Here Comes the 100-mpg Car

how much does or will it coast now?

The Locust (low cost) was based on the Lotus 7 (now the Caterham) that, depending on engine used, can hit 150mph)and can out accelerate every Italian super car.

The orginal Lotus 7 was a kit car. The Locust like the Lotus orginated in Britain in the last ice age.

The French sell the Maxem (Maxham?) which is based upon motor cycle parts, uses the Kubota diesel and does 90mpg (or so a proud owner claimed to me) but top speed is not sixty. It is a weather proof four seater (for 4 tiny Frenchfolk). It is road legal in Europe, but I wouldn't want to crash into anything larger than an empty matchbox.

Look it up on the web.

Gary Brown in Georgia has been putting tractor engines in trucks and cars. He's getting about 50 mpg in trucks and about 60 in some cars. His website is http://shadetreeconversions.com

I personally feel that HHO gas(hydrogen or Brown's gas)made from plain or salt water is the only way to go. Three fourths of the earth's surface is water--you can't find anything more abundant that that.

:-) It takes more power to generate hydrogen than is released by burning hydrogen, but many people tell me it works for them. I've yet to hear a convincing explanation of how it's supposed to work, but there are lots of discussion groups on the internet and you may learn something I haven't.

tack on a hydrogen (HHO) booster and see how much better mileage and lower emissions you get. You should get better torque as well.

(forwarded from Jack McCornack)

When Colin Chapman designed the Lotus Seven, he called it a "four wheeled motorcycle," and from a passenger safety standpoint, that's pretty close. Is it "street legal"? Could an auto company do this? Sure it could--Caterham Cars got the rights from Lotus years ago and you can buy a brand new Caterham Seven today.

But we can and should do better. You're seeing MAX at the beginning of its development, and the Auto X Prize rules demand we get our car to current safety standards before the driving competition begins. We're working on side intrusion, and we're already pretty good on front and rear intrusion (and sadly, I can prove it--see my blog for details).

Ditto for emissions, we already meet the latest standards for agricultural equipment and we think with a year's work we can meet auto standards too. So stay tuned, and feel free to prod us if it looks like we're not making fast enough progress.

(forwarded from Jack McCornack)

Hi George, tell us more! I know that chassis-wise (and currently body-wise), this car's inspiration dates back half a century, however, it has other features to bring it up to current needs.

I think folks should have been building these in 1981 but once the first wave of the fuel crisis ended, interest in fuel efficiency kinda dried up. Anyway, it would be good to be reminded who was keeping the faith back then, and I sure don't claim to be the first to think small-car-small-engine is a good way to go.

This article is a tremendous disservice to the readers.

This is a death trap. The frame is touching the occupant, no crush zone, no room for intrusion.

The engine would not come close to passing emissions.

Max is right in pointing out weight as an important factor and his choice to turbo charge probably gained him 10-15 % efficiency. But to say this is "street legal" and implying an auto company could do this is just sad.

The comment about auto companies not being able to meet 35 mpg "FLEET AVERAGE" would imply that the auto companies can or should control what people buy.

The auto companies will reach that 35 mpg goal and more as gasoline prices rise. The marketplace will decide. If we see $15 a gallon gasoline consistently for the next few years, I'd predict that 35 mpg will be achieved in the 2010 model year. People just won't buy vehicles that get less. You won't have one person driving 80 mph down the interstate in an 8 passenger 15 mpg Suburban anymore.

But the fact is many cars have been available for a long time that got better than 15 mpg, the customer just chose not to buy, instead chose to buy a 5000 lb / 400 horsepower sedan that would blow the doors off a 70's "muscle car" or a 4 door 4 X 4 pickup for the daily commute on paved roads.

This car was already built in 1981 nothing new this is just a copy