Carmakers Back Strict New Rules for Gas Mileage

[Mikey]

Looks like the "Big Three" have joined in the Obammunist conspiracy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/busin ... nted=print

Wonder if the Tea Potty will attach an amendment onto the debt ceiling requiring American carmakers to make more gas guzzlers.
Maybe even an Constitutional Amendment?

[Cuda]

The new shitboxes will average $9000 higher sticker price than the current shitboxes

Not that it matters, but only Gubmint employees will be able to buy those shitboxes anyway.

[smackaholic]

you still have that V-10 ford pickup eco-boy?

the automakers now know who their masters are and have become docile little cunts.

in a few years when the brownshirts are purged from gubmint, things may change.

just wish the feds would get with the rest of the world and make it attractive for more makers to pimp diesels here. we should have 80 mpg afforable little skateboard cars like the rest of the planet. instead we have ridiculously complicated rigs like the volt which relies on uncle sam bribing folks into buying.

there is another series hybrid out there coming along which i think will make more sense than the volt. it is the audi a1 etron. it uses a 15kw 250 cc rotary powered generator. this means it can be used as a pure EV most of the time without dragging around a very heavy lump of an ICE. the rotary generator is 9 inches in diameter and i suspect weighs under 100 lbs. don't know the actual weight.

the rotary ain't the most efficient motor out there, but has an awesome power/weight ratio. there are also folks out there toying around with micro turbines (TiVO sized jet engines) which i think will be the drivetrain of the future. they are very powerful for their weight and will run on just about anything.

[Mikey]

I know what microturbines are. They've been using them (or trying to) for small on-site distributed electrical generation (30 kW - 100 kW units) for 10 or 15 years. Unfortunately their dependability has sucked. It's hard to keep a 100,000 rpm shaft spinning straight enough not to cause catastrophic failure. I have my doubts that they will be any better in a car.

[mvscal]

Looks like the "Big Three" have joined in the Obammunist conspiracy.

The "conspiracy" is that Obongo is talking straight out his ass. All they have to do is nod their heads and say, "Yeah, OK. Whatever. We'll get right on that."

[R-Jack]

the industry’s meek acceptance of what are considered extremely challenging fuel-economy goals is a marked retreat from years past, when the companies argued that consumers would not be willing to pay for the technology needed to meet higher mileage requirements.

Total fucking bullshit.

How about scaling back the technology a tad. Shit, my best friend back in high school had a base '85 civic that got 50mpg and was able to reach highway speeds, even with four teenage retards hotboxing the back seat (his rules. No pot in the front seat). I swear even Chevy and Ford had commuters that could get into the 40's back then.

Nowadays, city folks get into a circle jerk if their faggoty two seat SmartCar gets 40 mpg. You can't tell me those little shitboxes are safer than an old Civic hatchback either.

So according to the big 3, consumers are not willing to pay premium prices for the technology needed to make high milage cars. Well no shit. Who would want to pay extra to replicate the technology of entry level tuna cans from 25 years ago.

[mvscal]

...there are only two cars on the road today that get more than 54.5 mpg — the all-electric Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt plug-in. So far this year,and despite a hefty $7,500 federal tax credit, sales of both cars have totaled just 7,000.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysi ... Motors.htm

Once again our stupid, fucked up niggger Pres__ent demonstrates his complete imbecility by forcing auto makers to build overpriced shit box cars that nobody wants to drive.

I wonder how big the subsidy is that he undoubtedly used to bribe them.

[smackaholic]

the industry’s meek acceptance of what are considered extremely challenging fuel-economy goals is a marked retreat from years past, when the companies argued that consumers would not be willing to pay for the technology needed to meet higher mileage requirements.

Total fucking bullshit.

How about scaling back the technology a tad. Shit, my best friend back in high school had a base '85 civic that got 50mpg and was able to reach highway speeds, even with four teenage retards hotboxing the back seat (his rules. No pot in the front seat). I swear even Chevy and Ford had commuters that could get into the 40's back then.

Nowadays, city folks get into a circle jerk if their faggoty two seat SmartCar gets 40 mpg. You can't tell me those little shitboxes are safer than an old Civic hatchback either.

So according to the big 3, consumers are not willing to pay premium prices for the technology needed to make high milage cars. Well no shit. Who would want to pay extra to replicate the technology of entry level tuna cans from 25 years ago.

rack.

thirty years ago we had all sorts of 40-45 mpg cars. of course, they didn't have power everything and 39 airbags.

with the advances is engine technology, similar cars should be getting 60 mpg. but that might mean actually having to reach over and roll a window down, or maybe use a bit of muscle to turn a steering wheel. and god fukking forbid anyone be asked to drive a car that can't get to 60 mph in under 10 seconds.

[smackaholic]

I know what microturbines are. They've been using them (or trying to) for small on-site distributed electrical generation (30 kW - 100 kW units) for 10 or 15 years. Unfortunately their dependability has sucked. It's hard to keep a 100,000 rpm shaft spinning straight enough not to cause catastrophic failure. I have my doubts that they will be any better in a car.

i did a little reading on micro turbines for car applications a short time ago. the writer of the article seemed to think the technology was very promising for auto use. i believe they were looking into using air bearings to deal with the very high speeds. i can see how it is a difficult problem when you factor in trying to get it to work in an application that has as much shock and vibration as an auto. until they perfect this, i think the rotary idea is a good one. you get very smooth power at a very light weight. i'd like to see someone try it with a small, maybe 500 cc v-twin. it's light and when the proper (non-harley) layout is used it is inherently balanced. not quite as smoove as a rotary, but pretty good. using a 1.4 liter 4 banger as a generator in an application where you might go monhts without actually using it is kinda stupid.