
204 mph world record for electric car, another Le Mans win for diesel - Libertatea
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/159887-204-mph-world-record-for-electric-car-another-le-mans-win-for-diesel
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mehmehshoe
204 mph is very impressive for an off the shelf Lola chassis. Though more
slippery than an open wheel car, the Lola is has a HUGE frontal area. I bet
the delta wing guys are looking at this and will have a go at the EV record.
Their car is lighter, has a lower cd and backing from Nissan(think Leaf).

For those of you that have not seen the delta wing:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeltaWing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeltaWing)

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ericcumbee
To me the Original Delta Wing was nothing special. it proved that you could
build a race car with a smaller engine and lighter weight, and turn close to
the same speed, that a car with a larger engine and heavier weight(defined by
the regs) following a rigid set of rules could run. To me the far more
impressive achievement was by Audi actually building a hybrid system that
could run for 24 hours driven flat out.

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mehmehshoe
I agree totally. I guess the point I was trying to make is that the delta wing
as a top speed breaking EV is a much better body shape for straight run
events. If Drayson really wanted all out speed for the record, he would have
designed a purpose built car and not just use a chassis he ran over here in
ALMS. I have seen the skin off the delta wing and believe me, it is not a hi-
tech gem, just a different philosophy.

For those interested in the engineering behind the latest sports cars, check
out the news section of this site.

[http://www.mulsannescorner.com/](http://www.mulsannescorner.com/)

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ericcumbee
With out a doubt.

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pstuart
My understanding is that the key drawback for diesel engines in cars was
emissions (at least here in the states). Other than that, they seem to be more
efficient and reliable than gasoline engines.

Adding in flywheel regenerative storage seems like this would be a hybrid
model pursuing (which VW/Audi is doing, IIRC).

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ajtaylor
IIRC it was particulates that have been the primary problem for diesels. With
modern engines and exhaust systems, I suspect diesel cars could be a success
in the US. For a year I was driving a VW Golf TDi and absolutely loved the
car. Fantastic efficiency (5.5 L/100km city, 4.5-5 L/100km highway) combined
with plenty of power and a good transmission made for an awesome driving
experience.

In Europe, diesel is usually cheaper than petrol though the reverse is true in
the US. From what I saw last December, price differences of $0.50/gallon
weren't very unusual. If the price comes down, I think diesel would quickly
become a no-brainer decision for car buyers.

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sliverstorm
Fuel regulations were a big part; you could not buy ultra low sulfur diesel
until 2005-2006 in the USA, so passenger cars had a very hard timing meeting
emissions.

I don't think the price of diesel is coming down in the USA relative to
gasoline. The USA already uses lots of diesel in its trucking networks; switch
the entire public to diesel and it's only getting more expensive.

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ajtaylor
One thing I've wondered about is why diesel is so much more expensive in the
US than Europe (relative speaking)? As you mentioned, there is a LOT consumed
by the trucks so it can't be a question of scale. Or even if it is, the US has
massive refinery capabilities so it seems that supply should be able to meet
the demand.

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leeoniya
the amount of bouncing that electric was undergoing @ 200mph gave me the
chills.

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sukuriant
I'm more excited about the jaguar at the bottom of the page. If I understood
their article correctly, and if this [http://www.unitjuggler.com/convert-
fuelconsumption-from-gper...](http://www.unitjuggler.com/convert-
fuelconsumption-from-gperkmgasoline-to-mpg.html) is to be trusted at all, then
at 10k rpms, that engine is pushing 61mpg. That's just ... ludicrous, and in,
what I find to be, a very attractive package.

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dllu
Unfortunately Jaguar has [cancelled the
C-X75]([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_C-X75#Cancellation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_C-X75#Cancellation)).
Only 5 prototypes are made. Nonetheless it's a technological tour de force and
I hope the technology will trickle into other cars.

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sliverstorm
That link format works on reddit, but here you'll be better off with
references. [0]

[0] [http://www.google.com](http://www.google.com)

