There are small cars and then there is the Peel

[begreen]

The original Fiat 500 weighed 1100lbs. The new one shares the underpinnings with the Ford Ka. Both weigh in at 1800-2000lbs. And there is the original Mini, a heavyweight weighing in at around 1400lbs.

I should also mention the famous Citroen 2CV here. It was another simple, tough form of transport. Like the 500, it still has a very loyal following. Weighed in dripping wet at 1200lbs.

From Wikipedia: It was designed to move the French peasantry on from horses and carts. It is considered one of Citroën's most iconic cars. In 1953, 'Autocar' in a technical review of the car wrote of, "...the extraordinary ingenuity of this design, which is undoubtedly the most original since the Model T Ford."[3] It was described by CAR magazine journalist and author LJK Setright as "the most intelligent application of minimalism ever to succeed as a car."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citroën_2CV

 

[BrotherBart]

The Peel model I always wanted was the Emma. It really moved me.

 

[begreen]

Oh yeah! My heart throb for many years.

 

[offroadaudio]

Really small cars make lots of sense for all the trips with only 1-2 persons in the vehicle, which seems to be most trips made by car. I'm amazed at the big and small SUV's, pickup trucks, and cars that are only occupied by the driver. It would make sense to me for each vehicle to be assessed a weight/miles traveled tax (no, make that a "fee" for the no tax people), which I believe is the way commercial vehicles are taxed. Each vehicle would be equipped with a sensor to measure total weight and miles traveled for each trip. Say the fee was $0.05 per mile per 500 lbs. I think the gas tax also should be left in place as a further stimulus to fuel efficient and electric cars. This fee also would eliminate the brewing issue over no gas tax being paid by electric cars because these cars now would be paying their wear and tear cost to the roads.

For example, a Corolla, which is a pretty typical small car, has a curb weight of 2800 lbs. With one 150 lb passenger, the fee would be $0.295 per mile; with two passengers the fee would be $0.310 per mile, etc. A 100 mile trip would have a fee of about $30. At 12,000 miles/year, the fee would be $3,600.

An Escalade has a curb weight of 6000 lbs. With one 150 lb passenger, the fee would be $0.615 per mile; with two passengers the fee would be $0.630 per mile, etc. A 100 mile trip would have a fee of about $62. At 12,000 miles/year, the fee would be $7,440.

The Peel has a curb weight of 130 lbs. With one 150 lb passenger, total weight is less than 500 lbs, and no fee; with two passengers (one tied to the roof) still less than 500 lbs and no fee.

This fee structure would further stimulate lighter vehicles, greater fuel economy, less emissions, less wear and tear on the highways, and put the cost burden on those who cost the infrastructure more.

Yeah - nothing like inviting more big brother into our lives. Cracks me up how some people can hate big pick up's and such......until their septic breaks - don't see many Honda Fits pulling a back-hoe.
Electric cars should be taxed (or fee levied) for the disposal of the massive amounts of heavy metals their spent batteries add to the land fills. Not to mention their use of fossil fuel to generate the electricity - you know that evil coal. Not an issue with hybrids, I guess.
Of course those little cars could be subsidized by body bag manufactures - should come standard.

 

[begreen]

Trucks are special purpose vehicles. It would be hard to haul 10 yds of dirt in a Prius, so what? It's hard to go 600 miles in an F350 without hauling 60 gallons of fuel. And I don't see a lot of them in tight city parking lots. Each has its purpose and place.

Electric car batteries will not end up in a landfill any more than lead acid ones do. That would be wasteful. Read up on battery recycling. And gasoline comes from big refineries that suck up lots of power too. And pumps have to run on electricity to keep pipelines going. Better to do it once instead of multiple times.

Of course those little cars could be subsidized by body bag manufactures - should come standard.

Silly myth that went out with Cheney. If that was so, countries like England, France or Germany would have much higher rates of automobile deaths. Not so. Many of today's smaller cars are superior in crash resistance to larger, older vehicles. Note how accident deaths continue to decline in spite of America finally on a downsizing trend.

 

[offroadaudio]

Trucks are special purpose vehicles. It would be hard to haul 10 yds of dirt in a Prius, so what? It's hard to go 600 miles in an F350 without hauling 60 gallons of fuel. And I don't see a lot of them in tight city parking lots. Each has its purpose and place.

Electric car batteries will not end up in a landfill any more than lead acid ones do. That would be wasteful. Read up on battery recycling. And gasoline comes from big refineries that suck up lots of power too. And pumps have to run on electricity to keep pipelines going. Better to do it once instead of multiple times.

Of course those little cars could be subsidized by body bag manufactures - should come standard.

Silly myth that went out with Cheney. If that was so, countries like England, France or Germany would have much higher rates of automobile deaths. Not so. Many of today's smaller cars are superior in crash resistance to larger, older vehicles. Note how accident deaths continue to decline in spite of America finally on a downsizing trend.

I think we're saying the same thing: trucks haul dirt / tow hoes - has it's purpose.

I'll still respectfully disagree on the body bag issue - my kids are safer in my quad cab pu with all the air bags - than in a Prius with all the air bags - laws of motion and mass.

It's also worth noting that recycling often takes an enormous amount of energy as well.

Just so this doesn't turn into a thread for the ash can, I'd like to say that I really enjoyed the video on the Peel, and watched it again with my wife. Neat car.

 

[begreen]

Tis also the design and physics of impact absorption. Modern cars often have better designs for this. It is not as often seen in trucks.

I was rear-ended by a drunk in a truck while at a stop light. Fortunately I was in a car designed to absorb the impact. It saved my life. According to the cop, if I had been in a pickup truck, my neck would most likely have been broken. He was surprised I was walking afterward. Talking to the body shop guys they explained that this is because our car had built-in rear and front crumple zones, which do a better job of not transferring the sudden shock of deceleration on impact than many trucks. Not universally true, but it is a fact. True, eventually mass will win out. I don't intend on taking on Mack trucks any time soon. Never have, don't intend to, and wouldn't even if I owned an F350.

Again, the facts speak for themselves. In nations that have a much larger proportion of smaller vehicles than the US, there is no correlation of increased fatalities due to the smaller vehicle size.

 

[offroadaudio]

Good info -thanks

 

[Singed Eyebrows]

Thanks BeGreen, thats a hoot indeed, Randy

 

[begreen]

Glad you enjoyed it Randy. This thread wasn't meant to be taken too seriously. I know I won't be in a Peel any time soon.