Comments on: The Car That Will Save the Planet http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/creative-ideas/the-car-that-will-save-the-planet/ Increase Fuel Economy and Save Money at the Pump Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:23:46 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: tintamar http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/creative-ideas/the-car-that-will-save-the-planet/comment-page-1/#comment-62383 tintamar Sat, 01 Aug 2009 13:24:02 +0000 http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/?p=599#comment-62383 Brian, I don't remember exactly where I read these numbers (it was in a book, I could find it eventually), but here are some websites with numbers: http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2001/MarinaStasenko.shtml http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/campaigns/research/traffic cheers, tintamar Brian,

I don’t remember exactly where I read these numbers (it was in a book, I could find it eventually), but here are some websites with numbers:

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2001/MarinaStasenko.shtml

http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/campaigns/research/traffic

cheers,
tintamar

]]> By: JDP http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/creative-ideas/the-car-that-will-save-the-planet/comment-page-1/#comment-62381 JDP Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:49:50 +0000 http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/?p=599#comment-62381 Electric cars don't seem so green to me. sure they can rid us of our dependence on oil, but what about the mountain of used toxic batteries left behind? This is like saying nuclear power is green. Electric cars don’t seem so green to me. sure they can rid us of our dependence on oil, but what about the mountain of used toxic batteries left behind? This is like saying nuclear power is green.

]]> By: admin http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/creative-ideas/the-car-that-will-save-the-planet/comment-page-1/#comment-62379 admin Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:20:01 +0000 http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/?p=599#comment-62379 tintamar, Thanks for the comment. I think your stats on the number of cars -- both current and in the future -- are pretty interesting. Could you let me know where you got them? tintamar,

Thanks for the comment. I think your stats on the number of cars — both current and in the future — are pretty interesting. Could you let me know where you got them?

]]> By: tintamar http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/creative-ideas/the-car-that-will-save-the-planet/comment-page-1/#comment-62378 tintamar Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:50:50 +0000 http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/?p=599#comment-62378 Even if we'd have green bubbles as individual cars, they would still be individual cars. That means roads to maintain, numerous accidents, and a socialization process that starts with "get off my path". So a good part of the negative externalities of cars would still haunt us. And consider the problem on a global scale: in 40 or 50 years, the global car pool will increase by as much as 5-fold, thanks to the capitalistic model being exported worldwide. There exists about 800 million individual cars worldwide; in 2050, there will be 3 or 4 billion individual cars around. Whatever energy will propel these cars, it will take a whole lot of it. Forget about solar panels. We are talking nuclear energy here. The only solution I see is transit, walk and bicycle and (importantly) smart urban development. Even if we’d have green bubbles as individual cars, they would still be individual cars. That means roads to maintain, numerous accidents, and a socialization process that starts with “get off my path”. So a good part of the negative externalities of cars would still haunt us.

And consider the problem on a global scale: in 40 or 50 years, the global car pool will increase by as much as 5-fold, thanks to the capitalistic model being exported worldwide. There exists about 800 million individual cars worldwide; in 2050, there will be 3 or 4 billion individual cars around. Whatever energy will propel these cars, it will take a whole lot of it. Forget about solar panels. We are talking nuclear energy here.

The only solution I see is transit, walk and bicycle and (importantly) smart urban development.

]]> By: Dr. Paul A. Curto http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/creative-ideas/the-car-that-will-save-the-planet/comment-page-1/#comment-61482 Dr. Paul A. Curto Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:05:22 +0000 http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/?p=599#comment-61482 I must admit, the thought of the ultimate auto has crossed my mind a few times in the last 45 years since I learned to drive. While at NASA, I came upon some of the greatest inventors in the world today. One, Dr. Ruth Pater of Langley Research Center, invented a material, RP46 (the RP is for Ruth Pater) that has ten times the strength to weight ratio of steel and costs less than a dollar a pound. If you built a car out of RP46, replacing everything but the engine with the stuff, using RP46 panels, glue, castings, and clear windows, wheels, and tires, it would weigh less than 300 pounds. That's a full-size, 5-passenger vehicle. Couple that with a turbodiesel, initially powered with diesel fuel today, it would get about 200 MPG. Now, ultimately, we can power the vehicle with anything that burns in a diesel, including ammonia made from solar power. The emissions would be nitrogen and water. Ammonia-based diesels can be built today at 42% efficiency. What do you think? --Paul, retired NASA scientist I must admit, the thought of the ultimate auto has crossed my mind a few times in the last 45 years since I learned to drive. While at NASA, I came upon some of the greatest inventors in the world today. One, Dr. Ruth Pater of Langley Research Center, invented a material, RP46 (the RP is for Ruth Pater) that has ten times the strength to weight ratio of steel and costs less than a dollar a pound. If you built a car out of RP46, replacing everything but the engine with the stuff, using RP46 panels, glue, castings, and clear windows, wheels, and tires, it would weigh less than 300 pounds. That’s a full-size, 5-passenger vehicle. Couple that with a turbodiesel, initially powered with diesel fuel today, it would get about 200 MPG.
Now, ultimately, we can power the vehicle with anything that burns in a diesel, including ammonia made from solar power. The emissions would be nitrogen and water. Ammonia-based diesels can be built today at 42% efficiency.
What do you think?
–Paul, retired NASA scientist

]]> By: Amit Goyal http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/creative-ideas/the-car-that-will-save-the-planet/comment-page-1/#comment-61433 Amit Goyal Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:04:23 +0000 http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/?p=599#comment-61433 I think the Solar Car can be the best answer to the pollution and other Environmental changes. We must get together and spread awareness among the people regarding the environment.we can save the environment only if All the people understand this big problem. I think the Solar Car can be the best answer to the pollution and other Environmental changes.
We must get together and spread awareness among the people regarding the environment.we can save the environment only if All the people understand this big problem.

