Posted on 08/14/2005 2:26:28 PM PDT by BurbankKarl
Man, you must have been out the last two days. We drove this one all over the block. Some posters even got a bit testy.
I think I'm supposed to say somethign sarcastic here, but hey, if a car get get better gas mileage, I'm all for it.
With oil prices over $65 per barrel, every increase in mpg can result in big savings.
Yeah...but it only goes 5 MPH.
Give it a few posts and you'll find that some freepers have an irrational hatred of anything that improves fuel economy.
Oh, I see the headline has lost 170 mpg since last night.
I think we'll start seeing fleet vehicles using alternative fuels and engines. I read somewhere that UPS had ordered a bunch of hybid engine delivery trucks.
Hybrids are toys. I don't drive a toy.
"Give it a few posts and you'll find that some freepers have an irrational hatred of anything that improves fuel economy."
Indeed. I think it has to do with the fact that they work for the oil companies? Who would want a potential superior competitor, seriously?
By the logic of this article, my own car can get a million miles per gallon if I start at the top of a hill and coast down without turning over the engine and then only count the mileage while coasting. But what about the energy to get the car to the top of the hill in the first place? It's the same as the energy needed to precharge the batteries in these "high mileage" plug in hybrids.
TANSTAAFL
Yesterday the AP had it at 250.
Must be some tweak.
The big question would be things such as top speed on road trips, climbing hills and endurance. A former professor of mine spent time posted in New Zealand during the energy crisis of the 1970's. He said the local cars (all imports, about 50% of them American) all averaged 10 mpg or better than their counterparts in America simply because the motoring public demaded it and because the competition from the Japanese was keen.
This was at the same time the American car manufacturing industry claimed said mpg ratings were technically impossible to acheive.
What separates me from a lot of conservatives is that I think government does have a check and balance role to play in fostering competition and encouraging corporate responsibility. The trouble comes not because government has or should have no role, but because the role they play is often to do exactly the opposite.
Democrats are fond about speaking about corporate greed and irresponsibility-- but some of the greediest and most irresponsible activty took place under Clinton when national security was sacraficed on the altar of free trade (or to boost campaign contributions from the ChiComs).
I'd also rate Teddy Roosevelt as one of our ten best presidents because he was the first to use the power of government to curb the monopolistic predatory excesses of industries such as Standard Oil and meat processing.
Unlike morons like Pat Murray and Barbara Boxer who clog the hall of congress today, those in TR's time actually had some understanding of the way business worked and could play a role in minimalist regulation and guidance. Malcolm Baldridge, Commerce Secretary under Reagan, certainly provided some leadership in the right direction with the carrot approach. I beleive proper leadership could do the same in fostering a reduction of energy consumption through improvements in mpg technology.
If the car relies on more batteries how does the design fit with RoHS regulations? I'm all for getting as much out of a fuel as possible but there are always trade offs. Gasoline is by far the cheapest fuel that is generally available anywhere you go.
IMHO all the fuel problems we have are man made obstacles. We limit refineries, exploration, drilling and place ridiculous mixture formulas regulations on the entire industry. Then the futures market runs wild with it driving the price up even more.
On the other hand, any alternative fuel that expends more energy to produce than the fuel it provides is destined to fail. It's like selling a product at a loss and claiming you will make it up in volume.
It goes beyond just hybrids. You should read the threads where someone mentions the word "bicycle". It gets insane.
And can only do 45 mph and takes 2 minutes to get there. I have to pass the same one every day. Useless. Kids car.
The beauty of electricity is that we don't HAVE to burn fossil fuels to get it. The greenies just about ran nuclear out of business, but I think it's high time that we started building more nuclear reactors and freeing ourselves from consumable dependancy.
A stone stock Harley Sportster gets 60 mpg, will run rings around most cars, parks anywhere, turns around in a 1 lane road without touching the ground, turns the head of any red blooded American, and will still be lusted after when it's 10 years old....and they've been making the Sportster since 1957, and it's not even the best Harley.
It doesn't get better gas mileage. Think about it. He charges the batteries from his outlet. He's not get the extra miles from the gasoline, he's getting them from the natural gas, coal, protons, etc. that is energizing his house. Most certainly at less efficiency.
By this logic one could push their car to work, drive it home, and thus double their mileage.
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