How About A 250-MPG Car? (new $10M X-Prize contest to be unveiled)

[truthpusher]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/12/tech/main1615295.shtml

"Ford's Model T got 25 miles per gallon, and today a Ford Explorer gets 18 miles per gallon,"

How About A 250-MPG Car?

May 13, 2006
(Christian Science Monitor) This article was written by Mark Clayton.

The challenge: Build the world's most fuel-efficient production car — one that gets maybe 250 miles per gallon and causes little or no pollution. The payoff: prize money from the group that awarded $10 million for the world's first private spaceflight two years ago.

When the X-Prize Foundation unveils its new high-mileage car contest later this year, it will join a small but growing number of competitive prizes for energy development. Instead of watching President Bush and Congress wrangle for months just to get Detroit to boost fuel efficiency by a few miles per gallon, why not offer fat cash prizes to the private sector for breakthrough technologies? Proponents say it's a cheaper and faster way to unhook America from its oil dependency.

"Ford's Model T got 25 miles per gallon, and today a Ford Explorer gets 18 miles per gallon," says Peter Diamandis, X-Prize Foundation chairman. "We believe the time is ripe for a fundamental change in what we drive — and we believe an X-Prize in this area can drive a substantial change."

Several of the prize ideas are coming from the federal government. For example:
The Department of Energy (DOE) is authorized to award up to $10 million in incentives for next-generation technology that could turn wood and other fiber into ethanol.

(snip)

Back on Earth, former Rep. Robert Shamansky wants to propose a national contest for a high-mileage car.

During his first tour in the U.S. Congress in 1982, when the nation was still reeling from the second oil shock, the Ohio Democrat sponsored a bill to award $150 million to the developer of a car that got at least 80 miles per gallon. His bill foundered after he lost his reelection bid. Now, running in Ohio's 12th District, he hopes to revive the plan.


link: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/12/tech/main1615295.shtml

[stepnw1f]

1. EXCELLENT! (nt)

[corporate_mike]

25. It's about time!

[bbinacan]

2. Here's one that gets

157 mpg.

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/02/27/loremo-debuts-150-mpg-concept-car-in-geneva/

[wtmusic]

3. Contest is over

A VERY cool Volkswagen that gets 264.4 mpg, and it's more than three years old (OK so it's not in production...yet).

http://www.seriouswheels.com/top-vw-1-liter-car.htm

[sidpleasant]

7. That VW only seats two people

So it's useless for the average American family with 1 or 2 children. Also, since its a Euro - spec diesel it almost certainly won't meet US emissions regulations next year. VW will stop selling diesels here altogether with the 2007 models, I've read.

[wtmusic]

8. The contest doesn't specify a sedan

so the winner will likely be a two-seater.

That's OK -- use the same technology to build a sedan that gets 100 mpg (kinda ironic, though, that it wouldn't meet emissions regs even though it would emit less than every other sedan on the market, hands down).

[sidpleasant]

20. "emit less than every other sedan on the market?" Not very likely

The emissions regulations for diesel cars are different from those for gasoline powered cars. Diesels are more fuel efficient than gasoline engines but they have more severe problems with nitrogen oxide emissions. A VW Jetta diesel emits over 800% more nitrogen oxide than a gas Jetta does, for example. Take a look at CA's Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle regulations; a SULEV vehicle emits about a pound of hydrocarbons in 100K miles. There are now a number of SULEV vehicles available and they're not all hair - shirt minicars. The BMW 325Ci, Cadillac Escalade, and Mercedes E350 are all SULEV cars. No diesel car has qualified for the SULEV rating. If solving the NOX emissions problem was easy VW wouldn't be discontinuing diesel sales in the US. You want lower emissions, go with a gas engine. You want high MPG, buy a diesel. Right now you can't have both.

[midnight armadillo]

23. Au contraire

Ford had the Mercury Meta One concept a year or two ago, which is a PZEV hybrid diesel/electric car. Mercedes-Benz is introducing their Bluetec line of diesels this year in the US which includes urea injection ("Adblue" tech) to achieve EPA Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions, which is equivalent to NOx emissions of a LEV II gas engine.

Clean diesels are new technology that will be widespread in the next few years in the US.

[jayctravis]

21. No, it's not economical as the *only* car...

But in many families one person commutes solo; this would be an ideal car for that and occasional local zipping around with two people if combined with a larger capacity vehicle that only makes short trips - kids to school, grocery cargo...

