I just got back from Canada and there where allot of smart cars running around the city. These little diesel motorcars have a very small footprint, (over all size) they even have there own parking in some spots of the city. I didn’t have time to go the dealership. But I did talk with some of the locals many of them like the smart car but would never want to get into an accident with one. I saw many businessmen using them as run around town cars for making small trip inner city. Hope this type of car and technology can make it to America.
[QUOTE=Adam;44]Hope this type of car and technology can make it to America.
[/QUOTE]
As long as people keep buying large SUVs and driving with the “I’m bigger than you therefore get the hell out of my way or I’ll punt you” attitude it’ll never happen. If the cars DO catch on here, the freeways will look like this…
There is a fairly easy way to get gas hogs off the road if we have the will to do it. Put an additional $1/gallon gas tax. Use it to clean the air, improve roads, or since it is currently a hot topic fix bridges. Most of us cannot afford an additional $1/ gallon so we will switch to something that gets better mileage or off gas entirely. Those that can afford it will be paying for the repairs. You would have to have a tax exemption for those vehicles that have to use ICE (semis) but there is a precedence for this already(farm fuel is road tax free). If we would do this our mileage standards could easily catch up with Europe’s (I think that we are 15mpg behind now).
[QUOTE=Lazlow;671]There is a fairly easy way to get gas hogs off the road if we have the will to do it. Put an additional $1/gallon gas tax. Use it to clean the air, improve roads, or since it is currently a hot topic fix bridges. Most of us cannot afford an additional $1/ gallon so we will switch to something that gets better mileage or off gas entirely. Those that can afford it will be paying for the repairs. You would have to have a tax exemption for those vehicles that have to use ICE (semis) but there is a precedence for this already(farm fuel is road tax free). If we would do this our mileage standards could easily catch up with Europe’s (I think that we are 15mpg behind now).[/QUOTE]
Getting off gas entilry is a little difficult when nobody makes an electric car! (besides sports cars) let alone advertises to the masses…
It is a chicken or the egg type problem. No one will build it until they know someone will buy it and no one can buy it until they build it. We know from the EV1 that such a vehicle can be made. We also know that people like them (look at the reaction of those that had EV1s).
Those little “Smart” cars are all over the place here in western WA. Just saw one today on my way home, in Poulsbo. I even saw one flying (literally) down I90 east of the Cascades a few months back. I was doing about 85-90, just cruising in my Galaxie, and this thing went by at least doing 110.
If I had one, it would be a Diablo in short order.
But I’d have to be given one, I wouldn’t pay money for that thing.
Smart car??? in the 90’s the gas powered honda civics got 45mpg! If you wre trying to get great gas milage wouldnt you reduce drag? The roof line is way to tall!!! Vw has a golf diesel that is roomier and gets better gas milage.
Why does someone [B]always[/B] come up with the old “Tax em out” idea? The govt is receiving a larger windfall from high oil prices than the oil companies now. See them spending any significant amounts for electric or diesel vehicle development ? Until we vote for responsible representatives, who have real plans to improve our situations, we are going to have “business as usual”, meaning politicians who depend on Lobby groups for their financial support. Guess who the Lobbyists represent?
Yes, it certainly is a disappointment and a reflection on the ethics of our “leaders”, that the lobbyists, greedy politicians, and corporate “bottom liners” are running the show. Highway capable electric vehicles were just beginning to prove their worth and practicality until 2003 - when suddenly almost all of them were called back from their leases and destroyed. Were the benefits of EVs for the motoring public and for the environment considered? NOT IN THE LEAST!
Our govnt gave $200M to DaimlerChrysler to develop the EV car with the hydrogen battery (aka fuel cell) because it is an alternative energy car that has a guaranteed revenue stream for big business because you can’t easily make and store your own hydrogen to fuel it… I heard they gave others similar amounts.
Our EV’s don’t please big business (lobbyist) because we CAN make our own fuel - photovoltaic, wind, etc.
