Eco Hypocrites
Discussion
If you have a moment, have a look at this website:
http://www.xof1.com/
Saw this car yesterday on the Gumball 3000. For obvious reasons it wasn't carrying the Gumball livery, and here are a couple of pictures of it:
And here's the picture of the ancient support vehicle (briefly snapped), doing not much more than 15mpg.
http://www.xof1.com/
website said:
The Xof1 continues it's journey across North America using only sunshine as its fuel.
All very noble.Saw this car yesterday on the Gumball 3000. For obvious reasons it wasn't carrying the Gumball livery, and here are a couple of pictures of it:
And here's the picture of the ancient support vehicle (briefly snapped), doing not much more than 15mpg.
Edited by tinman0 on Friday 8th May 17:49
Burgmeister said:
Having not read their site in detail, are they lefties or are they just a group of people who made an electric car?
Either way they should be shot for advocating the Gumball.
+1 Saying "we're a bunch of amatuers that have built a cool solar car" is no bad thing and the fact that they cant afford a shiny new prius to follow it around isnt a black mark. Indeed, arent we always advocating the use of old cars as opposed to the creation of new ones as a more efficient use of the planets resources and energy?Either way they should be shot for advocating the Gumball.
One also has to wonder how far that car would get in Manchester?
DAILY FARGLE
'Solar powered car in Lands End to John O Groats run'
Today saw day seventeen of the 'Lentil Lightning's brave attempt to cross the whole of the UK using solar power. After a shaky start from Lands end where the solar powered vehicle was unable to negotiate any of the steep Cornish hills due to lack of power it was agreed to allow the Project to start from St Ives and the Dual Carriageway towards Newquay on condition that the route was extended to include an extra 30 miles to compensate for missing that section.The 'Lightning' (More a reference to it's electric power than it's speed) managed to make the next 40 miles up quite quickly but has struggled to maintain a schedule since then.
Now as the evening closes on day seventeen the support crew of fifteen travelling in the two support vehicles rest their heads for another evening. The Lightning has now reached Bodmin which is a little behind schedule. In fact the Lightning hasn't moved for 16 days since unsettled cloudy weather settled over the South west on Day two. There was still some residual power in the Lightnings' batteries despite there being no sun on day two but that was dissapated when the canopy was lifted to allow the driver to get in and the interior light came on. There was a crushed sigh from the assembled group of wellwishers when it was realised that another 16 hrs of charging would be required prior to moving the vehicle again.
All is not lost though as the Lightning is an ecological masterpiece and thousands of wellwishers from all over the UK have driven down to see the lightning and suppport the project.
DAILY FARGLE
'Solar powered car in Lands End to John O Groats run'
Today saw day seventeen of the 'Lentil Lightning's brave attempt to cross the whole of the UK using solar power. After a shaky start from Lands end where the solar powered vehicle was unable to negotiate any of the steep Cornish hills due to lack of power it was agreed to allow the Project to start from St Ives and the Dual Carriageway towards Newquay on condition that the route was extended to include an extra 30 miles to compensate for missing that section.The 'Lightning' (More a reference to it's electric power than it's speed) managed to make the next 40 miles up quite quickly but has struggled to maintain a schedule since then.
Now as the evening closes on day seventeen the support crew of fifteen travelling in the two support vehicles rest their heads for another evening. The Lightning has now reached Bodmin which is a little behind schedule. In fact the Lightning hasn't moved for 16 days since unsettled cloudy weather settled over the South west on Day two. There was still some residual power in the Lightnings' batteries despite there being no sun on day two but that was dissapated when the canopy was lifted to allow the driver to get in and the interior light came on. There was a crushed sigh from the assembled group of wellwishers when it was realised that another 16 hrs of charging would be required prior to moving the vehicle again.
All is not lost though as the Lightning is an ecological masterpiece and thousands of wellwishers from all over the UK have driven down to see the lightning and suppport the project.
turbobloke said:
ExChrispy Porker said:
Jasandjules said:
Until the lefties don't use electricity......... I think they are hypocrites.
or generate their own. Bit like this car?
ExChrispy Porker said:
Jasandjules said:
Until the lefties don't use electricity......... I think they are hypocrites.
or generate their own. Bit like this car?Plus, the Greenies don't really LIVE in cars........... It's their houses/caves/huts in trees I refer to.
ExChrispy Porker said:
turbobloke said:
ExChrispy Porker said:
Jasandjules said:
Until the lefties don't use electricity......... I think they are hypocrites.
or generate their own. Bit like this car?A petrol engined car generates lots of evil lemonade fizz being manufactured, repaired, serviced and decommissioned/recycled/scrapped. So will this toy car.
If anybody thinks the reason for electric cars of any type relates to evil lemonade fizz, then the rationale is a busted flush for that reason, never mind the fact that man-made gloopal wombling is immeasurably small.
If you think we need to put the Arabs out of business, then it's a more valid thing to do, except that in the UK the car would be either stationary or under-powered due to our lack of sunshine. Want to see your folks at Christmas or New Year in a blizzard due to global cooling - walk?
turbobloke said:
glazbagun said:
I think you're just having a go. Solar cars are very cool, even if they are pointless, and I'm not going to criticize the makers of one because they lead a normal American lifestyle.
The go is had, and richly deserved. Cool no, nerdy yes, pointless definitely.And after seeing the vehicle, and despite the efforts of the Canadians (not Americans), I just couldn't see the point of it.
It had a wooden frame, probably for ease of construction and maybe weight, there was no space inside it, the guy had his head in a gold fish bowl, and every inch was covered in solar panels. No Gumball stickers as obviously that would upset its weight to sunray ratio.
So far from demonstrating a interesting project of the future, it showed a project reaching a dead end. Unless you can find solar panels that are 20-30 times more powerful, solar panels powering a car (or anything frankly) are a waste of time.
And when you are followed by a mid 80s Chevy van that has a trailer.......well duh...
tinman0 said:
turbobloke said:
glazbagun said:
I think you're just having a go. Solar cars are very cool, even if they are pointless, and I'm not going to criticize the makers of one because they lead a normal American lifestyle.
The go is had, and richly deserved. Cool no, nerdy yes, pointless definitely.And after seeing the vehicle, and despite the efforts of the Canadians (not Americans), I just couldn't see the point of it.
It had a wooden frame, probably for ease of construction and maybe weight, there was no space inside it, the guy had his head in a gold fish bowl, and every inch was covered in solar panels. No Gumball stickers as obviously that would upset its weight to sunray ratio.
So far from demonstrating a interesting project of the future, it showed a project reaching a dead end. Unless you can find solar panels that are 20-30 times more powerful, solar panels powering a car (or anything frankly) are a waste of time.
And when you are followed by a mid 80s Chevy van that has a trailer.......well duh...
As to having a big sod off american van so what, there is no preaching on their website its a bunch of geeks and nerds who are trying to break some records. Just these geeks and nerds have chosen solar cars, other geeks and nerds who are based in the UK choose another form of car that is cramped and utterly pointless and totally useless on the road. Just these geeks and nerds managed to get a jetcar go supersonic and are trying to go even faster.
So lay off them who knows they might just have some world changing break through
Unless and until solar cars can construct themselves from their own solar power by the ecobootstrapping technique (non-existent and totally impossible variety) and change the weather along their route, or become adapted to desert driving, it's pointless gimmickry.
Did you know you can make a bulb light up by sticking linked zinc and copper terminal wires into a potato? In a hot country you could use an orange.
Special (needs) prize for the first potato powered car with orange turbo effect.
Did you know you can make a bulb light up by sticking linked zinc and copper terminal wires into a potato? In a hot country you could use an orange.
Special (needs) prize for the first potato powered car with orange turbo effect.
I don't care how much CO2 it takes to make this car. The concept of trying to get across the US in a car using solar power is perfectly worthy, if a bit geeky (but that also rather adds to its coolness). I agree, to the extent that cars will never be solar powered, it is rather pointless, but, er, that's not the point.
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