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Topic: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for 20K (Read 286 times) |
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Sean_C
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Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for 20K
« on: Jul 9th, 2006, 7:34pm » |
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I would 
A born tinkerer, Steve Fambro has built everything from go-carts to automotive racing parts. After four years in the U.S. Army working on testing equipment, he got an electrical-engineering degree and snared a good job designing robots used for research at San Diego biotech Illumina (ILMN). But it wasn't long before he was growing restless. "I wasn't challenged at work," recalls the 37-year-old Fambro.
He considered building a kit airplane in his spare time to indulge his interest in aviation, but his wife, Patricia, quickly squashed that idea as too dangerous. So Fambro turned to another passion of his -- cars. He bought books on car design at Amazon.com and, with gasoline prices soaring, began to consider ways to make more fuel-efficient vehicles. Fabro read up on Volkswagen's abandoned prototype for a "1-liter" car before abandoning it in 2002. His discovery: "70% of a car's energy goes to pushing air out of the way."
With help from a couple of colleagues from Illumina, Fambro has designed an entirely new vehicle that he thinks will revolutionize the automotive industry. It's an aerodynamic two-seater, built entirely from parts made of ultra-strong composite materials. Fambro says it will cost under $20,000 and get an incredible 330 miles to the gallon.
TRI-WHEEL TREND
They've named it the Aptera -- Fambro says it comes from the Greek word for wingless flight. "For 50 years, cars have been designed as a styling aesthetic," Fambro says. "They start out with a shape without any regard for weight or aerodynamics. Then they try to make it more efficient."
The Aptera will derive its fuel economy from several sources. Its light-weight components give it an overall weight of just 850 pounds, a third that of a typical small car. The vehicle will run an off-the-shelf one-cylinder engine that Fambro is buying from a German company he declines to name. The car's design is also crucial. With the engine in the back, Fambro eliminated the traditional hood and fender, designing a swooping front end instead.
To further slim down the Aptera, Fambro outfitted the vehicle with just three wheels -- two in the front and one in the back -- part of an emerging trend among major carmakers such as Toyota (TM), Mercedes-Benz (DCX), and Peugeot (PEUGY). Volkwagen, for example, generated a flurry of positive news clippings when it unveiled its three-wheeled concept car, the GX-3, at the Los Angeles auto show in January.
"HALO EFFECT"
But Anthony Pratt, an automotive researcher at J.D. Power & Assoc., says these types of vehicles do more for a manufacturer's overall fuel-efficient image than they do for the bottom line. In other words, VW isn't setting its heart on moving a lot of GX-3s. In California, notes Pratt, you would need a motorcycle license and a helmet to drive one. "They are designed to create a halo effect for the company producing them," he says. "They will never realize high volumes."
The question confronting Fambro is whether horsepower-hungry Americans will really go for a one-cylinder car? Its creator says the horsepower focus misses the point. Most cars are way overpowered for their everyday use. The Aptera will be sluggish on the get-go, he concedes, taking 11 seconds to get to 60 miles per hour. But once it gets going, it will be capable of traveling 90 miles per hour. "This car is plenty fast enough for getting on the highway and passing people," he says.
The other hurdle Fambro faces is safety. Will an all-plastic car survive crash tests? Fambro says he has already tested some of the parts, putting them on the curb and driving over them to show how durable they are. "People are surprised -- they don't even bend," he says. The Aptera will have safety features just an insulation made of crushable foam and air bags built into the seat belts that will absorb much of the impact in a crash.
DETROIT CALLING?
Fambro and his two collaborators formed a new company in January called Accelerated Composites, and will soon move into offices in an airplane hangar in Oceanside, Calif. The partners have already lined up $400,000 in financing from an investor group and have contracted with Katana Industries of British Columbia to build the first Altana prototype, which they hope will be ready be the end of May.
There are signs that Detroit is prepared to take Fambro's venture seriously. He says he received a call from a representative from one of the Big Three's composites divisions (Fabro prefers not to name the company), who peppered him with questions about his car. "I'm on their radar," he says.
For Fambro, the road ahead is a long one, of course, but he has the power of a good idea behind him. "His concept is genius," says Chris Anthony, chief executive of San Diego boat designer Epic Boats, who recently signed on to become the CFO for Accelerated Composites. "All the theory and mechanics of it work." And with a new concern for green machines, the market just might be ready for him.
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Sean_C
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #1 on: Jul 9th, 2006, 9:37pm » |
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All that bitchen about gas prices and not one comment 
Y'all a bunch of hens
Sean...................................
In my case I do between 30K and 40K miles a year call it 35K. If thats at 15 MPG that at todays prices, 3 bucks a gallon that comes to about 10 thousand dollars of my gross salary.
or I could have a hybrid like that and my anual costs would be 500 dollars.
