Unless a change is made in vehicle morphology. A tadpole, narrow three wheeler with two-inline seating would have low weight, low frontal area, and low co-efficient of drag. Such a vehicle could go much farther on the same Watt-hour capacity.

Until there’s a big breakthrough in energy storage capacity, an economy run is what driving will be like with BEVs. I had a Tesla drafting me for 70 miles on the PA Turnpike, even though I was hauling a heavy trailer with a V-6 Dakota. When I slowed down to 40 on uphills, the Tesla stayed right on my tail.

Forget about going 80 mph on a highway drive. Wind resistance goes up exponentially. If the need is for that much hurry, pick a different mode of travel. I’ve found 62 mph to be the maximum speed that retains good fuel economy. After that, it’s big reductions.

What would be more interesting would be a redo of the Chrysler CCV, an homage to the Citroen 2CV. It had a metal tube frame and plastic body which was easily recyclable. Like the original 2CV, it was an exercise in parsimony, delivering the most utility with the least input. The auto industry has been using complexity…

Norway’s average annual income per capita is 10,000 Euros greater than Italy’s, all of its electricity is hydroelectric, and it has a huge trust fund from its off-shore oil income. 

And reducing frontal area and the coefficient of drag will greatly reduce power need. What’s the most aerodynamically efficient form at subsonic speeds? A teardrop. An enclosed narrow three-wheeler (two in front/one in back) is inherently easier to design for less wind resistance.

Let me add a few other thoughts. I live in far northern Minnesota — very low population density, extreme climate, long distances to anywhere. My mechanic told me, “Fred, they don’t design cars for people like you.” A winter tester once said to him that after 20 below zero, you’re on your own. That’s a nothing-burger…

No. It’s simpler. Range anxiety, cost, and poor “refuel” infrastructure. Americans took readily to electricity in other parts of their life. For the auto press, cars are toys to play with. For the rest of us, cars are tools to accomplish daily tasks, and the primary daily automotive task for most of us is the daily…

Totally wrong. This is not what Smart should be. Smart was always a city car meant to be “smart.” How to improve aerodynamics? Think tear drop and narrow. What is the most common auto use? The daily commute by one person in one vehicle. That’s what Smart provided. Instead of focusing design around parking, design for…

I had a 1992 Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue. It was big as a whale, with room to stretch out in the back seat, and air shocks to keep it level when loaded. My son took it to college.

The analysis doesn’t take into account non-horizontal surfaces or vehicle morphology. Of course solar energy density and solar cell efficiency is too low for ordinary automobiles, like the Tesla, which is heavy and has too much frontal area. The sun describes an arc in the sky, so vertical and slanted surfaces are…

This is nothing new. I was a utility driver for Fedex Ground 17 years ago, filling in for regular drivers and doing rural deliveries in 20 counties. In order to complete my runs in time, I cheated on my DOTs, ate frozen burritos heated on the vents while I was driving, and peed out the door. Eleven hours on the road…

The exhaust of a hydrogen fuel cell is low temperature water vapor. In winter, that would turn all roads into ice covered skating rinks.

There are close to 8 billion people on earth, all of them using energy. Everybody wants a better life, but that takes energy. When energy was muscle power based, life was short and simple and repetitive. We have my wife’s 5th great grandfather’s will from the end of the 18th century. He was wealthy by his day’s…

Where it actually gets cold, like here in northern Minnesota, -22F ambient temp is not considered “cold,” and not a problem for a modern car engine to start. Block heaters used to be essential, and still are for diesel engines, but 5-20W synthetic oil and electronic fuel injection make starting a breeze, until about…

Sensor posts won't work in snow country. They would be on the part of the road that gets plowed.

Bring the Berlingo here as a remake of the PT Cruiser, and the Berlingo XL as a SWB Caravan. Sell them in Dodge livery. Don’t even try to bring in another nameplate to the American market.

Absolutely, getting in and out of a sedan is harder. Wait until you’re older, and you’ll see. Our main driver was a Dodge Neon 5-speed. Loved it, until we got into our late 60s, when we bought a PT Cruiser 5-speed. We started noticing we were driving the PT more and more while the Neon was parked. The reason? Ease of…

The problem is that “Cherokee” is not the tribe’s name for itself, which is Aniyvwiyaʔi, which means “the people,” which is the most common name ethnic groups have for themselves. The word “cherokee” is most likely of Choctaw origin. It’s like the people of central Europe being called “German,” but their own name for…

Three-fourths of the time we drive alone, usually on a daily commute. We don’t need a two-ton vehicle to move a 100 kilo payload. The quickest way to switch over to battery electric is to make something that is not a multi-purpose vehicle but one specifically designed for the modal (i.e., most common) use. A two-seat…