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i think before pushing expensive hybrids we need to simplify our efforts and do what europeans do for many years- downsize cars and engines. Modern engins give u enough power with smaller displacement. We need all spectrum of engines europeans have. They have VW Golf with 1.4, 1.6 engines, the same for Volvos. Even mercedes E klasse is available with inline 4 1.8l! The have Mercedes A-klasse, B-klasse (Canadians have it), Audi A1, A2, BMW 1 (hatchbacks), tons of small french cars, smaller fords and VWs etc etc. Gas vesions do 45-50mpg, diesels 60. They are not available here yet. Ford will bring Fiesta in 2010. Diesel prices makes diesel cars poor choice. We need to downsize.
If your defroster actuates the a/c, then a/c and defrost would be equal as far as MPG is concerned. Some newer cars have a button to allow the a/c to be turned off on certain settings, but other settings override this switch and use a/c anyway. My Buick has 'defrost' and 'defog', both use the a/c. One of my tricks used to be unplugging the a/c in winter, but I've learned it's best to cycle the a/c from time to time.
HL- Some Edsels had the pushbutton shifter in the center of the steering wheel, Chrysler products had the pushbuttons on the dash, we called them Maytag shifters, because they looked like washing machine controls. Some Corvair (and Dodge vans) models had a shift lever on the dash.
Here ya go, a 4x4 that gets 60 MPG and reaches 70 mph.
Meet The HumBox! (http://www.wwisr.com/humbox.html - broken link)
Hinton Bound needs to weigh in on this one but I believe Helo's fly because Bernoulli said they could. Because the air moves faster over the top of the spinning rotors than it does the bottom, more pressure is applied under the rotors than on top, creating lift. Same principle as applied to airplane wings. Now the Bumble Bee.....that's a different story....but not really . I'd hate to see rotors on automobiles!!! Can you imagine Walmart parking lot on a busy Saturday with 500 giant weed whackers vying for a parking spot??? Heads are gonna roll!!! LOL!!!
You've done it for me Navy! It's the same principle as a conventional wing. Only difference is that instead of moving the entire aircraft to create the wind over the airfoil, helos move just their wings (rotors).
Also heard that helos "fly" beacause they're so ugly that the earth repels them- giving the impression that they're flying.
Hinton Bound needs to weigh in on this one but I believe Helo's fly because Bernoulli said they could. Because the air moves faster over the top of the spinning rotors than it does the bottom, more pressure is applied under the rotors than on top, creating lift. Same principle as applied to airplane wings. Now the Bumble Bee.....that's a different story....but not really . I'd hate to see rotors on automobiles!!! Can you imagine Walmart parking lot on a busy Saturday with 500 giant weed whackers vying for a parking spot??? Heads are gonna roll!!! LOL!!!
You know that they would all be jockeying for a spot right by the entrance. Maybe we could use the vertical rotors, like the ones on those swamp boats.
Al most of the hybrids are comparably priced as any other econo/sedan/suv category. Price differences are ammenity packages and higher end platforms. A prius can be had for 21k.
check these out. cars.com: Buying Guides | New Hybrid Passenger Car Prices
Hybrid cheaper than regular suv?
Chrysler takes aim at GM with hybrid SUV prices (broken link)
I see your point with the price differences in a camry version comparision- $6,000 more but not much reported fuel economy relatively speaking. I think actual mileage may vary mathematics is confusing many people. Hybrid Cars, Best Hybrid Cars - ConsumerSearch
We could import more of the known models in europe, or mimic that technology, but I'm worried US automakers keep falling behind the 8 ball. I'd rather see them get their teeth into marketshare with bright new ideas like two-rivers is talking about instead of following the leader catchup strategies with toyota. The market is calling and these boys have been sitting on their laurels for decades. Lets see ford's grandson show us a thing or two without handicap of good old boys steering him wrong. William Clay Ford, Jr. - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia..
The fire that drove the industry origins could be the same fire that spurs on america's economic health.
Euro-cars have less stringent emissions/safety rules to meet, much of their advantage is lost when modified to meet our standards. Are our standards too tough?
Europe is basically the size of New England and the mid-Atlantic area. Europeans can get by with smaller vehicles because of much better transit and rail systems than we have. If we all had SMARTs, would there be a resurgence in train travel?
What politician is brave enough to propose a $4/gal tax, to bring our cost per gallon in line with Europe?
Rural folks would be killed entirely snorp. Restricting those sales taxes to urban areas would only mean bootleg gas imported from the country folk. It just can't work here in the states.
Euro-cars had better emissions I heard. Engineering was done on latest phases of diesel engines using ultra low sulfur diesel (less than 50 ppm vs 500ppm of old). Did something change again while I wasn't looking?
Investing in commuting train systems for urban areas always made sense. 500,000 cars less in a 100 mi sq area is better math all around in every category. America as it is- you're excluded from most things if you don't have a vehicle or a chauffer. My mom and granny don't drive and it hurts their quality of life and independance.
i think before pushing expensive hybrids we need to simplify our efforts and do what europeans do for many years- downsize cars and engines. Modern engins give u enough power with smaller displacement. We need all spectrum of engines europeans have. They have VW Golf with 1.4, 1.6 engines, the same for Volvos. Even mercedes E klasse is available with inline 4 1.8l! The have Mercedes A-klasse, B-klasse (Canadians have it), Audi A1, A2, BMW 1 (hatchbacks), tons of small french cars, smaller fords and VWs etc etc. Gas vesions do 45-50mpg, diesels 60. They are not available here yet. Ford will bring Fiesta in 2010. Diesel prices makes diesel cars poor choice. We need to downsize.
I ride my scooter, it makes 80mpg and it is fun.
I don't think diesel should be discounted because of the current price. It fluctuates with demand like anything else. We (USA) have historically produced more gasoline than diesel from a barrel of crude, which is opposite in Europe and other nations.
Also bears noting that originally Rudolf Diesel designed his first engine to run on peanut oil, not petrol, so fuel sources are pretty flexible.
Given such, the inherant benefit of diesel (petrol) having a greater Btu output than an equivalent measure of gasoline makes a lot of sense. A diesel hybrid would be the best of both worlds.
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Because the air moves faster over the top of the spinning rotors than it does the bottom, more pressure is applied under the rotors than on top, creating lift. Same principle as applied to airplane wings. Now the Bumble Bee.....that's a different story....but not really 
. I'd hate to see rotors on automobiles!!! Can you imagine Walmart parking lot on a busy Saturday with 500 giant weed whackers vying for a parking spot??? Heads are gonna roll!!! LOL!!!
