I suspect the US auto industry and the US oil interests have kept the best innovations out of our cars. China has greater motivation for efficiency.
No, as one Engineer on a vaulted high profile project noted to me, we don't give money to these guys to fail, we give it to them to succeed. Ergo look at all the money thrown at Ballard Power Systems Fuel Cells and the Big three have nothing to show for it.
Also, I followed a specific techology for years, I mean like 20 years. I finally got to me some guys that tested it eons ago and I got to ask Why didn't the big three go for it? It was not do it it's performance it was good, but possibly not worth the extra price and their was packaging contraints that killed it.
Other killers are real reliability. So much more to going from a Proto in the Science Magazines to serial rate production with real world Six Sigma ( now ) reliability.
Of course they have. Why, Exhibit A is the 100 mpg carburetor, whisked off to oblivion.
Or was it the 100 mph carburetor?
Ah, small difference anyway.
/sarc and :)
I suspect the US auto industry and the US oil interests have kept the best innovations out of our cars.
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I’ve told this story a few times because it needs to be remembered ... in the early 1970’s when emissions were becoming important to engineers and the EPA we had GM/Ford/MoPar all complain and moan that the 1975 standards would be IMPOSSIBLE to meet... their “solution” was leaned out a/f ratios , and changing cam timing on existing engines ... not a BIT of innovation ...
HONDA , new to automobiles took a 1973 Caprice 350sb/4bbl/turbo350 car and developed a new set of 4v heads for it ... took the power and fuel economy up about 50% (200+hp and 20+mpg) and passed 1975 emissions without a catalyst and with great drivability ,,, they gave it as a gift to GM ,, EXPECTING PRAISE AND A THANK YOU ... you can find references to this in period copies of Car and Driver (or maybe Motor Trend) ,, and maybe a reference or two on the internet (last I checked a few years ago)
The bottom line is that Detroit could have advanced much farther and faster than they did ... they had things like high pressure fuel injection in the 1950’s (which is now used in direct injection systems) ... they STILL don’t build a car with systems integration like the Europeans ,, their only claim to fame is CHEAPNESS and LARGE SIZE...