Erstellt am: 18. 7. 2011 - 14:03 Uhr
Today's Webtip: Eco Tuning
One of the things about Europe that really made an impression on me as a young midwesterner was the public transportation. After growing up in a car-dependent economy, living in a city with functioning public transportation blew me away. It was fabulous.
However, as much as I would prefer to never own an Auto again, I find myself once again having to track down an affordable means of personal transportation. It's a frustrating experience.
Talking about fuel economy online can get confusing. The U.S. and U.K. use miles per gallon (MPG) rather than l/100Km. To add to the problem, a gallon in the U.S. is not the same as a gallon in the U.K. Thank goodness for conversion calculators!
Or, it was a frustrating experience, until I ran across the eco modding scene. There are loads of people out there doing their best to make the most out of less than economic vehicles. Sure, car companies have started to cater to the penny pincher crowd, but a little history reading makes it very apparent just how much cheap gas set us back when it comes to personal transportation development.
Not that people haven't been trying. There is a rather interesting group of gear-heads out there that have made some impressive motor-vehicles in their spare time. One of the pioneers of this scene is Craig Vetter. He managed to put together a contest that resulted in a 2 wheeled device that did well over 400mpg (that would be less than 0.5875L/100km) back in the 80's. He seems to make his money designing and selling fairings for motorcycles, but he also spends a lot of time inventing other things. Most of which never make it to market. His list of failed inventions is a hoot to read.
It turns out that there isn't much of a market for rocket powered wheel-chairs. The racing skateboard was a bit of a mistake as well.