Emission Limited City Cars for Metropolitan Areas

This study was concerned with establishment of criteria for urban automobiles. The benefits looked for were a significant reduction of street congestion, air pollution, and required land allocation. It was determined that one possible and attractive answer was a vehicle on the order of 9 ft in length, seating three passengers side by side, and powered with a “hybrid” internal combustion and battery system.

This paper presents the justification for these choices, and lays the foundation for a later one covering the results of a systems evaluation of fleet operation.