Insanity of today's automobiles

Automobiles of the past were built to be powered on petroleum that was once as cheap as water. But with petroleum becoming more expensive. Should we totally rethink the economics of cars?

In Melbourne, Australia, 1.3 million people travel to work each day in cars with an occupancy rate of 1.06. This equates into using 1,560,000 tonnes of machinery to transport 92,430 tonnes of people over an average distance of 11 miles. And that's using Mazda 3 weight as baseline. More and more people in australia are buying larger vehicles (4wd ) that weigh 50% more than that baseline.

Introducing Toyota I-Road. Weighing in at 300 KG (660 pounds). It is certainly one of the lightest concept vehicles being considered for production. Instead of using 1,560,000 tonnes of machinery to transport 92,430 tonnes of people in Melbourne. The I-Road would reduce that requirement from 1,560,000 tonnes down to 360,000 tonnes. A savings of 75%

Personally I feel that smaller cars like the I-road will eventually be mandated to reduce cost in energy, infrastructure and pollution. However to push that change now, should Governments introduce registration based on weight that offer people that buy I-road type cars, a 75% savings in registration costs over a standard sized car.

a reply to: glend

Small cars, motorcycles, and scooters are the way to go to alleviate congestion. The problem is that in countries like the US we have big wide open freeways. You would not want to be driving 75mph surrounded by SUVs in that little go kart.

I ride motorcycles.... it is like running with the bulls.

Unless there is a huge financial incentive, most people are not going to give up their large cars.

I get the benefits of these "smart cars", it's a right direction kind of thing.

However, personally, I would never get into one of these wheeled coffins unless everyone else had one too.

You get into an major accident in one of these, they will have to bury you in it.

As far as registration goes, I could see an incentive such as you suggest. Although, today it seems like where you were hoping that you might save by doing this, the government/energy companies just find another way to take that savings too.

Look at residential solar energy for an example.

a reply to: Edumakated

"It is like running with the bulls" - very clever description. The I-Road doesn't have safety features but formula 1 cars can withstand far more forces in crashes than automobiles (hit a wall at 150 mph etc) and they are just over 200% the weight of I-Road. So its something that technology can one day fix.

originally posted by: glend
a reply to: Edumakated

"It is like running with the bulls" - very clever description. The I-Road doesn't have safety features but formula 1 cars can withstand far more forces in crashes than automobiles (hit a wall at 150 mph etc) and they are just over 200% the weight of I-Road. So its something that technology can one day fix.

Formula 1 cars cost like $8 million to build.

But yeah, the tech could probably make some of those little cars safer. When riding a motorcycle in traffic you quickly realize what a soft little piece of tissue you are around cars. You are one dumb chick posting on instragram while driving away from being crushed.

The issue as someone above said is that eveyrone else needs to also be in small cars. Some housewife or commuter is not going to want to be in that little car surrounded by lifted Bro dozer SUVs.

a reply to: EternalShadow

"Although, today it seems like where you were hoping that you might save by doing this, the government/energy companies just find another way to take that savings too".

Yes governments don't like reducing any taxation's unless it benefits their parties outcome. But if society is wasting its energy on things that really benefit our lives, Shouldn't we try to enforce change.

a reply to: glend

Every day, I am faced with the annoying gluttony of giant suburbans looming out of parking spaces. You can't pull out of a parking space when a giant-ass SUV is parked next to you; parking spaces weren't even designed with these ridiculous vehicles in mind, and the things hang out of the parking space several feet. One has to inch out ever so slowly until they clear the unnveccesaey giant SUV.

And the thing is, I NEVER see families or groups in these things. It's always a woman coming from Whole Foods and on her way to yoga class and she doesn't even have kids. Yet she needs this big ass SUV.

I'm judging perfect strangers on their choice of vehicle to drive. That's probably not such a great thing to do. Doing it anyway, until I start seeing soccer teams flood out of these damn things after they overtake two parking spaces.

