Smart Cars Dumb policies And the way out of this mess

Introducing: The 7300 CXT

The 7300 CXT has a gross vehicle weight of 25,999 lbs Yeah!

No special license required!

4-door crew cab comfortably accommodates up to 6 adults!

Their advertising slogan? The Brilliance of Common Sense

Its over nine feet tall and 21 feet long

Brochure Slogan is: "Possibly Too Much Truck. Like That's a Problem."

But what are the customers saying about the CXT? Honestly though, there's nothing like the feeling of driving a truck so big that it takes up the width of the lane you're in and knowing if you hit a car you probably wouldn't feel it. Man that's a great feeling!

Under the United States' fuel economy regulations, the heaviest sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks are exempt from mileage requirements

It gets about 6 miles to the gallon.

A new model on the way!

In 2003 congress created a tax break allowing a $100,000 write off. This subsidy could save you $37,100 off of your colossal SUV. This legislation was changed in the fall of 04, but other tax incentives still allow a total deduction of $60,722. A $20,000 subsidy.

Seen a few of these around lately?

But remember: The tax break applies only to persons with a small business who buy the largest and least fuel-efficient category of SUVs. They have to be over 3 tons.

GM's Buick division introduced a new luxury SUV for 2004 that weighs 6,001 pounds fully loaded, just heavy enough....

Fortunately, it's very easy to find attractive vehicles above the magic 6,000-pound figure required. Most machines that look big enough to qualify do qualify. Here is a short list:

BMW X5 Cadillac Escalade Chevy Astro Chevy Avalanche Chevy Express Chevy Silverado Chevy Suburban Chevy Tahoe Dodge Durango Dodge Ram Van Dodge Ram Maxi Van Dodge Ram Wagon Dodge Ram 1500 Dodge Ram 2500 Dodge Ram 3500 Ford Excursion Ford Expedition Ford Econoline E-150 Ford Econoline E-250 Ford Econoline E-350 Ford F-150 Ford F-250 Ford F-350 GMC Yukon GMC Safari GMC Savana GMC Sierra GMC Sierra Denali Hummer H1, H2 Land Rover Discovery Land Rover Range Rover Lexus LX470 Lincoln Blackwood Lincoln Navigator Mercedes G500 Mercedes ML 320 Mercedes ML 500 Mercedes ML55 AMG Toyota Land Cruiser Toyota Sequoia Toyota Tundra

With fuel economies in the range of 9 to 15 m.p.g., SUVs are some of the highest polluting vehicles on the road. This legislation encourages their purchase over smaller and more fuel- efficient cars.

For every 100,000 individuals who take advantage of this loophole, it costs the treasury an estimated $1.4 billion

How many vehicles are typically sold? GM, Ford & Chrysler sold 803,000 units in August. About 1/3 were SUVs. Note: SUVs dropped 50% in September 05

Why are these men buying these large trucks, is it because they are lacking in other areas?

What if a person wants something a little smaller?

Like me?

S uperbly M anufactured A nd R eliable T ransportation Introducing the Smart Car

The cab on the CXT 7300 is nine feet long.

The Smart CAR is nine feet long.

Its small, but is it safe?

Yes! In the event of an impact, the smart fortwo's steel tridion safety cell, crumple zones and crash boxes, and front and side air bags will protect the driver and passenger.

In a series of tests conducted in June 2004, the smart fortwo achieved outstanding results.

In June, 2003, the experts from DEKRA put a smart fortwo up against another small car in a 50 km/h head-on crash test at their Accident Research and Crash Test Center. The result: while the passenger cell of the other car collapsed completely, the smart fortwo's rigid tridion safety cell remained intact. The smart fortwo driver, they concluded, would have survived with only minor injuries.

The smart fortwo's superior passive safety has been confirmed by more than 50 crash tests: A smart car and a Mercedes-Benz E-Class (which is twice as heavy) collided at a speed of 50 km/h in an offset frontal collision. In every test, the strength and rigidity designed into the tridion safety cell provided greater occupant safety than in other small cars and the deformation values measured were below all internationally recognized standards for all vehicles

In 1998,… a crash test on five small cars using the Euro NCAP method…, concluded that passengers traveling in the smart car would be by far the safest. It achieved the best results in all relevant areas of the car and showed a clear overall advantage over the competitive cars involved,…

The Smart Car has ESP The straight-line traction control function is integrated into ESP, which uses a steering angle sensor, speed sensors at each wheel,… and computer logic to calculate the path being steered versus the car's actual path. If there is a discernable difference between what the driver asks (through steering) and the vehicle's path, ESP applies selective braking to correct the car.

