Did you know that the 1915 Model T got 25-30 mpg?

[devilgrrl]

It did!



http://www.roaring-twenties.com/1915_model__t__ford_roadster.htm

[MercutioATC]

1. It just took 2 hours to GO those 25-30 miles...

..3hp engines are like that..

[mistertrickster]

2. 100 years later . . . we're still using internal combustible engines

and the milage is about the same or worse. So much for technology solving all our problems . . .

Oh, and by the way, all the street cars and public transportation in small and medium sized towns has pretty much died too.

[devilgrrl]

4. Yesterday's technology Today!

I guess I was trying to imply that we haven't progressed much.

[xray s]

3. It was also fueled by alcohol...

...fermented out of hemp grown on Henry Ford's farm.

[tsipple]

5. Unleaded Fuel, Too

Leaded fuel became common later, in the 1920s.

[patcox2]

6. Big whup. my car gets 80 or 90 MPG if I go 20 MPH.

At highway, it gets 56 mpg. Turbo diesel is the bomb.

[tsipple]

7. Sulphur Problems in U.S.

U.S. diesel fuel has much higher sulphur content than European grades, so it's a bit nasty on the emissions side. But that's fixable, for a price, with adjustments to diesel refining. I'm willing to ignore possible particulate dangers, since humans have been around sooty fires for tens of thousands of years. (Gasoline particulates are smaller and arguably more dangerous.)

Biodiesel, or a biodiesel blend, is an intriguing, partial answer to energy concerns.

[TakebackAmerica]

8. 2004 Toyota Prius

It gets 55 MPG!

[tsipple]

9. A Diesel Hybrid Would Leapfrog That

Diesel engines are extremely fuel efficient. And there are plenty of diesel electrics already. They happen to be called railroad locomotives. :-)

Diesel engines do weigh a bit more, on average, than gasoline engines, so that might chew up some of the fuel savings on a diesel electric hybrid. But I still think there'd be additional fuel savings.