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Gumby
Fishnologist


Registered: 06/13/01
Posts: 26,656
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Capitalistic Nomad has a truck that runs on biodiesel. Or he had one a bout a year or two ago. It smelled like french fries when he turned it on.
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DNKYD
Turtle!

Registered: 09/23/04
Posts: 12,326
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Re: So who still wants a smart car? [Re: BiG_StroOnZ]
#10839346 - 08/11/09 12:34 PM (14 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
BiG_StroOnZ said: Not that hydrogen or even solar powered vehicles are bad alternatives, but they have (and had) cars that run on water; even a French company developed a car recently that runs on fuel (petrol) that can get 7,000 MPG.
That was from the Shell Eco-Marathon and it more than likely used a weed-whacker or model airplane motor. They have been doing these marathons for years now and have very little real-world value. Like someone else mentioned, they use fiberglass and carbon-fiber bodies, super light aluminum frames, and the tiniest engines. They can barely propel one human more than 15 mph. These are not cars, they are 21st century soapbox racers.
Oh, and the 7,000 MPG is not its true fuel efficiency. They extrapolate this figure from running on one liter of fuel around a race track. There is no way in hell you would get 7,000 MPG from these things in real world conditions. There are always a few folks who see 7,000 MPG in an article and get all "OMG WTF IT'S AMAZING!"
I assembled a team a few years ago when I was in college to build and race one of these things. It fell through because of lack of funding/materials/time/etc. It's fun to look at, but it is just a pissing match between universities and tech colleges. They aren't advancing fuel efficiency technology. They are simply piecing together different efficient techs we have known about for years and assembling these impractical go-karts.
Edited by DNKYD (08/11/09 12:42 PM)
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DeeGee
Insert Title Here


Registered: 06/25/09
Posts: 1,436
Loc: Sunny Southern California
Last seen: 2 years, 10 months
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Re: So who still wants a smart car? [Re: DNKYD]
#10839418 - 08/11/09 12:53 PM (14 years, 6 months ago) |
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My Corolla woulda been buttfucked in between those two semis too. 
Emissions have a lot to do with everything. Diesel, be it biodiesel or not, is dirty as shit.
God, I hate automobiles (but evidently not enough to stop using them). They're all a bunch of polluting death traps. Why must public transportation suck so hard? Bus transfers get old after four of them.
-------------------- DG
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BiG_StroOnZ



Registered: 04/19/06
Posts: 3,323
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Quote:
ThirdEyeOpening said: Considering that the vehicle was:
-running on fuel cells -made of a aluminum frame and fiberglass body -fully aerodynamic -probably never topped 20mph -and they extrapolated the data
id have to agree with Ferris.
The vehicle is the absolute most extreme of efficiency, not practicality.
I don't disagree that the concept of the vehicle isn't necessarily ready for production or that the design is meant for maximum efficiency and not practicality.
All I'm saying is these "prototypes" (if that's what you want to call them) allow people to see the "possibilities," and nothing more than that.
Quote:
DNKYD said: That was from the Shell Eco-Marathon and it more than likely used a weed-whacker or model airplane motor. They have been doing these marathons for years now and have very little real-world value. Like someone else mentioned, they use fiberglass and carbon-fiber bodies, super light aluminum frames, and the tiniest engines. They can barely propel one human more than 15 mph. These are not cars, they are 21st century soapbox racers.
Oh, and the 7,000 MPG is not its true fuel efficiency. They extrapolate this figure from running on one liter of fuel around a race track. There is no way in hell you would get 7,000 MPG from these things in real world conditions. There are always a few folks who see 7,000 MPG in an article and get all "OMG WTF IT'S AMAZING!"
That's not the point though, whether you feel that these designs are developed primarily for show. I still see the potential in a marathon like this, especially considering the level of corporate sponsorship involved.
This is a showcase to motor companies, that provides them with ideas for the future when the technology is available to use better materials - and obviously better engines. You cant wholeheartedly believe that nothing good came out of this event year after year. Just look at the rise in popularity with hybrid cars or even alternative fuel powered vehicles in general especially in the last couple of years.
Whether the 7,000 mpg is extrapolated or not, it doesn't change the fact that even in real world conditions the car would still get great MPG - especially in comparison to vehicles on the road today (driving 15-20 mph or not).
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