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Originally Posted by thecoalman View Post
Assuming you are stuck in the snow and out of gas the smaller vehicle would be preferable simply because it will retain more heat.
But if you were driving an SUV or Pickup with 4X4 or AWD, with proper winter tires, you would not be stuck in the snow. Anyone that runs out of gas, only says they do not have enough sense in winter time conditions to look at their gas gauge and not let if run out of gas. I have not ever ran out of gas.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Really, would anyone select their car based on how much heat it retains when running out of gas in the snow? Seems ridiculous to discuss, but if retaining heat is important, the inside of a pickup is going to be better than a small car. Not much more volume, but thicker doors, and a bigger engine so more heat retained longer in the heater core.
Really, would anyone select their car based on how much heat it retains when running out of gas in the snow? Seems ridiculous to discuss, but if retaining heat is important, the inside of a pickup is going to be better than a small car. Not much more volume, but thicker doors, and a bigger engine so more heat retained longer in the heater core.
Any gas shortage is a myth. There is a world glut of oil and no shortage of sources for it like your neighbor to the north from where 45% of USA's oil supply is imported most recently for only $10/bbl (less than the cost to produce). There is an oil crisis in Canada.Too much product in storage because there is no way to get it all to market.
My guess? Fracking is responsible for our low gas prices, and the industry is arguably headed towards collapse.
You don't have to guess, it is the reason why. US production has dramatically increased since about 2008 and that increase is driven by fracking. More oil on the market means lower prices, OPEC no longer has the influence it had in the past. The estimates on how much oil is available to be fracked are extraordinarily high and as the technology advances costs will come down. Link seems to be dead but here is cached version from Dec. 9th.
While oil shale is found in many places worldwide, by far the largest deposits in the world are found in the United States in the Green River Formation, which covers portions of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Estimates of the oil resource in place within the Green River Formation range from 1.2 to 1.8 trillion barrels. Not all resources in place are recoverable; however, even a moderate estimate of 800 billion barrels of recoverable oil from oil shale in the Green River Formation is three times greater than the proven oil reserves of Saudi Arabia. Present U.S. demand for petroleum products is about 20 million barrels per day. If oil shale could be used to meet a quarter of that demand, the estimated 800 billion barrels of recoverable oil from the Green River Formation would last for more than 400 years1.
Note the source, that is anl.gov... Argonne National Lab.
I’m 6’2†and fit in the Camry, the Corolla I did not.
I'm only 6 foot, I have Lacrosse, the one Shaq used to advertise. I don't think the length would be issue for anyone however the console is quite large and the width might be. The dash is also a little low, that might be an issue for some.
But if you were driving an SUV or Pickup with 4X4 or AWD, with proper winter tires, you would not be stuck in the snow.
What I was replying to was the OP said if they had to camp out in their vehicle overnight. While on the topic with the fold down rear seats in my Lacrosse I'm pretty sure I'd be able to stretch out fully if I slept at an angle. Car is reasonably good in the snow too.
If frugality is your goal, look at what you most frequently use your vehicle for. I drive my 2 seater 70-100mpg car with no passengers 95% of the time; most of the time I'm going back and forth to work. carrying a bag of tools, or picking up groceries. 4% of the time my girlfriend and I use her Fit to carry a 3rd passenger. 1% of the time we take the F150 to pick up a cord of wood or move a camper or something similar.
A 9 passenger mini-bus may have higher fuel economy per passenger if you fill the seats every day, but how do you actually plan to get to work?
I'd love to take rail to work and avoid driving entirely, but sadly there's no line directly from my house to the office.
Automobiles ARE convenient. But the cost is what is inconvenient. In fact there are huge costs associated with the automobile, pavement, petroleum, and all other requirements that are now showing up and demanding our future taxes to remedy.
In a possible future where the hegemony wasn't putting obstacles in the way of rail renaissance, the obvious answer is rail friendly development. In the past, suburbs were built by the existence of rail mass transit (streetcars). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetcar_suburb
In our new frugal future, where buildings do not move (much), arranging subways and streetcar routes to serve them is not that difficult. It was done 1890 - 1920, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist. In fact, many 'old fashioned' urban designs would welcome the relief of a rail system. (I grew up in a small town that was designed around a streetcar network, including 'odd' bridges necessary for dealing with the steep gradient of mountains. All the street widths were 'odd' because they had space for a central track, so there was never an even number of car lanes.)
