DailyDirt: More Plastic Cars

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Tue, Jan 3rd 2012 5:00pm — Michael Ho

It's been a while since the Pontiac Fiero was considered a "radical" car. If you don't remember it, the Fiero had a plastic body -- which some folks said made it unsafe (even though owners of it were more likely to be injured from an engine fire). Plastic cars have continued to improve, and here are just a few more car parts that are being made from environmentally-friendly plastic.

Bridgestone has designed some air-free tires from recyclable plastics. These tires aren't quite ready for full-size cars yet, but maybe someday no one will have to check the air pressure in tires. [url]
Replacing steel in cars with composite materials will make our four-wheeled friends lighter and more fuel efficient. Unfortunately, carbon fiber car parts are still a bit too expensive, but that could change.... [url]
Car parts from mad cows? Does anyone want to drive a car made from infected cow skulls, brains, nerves, eyes, tonsils and spinal cords? Oh, Canada! [url]
To discover more interesting car-related content, check out what's driving around StumbleUpon. [url]

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

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Filed Under: carbon fiber, cars, environmentally friendly, lightweight cars, mad cows, plastic, tires
Companies: bridgestone, pontiac

13 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 3 Jan 2012 @ 5:26pm

Recyclable Plastic Cars?
One of the first things to get pirated in the near future.

Don't believe me? We're half way there:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:13827
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Violated (profile), 3 Jan 2012 @ 5:34pm

Printing
We need more downloadable cars. Print out then off down the shops.

The only downloadable car I have seen to date was nearly 700TB. Kind of huge to confirm if it was valid.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Jan 2012 @ 5:39pm

Re: Printing
Ironically, downloading cars would require far less bandwidth then shitty movies and blu-ray rips.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Jan 2012 @ 5:48pm

Or maybe in the future we all will have a common base that can be used to secure our own frames, where you just bolt down the frame, something like we do today with RC Car models.

Youtube - How To Make Your Own Carbon Fiber (Fibre) Parts
candlepowerforums - DIY fully carbon fiber knife building. :) Lots of pics!
Instructables - How I built a carbon bike frame at home (and a bamboo frame too)

Steampunkworkshop - A Victorian RV
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Jan 2012 @ 6:15pm

Re: Printing
That is why we need SOPA, first you steal music and movies, now you want to steal cars!
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Pixelation, 3 Jan 2012 @ 6:18pm

"Replacing steel in cars with composite materials will make our four-wheeled friends lighter and more fuel efficient."

With the added bonus that they'll fly a lot farther when I hit them with my heavy ass truck!
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Jason, 3 Jan 2012 @ 7:37pm

Fiero
I've always wanted a Fiero.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Jan 2012 @ 9:08pm

This is nothing new. Back in the 70's we made a van entirely out of fiberweed.
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Pixelation, 3 Jan 2012 @ 9:37pm

Ironic
Fiero was definitely an ironic name.
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Pixelation, 3 Jan 2012 @ 9:38pm

Re:
"Back in the 70's we made a van entirely out of fiberweed."

I think you were smoking the fiberweed. Up in smoke.
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Bergman (profile), 4 Jan 2012 @ 1:00am

Tires that don't require air isn't news, they've been around for almost a decade for civilian vehicles, and quite a bit longer for military vehicles.

What's newsworthy about Bridgestone's new tires is they're made from recyclable materials, not that they're non-pneumatic.
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Violated (profile), 4 Jan 2012 @ 8:19am

Re: Printing
I expect to see cars available for download over the next few years. This would be done lawfully under Creative Commons which would mean free to use at home but any commercial sales needs a license agreement.

This one act would kick off a major billion dollar market. The local showrooms and factories would gain when they would have the huge 3D printers and can handle colours, mods and upgrades which would win over the home market.
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Tom Landry (profile), 4 Jan 2012 @ 4:15pm

The Fiero....ugh.

I drove several when they had first come out. I can't remember a more cheap feeling vehicle outside of the Dodge Omni/Charger 2+2 family at the time (The special edition Shelby's were high comedy....several interior trim pieces vibrated off including the rear view mirror). Compare the similar Toyota MR2 during that period and its night and day. Tight, solid, nimble and fun. Fiero was none of these things. There isn't a better example of why the American car industry ended up a sad joke that is just now starting to get its head out of its ass.
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