A tilting car is a type of automobile that has the ability to change the angle between the road and the bottom of the passenger cabin in a way that allows it to avoid rolling over while the vehicle is driving through a curve.[3] Tilting is critically important for narrow-track vehicles because unlike wider vehicles, the acceleration required to make a non-tilting narrow vehicle skid during a curve is less than that required to make it roll over; tilting allows narrow-track vehicles to "lean into the curve".[3] Tilting cars may have three or four wheels.[3]
Prototypes and examples
editSeveral prototypes tilting cars have been built since 1950.[3] Some include:
- Ford Gyron (1961[4])[3]
- Lean Machine (General Motors, 1970s)[3]
- F-300 Life-jet (Mercedes-Benz, 1997)[3]
- Carver One (Carver, 2002),[3]
- CLEVER (2003)[3]
- Lumeneo Smera (2008[5])[3]
- Nissan Land Glider (2009)[6]
- Tilter Tilter (2011)[dubious – discuss][citation needed]
- Toyota i-Road (Toyota, 2013)[3]
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class (C217) was a production car that could tilt up to 2.5 degrees, detecting curves with a camera and acceleration sensor.[7] Its production model was first unveiled in 2014.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Nissan Land Glider Concept Press Kit: Overview". Nissan Motor Corporation. 2008-10-07. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
- ^ Lavrinc, Damon (5 March 2013). "Toyota's Tiny EV Has 3 Wheels — But Feel Free to Lean Into Corners". WIRED. Archived from the original on 8 March 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Tang, Chen; Khajepour, Amir (2019). Narrow Tilting Vehicles: Mechanism, Dynamics, and Control. Synthesis Lectures on Advances in Automotive Technology. Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-01501-4. ISBN 978-3-031-00373-8.
- ^ Sherman, Don (7 January 2007). "When Dream Cars Collide With Real-World Demands". New York Times.
- ^ "Voiture électrique – Lumeneo quitte l'aventure". Association pour l’Avenir du Véhicule Electro-Mobile (in French). 16 November 2013. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
- ^ "Nissan Land Glider Concept". Car and Driver. 2009-10-09. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
- ^ a b "2015 Mercedes S-class Coupe: The flagship has landed". Autoweek. 2014-02-10. Retrieved 2024-11-30.