Single piston engines

While small cars can be safe, there is a limit to how small you can make them and have them still be safe. Cars have crumple zones. There has to be room to crumple.

A 1-cyl engine would run roughly. Like a 1-cyl lawn tractor. You would need at least 2 or 3 cyl. to make it run smoothly. You can still make a smooth, small engine with 2 or 3 cyl. You can also couple the engine to a generator and drive the car completely by electricity, with the motor just being a a source of electricity. There are several thousand vehicles that do this already in the US. I road in one pulled by one: a train locomotive, which uses a deisel power generator and motors to pull the cars. Of course, even smoother is a fuel cell. Too bad they don't have them yet.

Ford and Toyota both small hatchbacks for EUrope (the Ka and AYGO) . They both cost around $15k. There are also smaller cars being developed my DiamlerBenz (actually Diamler Chrysler until Chrysler is sold).

So because of safety, performance and comfort requirements, I don't think you care going to see any 1-cyl engine cars. If you want to go that small, buy a used lawn tractor or golf cart. ;-)

Jeff

W/ minimum required Federal emissions & safety equipment, about $13,500.00.

Rob

Probably less. You can get a Yaris for < $12,000, a fit for

OK, what about my idea of a 30-40 HP engine? It's not needed to do

80-100mph in the city [imo, anywhere] but wouldn't this help those people I described?

What's the MPG on a sub-compact sized car with 40HP city driving only?

No cross-coutry/highway driving.

Since I don't buy new cars, how much cheaper is that than a comparable sub-compact car that is 4 cylinder?

I still can't get anyone to explain why young people will buy a brand new car, make payments for 5 years? I'm talking about people with jobs that pay just around $10-12 an hour.

What happened to buying within your budget?

The same person could buy a 10-15 yr old car dirt cheap and be able to actually save money for a house or health care insurance?

I actually have known several people who worked full-time ay Taco Bell, McDonalds, places like that, who bought new cars and made outrageous payment and high car insurance payments. They complained all the time about being broke. I had at least $400 per month more than they did, they'd ask me when I was going to get a new car. I'd always answer "In never years."

I can't think of anyone that would buy one.... and this is the key to the equation. Enough units need to be sold to cover R&D, production and, of course, deliver that pesky profit margin that so many companies seem to desire...

These sell these

in Canada..... We have one locally - owned by our local "odd-ball"... Go to the city and it will be rare to see one. No market = no car... Few owners will have the car that they "need".... Most will have the car they "want"....

Actually there was a car almost exactly as you describe with a one cylinder engine.

It was the "King Midget" and was made from the 50's until the mid '70's. Google "King Midget" to find out about them.

Doug

There's another vehicle available that has a 1 HP motor: the bicycle.

I don't know. What about the electric vehicles that are already available?

Actually most buyer settle for the vehicle they can afford to buy and operate. The truth is buyers buy what they want and/or need. Ask any salesman what is the last question a buyer usually asked before he signs on the dotted line and he will tell you it is; "How much is my monthly payment?"

Look at the US sales figures in the real world. There are plenty of vehicles offered by domestics and imports that get great fuel mileage. Most of the midget cars are sold by import brands. What vehicles sell the best? NOT the imports, NOT the midget cars and NOT compact cars, from any manufacturer.

The three top selling vehicle in the US are not even cars, they are trucks. Obviously buyers in the US need or want trucks. Thee best selling car is not a midget or small car, it is the mid sized Camry. Even the best selling cars is out sold by the Ford F150, the best selling vehicle in the US for thirty years, at a rate around double that of the Camry. Although Toyota advertises they are the number one selling CAR brand in the US, GM actually sells more cars than Toyota, it is just that they do no have the same brand name on the grill. Like Toyota, Ford, Chrysler GMs best sellers after trucks are not their smallest cars but their midsize and larger cars.

Naturally buyers want the highest fuel mileage they can get in the size and type vehicle they choose to buy and they are willing to give up some power and performance to get it. Eight out of ten Camrys sold have only the 4cy engine. The Corolla 4cy actually performs better than the Camry, as well as getting better fuel mileage and sells for thousands less, but apparently Toyota buyers are choosing to buy the larger, safer, more expensive Camry they want and need.

mike

After the WWII one could buy a Crosley, that meets the criteria for a small fuel efficient, car but because of the low economies of scale ratio, the purchase price was to close to the price of a FULL size Ford.

If you want great fuel mileage there are dozens of different vehicles available on the market today that get great fuel mileage, that do not need to meet US safety standards. They are called motor scoters and cycles. One can convert one to tryke, or buy one purposely built as a tryke, and there are even all weather caps available for them.

The question is always who will buy them, except as a second vehicle. Who is willing to pay the relatively high cost of buying one and who is willing to ride in something that small to simply to save a relative few hundred dollars a year?

mike

.

Only if you can get a horse to ride it:)

Al

Humans are able to develop about 1 HP. THey can't maintain it for very long.

Jeff

What kind of truck is the Camry? More Camries sold this year through march than Rams. Ditto Accords. Same for last year.

Either the Camry is a new type of truck or you had better start getting your facts strait.

Jeff

Where in Canada are you Jim? In Ontario, MB dealerships can't keep the smart in stock half the time. We have 4 of em on my street alone, and I see them literally every time I drive anywhere.

I think it's all about appearances... I have a kid working part time for me that pays $240 a month for her Hyundai Accent, and pays about the same again in insurance... I make about 8 times what she does, and my newest vehicle is

10 years old. But my cars aren't nearly as shiny as hers :)

It isn't.

Economies of scale dictate that a comparable sub-compact car that is 4 cylinder, & Federally compliant(Suzuki,Hyundai,Daewoo,etc.), would cost less.

Rob

Then it's not 1 hp. Horsepower takes time into account.

Rob

I think more Crosley engines were put in to boats than to cars...

Rob