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aspera · 11-01-2009, 10:10 PM

Interesting thread, but I think some things were left out.

First, what about 'life efficiency'? Going 10mph on a bicycle is much more fuel efficient than most of you eco-speeders that hurl along at a death-defying-and dangerous 40mph in beastly heavy 2500lb cars. 40MPH KILLS!!! LOL

It sure takes a long time to get anywhere, though. A better idea would be to balance fuel efficiency, emissions, and life efficiency (...time).

Nobody mentioned the classic scenario where two drivers drive 400 miles. One drives 80mph, the other 50mph. The fast driver has a 5 hour drive, followed by 3 hours sitting safely in a house. The slow driver is out on the road for the entire 8 hours. During his extra 3 hours on the road, he's at more risk of having a collision. He's also clogging up the road. (He's also more likely to have a full gas tank when he hits something. Boom!)

There are lots of variables, but the speedy driver will have time to eat a turkey dinner and watch a movie before the slowpoke driver even arrives at the destination.

I'm a locomotive engineer. Elapsed trip time matters. Slowing vehicles down is easy to do, but it is the wrong goal. The goal should be to get people safely to their destinations as quickly, cleanly, and cheaply as possible.

Now let's go back to my scenario. What if the speedy driver was driving a production version of the VW L1 and the other driver was in a full sized truck? The engine of the truck runs for 8 hours...the little VW just 5. The VW would win hands down on being; A) quick, B) clean, C) cheap (fuel$). The only question would be safety for the 5 hours on the road. It either makes it or it doesn't, but that's the same for the truck. The biggest concern for the VW driver is the other heavier cars on the road. But that isn't a fault of the VW, it is a fault of the OTHER VEHICLES. Don't lower yourself to the lowest common denominator...raise the bar.

One last thing...consider what car buyers would do if they were REQUIRED to drive OVER 100MPH on Interstate highways. Would their next car be a Hummer? No. Too dangerous, too dirty, too expensive. They'd be pressured to choose a better car. How about raising the PSL one year and then dropping it to 55MPH the next year? Pulse and glide for speed limits?

11-01-2009, 10:10 PM	#48 (permalink)
aspera EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: KC Posts: 62 Thanks: 3 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	old thread, but I'll jump in Interesting thread, but I think some things were left out. First, what about 'life efficiency'? Going 10mph on a bicycle is much more fuel efficient than most of you eco-speeders that hurl along at a death-defying-and dangerous 40mph in beastly heavy 2500lb cars. 40MPH KILLS!!! LOL It sure takes a long time to get anywhere, though. A better idea would be to balance fuel efficiency, emissions, and life efficiency (...time). Nobody mentioned the classic scenario where two drivers drive 400 miles. One drives 80mph, the other 50mph. The fast driver has a 5 hour drive, followed by 3 hours sitting safely in a house. The slow driver is out on the road for the entire 8 hours. During his extra 3 hours on the road, he's at more risk of having a collision. He's also clogging up the road. (He's also more likely to have a full gas tank when he hits something. Boom!) There are lots of variables, but the speedy driver will have time to eat a turkey dinner and watch a movie before the slowpoke driver even arrives at the destination. I'm a locomotive engineer. Elapsed trip time matters. Slowing vehicles down is easy to do, but it is the wrong goal. The goal should be to get people safely to their destinations as quickly, cleanly, and cheaply as possible. Now let's go back to my scenario. What if the speedy driver was driving a production version of the VW L1 and the other driver was in a full sized truck? The engine of the truck runs for 8 hours...the little VW just 5. The VW would win hands down on being; A) quick, B) clean, C) cheap (fuel$). The only question would be safety for the 5 hours on the road. It either makes it or it doesn't, but that's the same for the truck. The biggest concern for the VW driver is the other heavier cars on the road. But that isn't a fault of the VW, it is a fault of the OTHER VEHICLES. Don't lower yourself to the lowest common denominator...raise the bar. One last thing...consider what car buyers would do if they were REQUIRED to drive OVER 100MPH on Interstate highways. Would their next car be a Hummer? No. Too dangerous, too dirty, too expensive. They'd be pressured to choose a better car. How about raising the PSL one year and then dropping it to 55MPH the next year? Pulse and glide for speed limits? Last edited by aspera; 11-01-2009 at 10:19 PM..