DaimlerChrysler to Bring Teeny Two-Seater to U.S.

When i say flying colours i mean it didnt fail miserably, it was rated as 3-4* i think. Stil higher than a lot of modern cars. NCAP tests are up to 40mph IIRC.

Heres a clip from the fifth gear crash test at 70mph. Naturally at that speed the deceleration is rather drastic and probably fatal but that is the same in all small cars, and cars are not designed and tested to

70mph anyway - the vast majority of accidents occur at lower speed and dont involve a solid concrete wall like this vid.

as you can see from the picture the shell has almost zero intrusion (havign watched the show its clearer, there was about 3inches shift in the footwell area to one side but no dangerous 'trapping' or cutting issues) but little other damage. The accelerations inside were rather on the high side at that speed so it is assumed the driver would have died, but ive yet to see a crash test that didnt say that and plenty of peolpe do survive.

You do make an interesting point about loss of steering control due to wheel contact, im not sure how they worked around that.

The 'yank tanks' we took over in WW II?

;-)

The US brands of car make a rather pathetic showing on the streets of Europe. Chevy advertises heavily; Ford less so, but you see many more Smarts and Toyotas on the road. Yaris is very popular.

Yes we do hear they break down often. ;)

mike hunt

you see many more Smarts and Toyotas on the road. >

I think they could be lol. Mind you, theres a beautiful 76 'vette down the road. Always wanted one since i was a kid. Cant corner, drinks fuel, totally excessive but I still LOVE them lol. I shoulda been a yank :)

dude, the /real/ political vehicles are those powered by ethanol or hydrogen.

DUH. Everybody is different. Depending on Age, health, lifestyle, diet, genetics, gender, etc. One person may be fine sitting in a Toyota Corolla as it careens into the rear of a stopped Cadillac at

60mph. Bumps, bruises, broken bones, but no head trama. BUT the next person 50 years older would immediately die in such an impact as the brain matter sloshes around inside her head. Fatal Brain trauma and a snaped neck in the blink of an eye.

Genetics has a lot to do with how well a person fairs in a car accident. Some people are just built a lot more robust than others. Bone density is different from person to person. Epithelial tissue is different. Even the difference of being "relaxed" at the time of the collision rather than "tense" can make all the difference in what kind of injuries a person sustains. One example is all the drunk drivers who kill and maime other motorists while walking away from it all with no injuries. The Alcohol put them in a relaxed state which prevents the flesh from getting damaged as easily.

East-

Now THAT is funny. ;)

mike hunt

Does that mean that someone who is asleep at the wheel having pleasant drams is less likely to be injured than someone who is asleep at the wheel having nightmares?

Interesting article in Home Power magazine, No 114. August/September 2006

The Myth of a Hydrogen Future by Ulf Bossel, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Engineering

High Points:

--Hydrogen is not an energy source but an energy carrier (you have to create hydrogen from something)

--2.2 gallons of hydrogen is the energy equivalent of 1 gallon of gasoline, you will process 2.4 gallons of water to get that kilo of hydrogen

--To satisfy present fuel needs with hydrogen, Los Angeles would have to double it's water intake (already piped in from the Rockies) and use the energy equivalent of 80 power stations to crack the hydrogen & compress or liquidly it

-252.87 o C is the boiling point of hydrogen. To make it economical to transport, some combination of super-refrigeration and pressure will be needed to compress it

--because of low energy yield, it would take 22 gasoline truck-sized transports (hydrogen pressurized to 3500 psi) to equal the energy found in one tanker truck of gasoline

--it will require 30-40% of the hydrogen's energy to compress or liquefy it for transportation

--the power plant to wheel efficiency of electric cars approaches 60-70%, the best hydrogen fuel cells yield 17-23%

In a Nut Shell, Yes.

East-

jim beam wrote in news:ebudnak0VJpg3jDZnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@speakeasy.net:

Too true...

On 7/6/2006 1:16 PM snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com spake these words of knowledge:

Not me. I'm the same.

RFT!!! Dave Kelsen

You're unique... just like everyone else.

If a person is strapped in correctly, the deceleration (G-force) that can be tolerated is amazing. See:

Some people certainly can, as some have survived remarkable falls. Auto safety has to be designed for the worst mainstream case, rather than the best. Captain Stapp's recklessness aside, there are good reasons for the 18 G limit.

Mike