First off, let me start by saying I'm not so naive as to think that this huge Gov't (size) we have right now is a good thing. Nor do I think they are very bright.
Secondly, as you may/may not see below - I'm am neither Democrat, nor republican - but after this administration, I don't look to kindly on the republicans right now.
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Originally Posted by headpunter
also gas is going to increase in price because oil companies are energy companies and they are going to justify it by saying you get more energy so they get more money.
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I too, can see that happening - which is why I think it's a load of crap the Republicans blocked the revoking of the oil company tax breaks. Unfortunately, a certain president, and no doubt many others, have a decent amount of stake in oil. Oil Companies are BAD. And they need to be taken down a notch. Just like Insurance companys, and healthcare companies....
Quote:
Originally Posted by willisit
BUT.. it still has to happen. 35mpg by 2022? Is the motoring industry that backward that after (what will be) 130 years of automotive R&D we can't get a V8 to put out a reasonable mileage?
....Still, with quad-cams, DOD etc I reckon it easily doable with the clever bods around the world doing their thing!
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Someone said it before; The Internal Combustion Eninge is, by it's nature, an inefficient design. if you really think about it, it is intentionally designed to lose energy potential through heat (cooling system), and only develops power through 25% of it's cycle.
However, 35mpg is NOT as difficult a task to reach, as some may think. Some may be forgetting, or not realizing that 35 mpg is a
Corporate Average fuel economy standard; not every vehicle, every engine.
Then you need to realize that, indeed, our vehicles have gotten fatter. But what do you expect when some vehicles offer more comforts than our own homes...I still don't have A/C in my house. And these cars are as safe as anybody could hope for in a car. Airbags - literally - all around you. (you think that doesn't add weight to a vehicle?)
Finally, for GM specifically; no doubt it's going to be a 'difficult' task to reach. but this goal is for 2022. Now, assuming we don't blow up, or incinerate the surface of our planet by then...GM will have over 16 (for sure) Hybrid model vehicles alone - saving gas. Then they have Flex-fuel vehicles. On top of all that, they've got their savior -
The Volt. Why do you think they're rushing all this stuff out the door so quickly? A Volt by 2010?!?! Yes. Because it has to be done. Relax on this account - Gm
can do it. Here's a list of tech that I know of, (and there's more: you know there's more
) that can/will make this possible:
HCCI
DIG
VVT
AFM
Dual-Mode Hybrid tech.
E85 capability.
Solenoid-controlled valve actuation
Dual-Clutch Transmissions
Maybe not finally.
It's not the 70's - I realize that. But did the all the fuel economy stuff then kill off the muscle car, or SUV's? No!! The Camaro/Firebird posted its highest sales that decade.
Okay - so this is 'finallly'. Don't be fooled into believing this is solely about the environment. It's not - maybe a little bit, but not really. This is about our way of life, and the energy demands it has. China, India, and other "third-world" nations, are not third world anymore - at least, they're coming out of it.
The planet cannot support our way of life for that many people. So we need to cap our energy demands. Once the oil starts "running out", do you think those countries with their new cars, are going to bow down to the glorious USA, and say - here, you can take the oil. We'll go back to where we were. NO!! So we need to limit our energy needs -
so we can say that (^).
/Rant.