More room in the back than you think

A trip from Vancouver to Toronto is 2,716 miles A smart car would use 42 gallons (at 65 mpg) $3.00 per gallon total: $126 A 24 mpg vehicle total: $339 A 12 mpg SUV total: $678

Smart car facts: A smart car weighs 1,606 pounds The 700cc engine weighs 150 pounds Color panels are all interchangeable Currently a four month wait in Canada Out selling the Mini Cooper and VW Beatle Since 1998, 700,000 sold in 35 countries

$16,000 to $21,000 in Canada But in the land of the free and the home of the brave you are not allowed to have one.

ZAP We think it is a crime, at a time when we are all experiencing the highest gas and oil prices in history, that we don't have the full governmental support for one of the most fuel-efficient cars in our history. You may have seen the new standards just approved by the government that allow the Hummer to be exempt from all fuel economy standards. Even now, the U.S. Government announced a waiver for emissions standards on gasoline and diesel fuel, which tells us that government can act quickly based on public need. Also it does seem that outside influences are slowing down the approval process. We need your help to get you the cars you want. Please tell the U.S. Government your desires. Write, call, fax and your local, state and federal government officials. (see sample letter)

August 2005 Dear Representative: In 1974, 35% of our oil came from outside the country; today 56% is from foreign sources. Our Country needs energy efficient cars. The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is "to protect human health and the environment. Since 1970, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people." One of the primary purposes of the U.S. EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) is to "encourage travel choices that minimize emissions." According to various test data, the Smart Car as Americanized by ZAP would be one of the most fuel-efficient cars ever offered for sale in the USA. We need your help. According to our information this vehicle has passed all requirements of both the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency. Yet, apparently due to unknown pressure, the EPA is apparently holding up the sale of these vehicles, which are exactly the type of vehicles the agency is suppose to encourage. Please can you make inquiries and try to break through this unknown roadblock. ZAP has spent in excess of $10 million on this project and there are numerous jobs at stake. Furthermore, a vehicle that is as fuel efficient as the Smart Car would greatly help the environment and would also help make our Country more secure, by reducing reliance on foreign oil. Over 700,000 Smart Cars have already been sold in 35 Countries. If it's good enough for 35 countries, why not the USA? According to surveys over 100,000 Americans want to buy these energy efficient vehicles if they were available in the USA. Please lets make them available now.

The Crossblade

Enough with the gas dont we have anything new? Yes, a brand new idea. Electric

1890 William Morrison built an electric car in Des Moines that could travel for 13 hours at a speed of 14 mph

1898 Belgian Camille Jenatzy averaged 18 mph in a 1.1 mile contest, beating 56 gasoline and steam cars. In another race an electric car set the world's first land speed record reaching a breathtaking 39.3 mph on December 18, 1898

In 1899 he set a land speed record of 66 mph in this electric vehicle

Unfortunately, Jenatzy died in 1913 in a hunting accident when he went behind a bush and made animal noises as a prank on his friends who were hunting with him.

There were 34,000 electric cars registered in the U.S. and almost 50 companies producing electric vehicles from 1895 to 1920.

No engine. No gas tank. No tailpipe. No emissions. No noise. No kidding! Electric Vehicles (EVs) have 1/10th as many moving parts as a gas cars - No engines, transmissions, plugs, valves, fuel tanks, distributors, starters, clutches, mufflers or catalytic converters.

Battery Electric vehicles are the most efficient cars on the road: Toyota RAV4 EV887 BTU/mile Toyota Prius Hybrid2250 BTU/mile Toyota RAV4 Gas4423 BTU/mile

Sounds great! Can I get one? The automakers produced great electric cars to meet Californias Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate. A few thousand people have driven the cars. But industry spent millions lobbying in Sacramento, sued in federal court and successfully eviscerated the mandate. Now Toyota, GM, and Honda are confiscating and destroying thousands of electric cars, despite offers of cash from satisfied customers. A small number of ZEV-mandated electric cars were offered for sale in California. They sold out quickly. The automakers wont even sell you the electric cars theyve already made. They are crushing them instead. They only sell gas cars.

A General Motors EV1 being loaded for destruction

78 EV1s remain on a lot in Burbank, awaiting transport to Arizona, where they too will be crushed. These vehicles are all in working order, and in fact are regularly charged and moved around the GM parking lot.

Los Angeles police arrested a TV actress and another Los Angeles woman, who were attempting to stop GM from destroying a number of EV1 electric cars. Alexandra Paul (Baywatch, Christine) and Collette Divine were arrested while blocking the path of trucks hauling the cars to the crusher. The two, part of a group of activists who offered to pay $1.9 million for the vehicles, were booked for suspicion of failing to obey an officer,

Why did they kill it? One EV-1 specialist, says: --Partly the auto industry makes 40% of their profit on parts and service -- much of which EVs don't need. (1/10 the parts) --Where would the aftermarket parts companies be if we all drove EVs? --Partly, the automakers are partners with the oil companies, and it's in both of their best interests to keep us dependent on petroleum products.