[QUOTE=voltsrus;3839]Yes, it certainly is a disappointment and a reflection on the ethics of our “leaders”, that the lobbyists, greedy politicians, and corporate “bottom liners” are running the show. Highway capable electric vehicles were just beginning to prove their worth and practicality until 2003 - when suddenly almost all of them were called back from their leases and destroyed. Were the benefits of EVs for the motoring public and for the environment considered? NOT IN THE LEAST![/QUOTE]
I am ordering a hwy capable vehicle. It will arrive middle of Sept. 08. It’s range will be 120 miles.
arb: I saw a program on Honda’s Hydrogen car. The third generation fuel supply showed them refueling using natural gas in the garage. Evidently they found a way to convert Natural Gas to Hydrogen and refuel the car in the garage. It’s still a fossil fuel.
voltrus:My car will be practical and useful. Except for the initial price.
mtngazer:Ditto
I am buying a car that is better than the Ev-1 and probably cheaper. Their making electric cars. Acpropulsion is making the eBox. 0-60 in 7seconds. Range of 120-150 miles. Quick charges. Sure it is 77,000 dollars but they are making them. Perhaps you mean from the ground up. My car is more entry level but is still 41,020 dollars as ordered. The 3 wheeler Aptera in CA is built from the ground up and has a range of 120 miles for sale to Californians only right now for 27,000 dollars. How come this thread mentions no one is building e cars ?:rolleyes:
If you can wait for about 2 or 3 more years, there should be several highway capable (long range, highway speed) EVs being offered in the $30,000 price range. Zenn, for example, has one in progress, and planned for release in late 2009, that is expected to have a range of 250 miles and a max speed of 80 mph. Nissan is also planning on producing an all-electric highway EV, and there are others.
[QUOTE=oneguycarco;3858]I am ordering a hwy capable vehicle. It will arrive middle of Sept. 08. It’s range will be 120 miles.
arb: I saw a program on Honda’s Hydrogen car. The third generation fuel supply showed them refueling using natural gas in the garage. Evidently they found a way to convert Natural Gas to Hydrogen and refuel the car in the garage. It’s still a fossil fuel.
voltrus:My car will be practical and useful. Except for the initial price.
mtngazer:Ditto
I am buying a car that is better than the Ev-1 and probably cheaper. Their making electric cars. Acpropulsion is making the eBox. 0-60 in 7seconds. Range of 120-150 miles. Quick charges. Sure it is 77,000 dollars but they are making them. Perhaps you mean from the ground up. My car is more entry level but is still 41,020 dollars as ordered. The 3 wheeler Aptera in CA is built from the ground up and has a range of 120 miles for sale to Californians only right now for 27,000 dollars. How come this thread mentions no one is building e cars ?:rolleyes:[/QUOTE]
the Smart Car still doesn’t get better mileage than the Prius, and the Prius is much safer. As gas continues to go up, i see smaller vehicles like this becoming the norm. Are there any safety features that can be retrofitted onto the Smart Car…roll bar, extended bumper, etc?
The Smart CDi gets 71 mpg - tell me how the Prius gets anything close to this ? Also, I take it you have never driven one - the Roll Bar is build into the car’s structure. The engineers at Mercedes-Benz did a great job of manking it solid in either the hard top or convertible.
Smart CDi, not available in U.S., says it gets 71 mpg (not verified), but that at diesel fuel prices, which in the U.S. runs about 20% more than gas. So, in order to match my 2008 Prius ( 60 mpg) the CDi would have to get 72 mpg. And the CDi is only a tiny two seater, compared to 4 seat plus 5th door & fold down seats on Prius. Also it is quite possible to run on electric only during in town errands with the Prius, which pushes gas mileage to 100 mpg ( actually more, but that as high as the scale reads).
I drove a CDi Smart car in Michigan. Yes, they get real world 72 mpg US. True, they are not currently selling them in the US, but has anyone actually asked Smart to sell them here ? The auto execs here think Americans don’t want such high MPG diesels…
In Michigan the diesel cost runs about 14% - 15% more than gas, but you also have FREE addatives you can dunk in your tank to make it about $2.40 / gallon (used ATF, used veggie oil, etc).
Your Prius is a plug-in ? Also not available in the US, so you are not beging genuine in the comment about the CDi being sold here either The clear advantage for the Smart CDi compaired to the Prius is for highway driving like I do - 80 miles highway each day to & from work. In the Prius as sold here, they batteries and motor are just extra weight and cost that does not add to the MPG but retracts it.
The clear advantage for the Smart CDi compaired to the Prius is for highway driving like I do - 80 miles highway each day to & from work. In the Prius as sold here, they batteries and motor are just extra weight and cost that does not add to the MPG but retracts it. 