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The strange thing is how some things took a huge leap (3g Internet on a cigarette pack sized computer with GPS) while others are stagnant (my car is, comparativ

by Murkin 15y ago

The strange thing is how some things took a huge leap (3g Internet on a cigarette pack sized computer with GPS) while others are stagnant (my car is, comparatively, barely changed). The trick is to guess what will stay the same and what will jump eons forward. They have been speaking about nano-tube based building materials, alternative fuel and better batteries for decades now. And then you have Kinect..

gte910h 15y ago
My car gets 50-55 MPG and could auto-route me places if I want. It starts when I shove a piece of plastic in in and push a button. It makes no noise below 10mph, later models of this car make no noise below higher speeds. My car has changed loads.
- robinduckett 15y ago
  I drive an Audi A1 Petrol with no electric hybrid motor and get more than 55 MPG, which begs the question, why do you drive your car like a maniac? P.S. A friend of mine drives a Citroen C1 Petrol and gets 70MPG regularly, sure it's a tiny car, but still, I don't see how 50-55 MPG is so mind blowing.
  - gte910h 15y ago
    That's not typical of your car Robin. http://www.fuelly.com/car/audi/a1/2011 http://www.fuelly.com/car/audi/a1/2011 I see you're Welsh(or at least living there), Perhaps you're using imperial MPG in your post? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_MPG http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_MPG I'm using american gallons. Multiply your figures times 0.83 to get american gal. In imperial gallons, my figures are 60-66 MPG-imp. If you were using american gallons, here are some substantive things that probably offer a difference or two in our relative inefficiencies: I live in the southeastern US (Atlanta, GA), which is basically a sauna for 150+ days a year (today is 82% humidity, with a "Feels like" temp of 37 C/99 F), so constantly run the air (which is actually more efficient than opening the windows for my particular car, a 2005 Toyota Prius). The Audi A1 is a mini-cooper sized car (which my wife has). My car (a prius) is a mid-sized sedan (comparable in size to a Ford Fusion, which gets 22 MPG City/32 MPG highway). You can easily fit 2.5 as "person" and 4x as much stuff in my car as you can hers. I take very short trips (living in Midtown, which as it sounds, is in the middle of town), so the engine is only at maximally efficient thermal profile for a short part of the time. My car is actually 6 years old (although newer models don't really have higher overall MPG it seems). But to someone from 1995, my 2005 Prius getting 52 MPG would seem strange indeed, seeing 27 MPG in the city and 34 MPG highway was typical gas mileage for a 1995 Nissan Sentra, a popular midsized car of that year.

by Murkin 15y ago

gte910h 15y ago

My car gets 50-55 MPG and could auto-route me places if I want. It starts when I shove a piece of plastic in in and push a button. It makes no noise below 10mph, later models of this car make no noise below higher speeds. My car has changed loads.

robinduckett 15y ago
I drive an Audi A1 Petrol with no electric hybrid motor and get more than 55 MPG, which begs the question, why do you drive your car like a maniac? P.S. A friend of mine drives a Citroen C1 Petrol and gets 70MPG regularly, sure it's a tiny car, but still, I don't see how 50-55 MPG is so mind blowing.
- gte910h 15y ago
  That's not typical of your car Robin. http://www.fuelly.com/car/audi/a1/2011 http://www.fuelly.com/car/audi/a1/2011 I see you're Welsh(or at least living there), Perhaps you're using imperial MPG in your post? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_MPG http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_MPG I'm using american gallons. Multiply your figures times 0.83 to get american gal. In imperial gallons, my figures are 60-66 MPG-imp. If you were using american gallons, here are some substantive things that probably offer a difference or two in our relative inefficiencies: I live in the southeastern US (Atlanta, GA), which is basically a sauna for 150+ days a year (today is 82% humidity, with a "Feels like" temp of 37 C/99 F), so constantly run the air (which is actually more efficient than opening the windows for my particular car, a 2005 Toyota Prius). The Audi A1 is a mini-cooper sized car (which my wife has). My car (a prius) is a mid-sized sedan (comparable in size to a Ford Fusion, which gets 22 MPG City/32 MPG highway). You can easily fit 2.5 as "person" and 4x as much stuff in my car as you can hers. I take very short trips (living in Midtown, which as it sounds, is in the middle of town), so the engine is only at maximally efficient thermal profile for a short part of the time. My car is actually 6 years old (although newer models don't really have higher overall MPG it seems). But to someone from 1995, my 2005 Prius getting 52 MPG would seem strange indeed, seeing 27 MPG in the city and 34 MPG highway was typical gas mileage for a 1995 Nissan Sentra, a popular midsized car of that year.