[Vision2020] Conserve precious Oil

[Donovan Arnold]

Ted,

This are called fantasy cars because there is no way they are affordable to 
the public, and/or safe enough to take on the road.

No mother is going to put her child in a tin can and drive on a freeway 
going 80 MPH with other SUVs.

The only way to get Americans into those matchbox cars is if you force them, 
which isn't going to happen.

Take Care,

Donovan J Arnold

>From: Tbertruss at aol.com
>To: dickschmidt at moscow.com, Vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Conserve precious Oil
>Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2004 01:20:42 EDT
>
>
>All:
>
>The suggestions offered to conserve oil are all wonderful.  But the bottom
>line is the efficiency of the vehicle you drive.
>
>If you commute by yourself or with one other person, and don't need a lot 
>of
>carrying capacity for your daily commute, we should be using vehicles that 
>get
>over 50 mpg!  For heavy hauling, use a more powerful vehicle.  But how many
>American's commute in gas hogs to do nothing but carry their groceries and
>themselves to and from work?
>
>A few years ago I drove the Honda Insight hybrid with a friend who had one 
>on
>loan from an environmental organization, and was amazed at how sporty and
>fast it was, though this is a two seater with a cargo weight limitation.  
>Still,
>for most commuting, it gets the job done, and has surprising acceleration 
>for
>those tense freeway moments.
>
>Europe sells a 60 mpg diesel two seater.  And of course the hybrids (Toyota
>and Honda) now on the market are increasing their sales as gas has gone up 
>in
>cost and does not appear to be going back down.  Info below on the 60 mpg 
>car
>sold in Europe:
>
>Will Smart's weird cars make it here?
>
>We give the Smart ForTwo a workout on American streets. The verdict: "What
>the...?"
>September 14, 2004: 12:02 PM EDT
>By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN/Money staff writer
>
>
>NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - If you've been to Europe in the past few years, you
>may have seen people driving around in small cars that look like giant 
>insect
>heads.
>
>  You weren't hallucinating -- and you may be seeing these 'Smart ForTwos,' 
>or
>cars like them, on roads in this country in the next few years.
>
>The Smart ForTwo is built in "smartville" in the town of Hambach, France.
>Smart, a subdivision of DaimlerChrysler, sells the ForTwo in Europe, where
>gasoline commonly costs about $5 a gallon and city streets are old and 
>narrow. In
>that environment, driving a car that gets about 60 miles a gallon may be, 
>well,
>smart.
>
>Instead, the folks at Smart are working on some cars that maintain the 
>sporty
>looks but with attributes American drivers want.
>
>
>Manhattan meets ForTwo
>I recently spent a day driving a ForTwo around New York City. The 
>experience
>revealed plenty of interest in the car.
>
>At stoplights, people rolled down their windows and shouted questions. On
>Manhattan's 8th avenue, a bicycle messenger yelled out, "What the hell is 
>that?"
>In a supermarket parking lot in Queens, a small crowd gathered to ask
>questions.
>
>One couple even followed me home to find out how they could buy one.
>
>The first question everyone asked -- actually the second one -- was "Is it
>electric?" or "Is it a hybrid?"
>
>Given the car's cutting edge looks, it was an easy assumption to make. (The
>car's design has remained largely unchanged since it first rolled into
>production in 1998.)
>
>No, I informed them. It's just a diesel.
>
>Inside the car, that fact was unmistakable. The tiny three-cylinder engine,
>situated just behind and below the seats, raised a racket reminiscent of a
>groovy 1960s VW Beetle. In 21st century terms, however, the noise is not so
>groovy.
>
>To keep up with traffic, I had to wring out every bit of the engine's 
>maximum
>41 horsepower. According to the spec sheet, the Smart ForMore cdi I drove
>could go zero-to-60 in 19.8 seconds.
>
>The gasoline engined version, with its 0.7 liter rear-mounted in-line 3
>pumping out 60 horsepower, would presumably blow the diesel's doors off in 
>the
>quarter-mile.
>
>Well, it would win, anyway.
>
>Aside from its slowness and interior noise level, the ForTwo would face a 
>far
>more basic hurdle in the U.S. market. The average American consumer just
>won't buy a 2-seater that isn't a sports car. Take away the back seats and 
>that
>thing better go zero-to-60 in six seconds or less.
>
>Since the car is designed to fit two-abreast in a parking space designed 
>for
>one, there isn't a whole lot of room for luggage, either.
>
>
>ForMore
>For the United States market, Smart has something entirely new in mind: an
>SUV version of another one of its cars, the ForFour.
>
>      
>Smart ForMore: DaimlerChrysler sketch
>Starting in 2006 the Smart ForMore will be built in a factory in Juiz de
>Fora, Brazil. The company plans to sell 30,000 ForMores in the United 
>States, and
>an equal number elsewhere around the world.
>
>Aiming to compete against the Toyota Rav4 and Honda CR-V, the vehicle will 
>be
>equipped with a 1.8 liter 4-cylinder engine or an optional 3-liter V-6.
>
>If your heart is set on owning one of the original ForTwos, a California 
>firm
>wants to give you the chance. But DaimlerChrysler doesn't endorse the 
>effort.
>
>
>Zap, a Santa Rosa-base company that sells a variety of electric cars, is
>working to import ForTwos and hopes to sell as many as 15,000 a year. The 
>company
>already has contracted with an importer, said Alex Campbell, a Zap 
>spokesman.
>
>Once here, an automotive conversion company will beef up the car's bumpers,
>add more side impact protection and make a few other changes to meet U.S.
>safety regulations, Campbell said. Right now, Zap is waiting for approval 
>from the
>Environmental Protection Agency.
>
>Zap will concentrate on "luxury" versions of the cars with cabriolet tops 
>and
>leather interiors. Prices will range from the teens to as much as $23,000.
>
>DaimlerChrysler is not involved with Zap's effort and warns that it will 
>not
>provide dealer support here for the cars. Zap says its dealers will be 
>trained
>to service the cars.
>
>The cars is importing will be a shade quicker than the model I tested, said
>Campbell. At any rate, customers looking at a Smart ForTwo are probably
>interested in something besides speed, he said.
>
>"Zero to 60 doesn't matter as long as you can get where you're going and 
>get
>there safely with minimal impact on the environment," he said.
>
>He'd better keep those prices down, though. At $23,000, upper-end models
>would have to compete against the Toyota Prius, a muscle car by comparison, 
>with
>room for four adults and luggage.  
>
>
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