Videos: a very close look at the Opel Flextreme
The Opel Flextreme diesel electric concept got a visit from reporters in a studio setting instead of at a busy car show. The video above and the one below the fold are very quiet, thoughtful looks at European's E-flex concept without the usual busy car show in the background. The videos include a great look at the car's doors, which open when you touch them, and rear view cameras replacements for the rear view mirror. Many of the ideas on the car are already in several vehicles you can buy today, so it's very possible you could see something like the Flextreme coming from GM very soon.
[Source: YouTube]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mike 10:18AM (11/25/2007)
Yes, this is the best concept car out there.
Will it ever really be produced?
Reply
eh 10:20AM (11/25/2007)
dunno... something looks wrong about it
Reply
jcwinnie 11:18AM (11/25/2007)
The cardboard is getting more frayed, that's all, a bit of duct tape, and everything will be quite fine, really.
Reply
susan.kraemer 11:39AM (11/25/2007)
It looks like another great (eXtendedRange)EV for Europe, while we in the USA just get more 7mph gasguzzlers...we need to adhere to European ECE standards like the civilized world!
Tear down this NHTSA wall!
Reply
Tim 4:00PM (11/25/2007)
This is just another example of E-Flex and Mr. Lutz said last week that E-Flex will be rolled out in the US FIRST!
This poor guy said that the 50 mile electric range won't get him to work. Yuck! Fortunatly, only 18% of American drivers commute more than 40 miles round trip each day. For them, E-Flex will not be an "unlimited" gas milage car electric car, but it may get 200 miles or more per gallon when their commute is say 100 miles and the last 60 is on the range extender.
As far as the range-extender is concerned, this external combustion engine which works kind of like a shop space heater looks very interesting!
http://www.cyclonepower.com/
It has the efficiency of the Diesel engine, full torque from Zero RPM so no transmission is required, runs on any combination or mixture of combustible liquid fuels incl. kero, gas, vegoil, biodiesel, methanol, ethanol etc., so stale fuel will not be a problem, its lighter and more compact than an ICE with few moving parts, very cheap to make, recycles it’s own heat so no radiator is required, burns rather than explodes fuel so no muffler is needed and fully combusts it’s fuel so or pollution controls are required.
Exhaust temp from the liquid side is clean and around 120-deg. F, and from the combustion side is abound 300-deg. F. which is much lower than ICE exhaust.
Hey, you technical types! This requires a look see.
Reply