I agree that plug-hybrids are only one of the solutions going forward. I'm also excited that after GM and Toyota bring out their plug-ins most other automakers will too and this will automatically mean cleaner air and less dependency upon foreign oil.
I'm saving up for a Hybrid. No, I'm not environmentally conscious, but hell it SAVES money. I can't believe that our society (er, American society) doesn't suck these suckers up in 12-packs. We love saving gas money.
"Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord."
"Judge not, let you be judged yourself."
I live my life highly accordingly to these two quotes, and pray I'm never wronged to the point of forgetting them.
Haha, a lot of truth to that. I would buy a Hybrid to save money. But if a gigantic gas guzzling Suburban that spewed a giant black cloud into the sky somehow saved me money, I would get that too.
I recycle my beer and soda cans on occasion for money. If there was no money involved for recycling I wouldn't bother.
WillJ said this in post #3 : I'm saving up for a Hybrid. No, I'm not environmentally conscious, but hell it SAVES money. I can't believe that our society (er, American society) doesn't suck these suckers up in 12-packs. We love saving gas money.
But from what I understand, they don't save money. They save money on gasoline, but considering their entire life cycle cost, they cost the owner more than a conventional car. They have a relatively higher up front cost and a shorter liffe than conventional cars. They are cleaner for the environment in terms of emissions, so you might think that helps offset the higher cost. However, they carry a ton of batteries, and batteries are horrible for the environment. I choose to help the environment by just driving less. It's a lot cheaper than helping the envionment with a hyrbrid.
The only reason why they're saying hybrids are not saving money is because of depreciation rate, but that is changing as hybrids find themselves on the used car market. Our lab currently uses a hybrid as the lab vehicle and it works great, especially in the way of fuel efficiency. Even driving inefficiently, you can still get 40-45 miles to the gallon. My one complaint is that I don't like the rear windows in the Prius, but that's about it.
Another option is the electric car, which are really coming along. If you look at something like the Killacycle, it outperforms ICE, 0-60 in under a second, and there are many electric vehicles that can do 0-60 in four seconds. You have the high end Tesla Roadster. but I was also reading about the more affordable LionEV or Lotus Zap X.
I think plug-in hybrids (aren't they just mods to existing hybrids at the moment?) are still a little too exist, but these cars are the future and people should take notice.
The battery weight issue is not a problem as they do not weigh that much and the disposal of car batteries isn't a problem because they are recycled. Many companies actively recycle their car batteries so the toxicity from batteries is not a problem. Battery toxicity is an issue that arises from consumer electronics because people don't recycle their AA, AAA, C, etc. batteries.
I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.
- Bill Cosby
The guy who takes a chance, who walks the line between the known and unknown, who is unafraid of failure, will succeed.
- Gordon Parks
04-25-2007 06:21 PM
