NISSAN SOLD ON ELECTRIC CARS, NOT HYBRIDS

[Warph]

Check out this one.  This car runs on compressed Air ~ 106 mpg ~ top speed at 96 mph ~ Could be a big winner if it does everything they claim it will:


MDI, a European company founded in 1991, has developed technology that could theoretically power a car by compressed air. New York-based Zero Pollution Motors is licensing the technology for the first time to build and sell a car in the United States, CNN reports, pledging to deliver the first models in 2010 at a price tag of less than $18,000—and with a claimed average fuel economy of 106 mpg.

Shiva Vencat, vice president of MDI and CEO of Zero Pollution Motors, said in the report that the concept is similar to how a locomotive works, except that compressed air moves the engine's pistons instead of steam. Adding to the claim's dubious quotient, Vencat said the car will seat six, reach speeds of 90 mph and last 800 miles due to the car's "dual energy" engine, which is Zero Pollution Motors-speak for an engine that can run on either fuel or compressed air. It will run on compressed air at speeds below 35 mph, Vencat said, which kind of makes it like an airy Prius.

http://www.smm.org/buzz/buzz_tags/zero_pollution_motors

http://zeropollutionmotors.us/?page_id=39


http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4251491.html?series=19

[Dale Smith]

sorry, if you've got the money to buy a new car, PLEASE BUY AMERICAN

I've owned more than my share of cars probably, and while I would like to be able to agree with you Flo, American companies have got to do a better job before I'll ever waste hard-earned money on a Ford, GM or Chrysler product again.  And Chrysler being the worst of the bunch. 

In 1996 I bought a brand-new Dodge Ram 1500 pick-up.  It had 12 miles on it when I got it, and when I reached 3,000 miles (2 months) I began complaining to the Dodge dealer about it's many problems, to no avail.  What a piece of junk.  Sadly, I made the mistake of again buying a Chrysler product... a 1999 Chrysler Concorde LXi.  I had that for about 2 years and again another piece of junk was the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible.  I had it for less than a year.  I've learned my lesson on Chrysler products.

The Ford products weren't much different in quality.   The best vehicles I have owned have all been imports.  Volvo 740; Mazda Miata convertible, Toyota Prius Hybrid.  I had a BMW Z3 convertible that you would think it was German and solidly made, but it was made in South Carolina and only stayed in my driveway for about 18 months.

Anyway, sorry that I don't agree with you Flo.  It's my hard-earned money, and I don't plan on buying any more junk.  I'm sticking with Toyota from now on.

[frawin]

Dale, I understand what you are talking about. The last new Chevrolet pickup I bought, the transmission went out and the Alternator went bad, the dealer told me they had been having both problems alot but not to worry they were warranted. I asked him if he was going to come get me in the middle of night between Midland Texas and Howard, Kansas. Also I bought my wife a new Buick Park Avenue in 1998, it was nothing but one problem after another. Our Daughter went to work for Honda Motor Corporation and I bought a new Pilot and a new Honda Pickup and have not had any problems at all. Both Hondas were made in America by Americans.  At least for now I won't look at any vehicles but Honda or Toyota.

[flo]

mtcookson, thank you for your information.  I learned some things I did not know.  As far as "reliable" vehicles, guess there are lemons in every make and model.  I drove nothing but a dodge for years.  Driving a Ford now, and it doesn't give me any problems.  My father drove Chrysler products all his life.  We always found them to be reliable, but the latest model I owned was a 1999 PU, a Dakota Sport, 5 on the floor.  Loved it, but it just didn't have enough room to even carry groceries home so traded down to a 1998 Dakota that had a back seat and automatic.  Only traded for this Ford SUV because a PU is useless on ice and I no longer had access to something heavy to put in the back end for traction ( I couldn't sit back there and drive at the same time  ).  Finances being what they are, this is probably the last vehicle I will own.

