Volkswagen’s crazy-efficient EV borrows an idea from Slate

大众汽车推出超高效电动概念车，借鉴了 Slate 的设计理念

Volkswagen took the covers off a new prototype electric vehicle Monday, one that’s capable of hitting the equivalent of 323 miles per gallon under ideal conditions, making it one of the most efficient cars in the world. It’s not unusual for automakers to float pie-in-the-sky concepts with outlandish stats, but Volkswagen took it a step or two further by building the EV and driving it from its home base in Wolfsburg, Germany, on a 794-mile (1,278-kilometer) trip to Vienna. The team charged the Mission Efficiency prototype once during the journey and arrived with 104 miles (168 kilometers) of range left, resulting in consumption of 7.51 kilowatt-hours per 100 miles, or about 279 MPGe.

大众汽车周一揭幕了一款全新的电动汽车原型车。在理想条件下，该车的能效相当于每加仑汽油行驶 323 英里，使其成为世界上最高效的汽车之一。汽车制造商发布带有夸张数据的“空中楼阁”式概念车并不罕见，但大众汽车更进一步，不仅制造出了这辆电动车，还驾驶它从德国沃尔夫斯堡的总部出发，完成了前往维也纳的 794 英里（1278 公里）旅程。团队在途中仅充电一次，抵达时仍剩余 104 英里（168 公里）的续航里程，百英里能耗仅为 7.51 千瓦时，约合 279 MPGe（每加仑汽油当量里程）。

The teardrop-shaped Mission Efficiency prototype was built using the electric motor and battery from the ID. Polo, two features that bring the car to “near production” status, Volkswagen said in a press release. For those keeping score, the prototype is almost twice as efficient as the most efficient production car in the world, the Lucid Air Pure. By some back-of-the-envelope math, Volkswagen’s science experiment can get more than 400 miles of range out of a 54.9-kilowatt-hour battery, though that’s not an official EPA rating. Lucid gets 420 miles from an 84-kilowatt-hour battery per EPA ratings, but it’s a much larger and more practical vehicle.

这款水滴形的 Mission Efficiency 原型车采用了来自 ID. Polo 的电机和电池。大众汽车在新闻稿中表示，这两个核心部件使该车达到了“接近量产”的状态。从数据来看，该原型车的能效几乎是目前世界上最高效的量产车 Lucid Air Pure 的两倍。粗略计算，大众的这项科学实验车型仅凭 54.9 千瓦时的电池就能实现超过 400 英里的续航，尽管这并非官方的 EPA 评级。相比之下，Lucid 凭借 84 千瓦时的电池在 EPA 评级中可实现 420 英里续航，但它是一款更大、更实用的车型。

Volkswagen had to make some compromises in the name of efficiency. The most noticeable is the roofline, which tapers quickly after peaking above the driver’s head. The shape, known as a Kammback, is among the most aerodynamic shapes a vehicle can take. Volkswagen was able to bring the coefficient of drag down to 0.158, while also keeping the frontal area low at just 2.08 square meters.

为了追求极致能效，大众汽车不得不做出一些妥协。最明显的是车顶线条，它在驾驶员头顶上方达到最高点后迅速收窄。这种被称为“Kammback”（截尾车身）的造型是车辆最符合空气动力学的形状之一。大众成功将风阻系数降至 0.158，同时将迎风面积保持在仅 2.08 平方米的低水平。

As a result, the Mission Efficiency is technically a 2+2, meaning the rear seats aren’t suitable for most adults. Volkswagen said the backseat is designed for people shorter than 5-foot 3 inches, or about 1.6 meters. “The prototype was designed so that it could theoretically be used by a young family of four,” Volkswagen said, though anyone who has contemplated sitting in a 2+2 knows that even kids might scoff at the notion. Another compromise sits closer to the road. Because wheels and tires can contribute about a quarter to a third of aerodynamic drag, the designers tightened the space between the wheel arches and the front tires. It’s great for efficiency, but probably not great for ride quality since wheels need space to move inside the wheel wells so the shocks can absorb bumps.

因此，Mission Efficiency 在技术上属于 2+2 座位布局，这意味着后排座椅并不适合大多数成年人。大众表示，后座是为身高低于 5 英尺 3 英寸（约 1.6 米）的人设计的。“该原型车的设计初衷是理论上可供一个四口之家使用，”大众称，但任何体验过 2+2 座位的人都知道，即便是孩子可能也会对这种说法嗤之以鼻。另一个妥协则更靠近路面。由于轮毂和轮胎会产生约四分之一到三分之一的空气阻力，设计师缩小了轮拱与前轮胎之间的间隙。这对能效很有利，但对乘坐舒适性可能不太友好，因为车轮需要在轮拱内有足够的移动空间，以便减震器吸收颠簸。

One place Volkswagen didn’t compromise was the mirrors. Sideview mirrors generate a lot of drag just by hanging off the sides, and while cameras would have cut into those losses significantly, they don’t offer the same sense of depth that true mirrors do. To top it all off, Volkswagen put solar cells on the roof and the trunk lid. It’s a nice touch that’s sure to delight the internet, but their impact is limited, adding just 18 miles (30 kilometers) to perfectly flat, sunny routes driven at a constant 42.25 mph (68 kph).

大众汽车没有妥协的地方是后视镜。侧后视镜因悬挂在车身两侧会产生巨大的阻力，虽然摄像头可以显著减少这种损耗，但它们无法提供真实镜面所具备的深度感。此外，大众还在车顶和后备箱盖上安装了太阳能电池板。这是一个讨喜的设计，肯定会受到网友的欢迎，但其实际影响有限——在平坦、阳光充足且以 42.25 英里/小时（68 公里/小时）恒速行驶的路线下，仅能增加 18 英里（30 公里）的续航。

Inside, the seats are built using lightweight materials and designs. On the dash, Volkswagen took a page from EV startup Slate Auto. Like Slate’s bare-bones pickup, the Mission Efficiency doesn’t come with an infotainment system or built-in speakers. Instead, it offers a portable Bluetooth speaker and assumes drivers will bring their own devices. While Volkswagen frequently calls the Mission Efficiency a “near production” vehicle, the company didn’t commit to actual production. Though don’t assume it won’t: Over a decade ago, the automaker produced 250 examples of the XL1, another efficiency-minded halo car. And like other halo cars, it didn’t come cheap, with prices starting at €110,000 in 2013.

车内座椅采用了轻量化材料和设计。在仪表盘方面，大众借鉴了电动汽车初创公司 Slate Auto 的做法。就像 Slate 的极简皮卡一样，Mission Efficiency 没有配备信息娱乐系统或内置扬声器。相反，它提供了一个便携式蓝牙音箱，并默认驾驶员会自带设备。尽管大众经常称 Mission Efficiency 为“接近量产”的车型，但该公司并未承诺实际投产。不过，不要认为它绝对不会量产：十多年前，大众曾生产过 250 辆 XL1，那也是一款以能效为导向的旗舰车型。和其它旗舰车型一样，它的价格并不便宜，2013 年起售价就高达 11 万欧元。