Considering a hybrid vehicle?Follow

You don't buy a hybrid because it's cheaper yet, you buy it because it's the right thing to do.

Oh sweet lord, what did I say up there?

It's true. I even bought him a puppy. I'm losing it.

Don't you lie to me you big softie. Underneath that socialistic mottled leather you call skin beats the heart of an angel.

Now you've gone and made me damp. This is getting hawt.

LoL. hybrids are harder on the environment then normal gas powered vehicles. you buy a hybrid to "look good (like you are green)" and to save $$$ on your monthly gas bill.

It's not necessarily much "greener" but it definitely sends the statement that this is important enough. All innovation starts small and needs to have consumers validate the commercial feasibility. Call it voting with your checkbook.

Forget hybrids! Everyone needs to get off the SUV bandwagon and get a car thats not a gass guzzler. I have a civic, would rather be in a benz, but SUVs no thanks.

I'm definitely interested in a plug in hybrid if I can get to work on electricity alone (a trip of about 5 miles - I'm not really asking for the moon here). In all likelihood, I could plug in here and use no gas on the trip back, also. Infinite mileage for the win (although, of course, electricity is not free, nor is it carbon neutral, just vastly more efficient).

I get about 30 MPG, at US$4/gallon, that is $1.33 in gasoline to drive to and from work each day. That really isn't much, so it would have to (1) be a car which uses electricity efficiently and (2) not cost a fortune to start with.

It will probably be some time.

Honestly. If you're really interested in this for a vehicle for tooling around town, why not just buy a straight electric car? I know a number of people who own them, and they've actually gotten pretty decent. Or at least, they were until the whole "hybrid" thing came along.

I know a guy who has an electric car he bought about 20 years ago. It goes about 200 miles on a single charge, and can drive about 60mph top speed. Certainly sufficient for traveling around town. That's one of the older models (a Zebra IIRC). There was a period of pretty good growth in the tech (better batteries and regenerative braking systems) for awhile, but honestly with the introduction and mass marketing of hybrids, it's hurt the electric car development significantly. Everyone *thinks* they're getting a great deal by buying a hybrid, so they don't think about going electric.


It's a good solution, but also is not practical large scale. As I've mentioned the last 20 times this subject has come up, we'd need to increase the total amount of electrical power "on the grid" by about 20-30% in order to allow for large scale implementation of electric vehicles. And unfortunately, that's been blocked pretty handedly by the same environmentalist groups who want the electric cars so much...


The hoped for is that if the latest solar panel tech works as advertised, this may finally change the dynamic a bit. We'll see...

I occassionally flip to Laura Ingraham just because she's coming on just as Rush goes to commercial and she won't shut up about some hybrid Chevy Tahoe she bought.

just wait a couple more years. japan is now leasing their hydrogrn fuel cell/electric car in california, washington d c , and new york this year. they have been testing it for the last 2 years in japan.

no fuel. lease price is between 400 and 500 bucks. thats about what i spend on gas every month.

nissan and NEC just teamed up with a 112 million dollar venture to mass produce batteries for the next generation electric car this year too. you can bet if they are gearing up to mass produce the batteries, they ALREADY have a vehical to put them in.

electric is the way to go. hybrids only bleed you a little slower than what you can get with a gas powered car. electric is the answer, and its already here and being tested buy the ****. chevy isnt going to release their "volt" untill 2012. by 2010, japan will have more than one model already on the floor.

***** the hybrid. buy the cheap civic, tracel, sentra and buy your time for a couple more years.
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It's a good solution, but also is not practical large scale. As I've mentioned the last 20 times this subject has come up, we'd need to increase the total amount of electrical power "on the grid" by about 20-30% in order to allow for large scale implementation of electric vehicles.
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so not true. the battery charger required to charge an elecric car wouldnt draw any more power than a typical computer system. we already have the capacity. thats just a SPINN sound byte put out to stem the cry from the public by politicians using a study probably funded by american auto or oil lobbiests.

the battery chargers we used to charge the 900 lb batteries for the fork lifts at the furniture store i worked at we on a 15 amp breaker. they lasted 8 hours on a 10 hour charge pulling a seriously heavy work load for the full 8 hours.

its practical. its here. and if american car companies dont jump on it, they will be gone within the next 5 to 10 years, because japan isnt waiting for permission. they have been doing it for 2 years now and are testing it in this market this year.

its real, its here, and it wont soak up any more power than a typical home computer system. i have 3 computer systems in my house. i can afford to unplug one of them for a wash and never have to pay for gas again.

Edited, May 23rd 2008 1:27am by shadowrelm

Nuclear power isn't going to happen for as long as it's equally or more expensive than coal & natural gas. Even at equal or slightly less cost, the NIMBY factor is going to block it.

I'm all for pushing through a bunch of new nuclear plants and entering into agreements with France or Japan to train a bunch of new operators. But I know it won't happen while coal generated power is the same price. If you could make nuclear power for 50% the cost of coal and NG, then all the hippies with signs in the world won't make a lick of difference towards stopping it.