Designing a vehicle with perfect aerodynamics can present some major challenges that are difficult to solve in the real world.
Aerodynamic vehicles are often touted as machines that can cut wind resistance and promise enhanced performance. Design highlights have received increasing focus in this day and age of electric vehicles (EVs), where range is an important factor. But how far can automotive designers really go to ensure the most advanced configuration in the field?
Aerodynamic experts say that a car with the most streamlined shape will look like a teardrop. “That’s because it has a shape that air can circulate around with exceptionally low drag — round at the front and tapered,” says Chief Engineer for Aerodynamics and Thermal Management at Porsche Engineering Marcel Straub. gradually in the rear, so there is no ‘wake’ and no drag in the direction of travel. “This feature is measured in drag, and the resistance value of a tear is 0.05, which cannot be achieved in real life.
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Even if one succeeds in creating a pear-shaped car, it will pose some major challenges such as storage for the engine, passengers or luggage space. Wheels also present a difficult test when viewed from an aerodynamic development standpoint as these cause air turbulence and energy-hungry airflows to appear in their wheel arches. According to experts, the vehicle’s approach to the ground is another glitch that, according to experts, prevents a completely symmetrical flow around the droplet.
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With robots and flying cars that automakers are planning for mobility in the future, one can see this issue needing attention. One could soon see the teardrop-shaped robotaxis flying with a propeller at the tip. A study earlier this year concluded that the air taxi market could touch $1.5 trillion by 2040. With the construction of the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) infrastructure of the The Korean government is being considered as one of the next generation mobility technologies that will reduce the problem of excessive traffic on the roads and will also improve the mobility of vehicles.
First published date: October 16, 2022, 09:34 AM IST
