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Old 06-08-2010, 12:59 PM   #22 (permalink)
wyatt
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: North Central Alabama
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quasimoto View Post
Your missing the point, 2009Prius; GM had this technology available for at least 28 years; and never developed it, or made it available. Can you imagine the billions of gallons of gas that could have been saved? Can you imagine the effect that would have had on the environment? So why are the big 3 still producing cars that get less than 30MPG. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out, dah! Could there be a relationship between the big 3 and the big OIL companies?
I don't think he is. The 100 mpg car you see in this thread became the 50mpg Chevy Sprint once all safety standards of the day were met, and it was "styled" to meet the market demands of the time. The Chevy Sprint became the 50 mpg Geo Metro/Suzuki Swift, with better safety/reliability. When those went away, we got the 50mpg Toyota Prius. Our Prius weighs about 3000 lbs loaded, will do 0-60 in 10 seconds, has 8 airbags, anti-lock brakes, skid control, and seats 5 comfortably, none of which were claims made by the 100mpg car. I would argue that it is just an evolution, and until safety standards level off, or demand for high MPG cars goes up, the peak MPG you will be expecting will stick around 50...
Yes millions of barrels of oil could have been saved, but when gas is cheap, nobody seems to care.
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