Dilbert creator Scott Adams hates on the Auto X-Prize, green car drivers
Scott Adams, the creator of the popular comic strip, Dilbert, is not a fan of green cars. His lack of enthusiasm for green autos probably comes from the fact he thinks global warming is taken out of proportion. Adams also seems to think that engineering a green car might not be possible.In a post to his blog, Scott pokes fun at the Auto X-Prize, a contest with a prize of $10m for the creator of a 100 MPG car, saying the winning car will be too lightweight, not safe and -- for good measure -- ugly. Then he takes off the gloves and starts making fun of green car drivers. Scott says driving a green car is like driving around in a car that shouts, "I HAVE NEVER HAD SEX AND I NEVER WILL!" Adams knows actor Leonardo DiCaprio drives a hybrid, but he concludes his model girlfriends must make him wear two or three condoms.
Scott's criticisms of green car drivers don't stop at his blog. There are several Dilbert strips that make fun of driving a green car. This Sunday color comic strip, for example, says people that want to buy a fuel-efficient car don't know what the word fungible means. This black and white daily strip says SUV drivers should ram into hybrid cars.
Gallery: Automotive X-Prize entrants
Gallery: Team Velozzi - Automotive X-Prize
[Source: Dilbert Blog]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dogbert 3:43PM (2/22/2008)
You do realize that Scott Adams is a humorist, correct? His posts are supposed to be funny. While I am sure there is a lot of seriousness in his humor, you have to take it exactly as humor. He often takes outlandish opinions simply to get a rise out of people like you.
And the fact that he is a vegan, walks to work everyday, and flies commercially on his many travels for business makes him somewhat of a "green role model", though I doubt that is exactly what he is going for.
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KarenRei 3:49PM (2/22/2008)
Wow. And to think I used to like Dilbert. After this, it'd be like watching a John Travolta movie and knowing he's a Scientologist, or reading a Michael Crichton book and knowing that he's a vengeful prick.
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kert 3:51PM (2/22/2008)
Yes. Driving a Tesla Roadster or Wright X-1 will practially make sure that you never get laid, and these things are as green as they get ...
Will someone lend this otherwise bright guy a clue ?
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kert 3:59PM (2/22/2008)
Now i see a lot of folks crying on his blog that Tesla isnt mass market etc, toy for rich guys etc, that no big automaker makes a cool one for mass market etc.
Well, that makes big AUTOMAKERS stupid, not the idea of green cars.
Some of them already are getting a clue, with examples like Toyota FT-HS concept etc.
So this is one point where folks like Adams need to get a bit of clue and start aiming their cannons in the right direction.
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Eric Boyd 4:19PM (2/22/2008)
I personally think those Dilbert comic strips are funny - if you can't laugh at yourself, you're taking life too seriously.
In my view, part of the reason for the Automotive X Prize is to see if Scott Adams is right. Will all of the competitors for the AXP be too lightweight, not safe and ugly? There are some teams already competing for which this isn't true - but there is also no guarantee that those particular teams will even qualify, let alone win. So, the value of the contest - the whole point of doing the thing - is to see what we get. That's what makes it fun and valuable. Bring on the competition!
http://xprizecars.com/
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dwf 4:28PM (2/22/2008)
Here's a quarter... (25)
Go buy a sense of humor!
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Chad 4:52PM (2/22/2008)
Driving a more fuel efficient vehicle saves gas and money as long as you chose the right one. You can do this with any automaker. Take Ford for example. Comparing cars with similar options:
2008 Ford Focus SE sedan with automatic. MSRP: $16,925 MPG 24/33/28 combined.
2008 Ford Escape XLS FWD with automatic. MSRP: $20,670 MPG 20/26/22 combined.
So, you save almost $4,000 at purchase and get an average of 6 mpg better buying a small Ford sedan over a small Ford SUV. Both seat 5 by the way.
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iDevin 5:12PM (2/22/2008)
Dilbert drives an EV1 in the Dilbert TV series. His EV1 has a rocket in the trunk that can be used to avoid toll booth lines, although he still has Dogbert "make the engine noise" on one occasion.
