PeakOil is You
The Pressurized Air Car?
Re: compressed air car
by The_Toecutter » Mon 28 May 2007, 05:28:29
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')ow would we structure the deregulation incentives? For example how many cars per year before an auto maker is moved to the "regular" category and subjected to regular regulation? What level of fuel efficiency to trade off for what level of deregulation? And how far do we want to go in terms of cutting back on safety standard related regulation?
Simple. So long as a company stays privately held(like AC Propulsion, Commuter Cars, UEV), they shouldn't ever be forced to face any of the regulations of companies that are publically traded(GM, Ford, VW, Chrysler, Toyota, ect.).
However, the current case is very far from this. AC Propulsion, a privately held company, is currently bogged down by the same regulations any major automaker would face, and then some! Our government literally expects a small sub $1 million a year company to be able to pay $40+ million for repeated crash testing and NHTSA/DOT/EPA/ect. approval. Their TZero literally has to be registered as a kit car to even be road legal. Companies like Mosler and Caterham have to sell their cars as kits in order to sell them at all.
This is no accident. In the 1970s, small car makers started propping up like crazy in the US when the Big 3 refused to meet consumer demand for fuel economy and performance in the same package. The solution of the major automakers? Lobby the government and regulate the small companies out of existence. Then there were the marginally improved foreign cars, just one incremental step ahead of the major US automakers. The solution of the Big 3? Reagan-era import restrictions and fees!
Both things in conjunction subsequently doubled the price of automobiles(when you adjust for inflation), virtually eliminated 3rd party competitors, legislated the affordable featherweight sports cars of generations past out of existence(see: http://www.mulhollandraceway.org/MHR/issues.html), and produced an atmosphere devoid of any meaningful competition.
And the ignorant rednecks blame Nader to this day.
The unnecessary felling of a tree, perhaps the old growth of centuries, seems to me a crime little short of murder. ~Thomas Jefferson
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The_Toecutter - Intermediate Crude
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Re: compressed air car
by kolm » Tue 29 May 2007, 09:46:24
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('The_Toecutter', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') do not see a single relevant spec where the Prius prevails. I do see a (IMHO mostly irrational) plaque stating that the A2 is "subcompact", which in some mysterious way is supposed to mean the Prius can be sold for more money.
The Prius does 0-60 mph in 10 seconds(compared to the 13 seconds of the Audi A2),
Irrelevant. I want from A to B, not burning rubber.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'h')as more passenger space than the A2(beating it out in rear leg room, head room, shoulder room),
I did not feel much difference. The only thing I noticed was the better oversight in the A2.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')has more trunk space than the A2(Prius has 16.1 ft^3 versus A2 at 13.8 ft^3),
I found 390l for A2 and 408l for Prius. It was recorded also that A2's trunk is better suited for really bulky stuff.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', ' ')
gets about the same fuel economy as the A2(Prius at 67.3 mpg imperial while gas A2 gets 56 mpg imperial! The 3L diesel does much better at 93 mpg imp but was very limited production),
You mean A2 3L was artificically limited in production? That's the first time I ever heard about this.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')and the Prius has a slightly higher price tag(Nevermind the ridiculous dealership markups on the A2, often pushing them past the £16k region).
Last time I checked it was 25k Euro for Prius, 20k Euro for A2 in Germany.
I'd say this is more than a slightly higher price; but maybe this is only Germany.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')hen no conspiration of any sort is needed to explain the absence of low-drag cars.
