Press release
86KB
giugno 03, 2021 - Volkswagen
The ESVW I, designed with vehicle safety in mind
Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale.
Few inventions have saved as many lives as the #safety belt. It’s easy to take its benefits for granted, but #safety belt technology has come a long way in five decades — thanks in part to efforts like the #volkswagen ESVW I.
In the late 1960s, as some 60,000 Americans a year were dying in car crashes, the U.S. Department of Transportation introduced an experimental #safety vehicle project, asking carmakers and outside firms to develop vehicles designed with #safety as the top priority. The goal wasn’t to develop production-ready vehicles – some models were barely able to move and weighed 6,000 lbs. – but rather to innovate new ideas for protecting passengers and to come up with ones that could affordably save lives. Thanks to these safety-minded prototypes, the DOT was able to establish several challenging passive-safety targets and determine future #safety regulations.
Starting in 1955, #volkswagen was working on advanced body frames and launched its first crash tests in 1965. In late 1970, it began working on an experimental #safety vehicle under the rules from the U.S. DOT, naming its vehicle ESVW I.
Specifically designed to protect its occupants from fatal injuries, the prototype had several standout #safety features including anti-lock brakes and advanced side-crash protection. The frame was built from three sections, designed to transmit energy from a crash away from the occupants. Inside, occupants were cossetted by the first passive safety-belt systems including one for over their shoulders, and ones for their knees and midsections. Even the wiper system was designed to provide maximum visibility, with a second set of mini-wipers for the headlights.
Why was this important? Although cars had #safety belts in the 1970s, not enough people were using them, and airbag technology was still in its early days. The ESVW I’s passive #safety belt system was activated by the driver opening the car door and sliding into the front seat, and a horizontal strap would automatically wrap around the driver’s body for protection. All were designed to tighten automatically in the event of a crash.
Much about the ESVW I was unusual for a vehicle, then or now. Only the seat cushions moved in the vehicle, and only up or down; and a cockpit and pedals that could be moved closer or further away. Power came from a 100-hp flat-four engine in the trunk; the ESVW 1 had both a front trunk and storage above the engine in the rear.
After debuting at a global #automotive #safety conference in 1972, #volkswagen presented the car and its testing results, including 14 crash-test trials with the ESVW I passenger cell, countless handling and swerve tests, as well as 40 crash tests with production vehicles equipped with ESVW I #safety components. The ESVW I met all U.S. #safety standards; more importantly, it paved the way for many of its #safety innovations to enter production. Passive #safety belts would later be incorporated into models like the #volkswagen Rabbit, and the concepts of protecting passengers in crashes still drive #volkswagen today.
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