The Vision is a hybrid car, but the combustion engine plays a relatively minor part. It continuously rotates at the most efficient level of r/min.; peaks are dealt with by the electrical part of the engine. This explains the car's low consumption rate: 1.5 liter per 100 kilometer. The Group T-team is responsible for the electrical engine and for the lightweight frame, which will be made up of composite materials. In other words, it is the merit of the Leuven team that the car is so fuel-efficient.
The first generation prototype of the Vision will be assembled in Turin, Italy, in the summer of 2008. This prototype will then be used in endurance tests, under varied extreme conditions. At a later stage, several prototypes will be produced to undergo crash tests. This should lead to a final prototype, of which 15,000 are to be built for the Indian market within the next three years.
VDS is an international project in which Group T collaborates with renowned universities worldwide, for example, MIT, Harvard, TU Delft, and Tsinghua University, to develop the car of the 21st century. The aim is to design, test, produce, and commercialize the Vision, a revolutionairy sustainable car initially meant for the Indian and Chinese markets.