The Ford EV Th!nk

A protest in California Trying to keep the Th!nk from the crusher

Protesters standing up to Toyota

Excerpt from a letter to Toyota: Toyota, in developing electric vehicles, did accept tens of millions of taxpayer dollars, including money from the State of California. Although we understand that business decisions lie completely in your hands, it would seem that the company is now destroying the very cars subsidized by taxpayers. --Sheila James Kuehl Senator, 23rd District

Following a three-month campaign, Toyota agreed to stop crushing its RAV4 EV, and allow satisfied customers to lease or buy their zero-emission SUVs.

Ford agrees to sell the Ranger EV to customers after an 8 day vigil in Sacramento saves them!

Ford Norway HQ Taken Over by Greenpeace. 300 Th!nk City electric cars SAVED! Ford agrees to send EVs back to Norway, not the crusher.

Basic Bike facts: --Bicycles outnumber cars on our planet by two to one --Each year bicycle production outpaces automobiles 3 to 1 --Bicycles in Asia alone transport more people than all the world's cars! --A typical human engine can power a bicycle for three and one-half miles on the calories from a single ear of corn!

Bicycles use less energy per passenger mile than any other form of transportation: A medium-sized car uses: 1,860 calories per passenger mile Public buses average: 920 Rail transport: 885 Walking roughly 100 calories per "passenger" mile. A bicycle comes in at about 35 calories per mile The energy and materials needed for one medium- sized car can produce one hundred bicycles.

The Twike

A maximum range of 55 miles per charge and a top speed of 55mph. At the same time the TWIKE is 10 times more efficient than a normal car. The futuristic joystick steering is easy and fun to use. The optional pedal drive adds to the fun and fitness of the passengers and saves even more energy.

TWIKE owners don't pay road tax or congestion charge, and can park and charge for free in London!

Free electricity in London, how about America? This couple tried to bring one into the US, but thankfully it was caught! I spoke to her husband, and apparently the Twike is STILL being held in customs in Westbrook. Its been there for two years! - they have been charged the 10 dollar a day impoundment fee for all that time ($7,300) and it is getting to the point where they feel they will say enough is enough. They may have no alternative but to have the Twike destroyed.

Their Twike arrived in Boston last October. But customs officials held it on the dock because it was a) an imported vehicle and b) lacked an NHTSA sticker. What's worse, when the Robnetts called NHTSA officials in Washington D.C., they were told: a) the feds had never heard of the Twike and b) there was "no way" its rubber would ever meet a U.S. road. This surprised the Robnetts, who already had spoken to a man in Vermont who imported a Twike via Montreal and is happily traversing the Green Mountain State with no federal interference whatsoever. For two years, the Robnett's have tried - and failed - to free their Twike. They hired a firm that helps people clear customs hurdles, but the best it could do was have the crate sent from the dock in Boston to the warehouse in Westbrook.

They even reached a tentative compromise with NHTSA whereby the Twike would become a "demonstration project" for environmental classes at the UNE, where Regi teaches occupational therapy. But when NHTSA loaded on the conditions - the Twike must stay within 25 miles of campus, must be in the "sole possession" of UNE, and after six months must be exported or destroyed – the deal fell through.

Taking the matter into our own hands

Donald Dunklee modified a scooter for his daily 5 mile commute. His solar powered motorcycle has not been plugged in since April 15, 2005 and has traveled over 700 miles.

The Tango

Two high efficiency electric motors driving the rear wheels can produce a combined torque level of over 1,000 ft lbs

MPG cost: equivalent to 195 mpg full charge in less than 3 hours George Clooney 0-60 mph in 4 seconds Range: 80 miles Top speed: 150 MPH

The Tango can accelerate from zero to 150 mph in one gear. It its faster than most exotica you can buy off the showroom floor such as the Dodge Viper, Porsche Carrera GT or Ferrari F50

50 mile range The Lithium-ion batteries charge 90 percent in five minutes. Goes 100,000 miles before needing battery replacement. Subaru R1e Japan

Mitsubishi are expecting their new MIEV to easily out perform their previous electric concept car's range of (155miles) Production in 2008

Other transportation options! Made in America Retail: $320 Range: 22 miles Speed: 19 mpg Cost to charge: 4 cents

The Rider

Israeli design: Weighs 30 pounds Runs for four hours at 9 mph

Folds flat

Segway's Centaur Concept - the wheelie machine

Built in Gyros

Self balancing, 150 pounds, 20 mph

Canadian: Hydrogen fuel cell powered, gyroscopically balanced, one-wheeled recreational and commuting vehicle provides an extraordinary vision of the kind of personal transport we could be using 20 years from now.

Remember this one from the 20s?

We may have this one soon. The nissan pivo

It spins around!

The inside

The End Dars Funny bits next…