For single people this would be a godsend. I'd drive one.

[midnight armadillo]

22. Do you have a link?

From what I understand VW diesels fly off the lots these days, and in 2007 ultra low sulfur diesel will be sold everywhere, enabling euro-spec engines to run here. VW is also starting a 'bluemotion' brand campaign for their diesels. Mercedes is just introducing its '50-state' diesel engine this year too.

If you have a link, please post it.

[ecoalex]

4. Try a 8000 mpg car

British Inventor Unveils 8000 MPG Car

May 12, 2006 2:18 p.m. EST


Julie Farby - All Headline News Staff Writer

London, England (AHN)—A British inventor unveils the world's most fuel-efficient vehicle, a three-wheel "TeamGreen" car capable of doing 8,000 miles to the gallon.

The 45-year-old inventor, Andy Green, from the University of Bath, built his budget eco-motor for just £2,000, and will be the sole British contender for the title of the world's most fuel-economic car in a global competition being held later this month.

It has taken Mr. Green more than two years to design and build the car, which will be the fourth eco-vehicle he has built. He holds the British record for fuel-efficiency, with 6,603 miles to the gallon in a previous car.

According to the report, the new vehicle is powered by a single cylinder four-stroke engine with a capacity of just 35cc and runs with a special management system incorporating fuel injection.

A spokesman for Bath University says, "Andy Green is keeping the spirit of the lone British inventor who takes on the world very much alive."

[MelissaB]

9. So, the technology is there.

What's the hold up?

[mccoyn]

26. The "car" is slower than walking.

Thats my guess after having seen some of the high milage compititions before.

[onehandle]

5. I'm sure there will be other requirements than just 250 mpg.

It has to be an automobile that an average family would want would be my guess.

A decent size, seating for 4 or more, full safety construction like a regular car.

There are vehicles out there that already beat 250 mpg, but you wouldn't want to drive them on American roads.

[ConcernedCanuk]

6. Anyone that designs a car like that will be "disappeared" methinks

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Or one of the oil barons will just buy up the patent and shelve it -

count on it

I remember reading about an in-line SIX barrel carburetor in the early seventies that got phenomenal mileage

It never made it onto a production model, patent was bought by one of the big three (well, that's a misnomer now, they ain't BIG, other than in ego, price and gas consumption)

And after buying the patent - it was shelved.

I'm not talking about three deuces Corvette had in the sixties(yeah I OWNED one of them),

or the "six-pack" that Chrysler had(yeah -I drove one of them - friggen AWESOME for a big boat) in the seventies - those were for POWER, not economy.

And I knew an old farmer that made a plate for underneath his 268 international six cylinder in the SIXTIES!! - (in a half-ton, mind you - hardly aerodynamically designed)

It was a 2-barrel carburetor, designed a fan for each barrel, balanced them(on a VISE - filing a wee bit here and there until no matter how he laid it down it did not gravitate(turn on it's own), using aircraft cable bearings for the bearing - but it made one heck of a whine at certain speeds - so the cops made him remove it.

Too bad we hadn't known about offsetting fan blades a bit to cut down on the noise back then

OH

furgot to mention - that old farmer raised his gas mileage from about 22 mpg to over 50 miles per gallon

[nicknameless]

10. Purchasing and shelving is a common practice, sadly.

[Jamison]

11. Yep

Vehicles that get better MPG = less gas one has to purchase, which = less product sold for the big oil companies. This is why the oil co.'s love large SUV's.

[ConcernedCanuk]

12. Considering oil is a NON renewable resource - that should be a major crime

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Momma Nature blessed North America with millions of Buffalo that supported the natives that BELONGED here and only harvested what they needed

The white man came along and slaughtered the Buffalo for their tongues alone, leaving the carcasses to rot, and depriving the natives of the meat that fed them, the hides that housed and clothed them, and the bones they uses for tools

And NOW

The white man is spreading their sick version of "democracy" with Depleted Uranium - a Genocidal tool that will make Hitler look like an amateur

gotta remember

USA grabbed all those evil nuke scientists from Germany

perfected the bomb

then just to make sure it worked

They dropped it on Japan

TWICE

When Japan was desperately trying to surrender!!

