How Fuel Efficient Should Your Car Be?, continued

"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction) 12/24/2013 at 07:00 • Filed to: None

1

16

Comes down to personal freedom versus civic responsibility versus public shaming. You are free, in the U. S. of A., to buy whatever massive and gas-guzzling vehicle you choose to get yourself from point A to point B (or to let sit idling in your driveway all day long, if that's your thing). However, certain behaviors might raise the ire of your fellow man (or woman

).

I'm guessing all the hate that the Hummer brand got, deservedly or not, meant fewer people ended up buying them than would otherwise, as some people do care what other people think of them. Conversely, I'd argue that some people that buy Priuses do so for the environmental awareness "honor badge" that comes along with it (if you doubt this, see the Civic Hybrid's sales numbers - it looks far too much like a normal Civic to garner sales from the "look at my hybrid" crowd).

This same desire for public acceptance factors in to the way most people wear pants when they leave the house.

If we were all just looking out for our fellow humans, and animals, and plants, and Mother Earth, we'd all be riding the bus or our bikes to work every day. I think each human should allow each other human a certain allowance to enjoy the things that make them happy in life. If part of my happiness in life involves burning hydrocarbons in a slightly accelerated manner than most, please understand and accept this. Thanks.

Original discussion here: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/24/2013 at 07:10

0

That video does nothing other than make me want to physcially hurt her.

davedave1111 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/24/2013 at 07:19

1

Thing is, cars can be fuel-efficient and still fun. The problem is all the useless metal we carry around to protect us from crashes with much larger vehicles, and the insistence that every car must be capable of a high-speed cross-country run.

If we had segregated lanes for light commuter vehicles you could drive to work in something that weighed less than half a ton, with the handling and fuel economy that would go with that.

Reigntastic > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/24/2013 at 07:54

3

I do my part by keeping a perfectly good MR2 out of a scrap heap, and that does far more for the environment than any lithium sporting hybrid will ever achieve.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > davedave1111 12/24/2013 at 08:10

0

I'm with you on the small, narrow, light and fun commuter car front, Dave (if that is your real name...) My last car was an '05 Mazda 3s hatch, and I had a blast flogging that thing around town for 7 years.

Right now, I've got "one car to do it all" and I love it, but I'd be very open (if funds and wife complied) to having a much smaller, lighter and more efficient commuter to go along with it. I look forward to seeing what other carmakers build to compete with the 86 twins.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Reigntastic 12/24/2013 at 08:11

3

Word. RE-USE , reduce, recycle.

Don't get me started on Cash for Clunkers...

davedave1111 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/24/2013 at 08:15

0

A Mazda 3 is so much heavier than a car for that job needs to be, though. All I want is three or four wheels, maybe 100ccs of engine, and enough plastic to keep the wind and rain off. Plus somewhere to drive it I won't be run over by a truck.

And if we get down to something that basic, and put it in mass production, we'd be looking at a price-tag comparable to 100cc motorbikes and so-on - say $1k for the cheapest, $3k for a more expensive one.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > davedave1111 12/24/2013 at 08:29

0

Three wheels bad, generally (exception: http://www.carver-technology.com/about_us.htm )

For pure commuting, I agree, but I was moving kids and dogs very regularly with it also. Nowadays, 2800 lbs is relatively light, but that's a pretty sad statement about the tanks that most of us are driving around in.

Here's the hard truth: there's not going to be a dedicated lane for anything like this any time soon, so whatever is going to succeed needs to work with the roads as they are now, and have a level of safety built in so you won't be crushed when that truck inevitably turns into you. Safety = weight = more power to accelerate in a safe manner. I think it can definitely still be done within 1000 pounds.

I want to see it happen, though. As an enthusiast, I want options.

If it doesn't, maybe I just need to look into making an Elise my daily.

davedave1111 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/24/2013 at 08:39

0

Even for moving kids and dogs in town, you don't need a car that does 70+mph and can protect you in a crash at those speeds. Double the weight, have a 250cc engine :)

And I agree, it's a radical solution that no-one's seriously contemplating right now. But it would work. In a way it's what some European countries have with cycleways and so-on, but expanded a little - most of them allow mopeds and motorised quadricycles in bike lanes already.

