Frankfurt 2009: Volkswagen L1 Concept

The supereconomical concept car from Volkswagen, which is called L1 had its world premiere at the international Motor Show in Frankfurt. According to the car manufacturer average fuel consumption of such a vehicle is 1.49 liters per hundred kilometers, and the level of CO2 emissions do not exceed 39 grams per kilometer.

Volkswagen has achieved high fuel efficiency primarily due to the lowest weight of the car. The shell of the concept car weighs 124 kilograms, while the total weight is 380 kilograms. The car works on two-cylinder diesel engine of 800 cubic centimeters, which is based on 1.6-liter unit (they have identical dimensions, such as the distance between the centers of the cylinders, the inner diameter of the cylinder, piston stroke) and can operate in two modes – “economical” and “sport”. In the first case, the motor power is 27 horsepower, while the second is 12 horsepower more. Maximum torque of the unit is achieved at 1900 rpm and is equal to 100 Nm.

The engine works in tandem with a seven-robotized gearbox DSG double-clutch. Between the transmission and engine is 14-motor that is fed by lithium-ion batteries. It allows you to increase the power under intense acceleration and provide car movement in pure electric, and also works as a generator during braking, recharging the batteries.

According to VW, the new vehicle can reach from zero to a hundred kilometers per hour in 14.3 seconds. Maximum speed of this concept is 160 kilometers per hour. The 10 litter tank of the car will be enough to drive about 670 miles.

According to preliminary information, the serial version of supereconomical prototype of Volkswagen will be put on mass production in 2013.