10°c Partly cloudy
8°c Light rain
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Driving a pill
Winnipeg inventors roll out oddly shaped, low-powered car of the future
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image
The Urbee
A group of Winnipeg inventors is one step closer to fulfilling a 15-year dream of building an energy-efficient passenger vehicle that could remain on the road decades after the use of fossil fuel becomes impractical.
On Thursday night at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, mechanical engineer Jim Kor unveiled a nearly complete prototype of the Urbee Car, an electric-ethanol hybrid vehicle he and 11 other engineers and designers have been hoping to take to market since he first hatched the idea in a St. James coffee shop in 1996.
The Urbee is buffed for its debut at the TedxWinnipeg show at the art gallery. (BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS )
Jim Kor, who helped build the little electricethanol hybrid, talks about the ultra-economical vehicle’s advantages. Top and far left: The Urbee is buffed for its debut at the TedxWinnipeg show at the art gallery. left: Jim Kor, who helped build the little electric-ethanol hybrid, talks about the ultra-economical vehicle�s advantages. (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)
The rear view of the Urbee. (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)
The ultra-lightweight, two-passenger car was designed from scratch to require one-eighth the energy of a small, conventional passenger vehicle. It has a single-cylinder, eight-horsepower engine, a body manufactured with the use of a three-dimensional printer and is intended to last up to three decades, Kor said before he was scheduled to talk about the car at TedxWinnipeg, a presentation of made-in-Winnipeg ideas.
On display in the WAG lobby, the low-slung, pill-shaped Urbee Car prototype bears little resemblance to existing subcompacts. For starters, it doesn't have a trunk.
"We believe one day all cars will be shaped like this because they will have to be shaped like this," said Kor, a 59-year-old former farm-equipment designer and now president of Kor EcoLogic.
The principle behind the Urbee Car is to rid passenger automobiles, which often transport only the driver, of their unnecessary power and carrying capacity.
"True progress means using less horsepower," Kor said, noting even the smallest conventional passenger vehicles have 68-horsepower engines.
To whittle down the energy needs of the passenger car, Kor's team started by coming up with a way to reduce resistance. After crunching the numbers and getting them reviewed by peers in the engineering world, they built models, conducted wind-tunnel tests and are now in the midst of test crashes to ensure the Urbee Car is safe to drive on the road.
Considerable hurdles remain before the vehicle can go to market. Kor's team must raise at least $1 million to build a second prototype before they carry through with a plan to build 12 working cars -- one for each project member.
Kor said the vehicle would cost $30,000 to $50,000 in limited production and even less if it's mass-produced, partly because three-dimensional material printing is faster and cheaper than building body moulds. He also surmised consumers will get a better deal out of the vehicle because of its lengthy intended lifespan -- a feature intended to reduce the use of materials.
The Urbee Car was one of eight concepts presented at Thursday night's inaugural TedxWinnipeg, a concept based on similar presentations in other cities.
"There are some fantastic ideas in this city that nobody knows about," said Jamie Townsend, organizer of the sold-out event, which may move to a larger venue in 2012.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 16, 2011 B1
More Local
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
Poll
Proudly brought to you by:
Most Popular Local
- Thieves strip $20K worth of copper wiring from gravel pit
- Cyclist killed on Higgins Avenue was passionate mentor, volunteer
- Pukatawagan RCMP looking for two dangerous suspects
- WWE's Jericho breaks code in Brazil
- Ex-Bomber sued for $4.8M
- Gang members get lengthy sentences for jailhouse beating
- Every year 4,000 children reported missing in Manitoba
- Ex-Hydro boss slams closure
- Man hit before fatal blow, friend testifies
- Union Station to receive $6.5-million makeover
- Bear pulls camper from outhouse, before being shot
- Cyclist killed in collision on Higgins identified
- Cyclist killed on Higgins Avenue was passionate mentor, volunteer
- A SHED is not enough
- Football star's fatal punch probed at manslaughter trail
- Cyclist killed in Higgins Avenue crash
- Sex-scandal inquiry to be heard in city
- Winnipeg man recovering after campground bear attack
- Severe storm warning issued
- Man hit before fatal blow, friend testifies
- Boozy night out, lying cost city man big bucks
- Neighbours shaken by two deaths
- Teen hit by vehicle on Pembina
- Rapid buses rattling homes
- Severe storm warning issued
- Has Gimli gone to pot?
- Bear pulls camper from outhouse, before being shot
- Cyclist killed in collision on Higgins identified
- Triple whammy hits homes
- Cyclist killed on Higgins Avenue was passionate mentor, volunteer
- Pukatawagan RCMP looking for two dangerous suspects
- Ex-Hydro boss slams closure
- His life made our world a better place
- Cyclist killed on Higgins Avenue was passionate mentor, volunteer
- At 100, she's still winning friends and winning at bridge
- Band, council defy feds on aid
- Hydro headquarters named Canada's greenest office tower
- Katz ponders sanity of new rules
- Ex-Bomber sued for $4.8M
- Prairies top preventable deaths list
- Bear pulls camper from outhouse, before being shot
- Pooch paradise, where champion beagles run free
- His life made our world a better place
- Winnipeg man recovering after campground bear attack
- Scientists lash Harper government for pulling plug on Experimental Lakes Area
- He was enjoying view, bear came out of blue
- Diplomat saved thousands from Hitler
- Weeding out the chemicals
- U of W rejects copyright deal as 'money grab'
- Chemicals not par for the course
- Bear pulls camper from outhouse, before being shot
- Has Gimli gone to pot?
- Pooch paradise, where champion beagles run free
- His life made our world a better place
- Scientists lash Harper government for pulling plug on Experimental Lakes Area
- RRC's old gem a beauty
- Attack on hockey ref nets jail time
- Our Village is as good as it gets
- Judge faces second complaint
- Winnipeg man recovering after campground bear attack
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.