The way I look at it, that car would be paid for in 3 years.
I like it
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| « Last Edit: Jul 9th, 2006, 9:44pm by Sean_C » |
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alchemy
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #2 on: Jul 9th, 2006, 9:41pm » |
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Hey Sean, it's fugly
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Sean_C
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #3 on: Jul 9th, 2006, 9:45pm » |
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on Jul 9th, 2006, 9:41pm, alchemy wrote:| Hey Sean, it's fugly |
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So am I LOL
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Karla
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #4 on: Jul 9th, 2006, 9:46pm » |
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There was an article in the Madison WI internet newstation for one of the local tv stations. It said the govenor of WI is hoping that WI will become a leader in the US for having and driving hybrid cars. There is aparently cars already created that run on vegetable oil.
It cost 2,000 to convert the engine to run on vegetable oil instead of gas and takes a week to do it. Any takers?
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Karla
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floridian
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #5 on: Jul 9th, 2006, 9:49pm » |
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Bucky designed that car in the 1930's. Called it the Dymaxion. The first one could carry 11 people, go 120 mph, and got 30 mpg (exceptionally good for that time). A later five seater got better mileage. Bucky said it would take more space age materials to make it practical.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_car
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| « Last Edit: Jul 9th, 2006, 9:54pm by floridian » |
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floridian
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #6 on: Jul 9th, 2006, 9:51pm » |
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on Jul 9th, 2006, 9:46pm, Karla wrote:There was an article in the Madison WI internet newstation for one of the local tv stations. It said the govenor of WI is hoping that WI will become a leader in the US for having and driving hybrid cars. There is aparently cars already created that run on vegetable oil.
It cost 2,000 to convert the engine to run on vegetable oil instead of gas and takes a week to do it. Any takers?
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I think you have to have a diesel to convert it for $2000. Jonny has a diesel.
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Sean_C
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #7 on: Jul 9th, 2006, 9:52pm » |
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We're to dependent on oil, they can do whatever they want with the prices. They're never going down where they were ayear ago.
We need to have serious wage increases or this country is gonna go down. Energy drives this economy, and I haven't seen anything in my business reflect an increase yet. Alot of businesses here are afraid to raise the price of products in fear of losing business.
Somewhere we have to make a change.
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BMoneeTheMoneeMan
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #8 on: Jul 9th, 2006, 10:18pm » |
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I would like to see the real thing, but hell yes, I would buy one.
If my MPG could go from 27 to 330mpg, that would be sweet!!
B$
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Melissa
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #9 on: Jul 9th, 2006, 11:35pm » |
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Sure, but only if it seats 4 and can transport one 125 cu. ft. & one 80 cu. ft. helium tanks & three 15 gallon plastic totes all at the same time.
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noneya
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #10 on: Jul 10th, 2006, 1:09am » |
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Without even thinking twice! I would purchase two even!
As an American I'm really discouraged knowing that we continue to be dependant on other countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq for our oil when Brazilians have become dependant on NO ONE else for their oil...and they did it rather quickly too!
I SAY E85 ALL THE WAY BABY...Us Floridians can grow the cane for all of America!
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unsolved1
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #11 on: Jul 10th, 2006, 6:16am » |
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The big oil companies will buy it (if it makes any stir) and then they'll bury it. A car that gets 300+ mpg will never make it to the market. The designer of the car will then probably have a terrible freak accident of some kind. Too bad 
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zwibbs/Scott
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #12 on: Jul 10th, 2006, 6:25am » |
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That looks like a vehicle from the woody allen movie " Sleepers."
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chewy
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #13 on: Jul 10th, 2006, 7:32am » |
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I'd last about 40 seconds on the Southeast Expressway in that thing.
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Jimmy_B.
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #14 on: Jul 10th, 2006, 1:31pm » |
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For a car that gets 330mpg...I'd buy it! It could look a hell of a lot worse then that and I'd still buy it.
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tpitts77
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #15 on: Jul 10th, 2006, 1:37pm » |
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I'll take two!!
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Charlie
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #16 on: Jul 10th, 2006, 4:41pm » |
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Why not? It would be a nice thing to use to go to Krispy Kreme or Tim Horton's.
Still, if I had a Dymaxion, the price of anything would mean very little. Wouldn't Linda look cool in hers? 
Charlie 
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BobG
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Re: Would u buy a Hybrid Car if it got 330 MPG for
« Reply #17 on: Jul 11th, 2006, 1:15pm » |
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When Steve gets that 1 cylinder up to (at least) 300hp and can accelerate from zero to 60 in less than 4 seconds, call me.
"Drive it like it's rented"
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