Filed under: Emerging Technologies, MPG, Lightweight
Pictured above is an innovative hypermiling concept vehicle – developed by Cambridge Design Partnership – that can travel up to 1,325 miles on a single gallon of gas. Perhaps more impressive is that, yes, an eleven-year-old named Kitty Foster is driving it.
The lightweight proof-of-concept vehicle, which doesn’t seem to have been given a proper name, was driven by Kitty at the UK’s annual Mileage Marathon Challenge that took place at Mallory Park outside of Leicester on June 21. She said:
When I told my parents how far this car could go on a gallon of fuel they were absolutely amazed! It wasn’t too hard. The Go system helped me use as little fuel as possible. It monitored the car‘s performance, which helped us know when to stop the engine and start coasting.
The unique Go System, which is crucial to the vehicle’s diesel-sipping status, provides real-time GPS tracking information, monitors the vehicle’s performance and regulates the engine to maximize fuel efficiency. Cambridge Design Partnership used elements from its own lightweight oxygen concentrator, as well as other proprietary in-house technologies, to create the concept vehicle. The oxygen generator system, originally developed to treat injured soldiers, is key to the vehicle’s fuel efficiency.
Powered by a “micro-diesel engine” and fitted with low-rolling resistance tires, the unnamed vehicle has been optimized to sip fuel at such a slow rate that some might think it’s a hoax (unlikely, since you can get pretty impressive mpg results from absurd one-off vehicles). In any case, the funky looking auto is still in the research and development stage and is not suitable for real-world use. However, Cambridge scientists hope that the experience gained in developing this concept will eventually lead to a roadworthy fuel-sipper. Will Kitty be old enough to drive when it arrives?
[Source: Cambridge Design Partnership]
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11-year-old girl drives lightweight diesel concept to 1,325-mpg originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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