OMG

<the horror> <the horror>

Look what they're gonna do to the VW Minivan.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_geneva_auto_show_vw_bus

"VW unveils new model of microbus loved by hippies

GENEVA – Volkswagen AG is resurrecting its iconic microbus, which debuted in 1950 and became a favorite of hippies for its unique styling and copious space for travelers.

Volkswagen is showing a concept version of the van — known by its German nickname, the Bulli — at the Geneva Auto Show on Tuesday. Among the six-seater's modern twists: It's powered by an electric motor and uses an iPad to control the entertainment system, climate control and other functions."

It looks like a standard little box on iddy biddy wheels and next to a human adult, it might pass for a toy.

Moi predicts this vehicle will not be purchased by the gray pony tail old hippie guy driving his VW minibus 45MPH (because that's fast enough) on the 101 just north of San Francisco.

Moi

salt and pepper & too unruly for a pony tail

Memories, some left anyways of times in a VW Minivan.

Wow no place for a mattress. Too small for a Rainbow Gathering when other hippies jump in for a ride to the campgrounds. So wrong, so wrong.

Jeez mineez, a common old Dodge "Town and Country" Voyager beats that VW mini bus eight ways to Sunday, what's more, at least the Dodge is made here, and costs a lot less I would bet.

LIES!!!

Volkswagen said the Bulli can go up to 186.4 miles on a single battery charge. The Bulli can go up to 87 miles per hour.

moi, they are telling a BIG LIE. The 87 mph might be true but I would NOT bet on it.

So DO NOT worry about seeing these in production too soon.

Remember the Dodge Zeo? 0 - 60 in UNDER 6 seconds... 250 mi range... Seen one on the road yet? NOPE!!! (http://www.dodge.com/en/autoshow/concept_vehicles/zeo/)

However, on March 13, 2010 the Dodge Zeo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gswetsky/4485837848/) was seen at Ameila Island... (http://www.carshownews.com/concours/concours.htm) in a CLASSIC CAR SHOW... (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gswetsky/s ... 485837848/)

Shameless publicity stunts of the type that Detroit is infamous for ... (http://wincoast.com/forum/showthread.ph ... city-stunt)

DO NOT BELIEVE IT UNTIL YOU SEE IT....

On alternating nights I have wet dreams.

On the First Night it is THESE TWO... (http://www.A BANNED LINK WAS POSTED!A BANNED LINK WAS POSTED!A BANNED LINK WAS POSTED!A BANNED LINK WAS POSTED!A BANNED LINK WAS POSTED!A BANNED LINK WAS POSTED!A BANNED LINK WAS POSTED!A BANNED LINK WAS POSTED!.com/movies/286452/public_nudity_2_babes_at_the_beach.html)

...and then the next night it is ...

THE TESLA ROADSTER (http://www.teslamotors.com/roadster)

Phoenix Motorcars will sell you a fleet... (http://www.phoenixmotorcars.com/)

The rest... Seem to be PIPE DREAMS... and their smoking material is hallucinogenic... That is why the VW SMOKE BUS is such a good joke... a ROACH COACH revisited

...but DAMMIT! I'd sure like to own one of these... (http://www.lightningcarcompany.co.uk/)

However, notice the claim... 200 mile range on a 10 minute charge... (http://jalopnik.com/#!399098/700hp-ligh ... ute-charge)

shakemitkshakemitk

shakemitk:shakemitk

:shakemitk

...that would be enough to short out the Midwest Power Grid...

The Nissan Leaf production is slated to begin in the U.S. in 2012... (http://www.insideline.com/nissan/leaf/2 ... japan.html)

Chevrolet is supposed to produce 25,000 volts this year with production going to 120,000 units in 2012... (http://green.autoblog.com/2011/01/24/gm ... 0-units-i/)

I Repeat...

DO NOT BELIEVE IT UNTIL YOU ARE DRIVING ONE!!!

If they don't guess what River...

IT's

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BOMB DETROIT

...time...

AGAIN!

:realpisse

That VW Bus is

BUTT UGLY

AND

BOMB DETROIT

The VW Bus looked good with paisley curtains.

It got us there.

For all the fond memories I think I would find it a slow, noisy cumbersome vehicle to drive today.

Y'see, I LUV my Ford Expedition, 4WD.

I'll bet Streetglide might have some insights.

I'm gonna PM him to link him here and we will see.

Moi

never owned a VW minivan

V.W. bus... I suppose, but anything too big to fit in the backseat of a 1963 Pontiac Bonneville was just NOT worth pursuing...

Just keep in mind before you rant about the Dodge Zeo a few things.

Most concept cars NEVER make it into production even fewer end up in the hands of a collector like the Zeo appears to have. Remember the Pontiac Sunfire? The concept car and the production car shared onlly two things the name and pontiac badge.

Concept cars mostly are used to test reactions to design stylings or to highlight engineering concepts then under development. Mercedes did a thing like this teamed with GM of a standard chassis you would buy different bodies for that would plug in and through electronics change how the platform handled etc. Out of this came magnetic dampned suspensions, driver adjustable ride and traction control very little ese did.

The lead time from concept on paper to a concept car then to production is around 6 years sometimes more sometimes less.

So WHY can't they conceive a vehicle they made fifty years ago?

Moi

in less then six years, of course

The 10 minute charge is doable in theory if you can cool the battery pack and use a balence charger and stay with in 1.5 of C (c being total amperage of the battery pack.). Right now there are Li-po packs in a detonation proof hard case that store up to 6600 Milliamps at 22.2 volts that can charge from 85% discharge state in under 2 minute with the special charger*. I can't recall the name off top of head but they are in the tower hobby master catalog.

One of the drawbacks is price about 100 bucks a stick and if its like the Tesla with 6900 cells or 1150 6c sticks thats 115 grand for the battery pack.

*After a 15 minute cooldown.

I use Li-po packs by the boatload in my hobby and have been following battery tech closely there is a new Iron-Lithium based cell coming on the market that has huge capacity and lower enviormental impact then li-po but are way pricey right now and hard to get. When they comeout I'll get a pack and see exactly the difference between the 4 top cells and it. Li-ion, Li-po, Ni-cad and Ni-MH.