Check it out

USA administration has been evil for centuries - from it's conception, dragging in slaves from overseas

But the electorate is too dumb to see it

DEMOCRACY don't work when the voters are stupid or apathetic . .


(sigh)

[Ian David]

16. We had to nuke Japan to save it from the Russians

If there had been a ground invasion, the Russians would have wanted to participate, and then to divide it the way they did Germany.

Dropping the bomb in Japan was America's first act of Nuclear Containment. We used nuclear weapons to contain Communism.

That was the thesis of my AP History Exam long-essay. It was apparently good enough to get me a B, despite remembering almost nothing on any other subject in the exam.

Better dead than red, right?

[ConcernedCanuk]

19. "Better dead than red, right?" - hmmmm

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Capitalism, as in the dollar rules don't seem to be working too good.

Most of the World hates the USA right now

USA has lost their fear factor domination by invading a defenseless country(again) and are still bogged down 3 years later losing thousands of young USA boys for WHAT?

Y'all ever LEARN anything down there?

Don't seem like it from up here . . .

[ConcernedCanuk]

13. Right - but shouldn't shortening the life of this planet be a CRIME?

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Wiping out whole species is ok

Massacring innocent citizens is ok (dat's "collateral damage" by the way)

Sacrificing the healthy young for the whims of the PNACers is ok

But Gawd help them that cross the greed of the oil barons!!

Don't those wizards get it yet??

They are inviting their own demise.

But I don't think that the rest of the World quite understands it yet what the USA is all about

Think about this

The USA has Military Bases in more countries than all of the rest of the world combined

USA is just a stepping stone, a "base" if you will for the Illuminati and FreeMasons to dominate the world

They could care less what happens to the USA citizens in the future, but are now funding their global war off of apathetic citizen's taxes

And ya wonder why the USA is losing global respect

gee

[nicknameless]

14. Um... I appreciate the rants, but please understand that you're preaching

to the choir. Big corporations that buy innovations and then shelve them are, of course, despicable.

Are the sellers of the innovations blameless in this? On one hand, I would say no -- except that there's no way to know what kind of *pressure* (that could be a massive understatement) they were under to sell off their idea.

There have been massive crimes against humanity carried out by US administrations. While that's kind of a non sequitor, it's also one we're in agreement on.

[MadHound]

15. Rather than fucking around with concept cars and pie in the sky fuel shit

Let's take down that off the shelf technology that is already capable of meeting all of our fuel needs cheaply and cleanly, biodiesel. It has already been show that by using biodiesel derivived from algae, we can meet all of our fuel needs<http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.html> It has also been show that biodiesel is ninety percent less polluting, and the fuel itself is quite clean(you can drink it) and the refining process produces only glycerin as a waste product, good for making soap.

We could simply mandate that all new vehicles be diesel powered within ten years. Most people buy new cars within that time frame, and shortly the vast majority of cars on the road would be biodiesel powered. Within twenty years, petrol would be a thing of the past, our air would be cleaner, and by fulfilling all of our fuel needs domestically, our economy would boom, and our farmers would benefit greatly.

This is off the shelf technology folks, one that we can start using today, not pie in the sky concept cars that may or may not work in the real world. 250 mpg is great and all, but what good is it if it's going to take fifteen years to get to market. All we have to do for the biodiesel solution is to retool the auto factories, retool the refineries, and grow the algae(which would work well in each and every towns' wastewater treatment plant).

I say rather than waiting for pie in the sky concept cars, let's go with what we have ready now, biodiesel.

[tomreedtoon]

17. Note that the award specified PRODUCTION car?

Which to me says a stock vehicle, able to be produced off an assembly line, which meets all Federal and state standards for driveability. That means all passenger comfort and safety features.

Most of these super-high-mileage cars aren't designed for driving by civilians. Not when the passenger restraint system requires you to be duct-taped into the seat with a catheter attached. Not when the turn signal is a cardboard sign with a pointing finger drawn on it. Not when the drive train is a bicycle Derailleur shift that requires you to go through twenty gearshifts to get up to highway speeds.

I don't believe the DOT requirements for vehicle safety are necessarily anti-high-mileage. But until these fuel-saving processes are built into a DOT-acceptable vehicle, high mileage don't mean diddly.

[goforit]

18. Bring it on!!!.........Time to challange America!

[Freddie Stubbs]

24. That's easy part

Making the vehicle affordable is the hard part.