Diesel-powered Loremo promises to hit 150 miles per gallon
By Donald Melanson 
posted February 21st 2008 5:51PM
posted February 21st 2008 5:51PM
It's not the first time we've seen diesel touted as a solution for more efficient vehicles, but Loremo AG's new eponymously-titled vehicle may just have all of 'em beat -- if it can live up to its claims, that is. According to the vehicle's designers, in addition to diesel, they relied on engine efficiency, low weight, and minimal drag to boost the fuel-efficiency, which they say could top out at lofty 150 miles per gallon. With numbers like those, it should come as no surprise that Loremo's also entered the car in the Automotive X-Prize competition but, unlike most of the other entrants, this one will apparently actually be available to the general public relatively soon. That'll supposedly come sometime next year, with Europeans the first in line to get their hands on the vehicle for the relative bargain price of €15,000 (or $22,000) -- a redesigned North American version is then set to follow a year later. As if that wasn't enough Loremo's also promising a spiffier 3-cylinder GT version that'll run you $30,000, and both hybrid and fully electric versions, although those are only described as "in the works."
From everything I've read/seen it seems like all we need is a car with:
An aluminum frame.
Plastic/acrylic body panels (like Saturn).
Those new M-1 batteries (from Altair, I think?).
An electric motor and charging/control unit the same or better from the 11-year old EV1.
Some degree of body styling to reduce drag.
Are these the only things needed for us to have a fully electric plug-in with 15 minutes to 90%, 4-hour to 100% recharge ability, with a 250 mile range? If so, where is it?
I know all about the Tesla, but $150,000 is a lot, and most of the things that cause it to be that much aren't really needed anyway, like the 0-60 in so and so seconds (who really cares), and the crazy honeycomb used to isolate each of the 3000+ li-ion batteries so they can't go thermal (the new M1 batteries don’t appear to go into thermal runaway), the chassis is by lotus (I'd settle for a simple Saturn design), convertible (talk about drag).
It just seems like there is no good reason for us not to be able to have a car that most of us can afford.
I'm talking about a complete electric, not a hybrid, I don't want my car to be that complex, the less complex it is, and the cheaper the up keep is, not to mention the less likely it is to break down.
The Loremo would make a great 2nd car for a family that needs/likes to go on trips, or for people that can’t afford an all electric. It’s kind of ugly (why no bumper), but that hood entry thing has to go.
Ok, so you pull up in your new Loremo outside the shops. You need to dash in to get some bits and pieces. It's absolutely chucking it down with rain!
You open the bonnet to get out, and then again to get back in. You are now sitting in a huge puddle in your car and the dash is totally drenched.
Oh dear.
OMG, it's unbelievable how much you americans can whine about this car... It's not ugly, especially when compared to 90% of the cars you drive. If nothing else, it's innovative, cheaper, more eco-friendly...
So this is what a combination of BMW Isetta and a Porsche body style looks like. I don't know if this will make it, but I sure would like to see more sedans with diesel engines in the states. I believe once gas in US hits $6 dollars a gallon we'll think about it.
I am sure in the American version of this car will sport a V8.