Posted on 05/14/2002 8:35:09 PM PDT by Hillary'sMoralVoid
AOL Proclaims "HEVs are Hot"! Unfortunately, the treatment of the subject matter is so superficial that it ignores facts that AOL even provides links to. Here is a quote from a government publication: "Although a few production HEVs with advanced batteries have been introduced in the market, no current battery technology has demonstrated an economical, acceptable combination of power, energy efficiency, and life cycle for high-volume production vehicles."
The truth is, these are not economical, safe or environmentally sound vehicles. First, the economical aspect. If the quote in the previous paragraph doesn't convince you, the fact that the AOL FAQs on HEVs document that replacement batteries can cost between $3000 and $8000 ought to get your attention. These batteries are good for 80,000 to 100,000 miles, but their life varies based on the type of driving patterns and habits.
The AOL articles tout the high mileage that the hybrid vehicles get. What they don't tell you is that these are sub-compact cars. A fully gasoline-fueled version of the Toyota Prius, for example, could be expected to get comparable gas mileage with less weight and complexity than an HEV, and with more trunk space. The thousands of dollars you pay for a new battery effectively doubles the cost per mile. You do, however, get good GAS mileage with the HEV, just not good battery mileage!!!
In an increasingly graying population, comfort is winning out over fuel efficiency. With comfort goes size. The average size of vehicles is getting larger every year, and unless we can reverse the aging process, people will continue to want roomy, comfortable cars and SUVs.
This does not bode well for the HEVs, most of which are in the subcompact category. In collisions, larger vehicles almost always win, smaller vehicles invariably lose. No matter how many safety features are built into a subcompact car, you cannot compensate for the laws of physics. You simply are more prone to die or suffer serious injuries in today's HEVs.
Accidents pose another risk. Exploding batteries, containing hazardous components like mercury, lithium, and lead, pose serious cleanup challenges. Further, according to the U. S. Government, most new battery designs are not yet fully recycleable, meaning that discharged batteries will have to be stored and protected until a recycling strategy has matured. Its like nuclear waste dump II.
There are many other factors to consider, not the least of which is technical complexity. The biggest issue is the codependency of the two engines. The gasoline engine must provide the power generating capability that the electric motor needs, the electric motor must provide the torque that the gasoline engine lacks. If either system fails or is degraded, performance will suffer dramatically, and render the auto either inoperable or dangerously underpowered.
A final factor to consider is the simple mass in the form of a battery that is hauled around with little value added. As we've discussed previously, a gas-powered Toyota Prius could be expected to get comparable gas mileage as its HEV counterpart, particularily if the same level of research and development is utilized in the design. What we have created is vehicle that is nothing more than a battery-hauler, in which the battery only contributes to the cost and inefficiency of the vehicle.
AOL is pursuing its own agenda here, and it is not one that is either practical or smart.
The CRX-Si while 'only' getting about 42 mpg, was a buttload of fun! A friend of mine had one with a five speed that she always had me driive when we went out. I didn't mind at all, it was like driving my old '76 Datsun 280Z (with half the hood ;-).
Most of their social policy and self-image is based on self-congratulation for good intentions. Don't ask them to do honest cost-benefit assesment.
Ahh, a classic Leftist comeback! You DO know that Freud has been quite well discredited, don't you? Still, I guess when you drive such a ridiculous auto, you have no OTHER recourse than to make fun of the owners of REAL cars. You, of course, could simply man up and buy one yourself, it would end the envy.
"I don't need to brag about how many inches... er, "horses" I have."
Of course not. You have neither, so thus, you CLAIM you don't need to. We call that "sour grapes".
" I prefer to think about my neighbors' lungs, how much pollution I'm putting into them with my car, and therefore choose the #1 cleanest car in the world (Insight)."
Your priviledge. Just don't get to believing that it's a GOOD car just because it's (alledgedly) CLEANER. BTW, what about all the pollution caused by its manufacture and the pollution caused by its batteries, described above?
" I put OTHERS' rights to breathe clean air before my own to rumble down the highway."
You're such a saint, I don't know what to do...perhaps I should fall on my knees before your oh-so-thoughtful feet.
It's hilarious...your roller skate has its OWN environmental issues, some actually WORSE than those of my SS. It certainly is far more dangerous to operate, and more expensive, too, once the cost of the batteries is factored in. Yet, you stubbornly cling to your self-righteous pride.
At least I'm no hipocrite. Oh, and I STILL have more fun and look cooler than you. Which, of course, you know deep down inside, in that part of you that still wishes it had some spirit. That's why your envy is so obvious.
Do yourself a favor. Take a serious car for a drive sometime. Don't worry, your neighbors won't mind (or care...they're all out washing their SUV's, anyway) and you might feel just a little of what makes Americans unique.
RRRRRIIIIGGGHHHTTT! Ever heard of Murphy's Law? This sort of claim has been made about various junkyard ingredients since Christ was a messcook.
"Future HEVs will be available for large sedans, minivans, and SUVs."
Sure, and they'll be able to pull the same sort of loads as an SUV, perform as well in a crash or on the highway as a Crown Vic, etc. Right after they grow wings and fly.
Look, pal, you want to drive one of those golf carts, go ahead. Just don't try to compare them to real cars, okay? they cannot measure up. You can even continue to feel all superior morally if it eases the shame of looking like a fool in one, or the sheer boredom of driving it. You'll STILL be doing it in my rearview, for the few seconds I'll even see you there. Cars and driving should be, IMHO, enjoyed like fine wine and good cigars.
I much prefer THAT kind of living to yours, which seems heaped in liberal-fostered guilt and fear. But, do it if you will, it's your choice, same as a "vegetarian" will incomprehensively forego a fine steak for a salad.
Just don't succumb to the temptation to use your vehicle's misbegotten existence as an excuse to try to ban or regulate MINE, as some "environMENTALists" are already agitating for.
Oh, I almost forgot...how much pollution is produced by the MANUFACTURE of those batteries "which won't need replacing" (ROFLMAO!) and all the plastic components of that little toy of yours, HMMM? How about the oil and grease it still must use?
Not only that - it's not your father's diesel. These new diesels run as quietly and smoothly as a gasoline engine. No longer do they knock, vibrate and spew clouds of hydrocarbonaceous funk.
Bottom line, there is no free lunch. Because of the 2nd law of thermodynamics, each step in power conversion throws a percentage out the window. Gasoline is more efficient than "drive turbine, generate electricity, transmit it over hi tension wires, rectify it to DC, charge batteries, run it into an electric motor.
Land Cruiser and a Mini CooperS.
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