From: BillK (bill@wkidston.freeserve.co.uk)
Date: Wed Feb 05 2003 - 12:12:30 MST
Wed, 5 Feb 2003 01:47:47 Kai Becker wrote:
>
> No problem. Take a look at VW Lupo, Daimler's Smart, Nissan Micra,
> etc. :-) All of them use about 3-4 l unleaded / 100 km.
>
This subject deserves a bit more consideration, IMHO.
Remember, these cars that are common in Europe are not available in USA.
And what is all this litres and kilometres stuff?
Speak American please, if you want them to understand. ;-)
1 US gallon = 3.7854 litres or 0.8327 UK gallon.
1 Litre = 0.2642 US Gallon
1 UK gallon = 1.20095 US Gallons
1 Kilometre = 0.6214 Statute Miles
As Kia said, in Europe there are many small cars generally available
that can average around 50 miles per UK gallon and can do 100 miles per
hour top speed.
These cars do not use much exotic technology. They are small and light
in weight and have small (around 1000cc) petrol engines with
computerised engine management systems. (There are many
hybrid/diesel/alternative fuels being developed but let's stick to the
normal 4-stroke IC engines for this discussion).
In UK petrol costs around 0.77p / litre.
Assuming 1.65 USD = 1 UKP makes this around 4.81 USD per US gallon. So
Europeans have a very big incentive to run smaller cars.
In USA petrol is about one third the price, so Americans have little
interest in fuel efficient cars at present.
Now, what is available in USA?
In USA compact cars and subcompact cars refer to their size overall, not
to their engine size. So a new VW Beetle with a diesel 1.9 litre engine
is still called a subcompact car. (This diesel Beetle will average about
45 mpg, but I'm only looking at standard petrol engine cars).
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ gives the facts and figures.
This tells us that there are NO standard petrol engine cars available in
USA that will average 50 mpg.
If we drop the average to over 40 mpg, you still get NO standard petrol
engine cars available in USA. You have to go to hybrid or diesel engines
to achieve this figure.
So Americans just don't have the option to buy 50mpg/100mph cars.
Telling Americans that they should buy our European small cars is a
waste of breath if they have no dealers selling them. And US dealers
are not selling them because subcompact cars have very poor sales
figures and little interest from the general public.
From the US point of view there are many disadvantages to small cars, of
course.
More people die in small cars than in big cars. (Not by being crushed by
SUVs as you might think, but by driving into solid objects). The more
crushable metal surrounding you, the safer you will be. So in USA,
people in SUVs will tend to live longer.
Small engines mean a different style of driving. You tend not to burn
rubber between traffic lights. A small car can cruise at 80 mph on the
freeway, but it will take some 10-20 seconds longer to reach that speed
from a standing start. So in USA, you have to get rid of the 'Dukes of
Hazard' attitude before they will even think about a small car.
Small cars tend to be noisier than big luxury cars. Thick soundproofing
and thick carpets add weight, which small cars don't like. That said, in
normal use, it isn't a problem. Especially if you have your boombox
blasting out heavy metal rock music.
Small cars have no room for a gun rack. So, obviously they are out of
the question for middle America. :-)
To sum up, even if petrol prices in USA double or triple, it will take
years before the American public will want small cars and dealers will
be able to provide them.
Drive carefully, BillK
Wed, 5 Feb 2003 01:47:47 Kai Becker wrote:
>
> No problem. Take a look at VW Lupo, Daimler's Smart, Nissan Micra,
> etc. :-) All of them use about 3-4 l unleaded / 100 km.
>
This subject deserves a bit more consideration, IMHO.
Remember, these cars that are common in Europe are not available in USA.
And what is all this litres and kilometres stuff?
Speak American please, if you want them to understand. ;-)
1 US gallon = 3.7854 litres or 0.8327 UK gallon.
1 Litre = 0.2642 US Gallon
1 UK gallon = 1.20095 US Gallons
1 Kilometre = 0.6214 Statute Miles
As Kia said, in Europe there are many small cars generally available
that can average around 50 miles per UK gallon and can do 100 miles per
hour.
These cars do not use much exotic technology. They are small and light
in weight and have small (around 1000cc) petrol engines with
computerised engine management systems. (There are many
hybrid/diesel/alternative fuels being developed but let's stick to the
normal 4-stroke IC engines for this discussion).
In UK petrol costs around 0.77p / litre.
Assume 1.65 USD = 1 UKP makes this around 4.81 USD per US gallon. So
Europeans have a very big incentive to run smaller cars.
In USA petrol is about one third the price, so Americans have little
interest in fuel efficient cars at present.
Now, what is available in USA?
In USA compact cars and subcompact cars refer to their size overall, not
to their engine size. So a new VW Beetle with a diesel 1.9 Litre engine
is still called a subcompact car. (This diesel Beetle will average about
45 mpg, but I'm only looking at standard petrol engine cars).
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ gives the facts and figures.
This tells us that there are NO standard petrol engine cars available in
USA that will average 50 mpg.
If we drop the average to over 40 mpg, you still get NO standard petrol
engine cars available in USA. You have to go to hybrid or diesel engines
to achieve this figure.
So Americans just don't have the option to buy 50mpg/100mph cars.
Telling Americans that they should buy our European small cars is a
waste of breath if they have no dealers selling them. And US dealers
are not selling them because subcompact cars have very poor sales
figures and little interest from the general public.
From the US point of view there are many disadvantages to small cars, of
course.
More people die in small cars than in big cars. (Not by being crushed by
SUVs as you might think, but by driving into solid objects). The more
crushable metal surrounding you, the safer you will be. So in USA,
people in SUVs will tend to live longer.
Small engines mean a different style of driving. You tend not to burn
rubber between traffic lights. A small car can cruise at 80 mph on the
freeway, but it will take some 10-20 seconds longer to reach that speed
from a standing start. So in USA, you have to get rid of the 'Dukes of
Hazard' attitudes before they will even think about a small car.
Small cars tend to be noisier than big luxury cars. Thick soundproofing
and thick carpets add weight, which small cars don't like. That said, in
normal use, it isn't a problem. Especially if you have your boombox
blasting out heavy metal rock music.
Small cars have no room for a gun rack. So, obviously they are out of
the question for middle America. :-)
To sum up, even if petrol prices in USA double or triple, it will take
years before the American public will want small cars and dealers will
be able to provide them.
Drive carefully, BillK
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