PegasusWing's Blog

Great post! I agree.

...the 2001 Saturn SL with a 1.9 liter/5 speed manual transmission got 36 mpg highway and was discontinued in 2002 due poor sales in ...as I always say , they build them but YOU don't buy them , why would GM or anyone els continue to try and push higher MPG cars when the market keeps asking for more horse power !

Last weekend, WMFE PBS Channel 24, had a special on vechicles and new technology. GM representatives ststed that current lithium battery is the only thing holding them back on saling a rechargeable vechicle, as stated they want tgo sale a product with a minimum 10 YEAR SERVICE LIFE. That's an important issue for the consumer in reguards to affordability and the enviroment. There is a new team in the Mid-West taht has a carbon fiber composite car designed and a prototype up and running. Fourteen major carbon components make up the entire frame and it requires absolutely no robotics, or extensive and expensive assembly line to manufacture. The manufacturer states that the power consumed by a present day automotive AC compressor will be enough to propell this 5- passenger vechicle down the road at current posted highway speeds. Not all of the technology is in place, but even if it were, it has to be affordable and desireable by the masses to have any real effect. RNC is correct about the market as well. Ford wouldn't be able to sell 500 hp Cobra Mustangs if it weren't true, both GM and Dodge are following suit with retro 70's vechicles and high output engines. What about Daimler's 700 hp Maybach ? I 'll keep my 4.6 L F-150, but will get either a small motorcycle or 4cyl vechicle to cut my gas consumption on the daily driving. In years past, the abundance of cheap gas, made mass rail transit something that was neither desired or cost effective. I really don't believe either of those hurdles has been conquered yet either.

...I don't think scooters count , but I do have three of them myself . My favorite is the “Pukka” I have two of them and do run short trips with them ...but as far as a true EV that can replace any of my cars I have seen nothing ! ..what I can't figure out is that with all the money that is spent on EV's nothing ever changes not one that I have seen has anything under the hood that could not have been built in 1968 brush type motors and frames that are not strong enough to pass highway safety certification.
In a “nut shell” 6.8 pounds of gasoline contains 39,000 watts or 5,735.2 watts of power while a good quality modern battery weighs 70 pounds and contains 70,000 watts or 1,000 watts of power : ) LOL
And don't even get me started on “usable power” ....you can't use all the power in a battery but gas is good to the last drop !