Today’s modern minivan and SUV are quite stylish, however aerodynamically speaking quite lacking in laminar airflow efficiency. Convert this statement in gas mileage and you can readily see the need for massive aerodynamic improvement. The Modern Soccer mom needs a complete retrofit in her transportation choices. Drastic shape changes should be made but unfortunately those companies, which make too advanced or radical changes early on are not able to meet the demands of the mass-market consumer. For instance it doesn’t look like a minivan or SUV, it is ugly, not hip or cool.
Some early adopters may opt to buy and drive a radically new design in a minivan or SUV however unless that design can gain “Cool, The Bomb, Trick, Awesome” status then wide spread acceptance will not continue the trend. Car manufacturers test new ideas at auto shows and with artist’s conceptions in trade journals and do lots of surveys before introducing new models. They know in advance what will sell and what will not, sometimes they will throw caution to the wind with a radical design, but there are plenty of failures from the EDSEL to modern day models such as the Pontiac Aztec, which flopped
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Re-tooling for a new model costs millions and the R and D involved takes years to recoup. We need a more aerodynamically and efficiently designed SUV, but society needs to put their money where their mouth is? We see that environmentalists are upset with large SUVs, some extremist rogue criminal elements of the environmentalist movement have taken to arson of car dealerships selling the largest of SUV, the Hummer. It might be interesting to see these groups turn their efforts to the public to entice them through proper reasoning and education to buy the most efficient SUVs and minivans.
The best design for an efficient minivan would be one with a full undercarriage shell, rear wheel covers or fairings, a bulbous nose and rounded tapered rear. The bulbous nose would need to be rounded in the front and then come back to a contoured indentation which would be similar to the indentation on a shoe arch after the first 1/3 of the vehicle, however the indentation would need to be all the way around; top, bottom and both sides. The second two-thirds of the vehicle would need to contour back out to the widest point of the bulbous nose and continue back to the end of the vehicle. As the vehicle come to an end it would be rounded out and slightly tapered to complete the shape.
Scientists have studied these concepts in fluid dynamics for boat hull design, light aircraft design, over the road trucks and racecars.
"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington
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