EX-Z55
ƒ/2.6
5.8 mm
1/100

Testing the ultra-light carbon-nylon materials for safety before Amory Lovins drives off in the GM HydroGen3 van….

From Amory’s TED talk about the oil end game (independence from oil imports): “less than 1% of the energy consumed by a car moves the driver, and only 6% moves the car.”

When this car pulls away from a stoplight, pure water drips out of the exhaust.

6 responses to “Car Lovin’ Tools”

  1. Are you banging your head with the sample? The visual reminds me of Carnac the Magnificent!

  2. funny. I thought it looked like a Harley helmet.

    Being in these cars got me thinking….These electric cars are totally silent when they launch from a stoplight. No satisfying engine roar. It’s like watching an action movie without the soundtrack.

    Future market need: downloadable Engine Ring Tones. =)
    Want the realistic sound of a 57 Chevy… or an alcohol-burning dragster… or a Saturn V booster? Just $5 per download. The drive-by-wire controls can easily couple to the sound system (with dual subwoofers). If the auto companies get the idea, they will mount external facing speakers for engine revving at the stoplight. As with cell phone ring tones, the designers will get creative…. 😉

  3. When I was in High School, I was hopelessly geeky (haven’t really changed much, but I’ve toned it down). I had plans to electronically recreate or find an actual gyroscope that made that cool whirring sound when power was applied and after power was removed so when I parked my car and turned it off… it would have this slowly lowering pitch whine sound that would impress other geeks. I never did get around to it, but it would have been cool to see reactions of people that heard it.

  4. Very nice! In the digital sampling age, your dream could be more easily realized.

    I met the CTO of Tesla at a dinner party (where the topic was avian flu of all things). They are building an electric supercar (to complete with Volta). They like the engine ring tone idea. On the race track, the total silence of the car can be dangerous because other drivers can’t hear the electric vehicle flying.

    So they added a constant pitch whine, much like what you described… And the other drivers depend on the doppler-shift auditory signal.

  5. This is a great pic – will you add this to the Sustainable Building Centre flickr group? http://www.flickr.com/groups/sustainablebuilding/

    The Rocky Mountain Institute and Amory Lovins have done so much to bring sustainable buildings into the mainstream.

    The SBC is a non-profit in Vancouver, BC, at Granville Island. See the Ideas That Last Exhibit at: http://www.sustainablebuildingcentre.com/

  6. the stuka car – or what else should we imagine a pitch whine??

    😀

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