Car Tech: Poll: Would you consider buying a hybrid or alternative-fuel car?
- 5/3/07 11:55 AM
A gas powered highlander can't even pull a boat...
by 45922 - 5/10/07 8:40 PM In reply to: look at the toyota highlander it can pull a boat by magnusflI drive for a very large delivery company and we use all sorts of alternative fuel vehicles. I remember driving a CNG truck one time and it was so weak you couldn't even do 55 on the highway (not to mention it took almost 10 miles to reach 55 mph).
I'll wait for the better technology to come along and let the rest of you fund it while you're buying the current (limited) technology.
It may be able to pull a boat, but not much of one...
by Melyash - 5/16/07 11:48 PM In reply to: look at the toyota highlander it can pull a boat by magnusflWhen I refer to towing a trailer I mean a TRAILER! While you may be able to tow your runabout or small ski boat with a highlander you can't safely tow a 26' Trophy or a 29' travel trailer. I am strongly considering a Prius for my wife and for around town driving and even some long distance stuff where I dont need cargo capacity. I too would rather wait for a Plug In Hybrid and am sort of put off by the $10K it would take to do an aftermarket mod to a new Prius.
This does not mean I am going to sell my F250 Power Stroke Diesel. It can Safely and LEGALY tow my 5th wheel, a travel trailer or a boat/trailer combo exceeding 10,000 lbs and has been built to do so. If you drive a newer F250 with Tow Command intergrated brake controller and the Tow/Haul mode in the trany you will NEVER want to tow with anything else. Now having said that, I am more than happy to run it on biodiesel, and am not totally against the idea of french Fry oil, but since I will be adding a Banks Powerpak upgrade I will leave it to Gale Banks and Boys to tell me what I should run in my truck.
PHEV's have a great advantage, and coupled with a solar panel array on your roof, you can drive virtually pollution free for the first 100 miles or so. I read recently that some users are looking at the ability to sell excess power back to the electic company. It is a little like time shifting on a Tivo.
You come home at 5 pm, with a hybrid that has been set up to run a bit more agressively on gas, and you plug into the grid. The electric company draws power from your vehicle to help meet local demand during peak hours, and then late in the evening when demand is low, they charge your car back up to capacity at a lower cost to you than you charged them during peak. it has to do with how much power you can move over the grid and the ability to have it when you need it. Anyway I know nothing is free, and even the solar arrays on the roof are far too expensive without a subsidy from the state or feds or both. But we need to do something, because if we do nothing we know what eventually will happen.
Highlander Hybrid
by johnbuker - 6/1/07 1:59 PM In reply to: look at the toyota highlander it can pull a boat by magnusflI strongly considered a Highlander Hybrid when I got my last SUV, but the difference in mpg from the hybrid to the non-hybrid models was not great enough to justify the difference in price.
Electric Cars are the real answer
by skipperjohn - 5/2/07 8:12 PM In reply to: Poll: Would you consider buying a hybrid or alternative-fuel car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I believe that electric cars are the future of transportation. The distribution system is already in place - almost every home or business already has electricity, and it's easily attached to almost any electrical device (such as an electric car).
The only thing currently preventing electric cars from replacing cars fueled with any other fuel is a high-capacity, quick-charge, reasonably priced battery. Nanotechnology research seems to show promise for creating such a battery (hopefully in the near future).
I think most driving is less than 150 miles per day, so even in the short term, some batteries may be capable of supplying power for that mileage in the reasonably near future.
Hybrid fuel??? HELL yes!!!
by theoldfarmer - 5/2/07 8:13 PM In reply to: Poll: Would you consider buying a hybrid or alternative-fuel car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I converted a 1976 Ford pickup to run on 85% Ethanol about 10 years ago. . . . It's simple to do.
I go to the gas station, buy 5 gallons of OVERPRICED FUEL and mix it with my "home-made" mixture. . . . It works fine.
I use solar power to do the distillation process and feed the "mash" to my chickens (relatively FREE eggs and a chicken dinner every once in awhile) and everyone is happy EXCEPT the Gas Station owner.
Lynn
Iowa
(NT) - and that occasional chicken!
by jmmailin - 5/2/07 8:24 PM In reply to: Hybrid fuel??? HELL yes!!! by theoldfarmerFinally
by ecorso - 5/3/07 11:47 AM In reply to: Hybrid fuel??? HELL yes!!! by theoldfarmerLynn,
Finally, someone who really gets it and does it. Everyone is so concerned about how many mpg they get as opposed to helping the environment. Shouldn't that be the main reason that we want to change from gas to an alternative fuel? Think about the planet before yourselves for a change. Hurray for you Lynn!
uhm .... why can't I do both?
by geeman1082 - 5/3/07 12:13 PM In reply to: Finally by ecorso"Everyone is so concerned about how many mpg they get as opposed to helping the environment."
Those two things do not seem to be mutually exclusive to me ... it seems like I get the latter by doing the former ... but I do agree that it is a shame that so many people scoff at the newer technologies if they are forced to alter their lifestyles slightly or won't save a bundle of money ...
