Volkswagen Says the Future is Here and it Gets 235 MPG

Tomorrow, the automobile industry will have yet another chance to roll out their latest and greatest concepts when the annual Qatar Motor Show kicks off in the nation’s capital of Doha. While there is no doubt that the show will feature some very interesting automobile concepts, one of the more exciting to debut on the showroom floor is what automobile enthusiasts have taken to hailing as the most fuel efficient car in the entire world.

The vehicle in question is Volkswagen’s XL1 plug-in hybrid concept car. According to the German automaker, the latest XL1 model is the third they have made after working for some time now to create a vehicle that would have the highest fuel efficiency possible. To this end, Volkswagen believes that have come even closer to realizing this dream with the XL1’s estimated fuel mileage of roughly one liter of fuel for every 100 kilometers traveled. Once the figures are converted, that leaves the automobile world looking at the astounding figure of approximately 235 miles per gallon.

To achieve the incredible fuel efficiency that the XL1 is supposed to be capable of creating, Volkswagen has married together the ideas found in both electric vehicles and highly efficient gasoline cars. The XL1, in its current state, sports a forty eight horsepower engine with an electric motor that is powered by electricity stored in a bank of lithium-ion batteries. While fully charged, the vehicle will be able to travel a little over twenty miles in all electric mode and will be able to achieve zero to sixty two miles per hour in around 11.9 seconds. Although the XL1 may not appeal immediately to those looking for speed and raw power, it must be remembered that it has designed with maximum fuel efficiency in mind.

While the XL1’s technical aspects are certainly interesting considering what they are capable of, the current concept design for the vehicle is impressive in its own right. Featuring sweeping lines and smooth curves, the XL1’s body appears as if it was molded to slide right through the air in order to ensure minimum resistance. Volkswagen has also mentioned that the vehicle will feature a variety of weight reducing features, including carbon fiber materials, in order to ensure the vehicle is light enough to allow maximum fuel efficiency.

Overall, the Volkswagen XL1 is one of the more exciting plug-in hybrids announced in recent memory. While there is no set date for when this vehicle could be hitting the roads, a working prototype will be debuted during the Qatar Motor Show in the next couple of days.

Article by Richard Cooke, appearing courtesy Justmeans.