Ask GM's Bob Kruse why they don't make 100mpg cars this Friday
This Friday you'll finally get your chance a General Motors executive where they hid the mythical 200mpg carburetor and the water engine. The latest edition of the series of online chats being held on GMnext occurs this Friday at 9am EST. The guest chatter will be Bob Kruse, Executive Director of Global Vehicle Engineering Hybrids, Electric Vehicles and Batteries at GM and the subject is "Why don't automakers make a 100mpg car?" If you're inclined to participate in the chat, you'll need register on the GMnext.com site. You might want to ask Kruse why GM and their competitors have declined to participate in the Automotive X-Prize. [Source: GMnext.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
KarenRei 1:33PM (4/01/2008)
"Ask GM's Bob Kruse why they don't make 100mpg cars this Friday"
Well, that's an easy one; it takes a lot longer than 3 days to make a new car.
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Whopper 2:15PM (4/01/2008)
Wow, a 200 mpg carburetor! It used to be a 100 mpg device but I guess it got better with age. It must be back in the same area as those gasoline atomizer screen things.
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steven 2:05PM (4/01/2008)
Maybe it is because the "rules" says the vehicle cost at a production rate of 10,000 units per year must be within levels that the market is likely to bear?
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Throwback 4:15PM (4/01/2008)
That's because big oil and roger Smith used their influence to reduce the number to only 100mpg. Wasn't that a movie, Who killed the 100mpg carburetor?
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Andrew 6:34PM (4/01/2008)
They did make a 100+ mpg car. Its called the EV1.... That doesn't mean they are going to sell it to you and me. I would ask him 'Why can I not go buy a 100 mpg car right now?'
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KarenRei 7:01PM (4/01/2008)
The answer would probably be, "because we screwed up." GM officials have oft lamented the bad PR they earned themselves by cancelling the EV1.
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Kevin Nugent 7:26PM (4/01/2008)
There lame answer would probably be " due to economic down turn , environmental cost and extreme financial investment we ( the Gm committee ) do not think such a goal would be worth while pursuiing" That would be the end of the conversation or they woudl sya that they are working towards it and then point fingers a t their "green cars"
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StockDad 9:22PM (4/01/2008)
Nice hair, Bob!
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Ken 10:44PM (4/01/2008)
The 100 MPG carburetor was the Fish. The 200 mpg carburetor was the Pogue. Shell Oil confirmed the Pogue's performance in 1973 and actually exceeded 200 mpg. http://www.race-cardrivers.com/Shell%20Opel.htm
The working water car (dune buggy) was driven by Stan Meyer, but he died suspiciously in 1998.
A full sized Dodge Van with 318 V8 was shown at the recent Washington International Renewable Energy Show that got well over 100 MPG on a Dyno test. But EPA refuses to test or approve it because it replaces the worthless catalytic converter ande actually runs cleaner. http://www.commutefaster.com/Energy2.html Detroit hasn't read a book on efficient energy in 50 years, nor are they Internet literate.
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Will 8:16AM (4/02/2008)
Hey Ken,
Can you explain to me how a full size Dodge Van would get 100mph?
Even if the engine was 100% thermodynamically efficient, there isn't enough energy in 1 gallon of gas to move that vehicle 100 miles at anything resembling conventional highway speeds. That is, unless you were referring to a test where the van idled as it rolled down the Pike's Peak course.
Happy April Fools Everyone,
The Conspiracy Buster
p.s. There are currently several cars for sale in Europe that get over 70mpg (Diesel Mini anyone?), and these cars can be driven in a way that nets 100mpg, but they are very compact (low drag), very light (low rolling resistance), and in no way resemble an old-school V8-powered full-sized van.
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Lithous 10:35AM (4/02/2008)
I think Kruse should ask all you experts what you have built (actually build: real world vs theory) in order to know so much about what is possible for a company specializing in mass production vehicles.
But, since you guys are so sure of everything you state on this forum, what if GM gave you guys $50 million to build a car that could get 100 mpg driven how the average person drives a car and cost within 15% of current vehicles in its class. The catch is if you don't succeed in 5 years then you pay GM back the money with interest. Would you have the balls to do it? If so, tell Kruse that is the deal you are willing to make.
Most of you guys are useless and probably why GM and other car companies don't allow official talks with the public very often. Bottom line, most of you think it is funny to ask loaded questions about things you could never do yourselves no matter the money or time given.
Go buy a motorcycle and a rain suit if you really care so much and can't build something yourself. Most of you could double your MPG doing that but it is too inconvenient.
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snerdley 10:44AM (4/02/2008)
Is this Friday the only day GM can make 100 mpg cars, or am I missing something here? 100 miles per gallon sounds great, but I suspect our beloved elected government officials will come up with levels of taxation to make the mpg increase null and void and / or dead on arrival.
