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Low Emission Cars Continue to Gain Popularity

Rio writes "A company may soon offer American motorists a new option to save on high gas prices -- vehicles powered by lithium batteries. From the article: 'Just plug in these cars for about five hours or so and you'll get about 300 miles on a single charge.' The vehicles cost about $35,000 or about double what buyers would pay for a gas-powered model." Relatedly acidrain writes to tell us The BBC is reporting that a prototype of the new "Clever car" (Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport) is starting to make the rounds on European test tracks. The car is one meter wide and less polluting than normal vehicles. It has a top speed of 100 km/h (60mph) and uses a novel tilting chassis to make it safe and maneuverable.

21 of 744 comments (clear)

  1. Mwahaha ! by Joebert · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who's laughin now bitches !? **puts clown nose back on & gets in the car**

    --
    Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
  2. too slow by Unsus · · Score: 5, Funny

    >It has a top speed of 100 km/h (60mph) I want to save money on gas, but not at the expense of doubling the time it takes to drive home.

    1. Re:too slow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      German Autobahn? ;)

    2. Re:too slow by AGMW · · Score: 2, Funny
      Some poor people live on street but thats really bad.

      You think that's bad!

      I had to drive home at 60mph, in an electric car, wearing sandles, put the car on the charger when I got home, harvest some hemp and weave my own supper before going to bed in a hammock with my hairy wife ... er ... on the central reservation ... er ... red wine or something ...

      --
      Eclectic beats from Leeds, UK
      handmadehands.co.uk
  3. Is that the method of transport for it? by edgedmurasame · · Score: 4, Funny

    Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport
    Is that part of the name or an instruction for fellow drivers on what to do to a low-emissions vehicle?

    --
    "Forget the engineers." -Carly Fiorina, briber of MIT Technology Review.
  4. Re:Done before (20 years ago!) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I'd be terrified of being smashed by a truck while driving anything...

  5. Re:Conflicting Information by Heir+Of+The+Mess · · Score: 3, Funny
    The first link states that "The cars can travel up to 100 mph, according to the report" while the second link agrees with the submitter (100km/hr; 60 mph).

    It must have been designed by NASA. I see stuff like this all the time in their specs for craft to be sent to Mars.

    --
    Australian running a company that does C# / C++ / Java / SQL / Python / Mathematica
  6. Re:Done before (20 years ago!) by jmv · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd be terrified of being smushed by a truck while driving one.

    Which is why every American feels the need to own a car that's bigger than the median car on the road. I say seatbelts should be forbidden on SUVs, while Hummer-type vehicles should be required to have a blade coming out of the steering wheel. Now, *that* would even the chance in case of a crash.

  7. doing my part by boomgopher · · Score: 3, Funny

    To do my part in saving the Earth, I will replace my current vehicle with an electric or hybrid car, because they grow naturally from sunflower fields. I know they grow in sunflower fields because if they didn't, the energy saved by the increase in MPG wouldn't be enough to compensate for the energy used to create these heavy industrial products. If so, I would feel bad, and I don't want to feel bad, and I want to feel good when I buy things.

    --
    Your hybrid is not saving the environment. Its purpose is to make you feel good about buying something.
  8. It's simple by joggle · · Score: 4, Funny
    What is this going to do to the power grid which has been known to collapse, famously with the northeast blackout and the rolling blackouts in California?

    You get yourself a backup diesel generator.

  9. Re:Valuable Lithion-Ion Batteries = Bigger Theft R by Ohreally_factor · · Score: 2, Funny

    Right you are (and I'm not even a trekkie, er, trekker). Lithium Crystals is an instant drink mix for people with bipolar disorder.

    --
    It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
  10. Re:"Relatedly" is NOT a word by twoshortplanks · · Score: 2, Funny

    Don't be so snozlang.

    --
    -- Sorry, I can't think of anything funny to say here.
  11. Re:"Relatedly" is NOT a word by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Relatedly is a word. It's in Merriam-Webster as well as dictionary.com as the adverb form of the adjective "related". And it's in common usage.

    You're not a language-Nazi, you're just an idiot. You read a word which:
    1) you understand the meaning of and
    2) follows the conventions of English (forming an adverb with -ly)
    3) Is in common use

    And then you promptly claim that it "isn't a word".

    Well, what the fuck is your definition of a word then, you pretentious moron?

  12. Re:Done before (20 years ago!) by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 2, Funny

    s/pedestrian/hedgehog

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
  13. Clever Car by NitsujTPU · · Score: 4, Funny

    new "Clever car" (Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport)

    Sure, but it's not such a clevut acronym.

  14. Re:BMW C-1 by penguin-collective · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why bother with either really? Motorcycles can get 45 or so miles per gallon and they are safe provided:

    So, you're saying motorcycles are safe provided their riders never make mistakes and provided that all other drivers on the road start behaving sensibly. Well, neither is gonna happen, which means that motorcycles remain risky.

    Munich for breakfast, Tokyo for lunch, NYC for dinner.

    You're... Godzilla?

  15. Re:BMW C-1 by AGMW · · Score: 3, Funny
    b) soccer moms in behemoth SUVs stop talking on their phones long enough to see you.

    Whilst driving to Guildford from Kingston yesterday morning, on the A3, I was being tailed by a large people carrier with a "lady" holding a mobile (cell) phone to her ear. I indicated that I had seen her vehicular faux pax in the usual way (pretended to hold a phone to my ear, etc).
    She pulled up along side me and wound down her window to harange me whilst we were both driving along in heavy traffic at 30 or 40 MPH. Apparently, it's none of my "f***ing" business what the numb-nuts in the vehicle behind is doing and I should, apparently, mind my own "f***ing" business (now you know why I put "lady" in quotes!).

    It was at this point that I noticed the small and frightened looking, girl in the front passenger seat.

    With people like this on the road I think I'll stick to cars thanks very much!

    Interestingly, there was just the psycho-mom and the small girl in the 7 seater people carrier too ... so, two stereotypes for the price of one! Best value on the A3 today! Get 'em while they're hot, they're lovely!

    --
    Eclectic beats from Leeds, UK
    handmadehands.co.uk
  16. Re:BMW C-1 by SomeoneGotMyNick · · Score: 3, Funny

    Headlight off, headlight on, dark coloured clothes, light coloured clothes the cars drivers just don't see you.

    You're right. Even after adding loud pipes and bright paint to the list.

    That's why I resorted to hanging carnival lights all around my bike and playing loud circus music from PA horns mounted on the handlebars (think trombones and sousaphones). If that don't get their attention, I'll probably have to resort to putting on the clown suit next.....

  17. Re:BMW C-1 by Shoden · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yeah right, like I'm going to listen to the advice of a moron.

  18. Re:BMW C-1 by Smallpond · · Score: 3, Funny

    The shoes make shifting difficult.

  19. New exciting developments in transportation by The-Bus · · Score: 2, Funny

    I've recently been introduced to a wonderful Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle, which usually secretes only a small amount of a sodium chloride / urea solution. Through imaginative manufacturing, the costs of these vehicles have been reduced greatly. I believe they are mostly used in European and Asian countries, as they are a bit small for Americans, outside of an interested hobbyist. They run on kinetic power, and the fuel cell takes any kind of organic matter to be powered: scientists are still discussing the proper blends of ingredients, but most will work.

    On top of that, throughout the transportation process there's been shown some health benefits. Since it is a bit unconventional, specialty equipment is recommended or required depending on local statutes, although this being a new technology most commuters and local governments seem to be unaware of it.

    I can't find too much more information about this online, but a gentleman at a university was able to provide me with a schema of this vehicle, which you can find here.

    --

    Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.