In the US, it would have to work a little differently, but it could still work. If you take one or two lanes off a regular six or eight lane highway - separated by Jersey barriers - you could make at least twice as many light-vehicle lanes. If they were in full use, they'd take so many cars off the road that the rest would flow freely.

JR1 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/24/2013 at 08:41

1

I wonder if that fat bitch realizes that her wonderful little Prius creates more pollution making the damn thing then that hummer will ever produce in a life time of service? I'd love to find her and tell her off, I hope the video goes viral so she's embarrassed and can't show her face in public

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > davedave1111 12/24/2013 at 09:02

0

I wonder what percentage of Americans have a commute that's purely in-town (although a 50 mph hit is still a major hit). Mine is half on the highway, and we used it for many trips the years I had it, too.

The infrastructure is a challenge, but convincing people they should own more than one vehicle to serve all their transportation needs is also a major challenge.

Advances in lightweight materials and efficient power production are the real way of the future. And (gasp) autonomous personal transporters. I welcome this last one, actually, assuming it keeps all these shuttles in the slow lane.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > JR1 12/24/2013 at 09:07

1

I thought it had already, but only 180k views.

It's almost too easy and stereotypical an example, but it is real life. I'm sure there's plenty of photos and videos of guys in gas-guzzlers being proper a-holes as well...

Merry Christmas everyone, and remember,

davedave1111 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/24/2013 at 09:17

1

Well, I'd really like to see light-vehicle lanes everywhere. The question isn't really about urban or not, but about the distance. Most people, even out of town, don't live more than twenty miles away from work. Obviously there is a large minority of exceptions, but it's still true of most - and that large minority probably live in places with no traffic anyway. Twenty miles at 30mph takes 40 minutes, which is OK for a commute, and probably better than what most people get right now.

I also agree that convincing people to own a commuter vehicle is a challenge, but it's one that gets a lot easier if the commuter vehicle costs a couple of thousand bucks. If it's practical enough for a trip to the supermarket, people might even have it as their only vehicle, and rent a proper car when needed.

It's definitely a hard proposition to sell, but consider the benefits of a safe $2k commuter vehicle which would do 100mpg easily: it would get you to work quicker, and it would pay for itself in no time just on fuel savings.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > davedave1111 12/24/2013 at 09:38

1

Let's make it happen.

My current commute is only 12 miles, but I really like driving, and I like using my time efficiently. I doubt if I'd be willing to double my 20-30 minute commute, and give up a couple blasts to redline on the entrance ramps, in order to sit in stop-and-go traffic on side streets.

I look forward to driving my car every morning and every afternoon as I leave work. It's an hour of my day that, regardless of anything else going on, puts a smile on my face. If a $2k commuter vehicle can manage to do that for me, I'll be one of the first in line.

wkiernan > JR1 12/24/2013 at 10:25

0

I wonder if you are aware that the claim about Priuses making more pollution that Hummers is completely bogus ? Not only does the study on which this claim is based assume a Prius will only be driven for 109,000 miles before being scrapped while a Hummer H1 will go 379,000 miles before retirement, but it also says it costs what they call "an energy equivalent average" of $119,000 to recycle an ordinary car, and $140,000 to recycle a hybrid car. Only Heaven knows what "an energy equivalent average" means in that context, but we do know that it can't possibly mean it costs $119,000 to recycle a car, because if it did, obviously no one would ever recycle any cars.

davedave1111 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/25/2013 at 07:58

0

"I doubt if I'd be willing to double my 20-30 minute commute, and give up a couple blasts to redline on the entrance ramps, in order to sit in stop-and-go traffic on side streets."

Not sure I'm quite following you.

"I look forward to driving my car every morning and every afternoon as I leave work. It's an hour of my day that, regardless of anything else going on, puts a smile on my face."

Do you have a commute that doesn't involve sitting in traffic? I used to enjoy biking to work just because it was so satisfying to be passing all the stationary traffic, but I hate, hate, hate being one of the ones sitting there in a jam.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > davedave1111 12/30/2013 at 08:09

0

My commute is ~2 miles country roads, ~6 miles freeway, and ~4 miles city roads. The enjoyment of my drive does lessen as I get closer to my office, as traffic and stop lights increase. Traffic is hardly ever terrible, but on the way home, those first few miles can back up and be frustrating. Getting on the highway alleviates what would be another 20 minutes of traffic on city streets.