why has the evolution of the automobile been so slow?

[Planter91C2]

why do you think that the evolution of the automobile has been so slow?

why do you think automobiles haven't been perfected yet?

[Z-man]

I think the answer is fairly obvious: Oil companies wish to keep their stronghold on the market! If not for them, we'd probably be driving electric or solar powered Porsches that would be comparable in performance to today's 'Dino-juice' cars.

-Z

[prattrc]

I too think the answer is obvious, but completely different from Z-man:

The car will never be perfected, there is no perfect car. Even when cars will drive 300mph for a year on a single D battery, come to a complete stop on a dime (with no ill effects for the occupants, inertail dampners for you Trekkies), and emit only a dull hum, there will be those wanting to go 2 years at 500mph on a watch battery, stop on a pin head, and make no noise at all.

[Roland Kunz]

Hello

Iīm a bit with Z-man.

On the begining the automobile was new technology and the material had to be developed and a industrial had to follow up.
Then it became more and more a industrial thing and industrie isnīt to keen about having costs to produce things. New things are new investments and new costs but the base function sold: transportation was still the same.
But the marked forced to keep up with new things and the industrie needed a tool to revolve new products in the marked. In the 50īs they juat designed new cars every 1/2 year showing improved engeneering and making the "old" cars outdatet while under the skin they only turned up the power screw to keep ahead the others in that field as well.
In europe the war left other problems and engeneering focused more on other issues, yet people buying cars had a other behaviour ( not so fashion orientatet and not so pedal to teh metall hype ). Economy was important for the industrie and the buyers.

Now over the years the industrie unisized worldwide and the markets got more similar as well.

There are still many good idears outside and new developments but they are under full industrial control and have no chance to affect the industrial way to use old designs as long as possible.

If gouverments want to force something ( CAFE ) the industrie pulls all strings to go the way with the highest margins even knowing they have to change as the world isnīt infinite. But they ride they wave as long as possible and when thy crash they make big noise to get some benefits.

A good trick was if the cars get restrictet to sale more unrestrictet cheap produced trucks and SUV. Most from them are basically pre war cars. Pre korea war just adoptet on some points to look modern. I think they mpg from a 50īs sidestep truck was better but todays sidestep accelarate the pigs on the bed in the half time to the doubled speed
Will scare them to dead on the way to the butchers so they safe on drugs to compensate the higher burned fuel rate

Most from them really have some alternatives in the drwaers and wait for the big crah to clean the marked and start all over.

In 50-100 years the oil will be nearly finite and to expensive to burn it up. What will automotive industrie till do to that. I think most floored the padal and try to hit the wall as hard as possible leaving a big desaster in the toy store while the money allready is gone into new investments for a new start in other fields.
The last guy operating this way was A.H. leaving the "burned earth" in europe and a giant crash as well. ( A sidenote is that he got that wisdom from a famous industrial leader who supportet him and he rewarded it with big money and the german great cross )

Perfection is a unfullfillable dream and relatet to the point of view. Arnīt Porsche perfect cars ?

Hell no if you need to haul a 3 kid family and work as plumer


OK kick me if Iīm to blind to see.

Grüsse

[john70t]

There were electric vehicles in the 1880s and gasoline one in the 1890s.

Up until the 20s, cars were made by small manufacturers and were known only as the playthings of the rich, like small airplanes are today.
The concept of personal cars didn't start untill in the 30s Ford made mass production and cheap prices a reality, but then WW2 got in the way and intorduced GM who was making Tank etc..

In the fifties GM, Dow chemical, and other industries got together and pushed through the National Highway Act (inspired by Hitlers autobon) which used public funds to create the national infrastucture we have today.

At the same time a front group called National City Lines bought up all the electric inner-city trolley systems which dominated the infrstructure of most cities at the time, and literally burned them within weeks. The trolley were replaced by diesel buses which were noisy, smelled bad and ran with less regularity.

Urban sprall was born and the necessity for cars has become accepted as fact, untill the countryside begins to reach the population density of major citys, then demand for mass transit starts up again. (In Tokyo for instance, they have workers with poles who compact people into the train cars during rush hour. It'll happen here eventually.)

I think cars have been progressing as fast as they can, given the influences of major oil (our elected president), and manufactured obsulescence (it's made to break a day after the warrentee expires). Crappy cars create a lot of jobs.

Some of the public has demanded better, smaller, fuel efficient cars (rice). For instance, in the Bay Area there were thousands of pre-orders for the Honda Insight(70 mpg) but less than a hundred were actually delivered to the dealerships. You figure out why. COLOR=blue]You can only try to vote with your dollar[/COLOR].

If the Saudis decide we're not their friends anymore and the Ruskis pull the carpet out from under our feet, we're in a whole world of hurt.

No need to buy a storage shed for out back, just throw it in the Suburban.

Thats my 1 1/2 cents, thanks for listening to my rant of the day....Ugghh[