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Like others said, teardrop shapes typically have the best aerodynamics.
There was a concept car that first debuted a while back. Recently, the California-based company went bust, then the plans were bought by a Chinese company. It was supposed to come to market as either an electric or a gas-electric hybrid. It's a little 3 wheeler designed with lightness and aerodynamics in mind.
There are actually several running and driving prototypes still in the US. It looks pretty futuristic.
Volkswagen has also been playing around with some highly efficient concepts. The VW XL1 promises just over 260mpg using a hybrid diesel-electric system. Best bit is, they are already building a couple, and plan to do a limited production run of about 100 for the German market. Because it's actually a planned production car, it doesn't have a ridiculously crazy interior, either. Almost looks like a VW Jetta / Golf / Passat. Most of the materials on the inside are designed with lightness in mind. Oh, and that blue thing on the door, behind the wheel? VW did away with side view mirrors (poor aerodynamics), and replaced them with small cameras.
Woah, that is sweet...Now only if it were half Solar/ half Electric powered instead of fossil fuels then it would truly be the car of my dreams!~ As it stands, no car will ever be truly futuristic as long it still relies on limited non-renewable outdated methods of power supply.~
I mean come on, there are SO many methods of power supply and solar is already here.~ Why hasn't anyone put it on a car yet?!~ I know it might be fragile, but not even a prototype to show as proof of concept?~ Really?~
Woah, that is sweet...Now only if it were half Solar/ half Electric powered instead of fossil fuels then it would truly be the car of my dreams!~ As it stands, no car will ever be truly futuristic as long it still relies on limited non-renewable outdated methods of power supply.~
I mean come on, there are SO many methods of power supply and solar is already here.~ Why hasn't anyone put it on a car yet?!~ I know it might be fragile, but not even a prototype to show as proof of concept?~ Really?~
Solar energy, or electromagnetic radiation, is abundant yet it is merely the byproduct of an enormous, continuous nuclear reaction we call the Sun. If we really wanted vast amounts of energy we would be investing much more into nuclear power R&D. However everyone is far to fearful of the 'n' word and there are other "safer" energy alternatives out there (such as oil) so it is not pursued.
To answer your question about solar energy; Our ability to harness this radiation is very limited. The current methods are inefficient and the materials and processes used to produce solar panels make the endeavor very cost prohibitive. We have not been at it long so that is likely to change in the following decades.
I know this might sound really weird, but this always made me curious.
I was watching the NASA channel and after they described how aerodynamics work with automobiles, they used a perfectly circular circle in a moving graphic design to show air-flow, I was wondering if a perfectly circular circle has no air-resistance then why not make a car with that exact shape?
If anyone ever saw Men In Black III or some older movies, you might have seen something like this:
All I can think of now is the "South Park IT", google it for a chuckle.
Woah, that is sweet...Now only if it were half Solar/ half Electric powered instead of fossil fuels then it would truly be the car of my dreams!~ As it stands, no car will ever be truly futuristic as long it still relies on limited non-renewable outdated methods of power supply.~
I mean come on, there are SO many methods of power supply and solar is already here.~ Why hasn't anyone put it on a car yet?!~ I know it might be fragile, but not even a prototype to show as proof of concept?~ Really?~
There are actually a few prototypes developed by universities as a competition. I had a few friends on one such team at the University of Kentucky. Look up "Gato del Sol".
The issue with solar powered cars is efficiency. Modern solar arrays don't produce enough power. Gato del Sol carries 1 passenger at slow speeds, no cargo, on some bicycle tires. It wouldn't be practical. A few luxury car manufacturers now use small solar arrays to assist climate control systems -- so your car stays nice and cool inside on a hot day -- but that's about it.
If you want to look at real, promising development, there are actually renewable gas-like fuels. E85 ethonol is the big one in the US. Developed from corn, it is only slightly less efficient than gasoline, and can be mass produced. But the real game changer is Brazil. They've nearly cut all foreign energy dependancy, creating their own sugar cane-based fuel. It's more efficient than our corn based fuel, and sugar cane grows more abundantly and quicker (at least in Brazil).
Switching to these produceable fuels is much more reasonable than even electric vehicles, because it requires almost no change in infrastructure. Fuel stops can still be done in 5-10 minutes (as opposed to hours fot charging), so it's no inconvenience to the consumer as well. Pair this with modern, small displacement turbocharged motors, pulling around vehicles that weigh less due to lighter materials, and you've got yourself the efficient car of the future.
cab591, Thank you for that information!~ I love learning new things!~
I saw the "IT" on South Park and I can't stop laughing!~ But seriously, if some one invented some thing like that and it was NOT gasoline fueled, then I would not mind riding one of those (I just realized the pun! haha!~ XD). Personally I don't like the idea of taking my eyes off the road for any reason while the vehicle is on, so I do not mind some thing like mouth operated buttons for turn-signals and such.~
I look forward to a future where they have revolutionary breakthroughs in energy like a friend of mine was describing to me how (Iron Man from the Comic Books) Tony Stark's Mini Arc-Reactor works in theory and how currently we haven't discovered yet how to achieve this kind of revolutionary technology as it is basically a lot of mini big bangs contained within a small space at a rapid pace.~
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