Reply With Quote
Those cloth bags are actually pretty awesome. We lug all sorts of stuff around in 'em. They're great for potlucks.
They kept making the Caprice. They just restyled it a little to look less like a beached whale, souped it up into a muscle car, and called it the Impala SS.
If you got 28 mpg out of that 5.0L, you were probably driving like a... well, grandpa. But that V-8 only put out 170 hp, which is about what a 4-cylinder will do these days.
I rented a 4-cyl Camry LE a couple weeks ago on vacation. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was roomy, has nice big buttons and letters on the radio so "wiser" eyes can read it, and it gave me 32 mpg. So maybe somebody does still make 'em.
Those cloth bags are actually pretty awesome. We lug all sorts of stuff around in 'em. They're great for potlucks.
Hmmm, interesting. But the old caprice I had wasn't driven as you describe. I promise. And
If you got 28 mpg out of that 5.0L, you were probably driving like a... well, grandpa. But that V-8 only put out 170 hp, which is about what a 4-cylinder will do these days.
I rented a 4-cyl Camry LE a couple weeks ago on vacation. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was roomy, has nice big buttons and letters on the radio so "wiser" eyes can read it, and it gave me 32 mpg. So maybe somebody does still make 'em.
it was the pursuit engine. Want the VIN number...LOL
Actually we just use the "naked" garbage cans in the bathrooms. All except the main kitchen bags. I just dump the trash from the bathrooms every other day into the main kitchen bag in my run over to the dumpster.
Unfortunately, recycling isnt done in SM for apartments that I know of.
It might be interesting to talk to the owners about some sort of complex-wide recycling scheme though. That is the kind of thing that encourages a sense of community and decreases turnover expense, so it might be something they would be interested in. Interesting research idea. (scribbles note to self)
They don't have the yellow-and-green Abita dumpsters for paper?
Way off subject, but you reminded of something.
California, of all places, the Apartment complexes out there have no recycling process. You see what goes into the regular trash. You could make some money just picking it up and taking it to a recyle place, well a good living. I couldn't believe it. They about so much stuff and do so little.
You remember back in the day when everybody went to church because that's just what people were supposed to do, and there were a bunch of people who acted all pious on Sunday but it was just a big show?
Really, I didn't know that.
They didn't have any hypocrites when you were younger?
I live in an apartment complex in California, and we do have recycling.
When I was younger it wasn't a priority to find out. There just wasn't that many people in Texas in those days. A/C hadn't been invented, so we didn't have many yankee's wanting to come down. Everyone here was pretty busy just trying to make ends meet. You knew just about everything about everyone.
Oh. So anyway, California doesn't have Christianity anymore except in small pockets, so they replaced it with the Green Movement. And that movement has religious hypocrites too.
Oh! Okay.
This is true. As long as we use internal combustion engines, we are close to the maximum MPG that can be obtained for the size, weight, and safety factors the USA market demands. We can make higher mileage vehicles, but then how much will insurance prices jump as more people get harmed, and they have to jack up premiums?
Unless we make cheap nuclear electricity, a hydrogen fuel cell system is still not cost effective until gas prices exceed at least $8.00 per gallon in my opinion. You cannot subsidize it or require the fuel suppliers to take no profit. It costs $4.00 per gallon equivalent, give or take a bit, just to make enough hydrogen equivalent to one gallon of gas. It takes 44 kilo-watt-hours of electricity to make that much. Then there is purification, storage, transportation, taxes, retail profits... Then... Without nuclear power, or some other green electrical generation method, we burn how much more coal to do this?
Another alternative is hydrocarbon fuel cells. This would make existing size vehicles at least twice as efficient. There is development in this area, but limited. I think the only working models out there use a modified form of methane. If we could just put in common gas or diesel, that would really be something! There are also ethanol fuel cells, but we could never make ethanol practical to such quan ies.
Maybe the Direct Carbon Fuel Cell can be perfected for vehicles, then we can just convert refined coal directly to electricity and CO2.
I believe this for freeway milage. Not for city. Maybe we need to start specifying? My last 5.7 liter V8 also got 28 to 29 MPG, at 70 MPH. I never tested it at just 55. Probably was above 30. Only 18-20 MPG the way I drove it city. Modern computer controlled EFI engines are great! It was EPA rated 18/28. I have no idea how I did better with my lead foot at times.
