Hungarian car super-light and ecological

[HorseArcher]

The prototype for a new car that can reach 140km/h while only consuming between 1.5 and two litres of ethanol per 100km has been unveiled in Hungary.

The smooth, oval-shaped Solo, developed by Hungarian company Antro and presented on Tuesday at Budapest's Museum of Transport, is just over three metres long, less than two metres wide and can carry up to three people, with the driver sitting between the two passengers.

With a car frame and body made of a carbon fibre composite, the vehicle is ultra-light, weighing only 270kg.

And the glass roof is entirely covered with high-performance solar panels, enabling the vehicle to cover 15-25km on solar energy alone. For longer trips, four small electric engines are also hidden behind each wheel.

"Solo is a hybrid car with two modes of functioning: moving in the city using electric engines, solar energy or even human power thanks to mechanic pedals attached to a generator - for traffic jams.

And for longer trips it uses a modern engine running on not only traditional but also biofuels and ethanol," said Antro director Zsolt Hegedus.

The interior is elegantly cosy with wood and leather everywhere, even on the steering wheel and on additional pedals allowing the passengers to help move the car along.

Solo is expected to cost about 12,000 euros ($A20,000), the usual price for a small city vehicle of this kind, but its carbon dioxide emissions are only a quarter of that released by its non-hybrid rivals, its developers said.

They said they were hoping to begin mass production in 2012.

Antro has also promised a big sister for Solo by that time.

Baptised Duo, it will carry six people and its owners will even be able to go their separate ways if need be: according to its designers, it will be possible to transform the Duo into two Solos in 10 minutes.

http://news.sbs.com.au/worldnewsaust...logical_549617

[roy34543]

Looks cool . Would be tempting to try and sleep on the top.

[Kanaric]

That car does look cool.

However what is with peoples problem with having normal doors? These gimmick doors on cars always prove to be a bad idea in the end.

[Sphere]

I think it would have problems passing safety requirments. Carbon fiber is strong and light, but very brittle and so wouldn't absorb much energy in a crash.

[christof139]

I think it would have problems passing safety requirments. Carbon fiber is strong and light, but very brittle and so wouldn't absorb much energy in a crash.

Is it any worse than fiberglass?? Is it cheaper to make than fiberglass??
Carbon fishing rods bend greatly without snapping.

Chris

[Sphere]

Carbon fishing rods bend greatly without snapping.

Well since you prodded I am going to going to drop some technical sh.it on your a.ss. Bending a fishing rod is elastic deformation, which means once the force is removed it returns to its original shape and releases all of its stored energy. Springs and rubber bands are the best examples.

What you want in a crash is plastic deformation, which means the material changes shape permanently by absorbing energy. Stretching gum or molding clay are both examples of plastic deformation.

Metals are great materials because if you stay under a certain stress, they will only deform plastically, always returning to their original shape. However, at under high stress metals, metals will begin to deform plastically, absorbing energy as they change shape. This makes them strong under normal circumstances, but also lifesavers during catastrophes. You can try this out with a simple paper clip; there is a point where you can bend it and it will return to its original shape, but bend it beyond that point and it is misshapen permanently.

Fiberglass and Carbon fibers are both stronger than aluminum and steel but cannot undergo much plastic deformation before breaking. Carbon fiber is very expensive compared to fiberglass, but considerably stronger.

[NaptownKnight]

Yeah but who cares about safety? I will end up dying driving today's cars because gas is so expensive I can't afford to eat! j/k, but I would still drive it even if safety is an issue.

[Big War Bird]

mechanic pedals attached to a generator

I stopped reading right here.

[Kanaric]

Carbon fiber cars have been made in the past without problems, so i'm sure that it can pass if made correctly.


The only problems this car has is its ridiculous style over function doors and the fact that its hungarian so I will never see it in my lifetime.

[Sphere]

Carbon fiber cars have been made in the past without problems, so i'm sure that it can pass if made correctly.

Carbon fiber frames? I have heard of fiberglass bodies but not carbon fiber or fiber glass frames.