All,
Hopefully you've been enjoying the web site (http://redlightracing.org) and spreading the link like a virus to all your friends.
I couldn't help but pass this link along: http://www.egmcartech.com/2009/03/03/2009-geneva-volkswagen-polo-bluemotion-concept-coming-in-2010-with-71-mpg/#more-31449.This is what those sneaky Germans are up to. Note, they're using the 1.2L diesel again to get tremendous fuel mileage (71mpg) without expensive add-ons like batteries, electric motors, etc. I wonder how much the German government shovels into the VW furnace to get cutting edge design like this into show rooms.
As a side note, I see a huge opportunity to retrofit vehicles with the same regen system the Germans are using. And active alternator control? Brilliant and not too hard to implement using modern, cheap, microcontroller technology.
If you read close enough you can see VW using some of the same tricks that we're using with the Insight 1G. Namely: 1)killer aeordynamics, 2)low vehicle weight, 3)start-stop functionality, 4) regenerative braking. You'd think they were doing something crazy like following the governing equation.
Most encouraging is that the car is slated for the States. Hell yah! That means we'll not only have a whole new crop of 1.2L engines for retrofit applications but a pretty stout emissions system to hack and use to make the nut for Tier 2 Bin 5 compliance. Nice.
In other news, the Insight 1G is coming along. Tom Staub out in Denver recently loaded adapter dimensions in his CNC machine so I should see these parts in the not too distant future. Once they arrive I'll do an engine fit check in the car, fabricate a front engine mount with the help of a shit hot local welder (Mark Phippen), plumb the fuel system, plumb the coolant system, mod the wiring where necessary (Todd Humora is coming through with a critical engine timing emulator that will be weaved in among other necessary bits), and coble together a first generation exhaust system.
Yes. There is a lot of work to do and I haven't even laid the half of it down in words. But, we're moving ahead and in a big way. At this point all the significant technical problems have been solved. The only real difficulty lies in dealing with the Southern Maryland parts supply: most non-standard items I have to order which chews up time via shipping. Now it's on to putting the car together which will be the fun part.
Be cool,
Jake