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kert 6:41PM (2/22/2008)
for folks recommending people getting a sense of humor : this isnt a case with getting a sense of humor. The man bases part of his attempts on humor on wrong assertions, which actually point out that he is ill informed.
thats not funny, thats sad. I like Dilbert ( i like Gary Larsons Far Side even more, got the collected volumes and everything ) but when a guy tries to paint a picture that green cars are uncool, when they are actually the coolest ones around ( need i even mention White Zombie, Killacycle, tZero, Venturi Fetish and other electric hotrods ? ) then this doesnt sound funny to me.
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Throwback 8:34PM (2/22/2008)
Perhaps he thinks green cars aren't cool. that's his opinion.
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kballs 9:21PM (2/22/2008)
Driving a "cool" car (Ferrari, Hummer, etc.) often means you have a small penis and/or low confidence and are compensating to attract mates. Driving an "uncool" car (hybrid, minivan) often means you have a really big penis and/or are confident and comfortable with your manhood, and don't need an expensive car to attract mates. It all evens out in the end. His assertion about not getting sex has no base in reality... even to the point of being the opposite of reality (everyone wants to be seen in a hybrid in Southern California for instance).
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kert 4:32AM (2/23/2008)
::Perhaps he thinks green cars aren't cool. that's his opinion.
Yes, an opininon, apparently formed based on very limited data. In other words, a very uninformed opinion thrown around.
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Throwback 9:40AM (2/23/2008)
kert, opinions are just that. I for one am glad we don't all think the same.
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tankd0g 11:01AM (2/23/2008)
There's nothing green about a Tesla Roadster unless you think giving up $100k for a car full of toxic chemicals with a chasis made from the most energy intensive process on earth is "green".
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tankd0g 11:01AM (2/23/2008)
Until someone can make a Honda Civic that get's 100+mpg, and I mean with all the comfort, safety and features the 2008 civic has now, Scott Adams is 100% correct.
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kert 12:10PM (2/23/2008)
::kert, opinions are just that.
No they arent, there are informed ones and uninformed ones. Uninformed opinions expressed by influential people are dangerous.
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Bender 8:42AM (2/25/2008)
I've seen the 50 year old cat ladies driving the hybrids. Believe me, they aren't getting any.
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Dustin 10:53AM (2/25/2008)
For the people complaining, did you just read the negative article or did you read the actual comics? For instance, the one about smashing the SUVs into hybrids concludes "That should stop them from using fuel altogether." Which is true, but you wouldn't use such a means to achieve that end. That's what is supposed to be funny about it.
You deal with absurd humor all day every day whether you notice or not. Why go up in arms when the humor's subject concerns green cars? Relax.
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naggs 12:28PM (2/25/2008)
i concur mr adams
good points all around
i have been saying for months that the auto x-prize is an epic waste of time.
think about it, if someone can make a vehicle that is safe/efficient/cheap/reliable/attractive enough, they win (pinkey to mouth) one million dollars!!!
the automakers all know that this is not possible, they have spent thousands of times more money trying to do the exact same thing because if one of them were to succeed, they would make billions... its not even worth their time to fill out the paperwork to collect the prize should toyota/GM/VW/whoever win it.
the x-prize only works if there isnt already plenty of incentive to accomplish the task. the vehicles that it produces will be about as marketable as the 3000 mpg 1/2 hp streamlined research vehicles that need to be driven by an 80 lbs asian girl that all the private universities were making a few years ago.
its a waste of time and an epic fail
also, people who drive hybrids are tools
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Lou 2:17PM (2/25/2008)
YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO JOKE ABOUT THE "GLOBAL WARMING" NONSENSE TO A LIBERAL PERSON, BECAUSE THE ENVIRNOMENT IS HIS/HERS RELIGION.
IT'S LIKE MAKING A JOKE ABOUT CHRIST ON THE CROSS TO A NORMAL PERSON.
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