It is now time for me to rant about the unbelievably crappy internal combustion engine that powers most of our vehicles. I've got problems with my vehicle and it is in the shop now which made me think how aweful the automobile is in terms of design and engineering. Sure, it gets us from Point A to Point B but I have to guess that if nothing was around today and you started from scratch, the design we have today would be the last thing anyone would think of or want.
Personally, I'm sick of how complicated these things are. I have THREE fuse boxes on the vehicle that died and there has to be 100 fuses in this thing. How many systems does it take to make me go forward (and back if necessary)!?! These vehicles should be simple and elegant in design. Maybe Apple needs to make a car for the rest of us too.
At one point I had high hopes for the Rosen brothers (Ben Rosen started Compaq) but their marvel of engineering elegance failed. I tried to see if I could buy stock in this company once and I guess it is a good thing stock wasn't available. It would be nice to see a new car company break into the market with something new and radical that the masses could afford. (The Tesla doesn't count, it is too expensive.)
It seems unfortunate that with so much innovation and amazing technology, the basic design of the car is fundamentally unchanged from the car of 100 years ago.
Jobs, why couldn't you be a car buff!!
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2 comments:
Amen. I've often wondered how it is that computers have progressed by leaps and bounds in the last four decades, and yet a car is essentially the exact same machine it has been for the last half century.
A 57 Chevy is not significantly different from a 2007 Chevy.
I think I know why. There's a lot of money in keeping things as is. A lot of big companies make money repairing the cars, fueling the cars, selling interchangable parts for the cars.
These people dread the idea that a car might come out that they'd have to rethink how to service, or how to fuel, or how to deal in parts. Their bread is buttered right now, and they're not interested in anyone coming out with new bread or butter.
That's why there's no new fuels, either. There's too much money in oil right now. These guys are not going to leave trillions of dollars buried in the desert.
If a Tesla or a Rosen or a Tucker does come along, the money players do whatever they can to crush them out.
You stay driving an internal combustion engine, you keep lining their pockets. And that's how they want it.
Hi
Don't know about extra simplicity, but a much smarter, greener and more efficient engine will soon be on its way.
Please look at: http://www.tourengine.com
Ben
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