One of the biggest arguments against the true “greenness” of an electric car is the source from which it uses to recharge its batteries. When you plug your electric car into that socket, is the juice coming from carbon-emitting coal or carbon-free solar energy?
In the next two weeks, Volkswagen is set to unveil a single-seater car that it hopes will be truly zero emissions. How so? According to a report by Reuters, VW will offer its new electric car with a “full-service package,” which gives customers the option to buy power from a fully-renewable source. The automaker may debut the proposed package in Brazil, where Reuters reports VW currently plans to build two hydropower plants.
“It’s a new kind of mobility, a new vehicle concept,” said Jurgen Leohold, head of VW Research. “If you limit a car to one person, you can make it smaller with less weight. You need less energy to transport the person, and then … it can be better on CO2 and fuel efficiency.”
We’re not sure how it will look, but it’s a safe bet that it will be similar to the VW L1 concept revealed a few years back. The L1 is a long, two-seat, tandem style hybrid vehicle powered by a 0.8L diesel engine (27-hp or 29-hp in Sport mode) and a 14-hp electric motor. The L1 is estimated to achieve 158 mpg and a 416-mile range from its 2.6 gallon tank. Heavy use of Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Plastic brings the L1’s curb weight to just 838 pounds, while its sleek aerodynamic design helps it achieve a drag coefficient of just 0.195 Cd. VW hasn’t released updates on the L1, though it was slated for a production date of 2013. It’s possible the automaker will share news on the L1 along with its formal announcement of the single-seater at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show.
