The 300mpg car...Aptera?

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, here is a very odd looking 3 wheeled "car" that is supposed to get 300 mpg, and will be available this year for under $30k! Has anyone else heard anything about this odd little thing?

http://www.aptera.com/details.php

I dunno about you, but I would almost think about buying one for the money I would save.

 

[KrisW]

I'd rather buy a motorcycle and a rain suit. I think it would be safer to be thrown into oncoming traffic than to be crushed in a beer can like that if a dump truck gets too close!

Seriously!

2010 is when Honda is trying to put out a 3 cylinder turbo diesel hybrid and even Cadillac is looking at a TDI type VM Motori common rail in their CTS.

I think I'll hold out... Maybe I'll try to hook up the 1/2 ton Chevy pickup hybrid system to my Cutlass diesel...

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

VW already makes (Or made) a 78 mpg car in Europe- The VW Lupo TDI 3L. I would rather crash in the Aptera-It's not a "beer can", but a composite vehicle that has been crash tested.

Here is a pic of this oddity...

Also, it is more of a city car in my view than anything (Like a Smart Fortwo or a Lupo). If it were cheaper than $30k, I would probably buy one for the money I would save. I spend $15-20 a day on gas now, driving 75-150 miles a day. With that thing, I would spend $1-$1.50 a day. Any way to save that kind of money a month is worth it no matter what it looks like! (300 mpg vs my current 20 mpg means it uses 1/15th as much gas as my truck does)

Plus, it has a lot of technologies I have been thinking about for years, like a series hybrid powertrain coupled with solar cells in the roof, a sort of cantilevered front suspension with flat mounted coil over shocks, etc.

 

[KrisW]

I've seen guys in Pakistan and Afghanistan do that with a 125cc motorcycle and a hot box on the back.

Just add rain suit.

It's the composite that worries me. I guess beer can was the wrong slur. Whatever crash test they did, it wasn't against a dump truck in downtown Tampa with no brakes and mail box lettering on the door. You will die before the ambulance gets there. You will have lots of broken plastic-like pieces around you (and in you in various places) while at least a metal car can fold around you.

These are just my objections.

I'll stick with the cycle.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Motorcycles are not allowed by my company, and besides, I hate motorcycles and their arrogant riders. I try to punt them into barriers or squeeze them between cars when they weave in and out of traffic! (j/k....sort of...)

And, a dump truck falling on you in a metal car is no protection. All it means is they have to cut you out of the thing and it takes longer to treat you.

 

[Coveted]

saving 17$ a day, in 6 years you would pay for the car in savings.

16x365x6=31025

 

[betcha618]

Motorcycles are not allowed by my company, and besides, I hate motorcycles and their arrogant riders. I try to punt them into barriers or squeeze them between cars when they weave in and out of traffic!
you.

aS A MOTORCYCLE CRASH SURVIVOR (BARELY) BECAUSE OF SOME ******* THAT DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE, I HOPE YOU DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH AND ROT IN HELL FOR STUPID sh*t LIKE THAT.

 

[KrisW]

Easy,,,,

As a fellow cycle crasher/rider I understand your feelings. 85 Brougham is a deep thinker and sometimes adds extra satire to his posts. I'm sure he didn't mean what you think...

 

[Tony_SS]

Easy,,,,

As a fellow cycle crasher/rider I understand your feelings. 85 Brougham is a deep thinker and sometimes adds extra satire to his posts. I'm sure he didn't mean what you think...

Oh really? care to interpret this for us:

Motorcycles are not allowed by my company, and besides, I hate motorcycles and their arrogant riders. I try to punt them into barriers or squeeze them between cars when they weave in and out of traffic!

That's some real deep thought right there...

 

[KrisW]

I'm not an interpreter!!

I've said my piece; each man should stand on what he says and believes and defend it himself. I will say that I didn't take it the way betcha did. I was merely trying to water down the flames, not defend anyone's comment.

I don't think 85 is out there running down bikers while delivering pizzas. He is probably just fed up with the jerks who live around here and ride down the highway on the back wheels at 100 mph while causing accidents without being involved in them personally. Since I drive a service truck, I see these idiots every day. Most of the sport bike riders around here have no respect for anyone else on the road and it gives all of us two wheelers a bad name. In Florida, bikers are less than 5% of the motoring public but represent over 12% of the AT FAULT accidents in the state.

The math doesn't lie. Most of those at fault are not riding cruisers and are not older than 30....

Anyway, as to the topic, I still hate the car.