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Dynamic Vehicle Control

Hybrid Powertrain

Safety Features
Venture Vehicles' VentureOne to be available in hybrid and all-electric versions

Hybrid technology just got a little bit cooler with the unveiling of the Venture Vehicles VentureOne. This 3-wheel plug-in hybrid promises 0-60 times in under 6 seconds, a top speed of 100MPH, a range of 350 miles and a price tag south of $20,000.

The 1,200 pound VentureOne is classified as a motorcycle by the NHTSA since it features three wheels. And similar to a motorcycle, the passenger compartment of the VentureOne can tilt 45 degrees left or right when entering a corner. Venture Vehicles calls the system Dynamic Vehicle Control or DVC and it is currently in its 18th generation.

The hydro-mechanical DVC system uses a combination of the driver's input from the steering wheel and the tilting of the chassis to maintain balance and direction of travel. Chassis tilt is nominal at low vehicle speeds as the steering angle of the front wheel dictates the direction of travel. As speed increases, the angle of the front wheel is not a major factor in changing direction -- the driver's input is instead transferred to the tilt of the chassis which in turn provide direction change.

For propulsion, the hybrid versions of the VentureOne use a small gasoline engine, a 15kW (VentureOne e50) or 20 kW (VentureOne Q100) generator, two in-wheel 25 kW electric motors, a four gallon fuel tank and a 3 kWh lithium-ion battery. The all-electric Venture EV uses two 20 kW electric motors and a 17 kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

According to Venture Vehicle founder Ian Bruce, the lithium-ion batteries used in the VentureOne weigh only 45 pounds compared to the 900 pounds for the all-electric Tesla roadster.

The VentureOne e50 has a top speed of 100MPH, can run 0-60 in under 6 seconds and has a driving range of 350 miles. The VentureOne Q100 pushes the top speed to 120MPH with a 0-60 time of under 5 seconds. Range, however, drops to 300 miles. The all-electric VentureOne EV features a top speed of 75MPH, 0-60 time of 8 seconds and a range of 120 miles.

Prices are expected to range from $18,500 for the hybrid VentureOne e50 to $23,000 for the all-electric VentureOne EV.

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Winter Driving
By livinloud on 2/20/2007 9:07:27 AM , Rating: 2
It's seems to be a real good car for people that don't have snow. But what about people living in colder place like Québec.




RE: Winter Driving
By arazok on 2/20/2007 9:16:59 AM , Rating: 3
Snow tires and mittens?


RE: Winter Driving
By Cunthor01 on 2/20/2007 9:35:51 AM , Rating: 2
Not live in Canada...?


RE: Winter Driving
By corduroygt on 2/20/2007 11:40:35 AM , Rating: 3
Global warming?


RE: Winter Driving
By joust on 2/20/2007 2:53:05 PM , Rating: 2
hahaha yeah!

Quebec and Canada could moderate the extremely cold climates in 50 years by having a national pro SOX/COX/NOX emission campaign!

Of course, with global warming, it seems likely there will be winners and losers. I think people tend to overemphasize the losers (those in the tropics) and under-emphasize the winners (Europe, USA, Canada). I'm pro global warming -- it'll make New England milder.


RE: Winter Driving
By masher2 (blog) on 2/20/2007 3:27:46 PM , Rating: 2
> "I think people tend to overemphasize the losers (those in the tropics)..."

Global warming affects primarily the coldest, driest portions of the planet. Northern Siberia for instance. Tropical regions are essentially not affected...many of them have actually been cooling slightly the past few decades.


RE: Winter Driving
By Master Kenobi (blog) on 2/20/2007 3:54:41 PM , Rating: 2
So we are experiencing a minor climate shift.... Nothing to see here folks, move along.


RE: Winter Driving
By arazok on 2/20/2007 4:53:07 PM , Rating: 2
Agreed, but I will never recover my investment through gas savings at current gas prices. This is the problem with existing hybrids. The average added cost of a hybrid engine is about $3,000. It takes the life time of the car just to recoup the extra cost, offering zero net savings for the consumer. Gas would need to double to make this a wise investment, and that's not factoring in added maintenance costs for the complex engine.

Why can't they make a car that is useless for everything except for getting one person to work, and costs little to buy and operate? I don't need this to be a hybrid. I just want a car that serves a purpose for me.