My sister will only drove SUVs. Her kids are grown and on their own, and her husband passed away two years ago. But yeah, she NEEDS all that extra space. 😒

a reply to: glend

Depends on where you live, I guess.

Personally I am never going to put myself in a position where I am in a 660lb car doing 75 mph and hit a 1,000lb elk.

I hit about one a year here... in a 9,000lb truck with a deer guard.

For the record, it hurts.

Then there are deer, bear, cattle, mountain sheep...

So no thanks.

a reply to: Edumakated

You have made valid points that I really didn't consider. I have ridden scooters in Bangkok, so less respectful, for personal safety. The cost for carbon fibre shell in formula 1 cars is exorbitant because its all done by hand. There has been advances in making carbon fibre parts in mass manufacturing here using presses.

Its still in its infancy but I suspect that carbon fibre, which is just a polymer, will eventually be cheaper than than steel one day.

a reply to: Edumakated

You would not want to be driving 75mph surrounded by SUVs in that little go kart.

For motorcycles and scooters. Not wanting to drive in the rain, when there is freezing rain, snow, or when it’s -20 degrees out. Not wanting to hit a deer, moose, armadillo, alligator, eagle, buzzard, turkey, duck, or being hit by a small car.

Forgot about pot holes, gravel roads, and dirt roads.....

So what actual use would this thing be.

Drive it to work ... um ... I have a briefcase ... it doesn't fit.

Go shopping ... um ... nope ... no place to put the groceries.

What actual use is it other than a toy.

P

First of all, you could never stop for groceries. A gallon of milk, a dozen eggs and a loaf of bread could make that thing unstable.

So... shop online, and have it delivered... by trucks... lots of trucks, delivering stuff to people; people with tiny, impractical cars.

I drive a Chevy Impala... a very solid car, great safety technology... and semis still make me nervous. Logging trucks on tiny mountain roads... downright scary, at times...

...a small Fed-Ex delivery truck would run over one of those things... like a rolling speed-bump.

Of course, Amazon would probably cover Fed-Ex's insurance claims, as long as their "Prime" deliveries arrived on time...

Technology hasn't solved the problems, of making tiny vehicles safe... it's simple physics. Sheesh, any one of our horses could kill that thing... or, tow it to a dump.

ETA: We own 2 SUVs. We live in the mountains, and run a small farm. We have brutal winters, that require 4WD. We drive them, when we have to.

a reply to: madmac5150

And then there is city driving to consider...



Not for me, thanks.

a reply to: KansasGirl

We are of the exact same mind. I actually have to stop myself from laughing when I see them trying to park their tanks in parking spots at shopping centre's. Some of them can barely see over the steering wheel so its a real struggle for them. I just put it down to ego. That they don't love themselves as much as they should. So they need something else to make them feel bigger. The bigger the SUV the bigger they feel.

a reply to: Lumenari

That's fair enough. I was really talking about city transport. I should have specified that point clearer.

People should be able to drive what they want. If you want a little smart car good for you. If you want a full size vehicle good for you. Leave people alone to make the choices that are right for them.

i drive two vehicles. an economic asian sedan, and an old suburban. One is on 300k miles, and the other is on 250k miles. they get 38mpg and 22mpg respectively. My old asian sedan gets roughly the same mileage as a new smart car does and is over a decade old, the suburban is over 20 years old. Now if you want to talk about things that are bad for the environment, getting a new car every 5 years (or often less) is higher on the list than driving an old suburban when I need it.

something that is neglected with these smaller vehicles is drag coefficient in relation to momentum. A small light weight car needs the engine to be constantly working harder than a somewhat heavier vehicle due to having to push through a relatively larger mass of air for the power it produces, resulting in diminishing returns when relating to driving on highways and efficiency.

delete

i don't know what happened there

a reply to: glend

All I thought was these, they can do 18mph/29kph, hardly new tech: