* Posts by Mike

5 publicly visible posts • joined 18 Oct 2007

Lenovo lays out European plans

Mike
Thumb Down

Packard Hell?

They think it was a bad thing they didn't get lumbered with PB? It would have been a "good marriage"? I shall never buy Lenovo again.

Honda to put ultracapacitors on the road in '08

Mike

@ Jon Minhinnick

Quite agree with combining all the technologies to use what's best for the particular task. Also some one above mentioned diesel/electric trains. I have long thought this is worth looking into for cars. Okay so cars tend to do far more start/stop than trains but the thing that gets me about these IC engine/electric combos that work by using the IC engine for going faster/accelerating harder than their electric drive system can manage is that IC engines produce more pollution and have more damage done to them when they're starting up and when they're running cold. A system whereby the IC engine can run at it's most efficient revs all the time generating electricity (perhaps increasing revs when necessary - just stand next to an intercity 125 when it's leaving the station!) I reckon it'll be far more efficient and less polluting than constantly starting and stopping the engine. Has any one researched this?

Cheers, Mike....

Safe drinking guidelines 'plucked out of the air'

Mike
Happy

Re: The Do Nothing Party

I'll vote for it.

Long thought about setting up the "common sense party" and getting rid of most of Blair's toss.

Schoolkid chipping trial 'a success'

Mike
Dead Vulture

Massacre.

"while ensuring parents of their children's security."

Hahahaha!

Have these morons completely forgotten Dunblane, Columbine and all the other myriad of school massacres? These were all perpetrated by people who entered the school, how can this ensure the children's security? It could catch skivers, smokers etc. but it's not going to ensure any security from people entering the school. What a spurious claim!

Plan for 20mph urban speed-cam zones touted

Mike
Stop

Dispel the myth

I'd like to dispel this myth that some here and many everywhere else seem intent on keeping alive. Bigger engine = bigger pollution. NO it does NOT always!

There are many factors, some of them are: type of driving being done, engine technology being used, weight of vehicle and payload plus many others. For the simpletons that don't understand this yet let me give you an example:

I used to own a 1.3 litre engined Skoda Favorite Freeway van which I'd get something like 27 to 35 mpg out of, now I own a 1.6 litre engined Vauxhall Astravan. I get between 40 and 55 mpg out of her.

I'm sure the myth proliferaters are now scratching their heads or getting read to call me a liar. Let me explain...

The Skoda was old, I mean it had a Volkswagen Group sticker on the back because they'd only just taken over, so it was running Soviet block technology, the Astra (it's a Mk 4 BTW) had GM's 8 valve injection "ECOtech" engine which whilst hardly making it a speed machine is vastly more advanced than the Skoda's was. The Astra is both more powerful (and capable of going, dare I say it, faster) and produces less polution. Add to that the fact that as soon as you went near a dual carriage way or motorway the Skoda's tiny little engine had to have the tits revved off it to do 70 thus consuming vastly more fuel and producing more pollution. The Astra will cruise at 70 quite comfortably at sensible revs and it uses much less fuel.

I'm currently in Australia but if any one wants to disagree with me and demand to see the evidence I can provide documentary evidence to prove the above when I get back to the UK in March. Ready to stop being ignorant now?

As a related aside, the Toyota Pious delivers no better fuel economy than my parents 2 litre turbo diesel Toyota Corolla (and there are many other TD's from other manufs. that can claim the same) and I'm told that engine has now been replaced by a 1.4 litre TD unit outputting the same power, don't have any consumption figures for that one though. Take into account the environmental impact manufacturing the batteries for the Pious has not to mention dealing with them afterwards the oil burner doesn't look so evil after all.

Having said all the above I am very keen on green issues, I'm a near militant recycler and very keen on alternative energy etc etc. I know the oil is likely to run out soon and I want to keep on driving /some how/ but it really gets on my tits when ignorant people trot that old bollocks out about big engines = bad, small engines = good. Taken to extremes I'm sure you could "prove" that (perhaps compare a Bugatti Veyron with a Fiat Panda?) but for normal cars average people can afford this far from always the case.

Okay, I've had my rant now.