This car will fail because everything else at the same price point is so much better. I can buy a Mazda 3 for the same price, and have all the benefits of a large car. Why would I spend 20K so people can laugh at the guy in the funny car? Sell it to me for under 10K, and I'll have a reason to laugh back.


RE: Winter Driving
By arazok on 2/20/2007 4:54:11 PM , Rating: 2
Why did this get posted here? My bad? Oh well, this belongs at the bottom of the original thread's last response. Not here.


RE: Winter Driving
By arazok on 2/20/2007 11:49:03 AM , Rating: 2
Toronto, actually.

I don't see why I couldn't drive this in the winter. It's enclosed and perfectly stable with 3 wheels. Granted, I might not go screaming through a blizzard in this thing, but a light snowfall on the road doesn't look like it would be a big deal with proper tires.

Offer me this for under $6,000, and I might look at it as a commuter car.


RE: Winter Driving
By Polynikes on 2/20/2007 1:16:10 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Offer me this for under $6,000, and I might look at it as a commuter car.


That's like saying "Offer me a Ferrari for under $20,000 and I'll buy it. It's not happening any time soon.


RE: Winter Driving
By arazok on 2/20/2007 2:00:47 PM , Rating: 2
But it's not a Ferrari, it's an itty-bitty micro car, that seats one (two if you're passenger is a Smurf), and runs on an uber-lawn mower engine. The $20K price point quotes is laughable. I'm no tree hugger. I can buy a full sized car or Hybrid for that price, and I won't spend that money on something so I can fool myself into thinking I'm solving some environmental crisis.

I would love a car that seats 1-2, is fuel efficient, can handle highway speeds, and has minimal storage capability - just to get me to and from work. I'm in a two car family, and can use the other car to lug groceries. I don't need two full sized cars.

The Mercedes Smart car is an example of what I would like. However, the Mercedes is so overpriced that I can't help but laugh at the morons I see who actually purchased these things. It's half a car, it should be half the price.


RE: Winter Driving
By idconstruct on 2/20/2007 3:49:45 PM , Rating: 2
keep in mind the fact that you'll be saving about two-thirds of your gas money...

hybrids are also more expensive to manufacture


RE: Winter Driving
By bohhad on 2/21/2007 12:22:35 AM , Rating: 2
i'd guess you'd save even more than two-thirds, 350 miles with 4 gallons of fuel... 88 miles a gallon?


RE: Winter Driving
By nurbsenvi on 2/21/2007 12:59:03 AM , Rating: 2
I'll strongly consider it if it was US$15,000.


RE: Winter Driving
By semo on 2/20/2007 9:23:59 AM , Rating: 5
it's not a car
quote:
The 1,200 pound VentureOne is classified as a motorcycle by the NHTSA since it features three wheels.
if you can't use it, don't buy it. not all cars/motorcycles are suited for every conditions anyway.


RE: Winter Driving
By Milliamp on 2/20/2007 9:46:46 AM , Rating: 1
I agree, concepts like this are designed every year (http://www.gizmag.com/automotive/ ), but we never see them on the roads.

People in the US are not even interested in buying anything as small as a Hyundai. Even if they were interested, the car would never make it past crash tests and government regulations.

There is a reason that you can't find anything other than motorcycles for sale under 2,500 lbs unless you assemble it yourself and register it as a "kit car".

Cool idea but you have a snowballs chance in hell of ever actually being able to buy one and drive it around.


RE: Winter Driving
By Brandon Hill (blog) on 2/20/2007 9:56:53 AM , Rating: 5
quote:
There is a reason that you can't find anything other than motorcycles for sale under 2,500 lbs unless you assemble it yourself and register it as a "kit car".


What about the Lotus Elise (1,984 pounds), Lotus Exige (2,015 pounds), Toyota Yaris (2,293 pounds), Honda Fit (2,432 pounds), Hyundai Accent (2,366 pounds), etc. I could go on, but I don't think I need to :-)

All available for sale in the United States and all meet federal safety and crash standards.


RE: Winter Driving
By Milliamp on 2/21/2007 5:24:44 PM , Rating: 2
So what? You named off all of 5 cars.

Lotus is god awful expensive and the rest are within a couple hundred pounds of 2500.

You even mentioned the Honda Fit that has a dry weight that is all of 68 lbs under my 2500 lb estimate.

Given that even cars like the Honda accord are now over 3,000 lbs, I'd say my point is sustained.


RE: Winter Driving