Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2008 12:11:49 -0400
Reply-To: Jim Akiba <syncrolist@BOSTIG.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jim Akiba <syncrolist@BOSTIG.COM>
Subject: Re: Hybrid Vanagon
In-Reply-To: <11313.204.239.110.250.1215013840.squirrel@hasenwerk.homeip.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Around boston, there are lot's(or used to be) plenty of traffic
oddities including intersections that were a free-for-all(that perhaps
shouldn't have been), however that has changed in the last 10-15
years, as I think lawsuits are making sure that everyone has to cover
their butts. The number of rotaries around here is also quite high
compared to anywhere else in the US, and they do work great in
maintaining speed and smooth traffic flow.. however get one person
that hasn't a clue, and the whole thing becomes a mess quite quickly.
I would say that if it upset me every single time I was subjected to
the rather gormless effluent effect of masses of humans, I'd either
move quickly, or lead a very angry existence. Unfortunately, lot's of
people around here do get upset at everything, and choose the second.
Jim Akiba
On Wed, Jul 2, 2008 at 11:50 AM, David Marshall
<mailinglist@fastforward.ca> wrote:
> The average North American driver is too stupid to deal with anything else
> other than a stop sign. In Europe, Germany at least, most non-major
> intersections don't have any stop or yield signs, they are unmarked four
> way yields meaning always give way to the guy on the right... meaning that
> you don't stop at every intersection...
>
> David
> Marshall
>
> http://www.hasenwerk.ca
> Box 4153, Quesnel BC,
> Canada V2J 3J2
>
> Engine Conversion FAQ -
> http://www.hasenwerk.ca/faq
>
> On Wed, July 2, 2008 08:27, Dug
> Smith wrote:
>>> Around town you'll get the benefits of
> regenerative braking, but
>>> I'd be surprised if that alone
> bought you more than 2-3mpg or so in
>>> around-town driving.
>>
>> I did wonder whether this would be a more efficient way
> of charging the
>> battery than using an alternator, hence
> eliminating that drag on the
>> engine. That's got to help right
> there :o)
>>
>> The hybrids also have juiced up starter
> systems, allowing them to shut
>> down the motor whenever you stop
> for more than a few seconds - I shudder
>> to think how much fuel
> we waste sitting at red lights.
>>
>> At the end of the
> day, if the government really wanted to help fuel
>> economy,
> they'd do away with all the 4 way stop signs. Accelerating, then
>> braking, a 5000lb vehicle continuously to get from A to B is
> incredibly
>> inefficient. I drive my Vanagon to the gym a couple
> of times a week, and
>> I make that 5x 4 way stop signs (and 2 sets
> of traffic lights) each way
>> for a 3 mile drive (if I weren't
> carpooling, I'd cycle).
>>
>> toodle pip,
>> --
>> Dug Smith | Terry Pratchett: It's almost
>>
> (mailto:dug@dugbert.com) | impossible to ride a rock and roll
>>
> (http://www.dugbert.com) | motorbike and stay on for three verses.
>>
>
| 
