.metrompg.com/posts/mpg-miscellany.htm

if it is the same drivetrain, the jetcar is a brilliant example of how weight reduction (150 lbs) and aerodynamics contribute to efficiency. the smart gets 4.2 L/100 km combined. quite a difference.

[SVOboy]

As I recall, cough, the VW Lupo got 115 mpg US driving 24k miles a year or so ago, cough.

And it seats five! That's def the wave of the future (at least in europe).

I figure by the time we need it in NA we'll have EVs going well enough we can all drive EV tanks.

[MetroMPG]

i don't think the lupo was quite that high:

http://www.dieselnet.com/news/2000/07vw.php

plus it was mostly hwy driving - but it's still damn good. now imagine what it could have done if the lupo was more aerodynamic...

and the Jetcar's rating is for "combined" (usually 55/45 city/hwy). meaning, you'd easily exceed it in highway driving.

[kickflipjr]

The jet car shows how much areodynamics help. I am a bit shocked how much it helped.

The normal smart car get around 56mpg and the jet gets 94mpg.


-is the wheelbase longer on the jet? It looks longer.

[kickflipjr]

The side mirrors stick out like a sore thumb. I think a camera setup would be better.



The jet looks a bit like the vw super mpg car.

[MetroMPG]

cameras are good for aero, but they may not work well in glare, or at night (night vision mode??). then there's the cost issue.

your point about the similarity to the vw is good - the more you incorporate aerodynamics into design, the more cars (of a similar size & purpose) will resemble one another. passenger jets all look pretty much the same for that reason: evolved aero design.

the jetcar could also have done better with wheel discs and rear skirts...

and it could have done better still if it had adopted some of the approaches in the vw lupo 3L: namely freewheeling when you release the accelerator (aka gliding - idling in neutral), and the engine auto-stop feature.

[Compaq888]

This is stupid. The European accord gets 92mpg with the diesel engine. Why would I want some car that looks like a space ship get the same mpgs???

All you have to do is place wheel skirts, aero mods, light weight wheels and get 100mpg on the Diesel euro accord.

[Sludgy]

Why won't Toyota or Honda certify and import their diesel cars and trucks to the US or Canada? I'd love to buy a Toyota Tundra with a diesel and get rid of my Ford F350 diesel fuel hog.

It's a conspiracy, I tell you.

[Matt Timion]

Originally Posted by Compaq888

This is stupid. The European accord gets 92mpg with the diesel engine. Why would I want some car that looks like a space ship get the same mpgs???

All you have to do is place wheel skirts, aero mods, light weight wheels and get 100mpg on the Diesel euro accord.

The only time the accord achieved this was in that article we posted a while ago. The diesel accord you're talking about is rated around 50mpg.

I'd drive the VW 3L any day of the week.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Compaq888

This is stupid.

hey, i'm not trying to sell you one.

i just thought it was a good illustration of the effects of weight reduction and efficient aerodynamic design on fuel consumption between 2 cars with the same drive train.