]]> By: Smart Ed http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/creative-ideas/the-car-that-will-save-the-planet/comment-page-1/#comment-61432 Smart Ed Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:23:46 +0000 http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/?p=599#comment-61432 Businesses and organisations across the UK are using the new electric smart ed in one of the car industry’s biggest carbon neutral test programmes. Over the next four years the electric vehicles will be operated using only ‘green energy’ – electricity generated from renewable sources. From manufacture to delivery and on to final operation, the ultimate objective has been to create a virtually carbon-free car. The car has a maximum range in excess of 70 miles and can be fully charged from empty in eight hours and partially charged from 30 per cent to 80 per cent in 3.5 hours. With a top speed of 60mph (electronically limited), and acceleration from 0-30mph in 6.5 seconds. Smart are running a market trial with selected blue chip companies who are happy to meet their requirements to power the cars using only renewable energy sources. Among the partners already enrolled in the trial are The Urban Splash, Islington and Coventry Councils, Foster & Partners, CarbonNeutral Company, EDF Energy and Amey. Businesses and organisations across the UK are using the new electric smart ed in one of the car industry’s biggest carbon neutral test programmes.

Over the next four years the electric vehicles will be operated using only ‘green energy’ – electricity generated from renewable sources. From manufacture to delivery and on to final operation, the ultimate objective has been to create a virtually carbon-free car.

The car has a maximum range in excess of 70 miles and can be fully charged from empty in eight hours and partially charged from 30 per cent to 80 per cent in 3.5 hours. With a top speed of 60mph (electronically limited), and acceleration from 0-30mph in 6.5 seconds.

Smart are running a market trial with selected blue chip companies who are happy to meet their requirements to power the cars using only renewable energy sources. Among the partners already enrolled in the trial are The Urban Splash, Islington and Coventry Councils, Foster & Partners, CarbonNeutral Company, EDF Energy and Amey.

]]> By: fuel additives http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/creative-ideas/the-car-that-will-save-the-planet/comment-page-1/#comment-61430 fuel additives Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:39:04 +0000 http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/?p=599#comment-61430 If they can make an electric car that can go the distance it would be great. But I think the biggest drawback to these cars right now is that they can't go very far. If they can fix that, they will be more viable. If they can make an electric car that can go the distance it would be great. But I think the biggest drawback to these cars right now is that they can’t go very far. If they can fix that, they will be more viable.

]]> By: Jason Li http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/creative-ideas/the-car-that-will-save-the-planet/comment-page-1/#comment-61429 Jason Li Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:21:59 +0000 http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/?p=599#comment-61429 I think the true transportation solution is no car at all. It still takes resources to build the vehicle, no matter what energy they run on. It also takes many resources to build and maintain the transportation infrastruture (gas stations and roads). For an efficiency standpoint, I think the true solution is public transportation and shared vehicles when there is a need for personal vehicle. High density developments decreases the need for transportation. I think California is heading in the right direction by discouraging sprawl based developments. I think the true transportation solution is no car at all. It still takes resources to build the vehicle, no matter what energy they run on. It also takes many resources to build and maintain the transportation infrastruture (gas stations and roads).

For an efficiency standpoint, I think the true solution is public transportation and shared vehicles when there is a need for personal vehicle.

High density developments decreases the need for transportation. I think California is heading in the right direction by discouraging sprawl based developments.

]]> By: Paul Kemp http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/creative-ideas/the-car-that-will-save-the-planet/comment-page-1/#comment-61427 Paul Kemp Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:50:46 +0000 http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/?p=599#comment-61427 The major problem with this is that you've still got all these individuals spending a good part of their day running around in their personal exercise-avoidance machines, much of it for unnecessary errands. You must maintain a growing network of roads for these cars. What are you going to build roads out of? Concrete or asphalt? We need to get back to a situation, IMO, where we can walk to work or bike. Stop trying to maintain a dehumanizing giant cityscape of concrete. Clean cars could help us transition, but let's not get locked in to building a huge new infrastructure to enable us to get lazier and fatter than we already are. James Kunstler says it best. Check him out. The major problem with this is that you’ve still got all these individuals spending a good part of their day running around in their personal exercise-avoidance machines, much of it for unnecessary errands. You must maintain a growing network of roads for these cars. What are you going to build roads out of? Concrete or asphalt?

We need to get back to a situation, IMO, where we can walk to work or bike. Stop trying to maintain a dehumanizing giant cityscape of concrete.

Clean cars could help us transition, but let’s not get locked in to building a huge new infrastructure to enable us to get lazier and fatter than we already are.

James Kunstler says it best. Check him out.

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