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Automotive News & Views Are automobiles a major cause of global warming?
6874 messages, Last post on Nov 30, 2009 at 2:04 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: iluvmysephia1 (Nov 16, 2008 12:27 pm) "As two data point comparisons, corner store prices RUG: 2.59, D2: 2.89 04 Civic 38-42 mpg =.06475 cents per mile driven 03 Jetta TDI 48-52 mpg = ..0578 cents per mile driven " OK they LITERALLY hate diesel, and that is only because it is (per example) 11% cheaper per mile driven. They have banned it, to constantly changing the standards so it is uneconomical to come on the market with anything less than hundreds of thousands and the logistic systems still controls the number of diesels that can hit the market? |
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it's totally new concepts, actually mind-blowing, to think all-electric is mind blowing. We have been spoon-fed Big Oil for so long it's preposterous. BTW-I just found out that it will only take 5 hours to fully re-charge the 2010 Pininfarina-Bollore B0. A 25km re-charge will only take 5 minutes. What's 25km's, about 16 miles, give or take a cactus patch or two?
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Replying to: iluvmysephia1 (Nov 16, 2008 12:52 pm) |
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based on what you've read about this little car and what you already know about how things work in the U.S., do you personally feel this car has a chance to be imported here? You don't think the Obama Administration is being lobbyied hard right now by the domestic carmakers, do you? And they don't have anything near as appealing as the Pininfarina-Bollore B0, do they? Let's just patiently watch and see how this thing blows up to Smithereens. Great rock band, The Smithereens, BTW. No, what d'ya think? Does this little car stand a chance coming to the U.S. I personally feel that it does stand a very good chance. I think the Obama Administration will handle this right and not overly tariff the Italian-French made all-electric car. Penny for each of your thoughts. I think that we have to pull our heads out and think about the future a little more intelligently. We can't pollute like we have and we can't depend on foreign oil like we have. This car is great, it answers those concerns and looks to be well-thought out in every detail. It is being built with a monitoring system watching over the battery packs, and the batteries are encased in steel. They've already thought out the safety issues with a battery-powered car, like a prudent car manufacturer should. It is expected to become available in Europe, Japan and even here in the good old US of A by late 2010, starting with an initial run of 2000 vehicles. In 2011, that number is targeted to increase to 8000 units, 11,000 in 2012 and 15,000 in later years.
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Replying to: iluvmysephia1 (Nov 16, 2008 1:25 pm) I do believe that Obama is beholden to the UAW as well as the other Unions in the Country. If they think it is a niche vehicle they may let it slide. I have gotten so used to disappointment with the EPA, nothing will surprise me. By contrast they let the Xebra in because it is not considered a car without 4 tires. So you can have the most unsafe vehicle on the road if it is considered a motorcycle. I drove the Xebra and I can tell you it is not a comfy quiet ride. It is about as basic as you can get. Crude would better describe it. And not cheap at $14k. |
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thank you for that input on safety. Very valid point. Pininfarina-Bollore don't spend too much time on their website touting the car's safety, they do mention, however, that it's going to handle well because of the center of gravity of the battery packs between the axles underneath. Safety looks to me to be an area of concern, but, upon reflection, look at cars like the Chevy Aveo, similar size, heck, look at the SmartCar! Huhh-huh...I just verified that the Pininfarina-Bollore B0 should make it in to the U.S. just fine. Look at how small the SmartCar is, it is, however, very well designed for safety, from what I've read. So, crash-testing is going to be interesting on this one. I put a lot of merit in that testing. BTW-only 2,000 B0's are coming in late 2010. I am going to research this thing to the hilt, gagrice. Stick with me on this one and we'll learn together. Your input is very much respected by me and valued greatly. Thank you! I've got that kid-in-a-candy-store feeling about this car, but my wife is going to be a very difficult sell on this. But, she didn't want our 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS, either, and I think she would admit that it's been a great compact car for the both of us. I can be a feisty Norwegian/English mix, oh yes I can.  If I want something I usually get it. Within reason, of course. This little car is well within reason. Humm...a Pink Floyd song just popped in to my head. Over and out, for this minute, anyway. Come on back now, ya hear?
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Replying to: iluvmysephia1 (Nov 16, 2008 2:14 pm)
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Replying to: kernick (Nov 17, 2008 5:33 am) Yes, I admit that this is, to some extent, simplistic and I'm sure we can all think of circumstances where you'd only survive a crash by being in a main battle tank or similar. However, I believe modern car design and materials have improved survivability rates in smaller vehicles tremendously. EU testing regimes certainly point to this. A question : What is the max permissable GVW, (i.e. fully laden weight), of standard American trucks ? Here in Europe it's 60 Tonne, (120,000lbs), but UK has deemed a national limit of 44 Tonne, (88,000lbs), to be appropriate for our islands roads and towns. From travels around USA I always regard your trucks as "huge" but that's mainly because mose seem to be of the "conventional" layout with all the mechanical gubbins under a bonnet, (sorry, hood), out front rather than the European norm of "cabover" style. This is all down to our strict overall-length limits which would preclude your long chassis tractor units from hauling anything but the shortest of trailers. Would be interested in seeing what the figure is.
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The following from Wikipedia: North America, For starters ..."The D.O.T. has established vehicle limits of: 102 inches wide, 13.5 feet in height, and 80,000 lbs gross weight. [2] These limits can be exceeded as individual states have the right to issue temporary oversize and/or overweight permits."... But wait: ..."The United States also allows 2-axle tractors to tow two 1-axle 28.5-foot (8.7 m) semi-trailers known officially as STAA doubles and colloquially as doubles, a set, or a set of joints on all highways that are part of the National Network. The second trailer in a set of doubles uses a converter gear, also known as a con-gear or dolly. This apparatus supports the front half of the second trailer. Individual states may further allow longer vehicles (known as "longer combination vehicles" or LCVs), and may allow them to operate on roads other than those part of the National Network. LCV types include: Triples: Three 28.5-foot (8.7 m) trailers; maximum weight up to 129,000 pounds (58.5 t). Turnpike Doubles: Two 48-foot (14.6 m) trailers; maximum weight up to 147,000 pounds (66.7 t) Rocky Mountain Doubles: One 40 (12.2 m) to 53 (16.2 m) foot trailer (thought usually no more than 48 feet) and one 28.5-foot (8.7 m) trailer (known as a "pup"); maximum weight up to 129,000 pounds (58.5 t) In Canada, a Turnpike Double is two 53-foot trailers and a Rocky Mountain Double is a 50-foot trailer with 24-foot "pup" Regulations on LCVs vary widely from state to state. No state allows more than three trailers without a special permit. Reasons for limiting the legal trailer configurations include both safety concerns and the impracticality of designing and constructing roads that can accommodate the larger wheelbase of these vehicles and the larger minimum turning radii associated with them. Most states restrict operation of larger tandem trailer setups such as triple units, the "Turnpike Double" (twin 48-53 ft units) or the "Rocky Mountain Double." (A full 48-53 ft unit and a shorter 28 ft unit) In general, these types of setups are restricted to tolled turnpikes such as I-80 through Ohio and Indiana, and select Western states. Tandem setups are not restricted to certain roads anymore than a single setup. The exception are the units listed above. They are also not restricted because of weather or "difficulty" of operation. The long-haul tractors used in interstate travel are often equipped with a "sleeper" behind the driver's cab, which can be anything from a small bunk to a rather elaborate miniature apartment. link title |
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Replying to: alltorque (Nov 17, 2008 8:16 am) Looks like the length varies between 53 and 57' feet and that rule is left to the states to decide.
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