In time, the mesh network will grow to cover the needs of the community. Until then, one interim measure is for employers to sponsor a company bus to connect to the closest transit stop(s). High passenger miles per gallon is still the goal. And with no other stops, the average speed remains high.
Similarly, high density housing might provide a community bus to and from the closest transit stop.
Hybrid short haul trucks can handle the distribution of goods from rail hubs to retailers.
Inconvenient? Perhaps. But when the country stops spending 24-28% of the GDP on transportation, and frugal rail drops your transportation budget by 85%, your wallet will thank you.
Automobiles ARE convenient. But the cost is what is inconvenient. In fact there are huge costs associated with the automobile, pavement, petroleum, and all other requirements that are now showing up and demanding our future taxes to remedy.
In a possible future where the hegemony wasn't putting obstacles in the way of rail renaissance, the obvious answer is rail friendly development. In the past, suburbs were built by the existence of rail mass transit (streetcars). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetcar_suburb
In our new frugal future, where buildings do not move (much), arranging subways and streetcar routes to serve them is not that difficult. It was done 1890 - 1920, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist. In fact, many 'old fashioned' urban designs would welcome the relief of a rail system. (I grew up in a small town that was designed around a streetcar network, including 'odd' bridges necessary for dealing with the steep gradient of mountains. All the street widths were 'odd' because they had space for a central track, so there was never an even number of car lanes.)
In time, the mesh network will grow to cover the needs of the community. Until then, one interim measure is for employers to sponsor a company bus to connect to the closest transit stop(s). High passenger miles per gallon is still the goal. And with no other stops, the average speed remains high.
Similarly, high density housing might provide a community bus to and from the closest transit stop.
Hybrid short haul trucks can handle the distribution of goods from rail hubs to retailers.
Inconvenient? Perhaps. But when the country stops spending 24-28% of the GDP on transportation, and frugal rail drops your transportation budget by 85%, your wallet will thank you.
Hybrid trucks cannot haul everything from the rail intermodal because there are more places than a retailer that comes through a rail intermodal You have steel coming by rail to be loaded onto a steel hauler to be delivered to a metal stamping plants or a steel slitting plant. You have new vehicles being delivered by rail to be delivered to dealers. What you are proposing will never happen in my lifetime because Diesel Semi Truck are the King of the road delivering everything we use.
Automobiles ARE convenient. But the cost is what is inconvenient. In fact there are huge costs associated with the automobile, pavement, petroleum, and all other requirements that are now showing up and demanding our future taxes to remedy.
In a possible future where the hegemony wasn't putting obstacles in the way of rail renaissance, the obvious answer is rail friendly development. In the past, suburbs were built by the existence of rail mass transit (streetcars). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetcar_suburb
In our new frugal future, where buildings do not move (much), arranging subways and streetcar routes to serve them is not that difficult. It was done 1890 - 1920, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist. In fact, many 'old fashioned' urban designs would welcome the relief of a rail system. (I grew up in a small town that was designed around a streetcar network, including 'odd' bridges necessary for dealing with the steep gradient of mountains. All the street widths were 'odd' because they had space for a central track, so there was never an even number of car lanes.)
In time, the mesh network will grow to cover the needs of the community. Until then, one interim measure is for employers to sponsor a company bus to connect to the closest transit stop(s). High passenger miles per gallon is still the goal. And with no other stops, the average speed remains high.
Similarly, high density housing might provide a community bus to and from the closest transit stop.
Hybrid short haul trucks can handle the distribution of goods from rail hubs to retailers.
Inconvenient? Perhaps. But when the country stops spending 24-28% of the GDP on transportation, and frugal rail drops your transportation budget by 85%, your wallet will thank you.
While I'm in 100% agreement with you that this would be a better way of doing things, how exactly are YOU going to get to work tomorrow?
It's one thing to armchair philosophize, and another entirely to do what you can that's within your means every day.
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I don't think the length would be issue for anyone however the console is quite large and the width might be. The dash is also a little low, that might be an issue for some.
