Tuesday, May 23, 2006

It goes far, but is it safe?

This guy has invented a car that can travel 8,000 miles with one gallon of gas, which is great, but it only weighs like 75 pounds, so I wonder how safe it is.

I'm all for cars that use as little gas as possible, first of all to protect the environment, second to save money. But I also want to feel safe behind the wheel.
A British inventor unveiled a car he claims is the world's most fuel efficient -- capable of doing 8,000 miles (12,875 km) to the gallon (4.5 litres).

Andy Green, 45, spent just 2,000 pounds (2,925 euros or 3,732 US dollars) over two years creating the three-wheeled contraption in his spare time.

The car, named "TeamGreen," is 3.1 metres (10 feet 2 inches) long and a mere 0.6 metres (2 feet) wide, weighing just 30 kilograms (four stone).
[...]
"I think the car is important because it is a reminder to us all that the way to achieve fuel-savings is to drive lighter cars -- it's the weight of this car that is the main reason for its fuel-efficiency," he said.
He's unarguably right, a lighter car requires less energy (= gas) to move it along, but what happens during a collision with another vehicle? I'd like to take a look at its safety ratings.

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