Keep in mind, MPG on the freeway is primarily limited by the drag in the air. City is pimarily limited by the weight of the vehicle. Engine size has less to do than it did in the past for mileage.
Good mileage, what was the make and model?
2000 Camaro Z28
Internal combustion engines are so inefficient, it's not even funny. On average, even when aided with turbochargers, the efficiency is only about 20%. That is, you only extract 20% of energy from the gas you burn. Even if somehow we created the perfect IC engine, the law of thermodynamics limits your efficiency to 37% max.
We need to move away from gas, and into electric and/or hydrogen. The problem with going entirely electric is that we need more R&D into battery technologies.
Here's a company that has an all electric car on the market already: Tesla Motors
Their Roadster is too expensive right now, but they're planning for a more economical version, and if cars like this could be mass produced, the cost would be a lot cheaper.
As far as hydrogen, I'm pretty sure Honda will lead the market with their FCX Clarity
They've been working on it for a long time, and they even have a small hydrogen station you can install in your garage and produce hydrogen yourself at home. I'm not currently aware of the range in these cars, but hydrogen is relatively cheap and easy to produce.
Unfortunately, the government keeps just handing meager amounts of money to the usual suspects (link), to keep our dependency on oil. Hybrids are nice, but IMO they're not the solution.
Okay, lets say you are right, about alternate energy sources. Could we just let the oil companys produce enough oil to maintain a decent price level?
Also, if an alternate energy source is such a good thing, how come someone hasn't really, really invested some money into finding that source?
Also since nearly all dimms in congress think it is the OILCO's responsibility to invest their money in finding a new energy source, which would ruin their basic business, why don't they make McDonalds find a new food source that has no fat, is very nutritious and low cal. (and kids love, as well as adults).
By the way has any of our most wonderful law makers ever produced anything to keep you from walking? I cant in my years ever knew one that did. I guess if we could use their hot air and BS we would have an unlimited source of energy. It might even rival the sun.
You're not thinking forward. You're thinking right now.
Back then when we had near infinite amount of oil supply, and our entire infrastructure was based on combustion engines, it was the obvious choice to keep using what we had. It was more economical than exploring alternatives. Plus the technology didn't exist to have an all-electric or all-hydrogen car that was usable.
Right now oil supply is meeting demand, and it will get worse over time on the demand side. It's a limited resource. Simple as that.
Many companies have spent a lot of money on alternative energy sources. That's why we have solar panels, wind turbines, etc.
As far as cars are concerned, the technology right now can build an all-electric car that can do ~220 miles on a single charge. The cost can vary between 1 to 4 cents per mile, depending when and where you charge your car. The beauty of all-electric is that you can charge pretty much anywhere. The infrastructure cost is minimal, plus electricity can be generated from solar, wind, hydro, etc that are pretty clean sources.
Hydrogen can also currently do about ~220 miles on a single fuel cell. The biggest caveat being that a lot of infrastructure will need to be built to handle it.
My biggest beef with lawmakers is that it's unfortunate they keep feeding the Detroit cartel with incentives and tax breaks, while it's mostly foreign and independent companies that build and bring to market actual cars with innovative technology. I'm sure that at least the independent company could have used a tax break or a 30 million incentive from the government while developing their car.
still don't get it, huh ray? oil is a global commodity. pump all you want and it will be sold on the world market. less would be produced by oil rich nations to keep profit flowing.
you'd have to involve the oil biz because they're not going to let somebody just gut their livelyhood.Also, if an alternate energy source is such a good thing, how come someone hasn't really, really invested some money into finding that source?
What I find strange is that the people who scream the loudest about oil is bad and ruining mother earth are the ones who want others to invest in alternate energy. Why doesn't brother Gore, who has the dollars, invest some of them in something other than so called: Carbon Credits, which he sells for profit.
you almost had it right. they won't allow a cheaper alternative to ruin their biz.
and i highly doubt that any of us know what gore is invested in.
The largest producer of solar panels for both commercial and residential applications is... BP.
Oh, I think we have a pretty good idea what Mr. Gore is invested in.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions