28 July 2008

300 Miles Per Gallon

Would you be interested in an enclosed, 4-wheel, diesel powered motorcycle that gets 300 miles per gallon? The rumor is that Volkswagen may actually produce this thing in 2010. I have the same problem I had when considering the new "Smart" car...
If it costs $26,000, the purchase price would fuel/repair my present (paid off) work car for the rest of my life, even assuming $5/gallon gasoline. But it's exciting, and a step in the right direction.
You can read more about it here.

4 comments:

cary said...

That is a pretty cool vehicle.

But, with a wife and a child, I don't see using it anytime soon. And, like you, since the one vehicle is paid off and the second soon to be, 26K will keep us in gas and oil for quite a while to come.

Good concept, well executed, nicely sculpted.

My one concern (especially in Phoenix) would be air conditioning.

John said...

There was something similar sold by the Sharper Image years ago. It looked like the cockpit of an F-15 on wheels. Probably was not as well engineered, though, and certainly didn't get the MPG.

I'd buy one, but only if I had a commute (home based worker, no kids, etc). I really don't need the extra space offered by a car. I like the idea of the enclosed cockpit (vs, say, a motorcycle).

The payback you mentioned is only one part of the equation- there are environmental costs to junking a vehicle and replacing it as well. So, in a lot of cases it actually makes sense to keep the old car. 300 mpg may be a game changer there, though.

Marathon Pundit said...

It is cool. But will it attract chicks?

cary said...

Yeah, but only one at a time... :)