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Appropriate Tech, 300mpg Car Top 2008 Innovators
longacre writes "While some giggles were floating around about the irony of a Microsoft product (Photosynth) finding itself on the same top 10 products list as a toilet, the true stars of last night's annual Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards were innovations of far more consequence. MIT professor Amy B. Smith won the marquis Leadership Award for her work on building simple, low-cost technology to help developing countries. Joining Smith from the appropriate technology field were a group of CalTech students who created all-terrain wheelchairs for the disabled, and a Procter & Gamble exec who developed a water purifying powder for the third world. Aptera Vehicles founders Steve Ambro and Chris Anthony made the cut for their 300mpg Typ-1e, which is expected to hit showrooms by the end of this year. Other winners ranged from the Mars Phoenix Lander team, to the developers of a low-cost cancer test, to the creators of Spore."
300mpg is impressive, but they stopped selling trike's for a reason ( and they now sell quad's in their place ).
That trend with electric vehicles actually worries me, and I can't help but wonder at the safety implications.
Is it really so difficult to keep the drag co-efficient down without losing the extra wheel?
GrpA
Enjoy science fiction? "Turing Evolved" - AI, Mecha, Androids and rail-gun battles. What more could you want?
Agreed. This car is way too impractical to ever see common use on American roads. Pit this versus a full size truck or even a semi and it has little chance. Honestly though, with the advances in TDI diesel engines and hybrid technologies, I feel the future is not in electric cars.
If sharing a song makes you a pirate, what do I have to share to be a ninja?
The picture of the #1 item on the list - the toilet looks like[1] one I had in my apartment in Tokyo almost 10 years ago. WTF? Is this a joke, or have people really gotten that insular and stupid in the US?
[1] It does not have the control panel to flush water up your ass after pooping nor heat the toilet seat like Japanese toilets did back then the "innovative" water thingy looks identical.
A friend of mine has one, I've ridden it. It's a fantastic machine. I think he said he paid $19k for it. He sold his '86 BMW with a side car to get it. Really, Really amazing bike (do we still call it a 'bike'?)!
put the what in the where?
While this car is impressive, I think the car designed in 1999 and going on sale in a year and a bit is much more amazing.
Just think, the pres of VW got 317 miles per (imperial) gallon driving this thing to a press conference. This is without any batteries or hybrid tech.
I would be happy with a runabout that achieved just half of that.
Below are links if you have not read about it yet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_1-litre_car
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/gw/vw1litre.htm
I remember in Japan for many years seeing toilets with spigots at the top of the tank, not to mention dual flush, heated seats, and no need for paper, thanks to a water spray and air dryer. So I'd hardly call it a breakthrough product.
It's the 21st century and we're still rubbing our ass cracks with dead trees.
Can you use it to transport a family (2+2) to/from shopping?
Other than that it is a nice development.
If you want to show how good an autovehicle performs in terms of ecology, please provide these numbers:
1. Kg of CO2 emitted to produce one
2. Kg of CO2 emitted to run one for 100 Km
3. Kg of CO2 emitted to fully dispose one
Anything else is just buzzword and advertisement!
Maybe Computers will never be as intelligent as Humans.
For sure they won't ever become so stupid. [VR-1988]
I don't have the link, but in the literature or on the forums somewhere there's a curve of the "efficiency" of the hybrid. The curve is asymptotic at about 110-120mpg, which would be your gasoline-only efficiency. Even with gas prices coming down a bit, the plug-in portion is still a fantastic economic deal compared to gasoline. The 10kWh battery will get you nearly 80 miles at real highway speeds, that's about $0.75 in electricity for me. And compared to the 13mpg I get around town in my F150, it's quite a bonus. Of course, I don't have $30k to spend on one, and if I did they wouldn't sell one to me 'cause I don't live in CA. On top if it, it still wouldn't pay me to buy one for economic reasons - I spend $3000 a year in fuel, and about 25% of the miles really do require a more rugged vehicle. At 6% interest, it would take 40 years to break even.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Can you use it to transport a family (2+2) to/from shopping?
I'm definitely into letting someone else do the hauling these days...
- Dairy delivery to my door (Oberweiss)
- Peapod delivery of Groceries
- Schwan's delivery for other tasty items. They have the best bacon.
Actually helps minimize the impulse buying in the store. Otherwise, you do need to be able to haul your family for many purposes. This car will be a great commuter so you can leave the mini-van home unless needed.
I love the sound of distortion in the morning -- webcommando
As for the basic economics of going all-electric with this one I ran some numbers of my own and determined my Prius cost me as much as $5.60 per commute per day (66mi,3.50/gal,42+mpg winter with a lead foot, but usually around 47), and the Aptiva (80 wh/mi, BG&E rates) would only cost me $0.63 for the all-electric version. Doing solar would drive the cost up a little but it would still be far cheaper than being all gas powered as I am today. Not only would is save me money but it is also the first electric car that is capable of doing that 66 mi commute on one charge, as I would otherwise have to get my office to install an electric meter in the parking lot if I had any other electric vehicle. I'd buy one today, as this is almost exactly the car I wanted to design and build for myself, but the bummer is the car is only available to residents of California. Anyone out there want to take delivery for me? I'd just have to figure out how to charge it every day for the drive back home to the east coast. :}
If you absolutely need more than 2+1 seating (i.e., you're only going to have one car and/or rarely have anyone in the household who travels by themselves or with one adult and one small child), then you're right; it's not for you. However, a huge portion of the American population is not in that situation. It's sad watching a hummer going down the freeway carrying only the driver. What a waste.
If you do need more than 2+1 seating, not only are there many other EVs coming out from other manufacturers in the next few years (although no other true electric hypercars that I've seen), but Aptera's next model, codenamed "Palomar", is to be a four-wheel, four seater. I'd expect it to be somewhat more expensive and probably ~30-40% less energy efficient, but hey, four seats. Of course, with the credit crisis, I imagine it might be a while before they can bring it to market.
Isn't it enough to know that I ruined a pony making a gift for you?
If you pick a 1955 VW Beetle as the car then perhaps you can. If you pick a modern car then no, you can't. A modern car car can pull around 1g of deceleration (sports cars more, SUVs less). To stop in 1/3rd distance of a car decelerating at 1g you'd have to be decelerating at 3g. Even if there existed a tyre compound which could give you that much grip without downforce (no such compound exists) you'd surely fly over the bars unless you're strong enough to hold a handstand with two guys on your back.
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