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Whopper 11:59AM (4/02/2008)
Ken, you simply haven't a clue about which you "speak". Check the Society of Automotive Engineers publications for the books and articles authored by Detroit's engineers on energy efficiency. Information not relegated to vehicles but also production systems etc.
Also, the comment was related to the "200mpg carburetor" not car. The car is possible, the carburetor being the reason is not.
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bakka 12:32PM (4/02/2008)
Renault built the VESTA 2 back in the 80's and achieved 1.94L/100k,or about 145MPG.Google it along with the Citroen ECO 2000.
Problem is nobody wanted them then,and nobody wants one now.
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Ken 4:51PM (4/02/2008)
Will,
The Dodge was tested on a Dyno. Go argue with the manufacture of that, not me. Your numbers are totally flawed. The SAE is as corrupt as they come. If you wish to believe their fairy tales, that is your problem not mine. Enjoy dumping your hard earned wealth into your gas tank.
Whopper,
You sir are the clueless one. Try reading something that is not oil company propaganda. What enters the engine is immensely responsible for its performance. My associates are Aerospace engineers, not auto flunkies from Detroit. Maybe that's why cars can't fly yet.
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Real 11:29AM (4/03/2008)
The reason they don't make these vehicles that make 100 mpg is the oil industries would go bankrupt in about 5 years,because after the car is introduce on the market,oil furnaces would be hybrid too. Then all other gas,oil,or diesel engines would become extinct. This new technology is God's way of saving the earth from all this pollution.It's up to the the oil producers to see if they want their grandchildren wearing suits in the future to go outside,because the ozone is not getting better.Until we start cleaning the air with this new technology and put leaving the oil in the ground,our grandchildren should just start destroying the earth themselves,because we're not showing to much advancement in the technology we have at our fingertips.Greed is the only reason we don't want to use technology to clean and purify the earth for our grandchildren and their generations to come. Come On isn't time to wake up and see what we're doing to the earth's streams,lakes,rivers,air,trees,soil.We are litterally killing our planet,because we don't care about the future for our grandchildren and future generations on this planet.Plus everything we man make,should be all recycle too. Because the dumps are even getting to be the size of man-made mountains.What a kind of a world do we live in,I feel so embarressed to live in this environment and culture,with all the tools at our fingertips to change all these pollutant problems.Creating new jobs for the people who are unemployed to clean up the planet,before it's to late!!!!!!!!!!!
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oz-janko 2:02PM (3/30/2009)
Hi , greetings from australia. Yes it is true, the oil companys are greedy, and our governments are suporting that becouse they sharing the looth. The evidence is right in front of our eyes (at least here in australia). Last years as the arab oil prize was at the peak, close to $150.00 a barrel, we payed about $1.50 per litre of petrol. Now the arab iol droped to about $50.00 (thats 2/3) but we still paying 1.20. thats about twice the prize it should be. As we payed the top prize, the oil companys were saying thats becouse of the arabs, and at that time if the Iranian president only sneezed, out petrol went up by .0.04 or 0.06 per litre. And the governts did notheng becouse in every prize rise the governmats are cashing 10% only on GST. By the way, there are better ways to save the enviroment, but believe me, noone is interested, and here is why. If everyone in the world would start running 100 MPG vehicles, we would have major disaster. All your american new oil discoveries would be no good. Just imagine who would buy a petrol guzler if he could run a can 100 MOG? all the present car manufactoring would become useless. Plus everything with automobile industry would turn upside down. Belive me, I have made my own hydrogen generator (2 of them ) in my 1992 Ford 6 cilinder fuel injected , and I'm enjoying my 100 MPG plus, but noone is intersted to buy it or to copy it. Now, this is not a designing and building a new car , I spend less $100.00 AUD on the conversian, and I'm not even a mechnic. So guys enjoy your savings, Cheers
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oz-janko 3:12PM (3/30/2009)
Ooops. I have realized that many people do not know the difference between hydrogen and hidrogen gas. My hydrogen cell produces hydrogen gas that is burned up as soon it is created , or seperated from water. So it is not stored nowhere and is safe to use. It is not the liquis hydrogen that the unaffordable cars are using ($150.000.00 USD plus) they have storeage tanks, and are hydrogen bombs on wheels, and you would haveto go to hydrogen stations to fill up and be ripped off there instead of petrol station. Readers should make a research punching in Google,,,brown's gas,,, there are 22.000.000.000 responces, than you will read that 1 litre of water contains 1860 litres of gas, and the polution is zero becouse burned up hidrogen gas burns into small water vapour. So the costs to for brown's gas is zero.
cheers
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