| Matthew Rosewarne on 4 Oct 2007 18:14:30 -0000 |
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On Thursday 04 October 2007, K.S. Bhaskar wrote: > My family bought a 2007 Toyota Prius some months ago. I can't see a > manual delivering the same level of fuel efficiency and smoothness > because the transmission control is integrated with the engine control > which turns the engine on and off. I'm now sold on the concept that a > computer can actually make better and faster decisions in this matter > than I can. [That was a hard pill for me to swallow.] It's amusing, the only reason I bothered to get a proper grasp of how transmissions actually work is because I wanted to see what was going on under the Prius's hood. I don't know what those guys at Toyota were smoking when they designed it, but I want some, because that design is sheer brilliance. Anyone interested in mechanics ought to give it a look. Having marvelled at the DARPA Grand Challenge results, I long for the day when we finally get people out from behind the wheel and let the cars drive themselves. Now, I take pride in the level of attention and care I pay while driving, and I consider myself an excellent (if unusual) driver, but it seems to me that having human beings commanding 1.5 tons of quickly-moving steel is a poor idea. And to jump back on topic, let's say it should run Linux. %!PS; I find it somewhat pathetic that in the US, 30 MPG is considered "excellent" mileage. I was driving around the UK almost a year ago in a Ford diesel minivan (not a small car!) that got in excess of 40 MPG. There is absolutely no reason why we shouldn't be able to do this in the US. Attachment:
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