Regards,
Greg
Mainly because I don't buy the 'sky is falling' montra.
by Andy77e - 5/5/07 2:22 PM In reply to: Finally by ecorsoFirst, very few of the people who claim to care about the environment act like it outside of their personal issue they support. For example, Al Gore. You all should drive tiny uncomfortable two seat midget mobiles, while I fly around on a personal jet burning thousands of gallons of fuel.
Further, it's amazing how many environmentalist I meet that are just as hypocritical. One railed against me about saving the planet, how we should shut down Las Vegas, because in his own words "everything is worth it, to save the planet". So I asked him where his house was, so I could see no lights on at night, and see his car, make sure it was a tiny slug midget mobile. He whined to me that "my family doesn't fit in those tiny cars". Oops, I thought anything was worth it to 'save the planet'.
Further, there is little real evidence that producing CO2, a normal naturally occuring gas in nature, is going to destroy the planet. Remember a lie repeated enough becomes truth. We're all going to die if we don't stop making a natural harmless gas CO2. Gimme a break.
Yes.. and not for for the "economy"....
by akhilneo - 5/2/07 8:13 PM In reply to: Poll: Would you consider buying a hybrid or alternative-fuel car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
... but for the "ecology"!! When you consider how current gasoline engines pollute the MOST when they are just idling in gridlock, or when accelerating in stop-go traffic, I'd say it makes the MOST sense to have an electric/hybrid vehicle!! Sure, the overall math may not be "cheaper" on your pocket, but hey, I'd be a li'l happier to know that I AM trying to give back something by being a little less polluting (the very fact that I'll have opted for a "personal transport" as against "public transport" is bad enough in itself!!).
So how come no body seems to be looking at the Lexus hybrids..? Just curious!
My Civic gets 38mpg on the freeway
by philco2 - 5/2/07 8:14 PM In reply to: Poll: Would you consider buying a hybrid or alternative-fuel car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Why would I go with a hybrid? My '98 Civic already gets about 38mpg on the freeway which is where I do most of my driving. I live about 62 miles from where I work. So biking to work or walking or jogging or riding a horse is not an option. I am forced to pay the outrageous price that oil companies have FIXED for the consumers to pay. You might say, "Well you could always move....." That really isn't an option either. I own my house where I live and in order to buy a house closer to where I work I wouldn't be able to afford the mortgage. Basically, I am screwed between big business and the greenies....
Hybreds are transitory
by bildan2 - 5/2/07 8:16 PM In reply to: Poll: Would you consider buying a hybrid or alternative-fuel car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hybrids have a history.
When steam was introduced to sailing ships they used both sail and steam for a time. When jet engines were introduced, aircraft were built with both piston and jet engines. Electric and internal combustion engine technology will be the same. Hybrids are be transitory and pure electric power will take over - probably rather quickly.
All that's really needed for electrics is fast charge times. A 200 mile range is acceptable if the vehicle can be recharged in 10 minutes. Batteries with even faster charge times are now in the labs. Once the car builders see electrics are the future, vast sums will be spent on battery research and range will increase further.
Would I buy a hybrid? No. I'll wait for the practical electric.
Bill D
Hybrid? NO! Diesel/Biodiesel? Of Course!
by MikePick - 5/3/07 4:03 PM In reply to: Hybreds are transitory by bildan2"Once the car builders see electrics are the future, vast sums will be spent on battery research and range will increase further."
The problem there is the 'vast sums' part. That translates to consumer loss. Electric is alright for golf carts and forklifts. 200 miles isn't very far. 10 minute recharge? Where? At a power station? Another service to pay for. And the electricity has to come from somewhere. Stick with liquid fuels, the infrastructure is already in place. Force regulations on pricing. New vehicle prices put them out of reach of the average worker. My trucks are paid off, why would I want another monthly bill?
No new cars--yet
by Jenelle_A - 5/2/07 8:18 PM In reply to: Poll: Would you consider buying a hybrid or alternative-fuel car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
In 2004, I bought a 10 year warranty, attached to a Sonata. So, my next purchase is planned for 2014 or thereabouts. However, the price of a hybrid was 2X the Sonata price tag. Hm. What would YOU do?
OTOH, the mileage and silent driving features of hybrids are fabulous.
Hybred Choice - The Ford Escape
by ahblain - 5/2/07 8:20 PM In reply to: Poll: Would you consider buying a hybrid or alternative-fuel car? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Every hybred, except for the Ford Escape makes the owner suffer daily in some way or another. They either have no room or are sooooooooo ugly that you have to sneek up on them just to get inside. And the EPA is finding the real world mileage is much worse than the lab tests show. Next year's Toyota will show it's mileage down considerably from this year's for this reason. At least the Escape is a real vehicle, designed first for comfort and utility and secondly married with a fuel efficient power system. It may only be rated in the mid 30s for MPG, but you don't have to sacrifice your normal life style to achieve the benefits.
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