car of the future--splatterdog will love this

[dlb]

http://www.flixxy.com/gm-hy-wire-concept-car.htm

[takza]

I can't wait till the throttle sticks and some women testifies before Congress about how she called her husband...then the aliens...then God trying to get it to stop.

[Petros]

the changeable body is something they can do now, it does not need to be H2 powered to do that. Ditto the hand controls, in-fact I saw something similar in a popular mechanics from about 1968, nothing new there. Most people do not want a single control, it does not feel "safe". The H2 idea has also been around a long time, hazard in transporting, and as you can see it needs a very large storage tank, adds a lot of weight. Good luck in finding a filling station.

I had actually investigated converting cars to run on H2 fuel, you would double the tank weight and cut the range in half. I thought it would be a good business to sell cars to idiot cities like Seattle, SF, etc. that put out ZERO CO2, and charge them twice as much as they are worth. I could also sell them H2 generators so they would have their own fuel supply (it would crack H2O to make H2 using electricity, it will cost them more to operate than just using gasoline). I can probably get some "Obama-bucks" stimulus/swindle-us money to start the venture.

Big money to be made by the stupidity in their willingness to spend big buck to be a "responsible" city. They would be responsible if they did not waste taxpayer money on folly. So perhaps I can profit from their willingness to fund folly.

[splatterdog]

Neat and all. But it could be 50 years or more before it would be affordable for the average tercel owner.

Compare our cars to it, and its like ours are as cheap,simple, and reliable as a hammer. Not one of those Mil spec ones either.

Is this an old video? I swear I saw this at least a year or two ago.

[dlb]

i don't know, my dad just sent it to me. could be old. i just figured you would really love how straightforward and easy it would be to work on such a vehicle, SD. noooooooooot! computer cars, really? just imagine getting a 'blue screen of death' in your f*cking vehicle. not for me, thanks.

[Petros]

computer cars, really? just imagine getting a 'blue screen of death' ...

Now that would be a fun trick. I wonder if we can get some computer geeks/hackers together and get them to make a device that causes EXACTLY that to happen to the modern cars. You could make a "quick get away" in your Tercel after you zap some annoying driver, cops, etc. with your "neutralizer". They would never know what hit them.

The Tercel of course would be totally immune to such a device...

[ARCHINSTL]

computer cars, really? just imagine getting a 'blue screen of death' ...

The Tercel of course would be totally immune to such a device...

The Tercel is immune to many laws of physics (but not oxidation).

OT, but - there was some comic book hero in the early '50s who rode a balloon-tired bicycle with all sorts of unobtainable accessories which included a device mounted on the handlebars which could emit a ray which would stop cars in their tracks by disabling the electrical system so the hero could zip through traffic.
Really!
Tom M.

[Jarf]

So what is up with the steering console, for a $1/2M they couldn't have a quiet motor and a drive track that operates smoothly.
Just seeing that operation makes me question the attention given to every other system in the vehicle.

I am impressed that it will never need any engine or transmission work, ever.
That is a real load off my mind.
Good thing that electric motors last forever and that high pressure hoses subjected to heat and vibration will never age or crack.
No wheel bearings or tires to replace, probably doesn't even use wiper blades.
No stupid mechanical cables to seize....

I am also glad because I have never ever seen a wire break or corrode internally causing all sorts of unintended short circuits.
Or an unrelated circuit gets back-fed and activates due to corroded grounds, shorted wires.
That could NEVER happen

The future will be so much better.

[Starbug]

That car (and all like it) will cause all kinds of problems and dangers.... just look at all the drive-by-wire failures we have today in modern cars: Prius stuck in full throttle no matter what you do, Corollas had issues too but I can't remember what at the moment... So if all cars are to be fully computer controlled, then you will have all kinds of accidents from people unable to stop their car or turn it, so they end up hitting people/cars. Going all computer controlled like that is a very bad idea.

...and what if a mouse gets into your wires and chews them? Everything is all down within easy reach of mice, they don't even have to try! Chew one wire and the whole car won't work.

I'll keep my Tercel.

[solarlord]

Thats James May -hes had a hair cut so it must be quite recent-dont you guys watch Top Gear on the BBC- if not you are missing a some important stuff on being men -dec

[SynthDesign]

Very cool post!

[Starbug]

Thats James May -hes had a hair cut so it must be quite recent-dont you guys watch Top Gear on the BBC- if not you are missing a some important stuff on being men -dec

Top Gear is the most awesome car show ever. The Stig is a driving god. I loved the episode where they tried to kill some poor '80s Toyota truck: dropped it, left it in the ocean, burned it, etc. And at the end of the episode, they drove it onto the stage. It still ran! LOL! I get so many laughs from Top Gear. It's the only show I actually miss from back when I had cable tv. Thank god for hulu.com and YouTube clips!

[dlb]

here's that vid starbug was talking about. killer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnWKz7Cthkk

[Starbug]

LOL! Go Toyota! Our cars will never die.... Thanks for linking that here, Davidlucasbarnes. It makes my day to watch it again.

[solarlord]

DAVID- Thanks for that ace program-there are a number of other goodies that these guys have done,, will patch you thru to the BBC iplayer (catch up tv) when they are on again-its MUST SEE viewing-warning they sometimes take the piss out of USA- no offence ment-yours DEC