Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [road-vehicles]

Use this tag for question about cars, trucks and other road transport.

Road vehicle with four wheels and an engine intended to be a means of transport.

190 questions
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Are electric cars beneficial to the environment compared to low consumption modern cars?

Imagine an electric car in a country where most energy come from coal (which i believe is the dirtiest). Add this to the pollution that disposing the batteries will create, or the carbon footprint generated during its production. Is this car really…
ariel
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Is widespread adoption of the electric car unlikely due to lithium scarcity?

Although lithium is very abundant in sea water, only lithium mineral extraction seems to be economically viable. The world's total reserves in lithium minerals is estimated at 13.5 Mt (not sure whether this refers to the weight of the mineral or its…
wnrph
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Did the US ban the Volkswagen XL1 for being too fuel efficient?

There are dozens of articles similar to this one floating around claiming the new Volkswagen XL1, which can get 300+ MPG (0.78 L/100 km) in ideal driving conditions, has been banned in the USA because it is too fuel efficient and it would cut into…
MDMarra
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Shouldn't an electric car be thermodynamically at a disadvantage towards one with a combustion engine?

I have the greatest respect for the work of the Rocky Mountain Institute, but this recent blog post triggered my general scepticism towards electric cars, or more specifically, their fuel efficiency. This is how the RMI calculates the payback for a…
Hanno Fietz
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Do speed bumps cause more deaths than they save?

After a few speeding incidents in a residential neighborhood, some residents will clamor for speed bumps. In case your municipality does not have one, here is a picture of a speed bump (also AE sleeping policeman, BE road hump, road bump): A…
rajah9
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Does a windshield provide most of a car's integrity?

I've heard radio car commercials and other sources state that a vehicle's windshield provides most of a car's structural integrity. I believe that the company that owns the commercial is Mark's Mobile Glass, but I'm not 100% sure. I'm also not…
DForck42
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Is a tow truck driver killed every six days on average in the US?

Along I-90 in Massachusetts (and I presume elsewhere in the state), there is a digital billboard which sometimes displays a message from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation that a tow truck driver is killed every six days in the US. (I'd…
user44729
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Do Chevrolet commercials feature "Real people. Not actors."?

Many Chevrolet commercials I have seen in the past few years have started off with the disclaimer: "Real People. Not Actors". They have several of these commercials such as this one and that one. However, almost every time it's what seems like…
yuritsuki
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Does locking your car doors reduce theft?

Almost everyone I know locks their car doors when they leave their vehicle for an extended time. However, I come from a country town and most people in that country town don't lock their car doors and rarely lock up their houses. I moved to the city…
going
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Are there benefits to filling car tyres with Nitrogen?

A friend was informed by his mechanic that his tyres were filled with Nitrogren rather than compressed air. He was skeptical of the claims he heard: There are major benefits with nitrogen inflation over the traditional compressed air that can…
Oddthinking
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Does lowering speed limits by 10 km/h have any impact on air pollution?

Europe has been under exceptional sunlight for the past ten days, cf. Eumetsat's picture. According to French media, this prevents smog from escaping major hubs. In an attempt to reduce this air pollution, some cities have lowered their speed…
ChrisR
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Can you unlock a car using a cell phone?

I have heard that it is possible to unlock a car using the remote key-fob over a cell phone network. Scenario: Adam locks his keys in his car. He uses his cell phone to call his wife, Betty, who is at home with a cell phone. Adam holds his cell…
oosterwal
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Does the gasoline of different gasoline brands have any real acknowledgable difference?

A friend of mine said that he could apparently get better mileage using Chevron oil instead of Shell's (and other brands). Is there any substance to this claim?
Vervious
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Are car headlights getting brighter?

This news story in Popular Science asks whether car headlights are getting brighter and concludes they are not: So are headlights actually getting brighter? The short answer is no—although there was a tweak to headlight regulations in 2008—but…
matt_black
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Does one SUV tank of ethanol "take as much grain as could feed a person for a whole year?"

From The Great Transition, (c)2014, by Lester R. Brown (preface, page xiii): [F]illing the tank of a large SUV one time with ethanol takes as much grain as could feed a person for a whole year. Since it definitely costs me more in a year to eat…
LShaver
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