fiat-lussino-100-mpg-hybrid

[dave]

http://www.greencarreports.com/news...00-mpg-hybrid-design-study-fiat-needs-to-make

not sure if repost?

 

[AndyRKett]

more like a 100mpg theorised rendering, mean while citroen launch its 97mpg Compressed air hybrid at the geneva motor show

actually back when the original twin air was launched everyone though fiat would release a fiat 500 hybrid because the twin air engine was so small it allowed loads of room for the electric motor and batteries.... it never happened, but this seems to just reboot the same idea with an Alfa badge

 

[dragonwagon]

Just read the article in the link - quite a fascinating idea, however I'm perplexed as to why a vehicle using compressed air for propulsion would need a hydraulic motor.
Surely it would need a pneumatic motor to work....
Anyway, knowing the French it will never work properly - none of their cars do.

 

[AndyRKett]

Anyway, knowing the French it will never work properly - none of their cars do.

I'm not sure French cars are any worse than Italian cars certainly not any worse than British cars, however the French can be credited with some pretty important Innovations in terms of automotive technology especially citroen.

invented Torsion bar suspension
Pioneers in front wheel drive cars
first welded monocoque constructed cars
headlights which turned into the corners fitted to the DS in the 1950s
along with hydropneumatic suspension fitted to bentleys and rolls royces for decades
so it might seem mad but there is quite a high chance as usual the french are way ahead of their time and in 50 years this will be standard equipment

also don't forget Bugatti is a French Company and have made some of the most desirable cars in the world

I would suggest the hydraulic motor gaff was by the non engineering type journalist who wrote the piece

oh I should probably add that since 1989 Citroen has held the Guinness world record for most economical production car with the Citroen AX diesel which managed 100mpg over 1000 miles :slayer:

 

[dragonwagon]

I'm not sure French cars are any worse than Italian cars certainly not any worse than British cars, however the French can be credited with some pretty important Innovations in terms of automotive technology especially citroen.

invented Torsion bar suspension
Pioneers in front wheel drive cars
first welded monocoque constructed cars
headlights which turned into the corners fitted to the DS in the 1950s
along with hydropneumatic suspension fitted to bentleys and rolls royces for decades
so it might seem mad but there is quite a high chance as usual the french are way ahead of their time and in 50 years this will be standard equipment

also don't forget Bugatti is a French Company and have made some of the most desirable cars in the world

I would suggest the hydraulic motor gaff was by the non engineering type journalist who wrote the piece

oh I should probably add that since 1989 Citroen has held the Guinness world record for most economical production car with the Citroen AX diesel which managed 100mpg over 1000 miles :slayer:

I own a DS21, that works for the most part. However subsequent Citroen purchases - several Cx's of varying degrees of unreliability and one truly woeful AX 14 diesel left me pretty scathing of the French motor industry. The AX certainly was economical on the few occasions it ran properly between multiple head gasket replacements - Fiats may have been infuriating electrically but could and still can be relied upon generally to complete a journey

 

[dave]

I own a DS21,

have we seen pics of this? that was back when citroen built cool stuff, do the headlights move when you turn a corner?

 

[AndyRKett]

The AX certainly was economical on the few occasions it ran properly between multiple head gasket replacements - Fiats may have been infuriating electrically but could and still can be relied upon generally to complete a journey

I don't think you can right off a whole industry on one dodgy car I had several friends (mostly engineers) who ran around in simple French diesels, one I worked with had a diesel ax and swore by it, another had a 205 diesel both were fairly bomb proof, the off plastic bits may have dropped off but the mechanics whole pass mot after mot with no issue.

French cars seem to have a reputation dating from the 70-80s when to be honest all cars where pretty rubbish.

All new technologies have the potential to break as they're untried and untested but I'm kinda hopeful on this one sounds like an interesting concept and would be nice to see it work and be developed

 

[dragonwagon]

I don't think you can right off a whole industry on one dodgy car I had several friends (mostly engineers) who ran around in simple French diesels, one I worked with had a diesel ax and swore by it, another had a 205 diesel both were fairly bomb proof, the off plastic bits may have dropped off but the mechanics whole pass mot after mot with no issue.

French cars seem to have a reputation dating from the 70-80s when to be honest all cars where pretty rubbish.

All new technologies have the potential to break as they're untried and untested but I'm kinda hopeful on this one sounds like an interesting concept and would be nice to see it work and be developed

We'll agree to disagree on this score, but having worked on and repaired all manner of Citroens, mostly hydropneumatic over a 15 year period the general drop in engineering standards and build quality was all too apparent from the over engineered, Michelin / Citroen era DS to the utterly craptastic Peugeot era penny pincing products. That is what I am basing my opinion on, not just the one dodgy AX diesel. It is fair to say that the later 1527cc engine was much more robust.

Unfortunately, based on the above I have little faith in PSA's ability to develop the system properly, or fund its development in their current financial state. It does, however sound a much better plan that electric hybrid technology, if it ever makes it past the starting line.

 

[dave]

I
French cars seem to have a reputation dating from the 70-80s when to be honest all cars where pretty rubbish.

its the other way around for Citroen they used to be good the DS was way ahead of its time and the 2cv was a brilliant car. they only got a bad rep from the people who had no idea how to fix them, if there was a small problem

 

[nani]

100 MPG! That sounds like a dream

 

[dragonwagon]

its the other way around for Citroen they used to be good the DS was way ahead of its time and the 2cv was a brilliant car. they only got a bad rep from the people who had no idea how to fix them, if there was a small problem

The DS was a jolly good car, reliable, long lived and easy to repair once you put your mind to it. Everything thereafter started to slide... early CX2400Gti's were better than the CX25Gti, Series 1 CX Gti Turbos were infinitely better than the series 2 etc. Damn, I used to do manual to auto conversions on the apparently impossible to convert Gti Turbo due to ridiculously heavy clutches that could have been avoided by using the power hydraulics.... plentiful rust, self destructing bodypanels and trim....gremlin infested electronics and collapsing rear trailing arm bearings were standard ... no wonder my opinion of French cars post DS is pretty dim.

Lets not get me started on Renaults and their dire Renix electronics.