According to Brad Jaeger, Edison2’s VP of Engineering, cars today are just too heavy. Beyond being a waste of materials, mammoth autos lack efficiency.
“Why are we building 4,000lb SUV’s for 1 passenger?” asked Brad. “If we’re looking for ways to reduce carbon emissions why not start by rethinking how we design the most potent polluters, our cars?”
With those questions in mind, along came the Progressive X-Prize and with it a chance to prove lighter is better.
Conceived as a catalyst for automotive engineering, the Progressive X-Prize was founded to “inspire a new generation of super-efficient vehicles that [will] help break America's addiction to oil and stem the effects of climate change."
Complete with a $5M purse, the X-Prize’s Mainstream competition was more than just a wide-eyed attempt to entice engineers into building a machine that would never see production. Instead, the competition rested on a bedrock of practicality, insisting that all qualifying vehicles have the ability to be manufactured for the mass market.
Of the one-hundred and eleven cars that entered the X-Prize competition in 2006, only two qualified for the prize’s Mainstream class, both of which were Edison2’s VLC.
Built around a 250cc, 40HP single cylinder engine, the Edison2 VLC is poster-child of economy vehicles. Fueled by a shallow 24.6-liter (6.5 gallon) tank, the hyper-efficient VLC kept true to the X-Prize’s goals by utilizing materials that could be easily manufactured by any mass-market producer.
Starting with a tubular steel frame, the VLC’s 4.24-meter (13.9 ft) body is a far cry from aerodynamic when stripped bare. However, once sheathed in its aluminum frame the car becomes a machine capable of slicing through oncoming wind. In fact, after testing the 326kg (830lb) VLC at General Motors’ wind tunnel results showed the car had a drag coefficient of 0.16 – the lowest of any four-wheeled vehicle ever tested at the facility.
While the Automotive X-Prize was undoubtedly an open competition, the threshold for involvement was extremely high. To kick off the competition a design review was to take place in late 2009. During this review the blueprint, business plan and technical specification for each entrant were rigorously reviewed. After ensuring all of their design specs were well above requirement the VLC’s design blueprint was approved. However, from an initial field of 111 X-Prize vying vehicles only 43 remained – and the competition was only just beginning.
With a knockout event looming at end of June 2010, the VLC’s engineers had little time to rejig their car to reach peak performance. Fortunately for Edison2 their focus on lightweight construction and minimal engine displacement was already paying dividends.
At the X-Prize’s penultimate event the competition’s ante was pushed again. All 43 cars were required to pass active safety performance tests, meet competition emission requirements and post a 67 MPGe efficiency rating while racing around the MIS track. Again, the high X-Prize threshold proved too great for all but 15 vehicles. When the dust settled Edison2 knew it was headed to the X-Prize Finals.
With just over two weeks to go until its ultimate test, the VLC was looking like it would claim top honors in the X-Prize competition. On the day of the event the car did not disappoint. Posting a 102.5 MPGe rating, an acceleration time of 14.2 seconds and an amazing 600-mile range, the VLC was far and away the best expression of the Automotive X-Prize’s goal.
Throughout the X-Prize VLC design process, Siemens’ Solid Edge monthly subscription software was a central pillar of the Edison2 project. As the project continues to mature beyond its first iteration, powerful CAD tools have been and will remain central to the VLC future.
Given their track record, April’s run at Daytona should be the moment when Edison2’s vision and the art of automotive desig, make another giant leap forward – and I’m willing to bet that won’t be the last impression this incredible auto makes.
To learn more about Solid Edge monthly subscription
To learn more about Solid Edge 45 day free trial
Solid Edge University – Atlanta – May 12-14, 2014
Disclaimer: Siemens has sponsored promotion of their design software solutions on ENGINEERING.com. They have no editorial input to this post - all opinions are mine.
Kyle Maxey
Images Courtesy of Edison2