A car that can travel 640 miles on 12 gallons of gasoline, another with inflatable seat belts and still another that makes like the Fourth of July when its ignition is switched on are among this year's crop of experimental or “concept cars” making their debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
The Chevrolet Volt, a small sedan, is one of a new crop of such cars that will make the auto show circuit this year to offer a hint of what will be in showrooms in years to come.
Ford's “Airstream” concept sport utility vehicle, slightly smaller than an Explorer and designed in conjunction with the venerable travel trailer manufacturer, goes a step further in technology, with a hydrogen fuel cell — a device that chemically produces electricity — that powers an electric motor. Like the Volt, the Airstream can be plugged into household current to recharge.
Ford says the powertrain is being road-tested in an experimental Ford Edge SUV, developed with partial funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. The powertrain gets 41 miles per gallon of gasoline, Ford says.
The compact Volt, though, is dependent on development of new battery technology with greater longevity and reliability for it to be sold to the public, GM said. The experimental car runs on an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery and can travel 40 miles on a six-hour charge from household current. After that, a small gasoline engine starts to produce more electricity so the Volt can travel another 600 miles before its 12-gallon fuel tank is empty.
GM chairman and chief executive Rick Wagoner said in unveiling the car, “Electricity that is used to drive vehicles can be made from the best local power sources whether that is ethanol, bio-diesel or gasoline, or in the case of electricity from the power grid, natural gas, coal, nuclear, wind or hydroelectric.”
GM didn't, however, address the cost of electricity.
Hybrids on the market, including Toyota's Prius, cannot be recharged on household current but instead are recharged by generators propelled by their gasoline engines. Toyota officials at the Detroit show's media preview Monday said they were developing batteries for “plug-in” hybrids.
Ford, meanwhile, also is showing an experimental sedan, the Interceptor, with inflatable seat belts for rear seaters and four-point belts in all four seats, rather than the three-point systems now in production cars. “A number of technical challenges still must be overcome before such restraints systems could ever be used,” Ford said in a statement describing the car.
The future, though, won't entirely be one of green, safe practicality.
The rear-wheel drive, Mustang-based Interceptor has a 400 hp V-8 engine originally developed for racing.
Honda's Acura division is showing an experimental rear-drive 10-cylinder sports car that suggests a future replacement for the discontinued $70,000-plus Acura NSX, and Toyota's Lexus unit is showing a 10-cylinder 500 hp supercar, the LF-A.
Jaguar's C-XF luxury sedan puts on a light show when its engine is started; a beam of blue light radiates from the center of the dashboard, chases around the cabin and envelopes the rear seats. Simultaneously, most of the interior roof lining bathes the interior in blue light and a burst of blue light from the grille notifies anyone in the area that the car is coming to life.
Toyota's FT-HS, a four-passenger sporty car widely believed to hint at the replacement for the discontinued Supra, mixes practicality and fun with a gasoline-electric hybrid powerplant that delivers 400 hp and can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in about four seconds, the carmaker says. Ford also is showing an experimental sedan with a feature anyone can appreciate who has struggled to open a car door with an armload of packages: The twin turbocharged, 415 hp Lincoln MKR has power-operated gull wing doors.
The MKR's new car smell isn't entirely plastic fumes; its black oak dashboard is made of recycled wood.
Nissan's Bevel, on the other hand, is for aging Baby Boomers who might now or in the future have trouble entering and exiting a car even with empty hands. A van-like vehicle, the Bevel has an extra large driver's door and a section of the floor that moves out when the door is open, while the dashboard moves forward four inches.
But the Bevel isn't made for sedentary people; a workbench complete with a 110-volt outlet for power tools folds out of the back, while the overhead tailgate can serve as a six foot tall canopy to keep the rain off. Solar panels power the outlet.
No comments:
Post a Comment