This dude built a car that gets 105 miles per gallon. He spent a year working on it as a hobby, and it cost him a total of $2500. Isn’t it amazing that big car companies can’t seem to do it? Anyway, I checked out his website, and he seems very cool. He’s giving away the instructions for building it, non-patented, because he wants to share the information with the world. Some of the interesting ideas from his website include the fact that we need to be a bit more humble to let ourselves be transported around in something this geeky, and that we need to shift away from the idea that one car should be able to fulfill all our needs.
The weekend has been great so far. I did a headshot shoot on Friday that was fun and easy. I also did some crazy photos with Deb yesterday morning to promote her comedy stuff. We didn’t do a lot of planning. Improvising came in handy.
Big in Japan rehearsal was not bad. We only had four people show up, so it was a decent workout. We worked on scenework, which we haven’t done in a while. We’d been concentrating a lot on openings lately, and I think that paid off in last week’s show. I’m glad to see a return to some emphasis on scenes because that’s the meat of the show. After improv rehearsal, I ended up at an unexpected dinner, and then an unexpected party. Unexpected fun is the best kind.
Big car companies cant build a car like that. Not because of its technicality, but because of the market. Unfortunately, we (not just in north america) have been conditioned to be very demanding with the vehicles we buy, and something like that, regardless of geekiness, just wont do. No room for groceries and stuff! I think i’d rather have an encapuslated Segway. Hell, it doesnt even use gas! And at 40mph top speed? That isnt very practical for a road system like the one here in the US.
I think that this simple car is a great idea for a project, but I wouldnt want to be in it if another car (even the smallest ones like a mini) crashes into it. I think that it makes too many compromises in order to reach high fuel efficiency.
Can it be done? Of course, but the change is going to be gradual. For example, I think that in 2008, a law will be passes requiring all SUVs (and I think other cars) to make no less than 30mpg by 2012. Thats a 50% increase in efficiency in 6 years. But I think we arent far from seeing vehicles with the comodities of today with great gas mileage.
I know that this may sound as if I’m defending big car companies, but I’m aware that they (along with oil companies) lobby a hell of a lot in order to keep revolutionary technologies at bay. Have you seen that “documentary” called “Who killed the electric car?”
Yeah. That’s why I put in those two ideas from his website that we would have to accept before this could work. Reading the rest of his website will give you a better idea of what this concept is about. Sure, it’s not for everyone, but neither is a Nissan Altima or a Honda Civic. There are more than enough people interested in this to make it a viable commercial product. Like I said, he expresses the idea that our belief that one car should do all we need is holding us back. This thing would be perfect for running errands like grocery shopping or banking within the city, where traditional cars are overkill.
Your point about what people have been conditioned to expect is not really valid, because people can be conditioned to other expectations. It happens all the time.
Safety is a concern, but it doesn’t stop people from driving motorcycles or bicycles around, does it? I wouldn’t want to be on a motor scooter when it gets hit by a Mini, but people still ride motor scooters. A motor scooter doesn’t really go faster than 40MPH either.
It’s about seeing possibilities, rather than shooting them down with a limited viewpoint.
sounds awesome. mmm unexpected fun.
The photo is amazing. I love it 😀 It’s sort of a mix between what superkev does and what jen does. You’re preparing for her arrival? 🙂
You can view the ideas with a hell of a viewpoint and still shut them down. They dont necessarily have to go together. There’s a line to be drawn. Plus if it sounds as if I’m opposing that a car like this be put into production, then you are the one with a limited viewpoint of what I’m saying. I’m merely throwing possible reasons of why the car isnt being produced (and why mainstream wouldnt want it).
I do agree that things arent for everyone. In asia, there’s a huge market of extremely compact cars. They sell extremely well there, but not here. Why? Because its a different environment and what people want (and need) there isnt the same as what people need or want here.
You didnt understand what I meant by people being conditioned. You yourself agreed with this point, especially when comparing the life in France to the one here (with businesses closed so much). People here are much more demanding because they have been conditioned to think that they can and should get everything right away whenever they feel like it. People are conditioned to different things all the time, but as long as they are painted to be an upgrade. And typically its a matter of choice. Maybe you thought speed cameras were a downgrade, but you didnt have a choice, so you got used to them even if you disliked them.
How does this apply to cars? Well, first of all, the car you drive is a choice. A car that gets a zillion miles per gallon but has almost none of the luxuries, and safeties of the most common cars will be considered a downgrade, not an upgrade. Not even the best marketing slime could make that look like an upgrade, especially for mainstream people who already have cars.
The idea of this little car to use in the city is good, but basically means that people could have two cars: one for touring, and another one for city use. The concept of one car that can do both is much more tempting and not just from a business point of view. No need for extra storage, insurance, registrations, etc. And the concept of all-in-one isnt exactly limited to cars, either. Look at how cell phones and PDAs with those abilities are selling. Regardless of how stupid some of the things that people want are (like ringtones), it is the public that ultimately decides what products are available.
But I know that by now, you’re probably thinking “but this car isnt for mainstream like you’re talking about.” If thats the case, then you’re right. I think that there is a market for bare-bones things. There are lots of people who truly want a Point-A-to-Point-B car, cell phones that only make calls, and things of that nature.
So why cant big companies make a bare-bones car that not only gets a zillion miles per gallon but also has all safety standards? I cant tell for sure. I think that it could be because the market for people who want a barebones car is smaller than the market of people who buy the bottom-of-the-line models. A bigger question is why arent there diesel cars here in the US? A hell of a nice Audi with a supercharged V8 in Europe running on diesel and being driven extremely carefully got 40mpg. And being that most diesel cars own the living daylights out of hybrids like the prius (though not if limited exclusively to city use), it does seem to be a bigger mystery to me.
Ans as for motor scooters and safety…do you see them on the highway much?
So the idea of being humble and trying to steer away from a car that can do everything we want can be as nice as we want, but would you honestly turn down a car that actually can do everything you need it for? Great comfort, gas mileage, safety, and all tha jazz? Im sure you wouldnt, and neither would most people. So with that in mind, the concept is being driven and the envelope pushed. And it goes with what people want. Now that people want better mileage, more cars with better mileage are coming out of the production lines. People wanted more safety, so they stuffed cars with airbags. Luxury? GPS is now standard on a hell of a lot of vehicles, just to name one thing.
Still think my point of view is limited?
Yes, because you STILL haven’t understood my point at all. My point is that this is not a car to suit all your needs. It’s just like a motor scooter is not the kind of vehicle that can do everything you want it to. They’re still very popular though. Go figure…
I have a cell phone and a PDA and an MP3 player. Some people like to have separate things for separate purposes.
Not everyone is the same, and there are plenty of people out there to make concepts like this work. Different strokes for different folks.
i can just see it…
“oh come on, show me that drool! yess! yess!!”
kev, can you shoot me? not drooling though, please! 😛
😀 yes we should do a shoot. and i didn’t need to encourage her to drool.. she’s a natural 😛
So your point is that this little car is not for everyone. I clearly pointed that out many times. You also asked why big motor companies dont do it. I also showed the possibilities of why its not in production.
And here’s this. If that car is not for everyone, but for people who want a point-A to point-B car, then why would those people need to “be a bit more humble to let -themselves- be transported around in something this geeky?” If you already need and want a car like that, then you dont need to change a damned thing in your philosophy towards cars. Clearly that question was geared towards making that car more -gasp- mainstream than it is.
Yeah I give up on you… We’ll discuss it again in a few years 😛
NOOOOOOOO KEV! YOU’RE THE BROTHER TO FIGHT WITH IVE NEVER HAD!!