Have you ever talked with someone who has said something like, “50 years ago, the car companies could have made a car that got more than 100 miles to the gallon!” I know I have. I dismiss it to folks not having their facts correct and believing hype. However, there is some truth to it. What they don’t say, though, is that the cars that could have gotten that sort of fuel economy are not cars Americans would have wanted to buy at the time.  Or even now. We’re just not willing to sacrifice that much to save some oil.

Case in point is this 1969 GM plug-in hybrid (also Wired). It could go on pure electric up to 10 mph and then it would switch to the gas engine. Now, the gas engine was barely over 500cc. In today’s world, you could probably get 50hp or so out of it. Back in 1969, though, it was probably more like 20hp. And the electric engine? I’d guess it was only a few, at best.

Sure, the car was very small and light. The numbers speak for themselves, though. Zero to its top speed of 60 mph in 28 seconds.  Good luck making it up hills. It’s obvious why they didn’t make it: who would buy it? Especially in 1969. I can think of many other cars from 1969 I’d rather have. Even in light of their wretched fuel economy.

However, if there were prototypes, they probably did get really good fuel economy. Is it still conspiracy that they didn’t build it? Remember, gas then was 15 to 20 cents a gallon. In today’s money, that’s about $0.89. If gas was still that cheap, I think GM would have dropped the Volt on the floor, just like this little car was dropped in 1969.

Posted by Shane on September 17, 2008 7:55 AM | Permalink