The cars might be smart, but we must be pretty dumb.
Posted on: November 13, 2007
- In: Activist | Global Warming | Globalization | Tech
- 1 Comment
What sort of fucked up, out of touch, country do we live in where the “Fortwo” is seen as a huge eco-advancement?
From AP: “Daimler’s “Fortwo” Smart car, which goes on sale in the US next year.
Retailing at 11,600 dollars, Smart cars are cheap, easy to maneuver, and fuel-efficient, running at around 40-45 miles (65-72 kilometers) to the gallon.
But will they catch on with American motorists? Smart USA spokesman Ken Kettenbeil is convinced they will…”
Since when is $11,600 cheap (since you can get a full sized car for that much) and in what world is 40-45 miles a gallon a marked improvement (a full sized Prius gets better millage)? Shouldn’t a tiny car for two run on electricty ? If it must run on gas, shouldn’t it be a hybrid with 100 miles per gallon? Why isn’t it?
I personally am very interested in alternative transportation and more green options, but don’t piss on my head and tell me its raining (as my favorite person is fond of saying) – the “Fortwo” is not an eco-option, it is a novelty disguised as an environmentally responsible solution.
Little Tart loves it all...most of the time 
December 9, 2007 at 3:37 pm
I think the idea is that it’s a cheap, high-mileage car, which is currently kind of mutually exclusive. The Prius does get much better mileage, but for much more money. And 40-45 mpg is much better than current 4-cylinder economy cars. In addition, it’s small size means that the Smart Car takes up less physical space on the roads, in curbside parking spaces and in public garages. Which could mean that we’d need more of each less soon.
That being said, it’s far from perfect, and hell it’s not even much of an improvement, but it _is_ an improvement.