Posted on 05/06/2005 12:53:30 PM PDT by A. Linsley
Cadet Ben Smith, age 15 Millersburg Military Institute
The United States of America is facing an energy crisis of potentially huge proportions. Gasoline prices are rising steadily and it will not be long before the prices will reach $3.00 a gallon! I'm old enough to start driving but I can't afford to buy gas at these prices. In looking for a solution, I've been exploring hybrid cars.
Hybrid cars run off a rechargeable battery and gasoline, rather than just gasoline. Hybrid batteries reduce fuel emissions because the hybrid engine draws on the battery and not gasoline when accelerating. Hybrid gasoline motors can shut off when the car is stopped and run off electricity. Hybrid technology is better than all-electric cars because hybrid car batteries recharge as you drive so there is no need to plug in every 40 to 100 miles. Also, most electric cars cannot exceed 50-60 mph. Hybrids can.
Hybrid cars are also good for the environment. They can reduce smog by 90 percent and they use far less gasoline than conventional cars. Hybrid cars can get up to 55 to 60 mpg in city driving, while a typical SUV travels only 15-20 mpg, consuming three times as much gas for the same distance. Americas energy crisis could be addressed quickly were Congress to require multiple car families to own at least one hybrid by the year 2010.
The prices of Hybrid cars range from $13,000 to $48,000. In California, Florida, and Georgia, hybrid car owners are allowed to use the carpool lane regardless of the number of passengers. In Colorado, Maine, Maryland, New York, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, the owners of hybrid cars receive tax credits or rebates. In Connecticut and New Mexico, buyers of hybrid cars receive a tax sales exemption.
As a young American looking to the future, I worry about the world running out of gasoline and I'm concerned about the environmental effects of emissions. Hybrid cars are a good step for America.
"Hybrid cars can get up to 55 to 60 mpg in city driving, "
BS
read here..
http://www.taemag.com/issues/articleID.18103/article_detail.asp
Well, personally, I think the government should require all those who live less than 25 miles from their job to ride a bicycle to work. That should solve many problems at once...
Oh, and </sarcasm>
Which is why we should build more nuclear power plants.
And we should work on developing fusion power.
Are you saying I should buy a bus?
And for the cadet; it doesn't matter if hybrids are allowed to drive in the carpool lanes in FL. Marked carpool lanes are ignored in Orlando.
Where do they get the hydrogen?
Yuck. Hydrogen fuel cells are the wrong answer... what's needed are TDP plants, and lots of em. With cheap artificial petroleum, nobody would need to trade in their existing vehicles, and the economy would be able to continue.
This may be a dumb question, but what are TDP plants?
We need more diesels.
Honda Accord Sedan (gas): Starting at $16,295
Honda Accord Sedan (Hybrid): Starting at $30,140
Assuming I spend $1000/year on gas, it'll be 13 -- almost 14 -- years before the Hybrid pays for itself. No, thanks.
Put that in yer diarama and smoke it.
Thank God pure H2 is plentiful and free. </sarcasm>
Hey kid, don't listen to these old cynics in here as far as teasing on ya, but definitely listent to what they're saying on cost-benefit, and do your homework on it. Good luck. Maybe write a letter to your congressmen/women and tell them to push for large city vecihles, which appear (earlier post) to be better off. Good luck and keep trying to be part of the solution instead of contributing to the problem.
"...Value-for-money is more important to most people, and the additional cost attached to hybrids puts many off...."
Wrong! for me anyway.
1. They are in very short supply which drives the price up.
2. Wait list is months. No way am I going to put money down on a car that I won't see for months.
3. Only certain types of driving bennifit from a hybrid. Mainly city. Even if I don't get 60mpg, 50, 45 is fine. Better than 25 - 30mpg.
If they improve the supply issue, hybrids will become popular.
Maybe all of this has improved since I was looking for a car last year.
And a "Hindenberg" on every corner to supply them.
I've been looking at it too. I think it's a great idea. The US should start a massive effort to implement it.
It troubles me to continue to see ignorance stated as fact. Most 'hybrid' cars, including the Toyota Prius, use a Ni-Mh battery pack. This technology can be (and is required by law to be) recycled with remarkable efficiency and very little waste. After all of these years, failures of the Prius battery pack are still under the one percent mark, and the prices for replacement packs (yes, that day will come for some) continue to drop.
A friend with an old Prius gets 48 MPG with mostly highway driving, while another friend with a new Prius gets 53 MPG in mostly city driving. While these numbers fall short of the EPA sticker, the fact that this car tops the Consumer Reports list in the "Customer satisfaction" category.
We are all skeptics, but the numbers don't lie. The 'hybrid' should be viewed as a "stop gap" technology, but its life as such will likely be extended by this hydrogen-highway sham. Nuclear power using 21st century technologies coupled with cars like the EV1 and the RAV4EV would be a much better solution, but there is little interest amongst those who matter (the oil industry and our elected representatives that are beholden to them).
Recycle them. As I recall, the recycle rate of lead batteries is around 90+% (or higher---its been a while since I looked up the statistics)---[late note--one source on Google gives the rate as 97.1% between 1997 and 2001]. I suspect the way it will work is you will drive back to the Toyota dealer (for your Prius), they will pull the old batteries and send them to the recycler, and put new ones in.
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