Tocky on 22/3/2006 at 03:46
If I were king it would be perfectly safe to drive these on the freeway because it's all that would be allowed. A chance to make the oil companies and the mideast nutters appreciate the sale of thier product? Priceless. Maybe we could affford to power them with ethanol and cut them out entirely. What a lovely dream for the price of elbow room.
Printer's Devil on 22/3/2006 at 04:24
Quote Posted by Aerothorn
Yeah, the point isn't to save money buy bying a hybrid - you factor the money saved into the price point, but for many people it's a matter of environmental conscience [sp]. I, for instance, feel both guilty and ridiculous for driving a 5-person vehicle with only one person in it, horribly inefficient waste of space and energy, so something like this is just what I need.
If you feel guilty enough, all you need is a transit pass, not a three-wheeled suicide pod. I'm guessing the pangs are not that bad, however, so check out the
Smart Car (a four wheeled suicide pod). There's quite a few of them zipping around Toronto, even on the major highways, so they can walk the walk and carry a bit of swag, too.
Aerothorn on 22/3/2006 at 14:57
Wrong on both counts, Printer's. I'm in Seattle, and we have one of the worse mass transit systems of any major city- no subways or stuff like that. Just a convoluted bus line, and from where I live you have to transfer to get anywhere (ride from here to downtown, then downtown to somewhere else).
As for Smart Car, I was looking to get one, but the deal to import them to the USA apparently fell through; they just aren't availible here. And I can't just buy one from Canada and drive it here, as the emission standards are different and it would most likely be illegal here.
Strangeblue on 22/3/2006 at 18:48
Hang on, Aerothorn. I live in Seattle, too. The mass transit here is much better than several cities I've lived in. If you want to come to love the Seattle transit system, try Los Angeles for a month without a car. I managed to work and have a life in Seattle for 10 years without a car or a motorcycle. It all depends on where you live and what you need to do.
The biggest problem with hybrid vehicles is the battery. The first-generation hybrid owners are just now discovering that battery technology is still a bit behind need. Once a hybrid's batteries reach a certain age/usage they need to be replaced. They're expensive and there is no way--currently--to recycle or recondition them cheaply and efficiently. So, the net cost of the hybrid is higher than it appears, due to the batter replacement cycle costs. And the battery recycling is not very eco-friendly, since batteries are full of acid and lead and other nasty metallic elements. So, there's still a trade-off in hybrids. It's just better hidden and the current political agenda gives them a boost that isn't necessarily fair.
Havvoc on 22/3/2006 at 18:50
Screw kids, make them ride on top of the car and hope they fall off.
Stitch on 22/3/2006 at 19:10
Quote Posted by Havvoc
Screw kids, make them ride on top of the car and hope they fall off.
Apparently your parents didn't drive fast enough.
Rug Burn Junky on 22/3/2006 at 19:48
That's not funny.
One of my friends in college died doing that.
Printer's Devil on 22/3/2006 at 22:19
Quote Posted by Aerothorn
...I'm in Seattle, and we have one of the worse mass transit systems of any major city- no subways or stuff like that...
Toronto is blessed with a minimal subway system and a reasonably comprehensive streetcar/bus network, but it still multiplies travel time by a factor of three versus a private car. I often budgeted at least one hour (one way) to ensure my arrival anywhere was punctual. Catching the connecting bus/train/streetcar made all the difference, but that happened so rarely as to be hypothetical. Throw in rush hour, the occasional railjumper and employee coffee breaks, and you eventually realize that public transit was designed to be suffered.
Quote:
As for Smart Car, I was looking to get one, but the deal to import them to the USA apparently fell through; they just aren't availible here. And I can't just buy one from Canada and drive it here, as the emission standards are different and it would most likely be illegal here.
Canada does have emissions standards, although I'm uncertain how stringent they are in comparison to California's. In some regions, car owners are forced to get an emissions test every two years to ensure compliance. IIRC, the
official reason the Smart Car is unavailable in the US is not emissions--it's projected sales figures. After a bit of market research, Daimler Chrysler felt that the appetite for Smart cars in the land of SUVs was too small to justify the expense of adapting it to American culture. Why we can buy it here is a bit of a mystery, if you consider the harsher climate and smaller population.
aguywhoplaysthief on 23/3/2006 at 04:52
Quote Posted by Rug Burn Junky
One of my friends in college died doing that.
Did someone force him to ride on top of a car, or was he doing it for shits and giggles?
Rug Burn Junky on 23/3/2006 at 05:18
He was a 6 foot 4 inch muscle bound freak named Killowatt (sic). Nobody except the voices in his head forced him to do anything.
Goddamn everybody loved that man. Nothing could stop him.
Except that low-hanging tree branch.