[dnalexander]

February 05, 2008
Most Reliable Cars for 2008

http://blogs.chron.com/thelist/2008/02/most_reliable_cars_for_2008.html

Each year, Consumer Reports weighs in on the most reliable cars. By calculating an overall reliability score for each of the three newest model years - 2005, 2006, and 2007 - the organization comes up with the best bets for the current year. Here are some highpoints for 2008:

1. Family cars: Toyota Prius, Honda Accord (4-cylinder), Ford Fusion (V6)
2. Large cars: Buick Lucerne (V8), Toyota Avalon, Dodge Charger (V6)
3. Small cars: Toyota Yaris Hatchback, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris Sedan
4. Minivans: Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Town & Country
5. Small SUVS: Honda Element, Mitsubishi Outlander, Subaru Forester (turbo)
6. Midsized SUVs: Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Toyota 4Runner



FROM CONSUMER REPORTS TESTING HIGHEST SCORES LOWEST SCORES
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/buying-advice/2008-best-worst-cars-review-4-08/overview/best-worst-cars-review.htm

Best\Score                                           Worst\Score
Lexus LS460L 99                              Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara 17
Infiniti M35 X (AWD) 97                 Hummer H3 (5-cyl.) 27
Infiniti M35 (RWD) 96                     Jeep Liberty Sport 27
Porsche 911 Carrera S 96                 Chevrolet Aveo LS (manual) 30
Toyota Sienna XLE (FWD) 93        Chevrolet Aveo LS (auto.) 32

Never ceases to amaze me how one article on the forum produces such a wealth of information in such a short time.

David

[pepelect]

Gas is still the cheapest thing I put in my vehicles.   If you want to drive a Prius down one of our roads you will be buying a new one in a week.   If you think that I can get 5 full sized humans in a subcompact you are nuts.   Hybrids are a joke.  Even at $4 a gallon you can't justify the cost of the technology to take the mpg hit by burning ethanol.  Totally electric seems to still be too far off to use affordably.   I think that you will see more effiency in gas before batteries get smaller.   They have no insentive to build a electric car.  The big companies don't sell electricity.   They sell parts.   So we will go back to the pieces of crap that we had in the seventies and they will fall apart just as they did in the seventies.  We will buy them because they get 35mpg but will cost $4000 a month to keep running.

[dnalexander]

I think the point of this threads theme is that these are the directions that we are heading in today to solve the fact that oil is getting more and more expensive and less and less available. As for time frame we will  change from the current cars we drive maybe our life time and hopefully before our kids and grandkids are our age.

David

[dnalexander]

Now I am wondering when someone will post something about a steam powered car that might compete with all the others we have discussed. I think our solutions should be many and not put all our eggs in one basket. If you haven't read W. Grays thread on the electric car in his Duck Family series you should. I bet he has comic book history and real history about steam cars.

David

[W. Gray]

I did learn yesterday that the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, was built by Freelan Oscar Stanley, who built the Stanley Steamer.

The Stanley Steamer set a speed record of 128 mph in 1906. No other steamer has ever gone as fast.

The last Stanley Steamer came off the assembly line in 1924. A 1916 Stanley Steamer cost $2,200. Total production was 12,000 automobiles.

The last steam car, the Doble, came off the assembly line in 1931.

Before invention of the electric starter in 1911, steam and electric cars both outsold gasoline powered cars.

Freelan Stanley, who died in 1940, came west in 1905 because he had tuberculosis. Estes Park is at 7,500 feet elevation. Coming west must have helped because he died at age 91.

The Stanley Hotel celebrates its 100th anniversary next year. It has undergone a multimillion-dollar restoration of its 138 rooms just for that purpose. It is supposed to be haunted with the fourth floor, on top, being the most visited. Both Mr. and Mrs. Stanley, and others, have been spotted.

The Stanley Hotel was originally built with all the comforts of home except heat. It accepted guests only in the summer.

The hotel is probably best known outside Colorado for being the inspiration for the motion picture The Shining with Jack Nicholson and Olive Oyl, er, Shelly Duvall.

The hotel featured in the movie is actually in Oregon but the TV version of The Shining was filmed at the Stanley. The hotel continuously plays the movie version and the television version back to back on one of the channels available to guests.

[Dale Smith]

Hmmmm... while I don't live in Howard, KS, I don't think that my Hybrid is a joke.  Prior to getting a Prius, I drove a 2005 Chrysler with a 2.4 liter engine.  I paid right at $400 per month for gasoline to commute to and from work, and my car payment was just a little over $400 per month.  After getting a Prius, my car payment is now $339 per month, my car insurance is $35 a month cheaper and I now pay approximately $80 per month for gasoline.  The math seems pretty good to me.