Automotive X Prize Video: Edison2 Very Light Car - Beneath the carbon fiber

In attending the first week of the Automotive X Prize shakedown testing at the Michigan International Speedway, I had the pleasure of meeting many of the teams and witnessing their trials and tribulations getting through the tests. One group that impressed me with their deep talent and clever engineering was Edison2.

Edison2 is headed by Oliver Kuttner, a man with diverse experience that includes luxury car dealerships, real estate development, and race car engineering. Kuttner has assembled a dream team of eight full-time members and 52 temporary consultants from his motorsports associations. The result is an impressive group. Notables include Kevin Doran of Doran Enterprises, a race car shop that has five 24 hours of Daytona wins to its credit. Also a member of the team is mechanical engineer, Ron Mathis, who has designed serious race cars and has team wins at 24 hours of Daytona and Le Mans. Exterior design was handled by Barnaby Wainfan, the technical fellow for aerodynamics design at Northrop Grumman with numerous classified and unclassified projects to his name, such as the F/A18, Joint Strike Fighter, and X-47A Pegasus, as well as working on the Audi R10 race program. For driving duties, professional racer and engineer Brad Jaeger commands all four entries. Suffice to say, these guys go way beyond shade-tree mechanics.

Despite that the team name evokes images of electrical innovations from inventor Thomas Edison, the rear-drive Edison2 cars are not electric. In fact, they use a turbocharged single-cylinder Yamaha 250cc engine treated to custom tuning and computerized engine management. The overall formula for the entries is light weight and low aerodynamic drag.

Clearly competitive by nature, Kuttner has taken a multi-car team approach to the competition, developing four slightly different cars with hopes that at least one could earn the big prize. There are clearly economies of scale at work, with the four cars being quite similar and benefiting from shared work and components, such as the diamond-shaped chassis structure configured to enhance occupant protection in a crash.

The motorcycle-derived powertrains vary, with output spanning from 27 horsepower to about 50 horsepower. While those figures sound quite modest, in an aptly named "Very Light Car" much can be made of those horses. The Mainstream four-seater weighs less than 1,200 pounds, with the production intent plan being to come under 1,000 pounds. With the carbon-fiber bodied models, the total curb weight is about 750 pounds. At a standstill, these are near effortless to move. You can push one out of the way using just a thumb.

With the contest focused on consumer-acceptable, production feasible cars, it is only natural to question the safety on something so light in a world of two-ton SUVs. Kuttner explained that the structure was developed to direct the forces away from the occupants, rather than emphasize a large deformable structure. The design uses the outboard wheels to absorb and deflect impacts, with the wheelbase being such that a moving side-impact barrier must contact at least one.

At each corner are two systems that stood out to me as being among the most notable innovations I witnessed. The first being a collapsing wheel made of aluminum, magnesium, and carbon fiber. On impact, rather than being a solid element that transfers energy to the car, it can break apart, lessening the crash forces.

Within those light, six-pound wheels is a compact suspension system. That's right, within the diameter of the wheels is a fully-independent suspension with a trailing arm design and coil-over shocks.

The aerodynamics are also worthy of mention, with the coefficient of drag estimated by Edison2 to be below .15. For comparison, a modern sports car aims to be below .30, with most vehicles being above that mark. This is one slippery machine.

Edison2 says it has plans for a car that is closer to being production ready, with bodywork that sounds more substantial. Should it progress to production, the car could be offered in the $20,000 range, according to Kuttner.

Without a doubt, it will be interesting to follow the Edison2 team through the Automotive X Prize process, though the story may not end there. I suspect the wheel and suspension technology has potential well beyond this competition.

Just as many teams have taught us, it is wise to look beyond the surface to catch glimpses of what may be the car of the future.

Follow our Auto X Prize coverage here in the Cars blog, as well as in our special Auto X Prize section and via Twitter @CRcars.

— Jeff Bartlett