[Leica] Further adventures of a completely screwed up guy: longand occasionally on topic

[don.dory at gmail.com (Don Dory)]

Seth,
I get the feeling that if we want to drive something resembling a car in ten
years or so, then the first manufacturer to figure out how to cut 1000 lbs
or 450 Kilo's from the current automobile will win a large slice of market
share.  Less weight means a smaller power source which opens up new
technologies for similar performance.  Even with an IC engine less mass
means less power inputs required for similar performance.

As the oil producing states become a little more radical, and as the world
demand for cheap energy grows, traditional hydrocarbon inputs will become
very expensive.  Up to now, the western world has been very resistant to
cutting back on life style, but has instead found alternative ways of doing
things.  We will see if the Western world is still up for challenges or
whether the baton will be passed on to other cultures.

Don
don.dory@gmail.com


On 1/29/06, Seth Rosner <sethrosner@nycap.rr.com> wrote:
>
> Frank is factually right; BUT - regulatory requirements have added a huge
> weight penalty to every automobile produced today. Crash-ability,
> bump-resistant bumpers, airbags (that entail electronics, motors and
> bags...
>