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#101
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Ride an SUB not an SUV
The Tango microcar...
"1) Will it meet NTSC safety ratings?" No, motorcycles are not required so (not even helmets where I live). If you don't feel safe in a car, how about people riding a bike? Or simply ride a bus. "2) Will it meet insurance companies safety ratings. Crash tests?" Same above. "3) You won't get rid of the big lanes as your not gonna get rid of Semi's and other trucks." Safety would start with good driving practices and not based on size, in which SUVs rule. LANE DISCIPLINE would be enforced and the CELL PHONE would be punished as much as the bottle. Drinking Coke is OK. |
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#102
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Ride an SUB not an SUV
"Pat" wrote in message oups.com... On Mar 6, 10:19 pm, "Daryl Hunt" wrote: "Bill Baka" wrote in message ... Pat wrote: On Mar 5, 7:26 am, "George Conklin" wrote: "Daryl Hunt" wrote in message ... "George Conklin" wrote in message thlink.net... "Bill Baka" wrote in message gy.net... donquijote1954 wrote: On Mar 4, 9:49 am, "Qui si parla Campagnolo" wrote: On Mar 3, 11:47 am, "donquijote1954" wrote: Hey, be smart. You are part of the solution, not part of the problem. And you save the buck. Dinosaurs are a thing of the past and the little furry animals are here to stay. There are two versions of it... bike: http://www.zazzle.com/product/235847689274986069 and bus: http://www.zazzle.com/product/235396990102826110 OK, how is the bus not polluting? You don't see it everyday, but it's possible. Just some new technologies and some political will to make it happen... Heaven Help Bus A visit to Iceland spurs dreams of a hydrogen future The loneliness of the long-distance rider.I have seen the future, and it works. The 111 bus rolls quietly up to the Mjodd terminal in eastern Reykjavik at 11:19 a.m., and I climb aboard. For 45 minutes, we cruise through the suburbs and then to the central square downtown, picking up and discharging eight passengers along the way. Fuel cells that would have filled the space of several passenger seats five years ago are now small enough to fit in the roof panels. And out the exhaust pipe: a trickle of water. http://www.grist.org/comments/soapbo...n-hydrogenbus/ I have a dream...that someday buses will not pollute. Actually we could make it happen now much easier than having all the cars be replaced with hybrid. Just change the fleet of buses to hydrogen or some other technologies out there. We can make it happen with THE REVOLUTION. Coming soon... Too optimistic. Somebody, somewhere is probably burning coal or oil to make the electricity to electrolyze the water to make the Hydrogen. It only really works if the electricity comes from wind, solar, hydro, or, dare I say it, NUculear (Bush pronunciation). Bill Baka Anything which makes a bus more efficient would make a car even more efficient than the bus. Right now transit buses waste fuel big time. Not all, I think I read somewhere where a city went to Electrics. Ok, that exports pollution to rural areas. And of course a plug-in hybrid electric car would meet about 90% of the commuting needs of America. This whole Tango and electric car stuff is a load of BS. Period. It is all a bunch of tree-hugging hyporcrits who want to feel good about the environments without actually have to do anything about it or be inconvenienced. Period. There are solutions out there and they are fairly simple. But it isn't this crap. Electric cars? Guess what. Our electric grid is near capacity and you want to plug your cars in? Great, you feel good about having an expensive, stupid electric car while somebody is out building a coal or oil plant to generate electricity and ship it to you. Okay, they might be able to put out less pollution but it is still coal or oil. Electricity doesn't just come out of you plug. It does, however, grow on trees. Okay, no really, but fuel grows in fields. If you want to cut your dependence on fossil fuels, switch to vegetable oil. You busses and trucks and cars can run on that. It's simple, less pollution, and easily stops the dependence on fossils. Okay, don't want that, go with bio-diesel. REPUGLICAN ALERT!!! Meanwhile, you little Tangos. They are nothing but publicity stunts. They are okay for backup transportation in a city but that's about it. But so is a motorcycle. Oh, but a motorcycle is "old technology" and doesn't have the allure of a slick Tango. Yeah, that's my point. If you people really gave a damn you be out riding motorcycles right now. Plus you can throw on a trailer for groceries if you want. Me? I don't ride public transportation and I drive a minivan. So there you go. But we don't have public transporation and if we did, it's be VERY wasteful because everyone around here has a car. And I drive a van to SAVE gasoline. I haul lots of kids to and froe practices and having a van that can carry 4 or 5 teens plus gear sure beats taking two trips. But when the weather is nice and I have to go somewhere, I ride one of my 3 motorcycles that range in gas milage from about 35 mpg to about 100 mpg. And the less expensive the bike I have, the better the gas mileage. Plus they take up very little parking. But you know what, riding the most fuel efficient vehicle on the road has NOTHING to do with gas mileage. They are just fun to ride. My smallest bike doesn't have much of a motor, but by 450 cc bike that is 25 years old still gets 70 mph and can out accelerate and outperform most cars on the road. So if you want to do something about energy and efficiency and pollution, go do it. But the whole "make it electric" arguement is pretty stupid because all you are doing is changing where the fuel is burned. And none of that stuff about "hydro" because all hydro is used to 100% capacity and any incrimental electricity is fossil. Oh, so you want more hydro. I'm fine with that. But I live in the country because I like it and I don't want any more valleys flooded so people in cities can go do stupid things. Go damn up your own rivers. Go put a damn across the Hudson. NYC has so many reseviours upstate they they have already devastated the Catskills. Pretty lakes you say? Yeah, but what about the people that used to live there who were flooded out of their homes. What about the rivers that are gone and the trout that aren't there? So maybe nuclear is a good thing. It might be. In 30 or 40 years when they get done cleaning up the nuclear reprocessing plant 30 miles from here, we'll discuss it. Actually I don't mind it, so if you want nuclear for Long Island or NYC, go put it on Long Island or NYC. Oh, that's right, they tried that and the people didnt want it. So if you want nuclear, why do YOU want the electricity but you want ME to deal with the consequences? I don't dump crap in your city so you keep your crap out of my rural area. As for bicycles? A great idea. Probably everyone in NYC and most other cities should have one or a scooter or small motorcyle. But they are not the answer for everyone. $6 gas. What about it. I'll go down on the Rez and buy it for $5. And as soon as the price of oil exceeds that of cooking oil, bio diesel sure will look sweat. Okay, the roads will smell like a chinese restaurant, but some people will like that. Fuel cells might use gas more efficently, but they are still using gas. So what's the big deal. Moving a car that some drives in a city from 30 mpg to 50 saves 13 gallon of fuel over 1000 miles. Moving a truck from 8 mpg to 12 mpg saves 42 gallons. Biodiesel would save 125 gallons of oil. Sorry for the rant, but if you are going to save the world, be practical and do thing that really make a difference, not just get what you don't want to see out of your sight. Sorry for the rant, but this Dude, Slow down. The idea for electric cars should be that if one just has to own an SUV (soccer mom or guy who needs the hauling space) then they should have one. They should also be required to buy a little tiny, barely can get into it, econo-box for running around town to do those non-hauling trips. The little one can be a total electric that you plug in at night and never go over 30 miles in one day. The insurance companies could help by making large vehicles pay a much bigger fee for comprehensive collision liability for the SUV and almost nothing for the little econo box. The bottom line is that if you are an ecology abuser you get to pay. Bill Baka Yes, and gas is heading back to over 3 bucks a gallon. Since the technology is already here for the electric vehicles (I ride one myself and haven't paid for fuel since Nov 2004) one would think that there might be somewhat or greater of an incentive to get that ol electric bike, car, MC or MiniVan going just by pluging it in. Our grid is well below needing help so we have more than we need. Shoot, chances are, we sell some of it to where you are. But I doubt if electric vehicles will bust many grids since the recharging takes less than a normal lightbulb. Mine takes about 2 to 5 amp per hour. That's many times less than a light bulb and about the same as a decent clock radio. Sure you've bought lots and lots of fuel. You've just bought it somewhere else and given that area your pollution. I'm not sure how an electric MC would work. Seems like it would be awkward. Besides, you would Harley get their sound? We have more that we need, sometimes, but we don't during peak and that's the problem. Interestingly, were I live, we have winter peak, not summer peak, so we don't contribute to the problem as much as all of the folk who depend on AC to live through the summer. Of course, it's 5F right now, snowing, and we have 2.5 feet of snow on the ground.) Finally, electric that needs recharging like you have would work for most people around here. We have too many people traveling too far for it to work. Tomorrow I'm going about 7.5 hours for a trip. That's a long ways to go on a battery, esp. if you are using it to heat the car (10F and 70mph wind chill). It might work in some areas, but you're still burning something for electricity. (side note, we are 100% hydro, but not for environmental reasons. our muni electric buys it from Canada because it's cheap). Rather than getting rid of cars, that aren't used all that much. Why not just get rid of air conditioners. they are on all of the time and use a huge amount of electricity. Our electrics comes from hydroelectric power strictly. We export the excess to other regions and export our coal to those cities in the east that use the coal for electric power. Our air is much cleaner than most. But, even so, it's starting to get a bit stale. Not from industry but from motor vehicle emissions. AS for getting rid of cars, we won't do that. It's stupid to even bring up. But our around town running can be done with electrics that polute less than even your Hydros (hydrogen). But, then again, Hydro around here means water and we use Hydroelectrics to make our electricity with juice to burn. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users. It has removed 4371 spam emails to date. Paying users do not have this message in their emails. Try SPAMfighter for free now! |
#103
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another T-shirt
"donquijote1954" wrote in message oups.com... Talking into account that most buses still pollute --if so much less-- here's another T-shirt that emphasizes that buses are unselfish. Yep, the same way SUVs are an expression of selfishness and egomaniacal behavior, buses are an expression of good social behavior. No reason to hide behind tinted windows like SUV owners do... Look, SUV's are not selfish if you use them because of a need. I haul 4x8 lumber, 10 foot pipe segments AND have a drive in the mountains with a 30 degree slope which requires a 4x4 in wet weather. But I also have a baby Benz diesel which easily gets 35 mpg. |
#104
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Ride an SUB not an SUV
"donquijote1954" wrote in message ups.com... The Tango microcar... "1) Will it meet NTSC safety ratings?" No, motorcycles are not required so (not even helmets where I live). If you don't feel safe in a car, how about people riding a bike? Or simply ride a bus. "2) Will it meet insurance companies safety ratings. Crash tests?" Same above. "3) You won't get rid of the big lanes as your not gonna get rid of Semi's and other trucks." Safety would start with good driving practices and not based on size, in which SUVs rule. LANE DISCIPLINE would be enforced and the CELL PHONE would be punished as much as the bottle. Drinking Coke is OK. Mercedes for years would not put in cup holders because they said that eating is a distraction. Correct. |
#105
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Ride an SUB not an SUV
Pat wrote:
On Mar 8, 11:01 am, Bill Baka wrote: There are no free rides. Bill Baka That's exactly my point. AC allowed the development of California and Arkansas and then people pitch about the energy usage an pollution. Quite true. But now that people are here, and Arizona (my sister), and New Mexico, Texas. etc., they aren't going to move just for the energy savings. If you want to do something real about pollution, move somewhere that requires less energy to live. I plan to, if my wife will ever quit having to micro-manage her kids and mine. Even as it is, electricity is notoriously inefficient. For heating it is terrible. Here in California it costs at least twice as much for an electric water heater as for a natural gas heater. Something about getting fuel to the electric plant, burning it, and then having to ship the electricity back to the consumer whose house the fuel passed in the first place. I heat my house from maybe November to April (or so, depending on the year) and then use no power for heating and cooling (other than cooking and hot water) for the rest of the year. Speaking as an insomniac I can't sleep in a pool of sweat so I at least have to have the bedroom air conditioned. This is a lot cheaper than a central A/C system. In the winter the thermostat gets set to about 58 and we use electric blankets. No energy usage is the only free ride. I use 1 fan upstairs if it really hot out. It isn't cars that create the energy crisis and pollution, it is AC. Its impact on society has been huge. A/C as it is presently made is purely for the profit of the manufacturer. They can be made twice as efficient, since I worked out the numbers, and I am sure that most A/C design engineers know it too, but are not allowed to innovate that much. Right now they are just built to absolute minimum costs and just barely above the government's minimum legal SEER efficiency requirement. Bill Baka |
#106
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THE REVOLUTION WILL
donquijote1954 wrote:
On Mar 6, 4:58 pm, Bill Baka wrote: Electric cars? Guess what. Our electric grid is near capacity and you want to plug your cars in? Great, you feel good about having an expensive, stupid electric car while somebody is out building a coal or oil plant to generate electricity and ship it to you. Okay, they might be able to put out less pollution but it is still coal or oil. Electricity doesn't just come out of you plug. It does, however, grow on trees. Okay, no really, but fuel grows in fields. If you want to cut your dependence on fossil fuels, switch to vegetable oil. You busses and trucks and cars can run on that. It's simple, less pollution, and easily stops the dependence on fossils. Okay, don't want that, go with bio-diesel. REPUGLICAN ALERT!!! I almost suspected that, but then she went on to accept bicycles as a good idea, which is clearly the first line of defense against Global Warming. Our warmongering president spoke about alternative energy, but "forgot" about the one that runs on banana and water: the bicycle. If he only emphasized the bike, we would be far better off. ****, man. He's only in it for the oil profits for the family business, just like his father, who didn't even know how to finish a war. Oh, yeah, he was a big shot pilot in WWII, and his contribution was to get shot down in a perfectly good airplane. Sorry for the rant, but if you are going to save the world, be practical and do thing that really make a difference, not just get what you don't want to see out of your sight. Sorry for the rant, but this Dude, Slow down. The idea for electric cars should be that if one just has to own an SUV (soccer mom or guy who needs the hauling space) then they should have one. They should also be required to buy a little tiny, barely can get into it, econo-box for running around town to do those non-hauling trips. The little one can be a total electric that you plug in at night and never go over 30 miles in one day. The insurance companies could help by making large vehicles pay a much bigger fee for comprehensive collision liability for the SUV and almost nothing for the little econo box. The bottom line is that if you are an ecology abuser you get to pay. Bill Baka- Hide quoted text - That's a great idea above. Pity the SUVs are actually promoted in every way. To sum it up: THE REVOLUTION 1) WILL EMPHASIZE MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION, 2) PROMOTE NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND 3) WILL PENALIZE THE BIG AND STUPID. Well, at least someone gets my point. If you can afford an SUV and the gas it sucks then you can damn well afford an econo-box for those little trips. Too bad there isn't a law that says a cop can give you a pollution ticket if he spots you driving one block for a pack of smokes or some other silly excuse to drive the tank, er, SUV. Bill Baka |
#107
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THE REVOLUTION WILL
Electric cars? Guess what. Our electric grid is near capacity and
you want to plug your cars in? Great, you feel good about having an expensive, stupid electric car while somebody is out building a coal or oil plant to generate electricity and ship it to you. Okay, they \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Not here, it is water flow, some where else it could be wind flow. In Germany they make gas from pig manure. We all do not hale from CA Just a touch sensitive pal. Have another cafe latte X"?,,&&*ll@? |
#108
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Ride an SUB not an SUV
On Mar 8, 8:17 pm, Bill Baka wrote:
Pat wrote: On Mar 8, 11:01 am, Bill Baka wrote: There are no free rides. Bill Baka That's exactly my point. AC allowed the development of California and Arkansas and then people pitch about the energy usage an pollution. Quite true. But now that people are here, and Arizona (my sister), and New Mexico, Texas. etc., they aren't going to move just for the energy savings. If you want to do something real about pollution, move somewhere that requires less energy to live. I plan to, if my wife will ever quit having to micro-manage her kids and mine. Even as it is, electricity is notoriously inefficient. For heating it is terrible. Here in California it costs at least twice as much for an electric water heater as for a natural gas heater. Something about getting fuel to the electric plant, burning it, and then having to ship the electricity back to the consumer whose house the fuel passed in the first place. I heat my house from maybe November to April (or so, depending on the year) and then use no power for heating and cooling (other than cooking and hot water) for the rest of the year. Speaking as an insomniac I can't sleep in a pool of sweat so I at least have to have the bedroom air conditioned. This is a lot cheaper than a central A/C system. In the winter the thermostat gets set to about 58 and we use electric blankets. If you like electric blankets, you'll LOVE the electric matress pads. They're wonderful. The heat comes up from the bottom. Not too expensive, but absolutely wonderful. No energy usage is the only free ride. I use 1 fan upstairs if it really hot out. It isn't cars that create the energy crisis and pollution, it is AC. Its impact on society has been huge. A/C as it is presently made is purely for the profit of the manufacturer. They can be made twice as efficient, since I worked out the numbers, and I am sure that most A/C design engineers know it too, but are not allowed to innovate that much. Right now they are just built to absolute minimum costs and just barely above the government's minimum legal SEER efficiency requirement. Bill Baka |
#109
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Ride an SUB not an SUV
Pat wrote:
If you like electric blankets, you'll LOVE the electric matress pads. They're wonderful. The heat comes up from the bottom. Not too expensive, but absolutely wonderful. Hah, A reason to shop for something new. I could be a sandwich between two electric blankets and just set the heater to 48, not 58. Getting up to take a leak might be a bummer though. Bill Baka |
#110
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another T-shirt
In rec.bicycles.misc George Conklin wrote:
Look, SUV's are not selfish if you use them because of a need. I haul 4x8 lumber, 10 foot pipe segments AND have a drive in the mountains with a 30 degree slope which requires a 4x4 in wet weather. But I also have a baby Benz diesel which easily gets 35 mpg. Good for you. Speaking from my own experience living in the Pacific Northwet, you are a rare fish. Lots and lots of very expensive SUVs that shine and gleam. Never having seen a gravel road. Never having carried anything larger than a suitcase. -- Dane Buson - "I figure if I kill the first one, the word will get out." - Charles Barkley on handling his 12-year-old daughter's future boyfriends. |
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