An ultra-narrow automobile is comprised of a body with an enclosed cabin, a pair of tandem seats inside the cabin, four wheels at the corners of the body, a propulsion system driving at least some of the wheels, and ballast positioned in the body for stability. The cabin is preferably narrow enough to enable two of such automobiles to travel side-by-side on a lane. The ballast is heavy enough and positioned low enough for providing a low center of gravity and a high rollover threshold of preferably about 50 degrees or more. The propulsion system is preferably comprised of an electric motor powered by a fuel cell, and the ballast is preferably comprised of a tank of metal hydride for fueling the fuel cell. The ballast may include dead weight for providing a desired rollover threshold when the batteries are not heavy enough, or when the motor is not an electric motor.
So it's not just a narrow car. It's a narrow car with four wheels.
Back of the envelope rough calculation...
200A/220V fast charge for 10 minutes = 80% charge
=~ 7.3 KWh for 64 miles distance
=~ 0.114KWh/mile
@ $0.15/KWh, this is around $0.76/mile
A reasonable car can do 30mpg, so this works
out to an equivalent of ~ $22/gallon. Unless
there's something wrong with my math, this looks
like an expensive unit to run...
Slashdot Mirror
An ultra-narrow automobile is comprised of a body with an enclosed cabin, a pair of tandem seats inside the cabin, four wheels at the corners of the body, a propulsion system driving at least some of the wheels, and ballast positioned in the body for stability. The cabin is preferably narrow enough to enable two of such automobiles to travel side-by-side on a lane. The ballast is heavy enough and positioned low enough for providing a low center of gravity and a high rollover threshold of preferably about 50 degrees or more. The propulsion system is preferably comprised of an electric motor powered by a fuel cell, and the ballast is preferably comprised of a tank of metal hydride for fueling the fuel cell. The ballast may include dead weight for providing a desired rollover threshold when the batteries are not heavy enough, or when the motor is not an electric motor.
So it's not just a narrow car. It's a narrow car with four wheels.Back of the envelope rough calculation ...
200A/220V fast charge for 10 minutes = 80% charge
=~ 7.3 KWh for 64 miles distance
=~ 0.114KWh/mile
@ $0.15/KWh, this is around $0.76/mile
A reasonable car can do 30mpg, so this works
out to an equivalent of ~ $22/gallon. Unless
there's something wrong with my math, this looks
like an expensive unit to run ...