Supercars

The paper proposes replacing conventional steel cars with 'supercars' that combine ultralight composite bodies, aerodynamic optimization, and hybrid-electric powertrains. The authors argue that such vehicles could achieve fuel efficiencies of <1.6 litres per 100 km in the near term and 0.8-1.0 litres per 100 km ultimately, without sacrificing safety or performance. This transition would require a shift from capital-intensive steel stamping to flexible, low-tooling composite moulding and a move toward direct-to-consumer marketing, potentially disrupting the existing industrial structure of the global auto industry.

• Ultralight hybrid-electric family cars can achieve significant fuel efficiency gains, with near-term targets of <1.6 litres per 100 km and ultimate potential of 0.8-1.0 litres per 100 km.
• The 'ultralight strategy' focuses on reducing aerodynamic drag, tyre rolling resistance, and vehicle mass, as these factors dominate energy use in urban and highway driving.
• Replacing steel with net-shape polymer composites can drastically reduce vehicle mass and production costs by eliminating expensive tooling, reducing part counts by up to 100x, and cutting assembly labour by 10x.
• Switched reluctance drives are identified as a superior traction motor option due to their high efficiency, low cost, and ability to operate without gears.
• The transition to supercars could fundamentally alter the automotive industry's economic structure, moving from massive, capital-intensive assembly lines to flexible, small-scale production and direct-to-consumer sales.
• Existing automakers face significant cultural and financial barriers to this transition, including a 'steel-stamping culture' and the burden of enormous sunk costs in obsolete tooling.
• To accelerate the adoption of supercars, the authors suggest public policy interventions such as 'feebates'—revenue-neutral fees on inefficient cars that fund rebates for efficient ones.

APA

Lovins, A. B., Barnett, J. W., & Lovins, L. H. (1993). Supercars. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_T93-10-Supercars-The-coming-Light-Vehicle-Revolution.pdf

Chicago

Lovins, Amory B., John W. Barnett, and L. Hunter Lovins. Supercars. RMI, 1993. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_T93-10-Supercars-The-coming-Light-Vehicle-Revolution.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lovins |first1=Amory B. |last2=Barnett |first2=John W. |last3=Lovins |first3=L. Hunter |title=Supercars |publisher=RMI |date=31 March 1993 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_T93-10-Supercars-The-coming-Light-Vehicle-Revolution.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lovins1993supercars, author = {Lovins, Amory B. and Barnett, John W. and Lovins, L. Hunter}, title = {{Supercars}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {1993}, month = mar, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_T93-10-Supercars-The-coming-Light-Vehicle-Revolution.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }