GreaseMonkey

End of an Era?

I personally don't think so. I liked what Lutz said in the article about how even at the height of vegetarianism, stores were still selling New York strips.

Eventually V8s might be gone, but there are vehicles that prove you can go fast on different or more fuel efficient engines. Turbocharged or supercharged small displacement engines. Hell, even the Tesla Roadster is one quick car, and it's pure electric power calculated to roughly be around 100 mpg (taking into consideration recharging the batteries from an outlet).

I think technology will prevail. Technology is coming out for wireless communication of control systems and sensors, along with numerous other technologies that will lessen the weight of vehicles. Design changes that the public will accept with better aerodynamic characteristics will also help. Too many people want to immediately blame engines, when the weight/design of the vehicle is also a huge contributing factor.

I also think this article is confusing V8s in light aerodynamic cars to those in trucks when they are very different in fuel efficiency. I know 'Vette owners that'll get almost in the mid 20's cruising on the freeway at the speed limit. That's kinda hard to do in a truck.

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'08 Caliber SRT-4
'02 Honda Shadow Spirit 1100
I'd rather be on two wheels than four.

Tupmeier

thats interisting

Spitzbergen

I get almost 20mpg and I have a Viper GTS. On the other hand a lot of smaller cars don't get great gas mileage. Other then the Fit there are not many cars that can match my Neons gas mileage.

MCDCWILLIAMS

I think we'll be seeing gas powered vehicles for the rest of our lives as the predominant form of transportation. We'll eventually lower carbon emmissions, but we'll stick with the gas, i think.

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ianmcp

driving it pretty conservatively, i can get about 31 mpg in my celica. given, its only got a 1.8L motor dropping about 115hp and weighs in around an even ton dry, i still think thats a hell of a lot better than most of the shit out there.

i wish it had a 6th gear tho. i only get about 3 extra mpg doing highway driving around 70mph cuz i run over 3000 rpm at those speeds.

as far as the next big thing in transportation, i like hydrogen fuel cells, provided we can find a way to get the hydrogen fuel efficiently. otherwise, we pretty much have the rest in place, aside from the fuel delivery infrastructure, which would be a major overhaul. ethanol is a joke IMO, it takes almost as much gas to produce it in the US as it would to just use the gas in our cars.