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Same people control it, it isn't to their financial benefit. That is why these inventions are continuously shelved. Happens over and over. Same players. However, I expect this to change in the next few years. There are people working for major corps, like Honda, that want to know what happened to tech they worked on with their own eyes for years and never heard about again. What Ever Happened to These Honda Energy Breakthroughs?
"Equipped with a single-barrel Holley carburetor, gas mileage was touted to be in the range of a little under 30 miles per gallon for city driving and a little over 30 for highway cruising." HowStuffWorks "1960 Ford Falcon"
Efficiency comparisons using passenger-miles per gallon strickland.ca - transportation energy efficiency (fuel consumption)
[] Max efficiency:
Mode .... Passenger-miles per gallon Rail ....2000
Trolleybus ....750
Tesla Roadster ....328 Diesel bus .... 280
Toyota Prius .... 240
Scooter cycle .... 150
Ford Explorer .... 100
[] Typical efficiency:
Mode .... Passenger-miles per gallon Rail ....600
Trolleybus .... 290
Tesla Roadster .... 246 Diesel bus ....78
Scooter cycle .... 75
Toyota Prius .... 72
Ford Explorer .... 21
Fuel-Efficiency - CSX
CSX trains (diesel-electric) averaged 468 miles per gallon per ton. (ton = 2000 lbs.)
.... 2012 Ford Focus 2.0L 4-cyl. FFV 5-speed Manual True Cost to Own
$31,115 over five years is the "true cost to own" that Ford Focus.
$6,223 per year.
Scale accordingly for a larger vehicle.
...
In 2012, 30-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard on NYC mass transit - Cost: $104, reduced fare $52
(per annum = $ 1248 / $ 624)
...
Bottom line - for a finite fuel budget, you can move more cargo and passengers via rail.
It will cost far less over the long run to use rail than other forms.
The cost to maintain rail infrastructure is far cheaper.
It is more durable, and long lasting.
Rail very well might be the most efficient when measured in a vacuum--I wouldn't doubt it at all. In the real world, passenger rail is usually owned and operated by a government agency, which tends to cause costs to skyrocket. In the case of wheeled vehicles, big segments of the operation can be privatized--everything from management of a fleet to maintenance to marketing. With wheeled vehicles, the only aspect that is not amenable to privatization are the roads and bridges.
Hence the study that I cited earlier, where the cost per passenger mile for rail was $5.39, while for van pools it was 20 cents.
In the past 50 years, huge advances have been made in electronics/ data (internet, Iphone, etc...), health/ medicine... but travel by car/ train or plane is almost the SAME as 50 years ago.
Lets just say for example you commute to New York City via car (Insane... but some do)... the only difference from 50 years ago is that the traffic is 1,000 times worse and the toll for the bridge/ tunnel, etc is horrendously worse. Same can be said for a train (way more crowded and expensive but relatively the same technology as 50 yrs ago).
[Not sure if this is controversial enough for this Forum, but thought it was interesting. I am sure it will turn into a right/ left battle soon enough... assuming people post of course. ].
It is not the same. Not even close. Planes back then were turbo props. Slow, less safe, used lots of gas. Same with cars. Ever drive across the desert in July in a 1964 Chevy Impala wagon on a 2 lane Route 66? Not exactly a day at the beach. Cars and they way they are made as well as planes have changed much in 50 years. Far more reliable, far safer and far more comfortable.
The only thing I see that has not changed much in 50 years is home building. Some of the materials have improved but the methods of building houses on site from ground up which are labor intensive and expensive are still used in most of the world although China is experiementing with factory made modular buildings.
The only thing I see that has not changed much in 50 years is home building. Some of the materials have improved but the methods of building houses on site from ground up which are labor intensive and expensive are still used in most of the world although China is experiementing with factory made modular buildings.
Your previous post made some excellent points.
With regards to housing, there have been major improvements in wiring etc. leading to far fewer house fires.
The next material 'game changer' in transportation would seemingly be the non-driver operated car. Essentially program where you want to go, sit back, and relax. If that concept could be perfected, imagine all of the driving fatalities it would prevent each year. All the other expenses. I don't know why more hasn't been done to fund research of this, instead of leaving it to a single company like google, etc.
Also, I've always wondered why subway system could not be replaced with some highly functioning 'conveyor belt' that constantly runs and has a smart way to depart / board. Then again, they can't even keep the subway stations free of rats and trash so maybe I'm asking a lot.
Next time on a plane though, just think that this is 2013 and a better way to board an airplane has not been developed. That is just lunacy.
The next material 'game changer' in transportation would seemingly be the non-driver operated car. Essentially program where you want to go, sit back, and relax. If that concept could be perfected, imagine all of the driving fatalities it would prevent each year. All the other expenses. I don't know why more hasn't been done to fund research of this, instead of leaving it to a single company like google, etc.
Also, I've always wondered why subway system could not be replaced with some highly functioning 'conveyor belt' that constantly runs and has a smart way to depart / board. Then again, they can't even keep the subway stations free of rats and trash so maybe I'm asking a lot.
Next time on a plane though, just think that this is 2013 and a better way to board an airplane has not been developed. That is just lunacy.
Although I have zero phobia of flying, I never really liked it even before 9/11. People seem to think it is somehow glamorous, but spending several hours crammed into an aluminum tube with a bunch of strangers never appealed to me.
Now after 9/11 with all the new shoe-checks and such, I avoid flying as much as humanly possible.
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