European researchers have come up with a three-wheeled two-seat commute vehicle they're calling "Clever" -- ("Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport") -- one meter wide, top speed of 60 mph (100 km/h). It looks like a car, handles like a motorcycle, runs on natural gas, and has a tilting chassis for maneuverability.Cool. But will it ever make it to the market? How is it that researchers keep coming up with these great new alternative transportation vehicles but they never become available for consumers -- at least in the US?
3 comments:
'How is it that researchers keep coming up with these great new alternative transportation vehicles but they never become available for consumers -- at least in the US?'
GM, ExxonMobil, DaimlerBenz, Ford, et al.
Imagine what would happen if we all had really green efficient cars to drive? If we didn't buy gas there would be no money to pay for road upkeep. As a result we'd either face a "use" tax, face tolls on every road we drive, or have GPS transponders installed in our vehicles that tell the government how many miles of highway we've used. Then we'd pay out of pocket.
Without gas sales and the tax income they provide, roads would be in undriveable disarray within 1-2 decades (our highways are constructed to last about 10 years--compared the the German autobahn's 50 years).
Still, I'd go for an electric or non-gas car, easy, as long as I could go 60-100 miles without recharging. Commuting would be a bummer if I had to stop to recharge every 20 miles.
Rich
BlogRodent
Rich -- They're working on that problem. You might find my post from last month to be of interest: http://bradboydston.blogspot.com/2006/03/downside-to-fuel-efficiency-if-state.html
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