If all the vehicles on the road were ultra-low Cd....

[basjoos]

There'd be a lot less windshield washer fluid being used (with streamlined vehicles, most of the bugs are swept right on past rather than impacting on the windshield and front of the car and there is no recirculating eddy behind the vehicle to coat the rear glass with dirt).

There'd be less use of the windshield wipers (while moving, most of the rain and snow are swept past the vehicle in the air stream).

It would be safer and you would have much better visibility while driving in traffic on wet, snowy, or dusty roads (low Cd vehicles leave a very minimal trail of airborne water, salt spray, dry snow, or dust in the air behind them). None of this barely seeing the semi through the thick trail of water spray it leaves behind it or trying to clear the salt spray off your windshield in subfreezing temperatures without your washer fluid adding to the frozen mess on your windshield.

If your engine dies on a fairly flat road at interstate speeds, you'll have several minutes of coasting time to decide what you want to do and where along the road you want to finally come to a stop.

Fewer birds and bugs would be joining the legion of road kill along the sides of the road (almost all of them are swept past the vehicle in the air stream).

It would take longer for normal traffic activity to sweep the fallen leaves, dry snow, and lightweight litter from the pavement.

It would be more comfortable for pedestrians and bicyclists sharing the sidewalk, shoulder, and roadway (low Cd vehicles don't produce that sudden shock wave of violently displaced air as they drive past).

[MetroMPG]

Unfortunately... low drag vehicles would also cause the lights to go out at a Toronto campus ...

Wind from Highway 401 could help power campus

" A college in Toronto is exploring the idea of harnessing the power of Canada's busiest highway to create electricity. The wind-tunnel effect created by the hundreds of thousands of cars and trucks that travel Highway 401 each day makes Centennial College's Scarborough campus an ideal location for a small wind turbine to feed power back to the school. "

[brucepick]

Kudos to basjoos and to MetroMPG!
These are things that I haven't considered.

Thanks!

[basjoos]

I forgot to add that streamlined cars need to be washed less often (with with the smooth air stream passing around them, there are less bugs, dirt,etc. impacting and getting stuck to the car's surfaces. The wheel wells are about the only places that get as dirty as on a conventional car).

[Who]

basjoos and the con is increased use of brakes since you just can't lift off with the same barn door effect when someone interferes with your planned speed - doubly so compared to very lightweight brick shaped vehicles.

[basjoos]

Also more braking on the downhills, since a coasting low Cd vehicle gains speed on downgrades that a high Cd vehicle will lose speed on. But this would simply be road conditions causing you to lose some of the bonus mpg's that the low Cd of the vehicle is giving you access to.

[newtonsfirstlaw]

Originally Posted by basjoos

Also more braking on the downhills

After a while you start looking behind you to see if you can coast your car to a near stop at the top of a big hill, without other people honking at you.

There is this one big hill with lights and a train crossing at the bottom that I am considering pulling over at the top of when I see that the way is blocked.

[metroschultz]

Originally Posted by newtonsfirstlaw

After a while you start looking behind you to see if you can coast your car to a near stop at the top of a big hill, without other people honking at you.

There is this one big hill with lights and a train crossing at the bottom that I am considering pulling over at the top of when I see that the way is blocked.

There is not much traffic with me on my ride home @2: am. As I coast to my off ramp I have found myself setting a further and further goal for my eoc. There is a slight rise before the ramp and a 20% grade after. I used to eoc at the sign for the exit, now Ive backed it all the way to the sign for the restaurants @ the exit. Still I have 25 mph forward momentum at the crest. On the rare occasions when someone is exiting with me, luckily, there are two lanes and he can use the other one. tonight I will measure just how far is my eoc in terms of shear distance. I am sure with the right conditions I could eoc at the end of the exit (entrance?) before mine.
more fun to come. S.

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Unfortunately... low drag vehicles would also cause the lights to go out at a Toronto campus ...

Wind from Highway 401 could help power campus

" A college in Toronto is exploring the idea of harnessing the power of Canada's busiest highway to create electricity. The wind-tunnel effect created by the hundreds of thousands of cars and trucks that travel Highway 401 each day makes Centennial College's Scarborough campus an ideal location for a small wind turbine to feed power back to the school. "

Am I the only one that thinks that's a retarded idea? I mean, why harvest energy from an inefficient generator (car) thus increasing fuel consumption... I respect the thinking... but really, Newton's Second Law prevails...

[MetroMPG]

Sort of like power generating speed bumps?