Elon Musk has no influence in the Strategic and Policy Forum

[gone-ot]

It's not a one-of-a-kind DIY car, Mr EPA-man, it's a replica Porsche/Cobra/Mustang/Sprite undergoing "aerodynamic" wind-tunnel testing evaluations, Sir!

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

Get rid of all regulations and we will have affordable 70+ mpg cars within a year. Elio wasn't doing 3 wheels to try and save money, they were doing 3 wheels to try and skirt SOME of the regulations. Eliminate the regulations and Mitsubishi could sell a simplified Mirage for Elio's targets next year. Give them more time knowing there are no emissions or safety mandatory levels and they could do even better.

I'd not hold my breath for emission regulations to be entirely phased out, but hey, since motorcycles are inherently unsafe but are still road-legal, it sounds reasonable to at least give some choice for penny-pinchers who would be OK trading some safety features for fuel-savings. A good example are the commercial vehicles, look at those forward-control vans that are still road-legal nearly everywhere else but are not compliant to NHTSA standards even though they could lead to savings for commercial operators throughout the U.S.A. and its overseas territories, or those JDM Kei cars that could have been great for some folks who live in densely-populated metropolitan areas and just need something with better accomodations than a small motorcycle or a scooter.

[freebeard]

The Tesla connection is tenuous, but these guys know productizing and this car ticks all the boxes

• perfect 50-year-old aerodynamic design
• pure electric 100 mile range with 1/2 hour fast charge
• they partnered with Peter Brock, the original designer

Jalopnik: The Renovo Coupe Is An Electric Shelby With 1,000 LB-FT Of Torque

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

Get rid of all regulations and we will have affordable 70+ mpg cars within a year.

Baloney! I've had an affordable 70+ mpg car since 2003. (It was built in 2000.) Main reason it was built (along with others like the Prius) was those regulations.

Could build similar or better today, regulations or no regulations. It's just that most Americans seem to think their manhood is threatened if they aren't driving around in something like a jacked-up F-350.

[sendler]

Your Insight would unfortunately be rated poorly today in crash worthiness by the insurance industry and their star ratings.
.
300mpgE would be possible in something like the Aptera if it could come to market.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

The problem with those replica regulations is that it not just prevents some further experiences in regard to efficiency, due to the emissions compliance still being enforced quite strictly, but also seems to limit the options for an average Joe who would need a vehicle more versatile than a small British roadster.

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Baloney! I've had an affordable 70+ mpg car since 2003. (It was built in 2000.) Main reason it was built (along with others like the Prius) was those regulations.

Could build similar or better today, regulations or no regulations. It's just that most Americans seem to think their manhood is threatened if they aren't driving around in something like a jacked-up F-350.

I'm talking brand new car with warranty from a major manufacturer. Also 500 car production limit is never going to be affordable. Just make optional all the saftey requirements, and add a non-emission, simple 1.2L, 3 cylinder Diesel. Like a simpler VW polo that wasn't allowed in the US.

Like this, this would be just over $8700 USD. It is rated about 59mpg but the insight is similar, in the right hands it would do 70 mpg.

http://www.drivespark.com/cars/maruti-suzuki/swift/ldi/

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

I'm talking brand new car with warranty from a major manufacturer.

It was affordable when it was new, for those silly enough to buy new cars. FTM, most of the crap that makes me not want to have a new(er) car has nothing to do with regulations. "Infotainment" systems, push-button start/stop, electronic remote keys... AFAIK no regulation requires any of that.

QUOTE=sendler]Your Insight would unfortunately be rated poorly today in crash worthiness by the insurance industry and their star ratings.[/QUOTE]

So? Those ratings aren't regulations, they're done by private companies. The fact that they're a selling point for some people is really no different from some people's desire to drive around in oversized gas-guzzlers.

OTOH, if it weren't for certain regulations, I expect we'd still be driving around in cars with carbs, changing spark plugs every 10K miles, filing & gapping ignition points, hoping the automatic choke would let us start on cold days...