We need ultra light four wheeled cars

[Bicycle Bob]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Traditionally, cars with an engine with fewer than 2 cylinders and less than 400cc tend to fail, so I wouldn't hold too many expectatives for the Bajaj Qute. I may eventually be wrong in case it eventually becomes a mid-term between the autorickshaws and regular taxis, but as a consumer product it seems prone to fail.

Unless humans learn efficient ways, our climate, population, and economy are toast, so I try to anticipate new trends instead of surrendering to tradition.

[All Darc]

This will probably sell very well on middle orient, since it can fast changes from transport a terrorist group to transport many bodies.

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

This old beauty on the other hand, looks great...

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob

Unless humans learn efficient ways, our climate, population, and economy are toast, so I try to anticipate new trends instead of surrendering to tradition.

I'm also not really willing to embrace some trends that lead to unnecessary costs, such as the SUVs. The problem is the lack of options, unlike Europe where compact (for U.S. standards) station-wagons are still quite easily available.

[Grant-53]

What gets measured gets improved. I compare passenger-miles per unit of energy and average annual cost over the life of the vehicle. Geography has a major effect on our choices. I bought a 3 speed bicycle in 1967 for $40 as a teen. I still have it and can easily ride it for a 10 mile trip if I choose. When the 5 children were still at home the V6 minivan made sense. Now a 4 cylinder sedan is sufficient for trips up to 600 miles per day. A 3300 lb vehicle would use an engine with 100 hp at 1500 rpm. The car and the van yield 175 passenger-miles per gallon at full capacity. This is similar to Vic Valdez on a streamlined motorcycle. A 50 passenger city/school bus might get up to 500 passenger-miles per gallon. A streamlined motorized bicycle could be built to match that and still be light enough to load on the bike carrier on the city bus. This would put the effective radius of operation out to 25 miles. Don't assume you have to buy a car or truck because that is what everyone else is doing. Analyze you own needs and then choose wisely.

[freebeard]

A streamlined motorized bicycle could be built to match that and still be light enough to load on the bike carrier on the city bus.

Streamlined?



I use my bicycle more days than anything, and it's about the limit of what I'd want to hoist onto a bus carrier. The SUBERBeetle is much more convenient.

edit:
Found this, The (admittedly three-wheeled) Electric Egg weighed 75lb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP-0zyc7NKc

[cuda47]

If you want a small car, you have the Vespa 400:

Length: 2m85
Weight: 360 Kg
Engine: 2 cylinder (400 Cm3 - 24 Ci)

[Frank Lee]

I WISH!

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Grant-53

When the 5 children were still at home the V6 minivan made sense. Now a 4 cylinder sedan is sufficient for trips up to 600 miles per day.

I'm single but I wouldn't disconsider getting a compact minivan, as they have a more useful interior space compared to sedans within the same footprint. No wonder the Chevrolet Spin is a favorite among taxi drivers in Brazil...

Don't assume you have to buy a car or truck because that is what everyone else is doing. Analyze you own needs and then choose wisely.

If I didn't have a dog I could be served just right by a motorcycle between 125 to 250cc. I know it would be possible to haul my dog on a motorcycle, but honestly I don't feel confident to do so, plus it would limit the amount of luggage I could carry along on a longer trip. And even though I've always been interested about cars, nowadays I'd much rather convert a motorcycle (most likely below 200cc) into a tricycle and call it a day, as it would be able to match 99.9% of my requirements for a motor vehicle. I've already done the math, and under some circumstances a single-cylinder motorcycle engine might do the same job as some 4-cyl car engines with a displacement about 4 times bigger.

[Piotrsko]

So absolutely no interest in a bike with a detachable side car? The brits do dogs in there all the time.

[freebeard]

Strap 'em in. Dogs like to jump out of pickup beds at highway speed.