FUTURE ECONOMY CARS

The need to conserve fuel and the development of electronic systems now have a greater influence on car shape than does styling. The author reviews several experimental designs of different manufacturers where great efforts are being made to reduce drag. It is likely that power requirements of future cars can be reduced by improving their shape. However, car weights need to be reduced to provide an acceptable performance. Projects discussed include the Ford probe-3, the basis of a Cortina replacement with a 23 per cent improvement in the drag coefficient, which could give a fuel consumption of more than 63 miles per gallon at a steady 56 mile/h. The Renault Eve, which has a drag coefficient of 0.239 and is powered by a 1.1 litre Renault 5 engine driving a stepless variable ratio transmatic transmission, has it is claimed, a 48 per cent better consumption than the current Renault 18. In all new designs, turbulence in the wheel angles is decreased by smooth wheel surfaces. (TRRL)