http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/high-school-students-build-2-843-mpg-car/
Ok, so I lied. It was only 2,843 mpg, beating their old record of just 1700 mpg.
http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/highlights/2008/02/20/high-schoolers-build-1700-mpg-car/
Yes, I know it's still just a science project, but if high schoolers can make a vehicle that gets 2850 mpg, seems like Detroit can make something that could get 300 mpg. We don't need cars that weigh 2,000 pounds. 4,000 pound cars somehow need to be phased out so a light car doesn't have to compete with a heavy car, and/or a way to then keep trucks and heavy cars away from the new lighter cars they should be making. We simply don't need 2,000 pound cars. My ladder holds a 300 pound man, and it weighs 16 pounds. True, there's no engine or seats, but I feel confident we can make a decent car that weighs say, 1200 pounds or 1500 pounds.
Ted Turner said it best. "You have a 200 pound man, who gets in a 4,000 pound car, to go get a 1/4 pound hamburger". It's just stupid, and lighter cars need to become a reality, or we need to grow a lot of switch grass to make lots of biodiesel.
jeff