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Pull Plug On High Gas Prices
cbs ^ | 7/18/06

Posted on 07/18/2006 12:05:31 PM PDT by LouAvul

If you're fed up with paying high gas prices, Hybrid Technologies says it has a solution for you.

The company is out with an "electric smart car" that runs on a lithium battery.

The company's co-founder, Richard Griffiths, pointed out to The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler Tuesday that that's the same type of battery you'll find in cell phones, PDAs, computers, "pretty much anything we use now that's a portable electronic device."

Griffiths showed Syler how you simply plug the car in, literally, to a conventional 110 volt outlet.

"If you completely drain the battery," Griffiths said to Syler, "it's like your cell phone, if you drain the battery, a full charge is five to six hours. Normally, people won't drain the entire battery, so maybe one to two hours at night. Basically, it's like, 'Honey, did you take out the garbage and plug in the car?' It's kind of a new way of thinking. It's a plug-in hybrid. It uses absolutely no gas.

"On a single charge, you can go up to 120 miles and, depending how you drive, 150 miles."

"It's very, very small, though," Syler observed. "I am thinking safety. How does it crash test?"

"It has a three-star crash test rating," Griffiths responded, "and it has air bag systems, five air bags, three in the front. It's like a walnut. It's actually a very safe car. This is a city commuter car, so it's not a car that you'll necessarily be driving on the highway every day. So we're not looking at high speeds, necessarily."

(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: energy; gasoline; gasprices; hybridtechnologies
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Yo, mooseSlime. Sooner or later you and your oil's gonna be obsolete.

Know what else? It's gonna be a 'Merican who does it. Dat's right! The Great Satan!

You like apples? How bout dem apples!?

1 posted on 07/18/2006 12:05:32 PM PDT by LouAvul
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To: LouAvul

Does it go 120 mph and 400 miles on a charge have AC and heat?

Otherwise I will stick with the Dinosaur fuel.


2 posted on 07/18/2006 12:08:30 PM PDT by Patrick1
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To: LouAvul

So. GM drops their electric car because of lack of interest by buyers, and this guy thinks his will sell?

Not until they can come up with one that will go at least 300 or more miles between charges.


3 posted on 07/18/2006 12:08:43 PM PDT by Bigh4u2 (Denial is the first requirement to be a liberal)
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To: LouAvul

E85 is far cheaper, $100 for conversion;

Reduces dependence on oil much more than hybrid;

And you don't have to burn coal to charge it.


4 posted on 07/18/2006 12:09:34 PM PDT by Mikey_1962 (If you build it, they won't come...)
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To: LouAvul

Yeah, but where does the energy comes from at the power station? Usually it's some kind of carbohydrate


5 posted on 07/18/2006 12:09:35 PM PDT by soccer_maniac (Fine employers $100,000 for every illegal employee they hire-> millions of illegals will self-deport)
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To: LouAvul

What people need to understand is that plugging a car into a 110-volt outlet doesn't give you "free" power. At the rate utility costs have been escalating over the last 10-15 years, there's a decent chance down the road that plugging in your car could eventually cost more than filling it up with gasoline?


6 posted on 07/18/2006 12:09:42 PM PDT by Alberta's Child (Can money pay for all the days I lived awake but half asleep?)
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To: LouAvul

still have to generate the juice. . .


7 posted on 07/18/2006 12:09:46 PM PDT by esquirette (Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.)
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To: LouAvul

Just to get to work, that thing would be awesome. AWESOME. Hell yeah I'd drive it. You put a good sound system in there, you're golden.


8 posted on 07/18/2006 12:10:02 PM PDT by domenad (In all things, in all ways, at all times, let honor guide me.)
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To: LouAvul
It has a three-star crash test rating," Griffiths responded, "and it has air bag systems, five air bags, three in the front. It's like a walnut. It's actually a very safe car. This is a city commuter car, so it's not a car that you'll necessarily be driving on the highway every day. So we're not looking at high speeds, necessarily."

In other words, this is marketing-speak for "its a death trap on the highway".
9 posted on 07/18/2006 12:10:19 PM PDT by CertainInalienableRights
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To: Patrick1

I drive 50 miles to work and back a day. So I'd have to recharge this guy every other day. Not so bad. Now, how much will it cost me to recharge it? How many kW of power does it take?


10 posted on 07/18/2006 12:10:33 PM PDT by RonF
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To: LouAvul
"It's a plug-in hybrid. It uses absolutely no gas."

Great. Does this guy have a freakin' clue what "hybrid" means? If its sole propulsion system is electric, it is an electric car NOT a hybrid.
11 posted on 07/18/2006 12:10:41 PM PDT by eraser2005
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To: LouAvul

Electricity comes from magic!


12 posted on 07/18/2006 12:11:05 PM PDT by TChris (Banning DDT wasn't about birds. It was about power.)
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To: Alberta's Child

Especially on days like today with the threat of outages and the entire grid going down. I didn't say it, just ask Drudge.


13 posted on 07/18/2006 12:11:32 PM PDT by MarkeyD (The patriotism of the New York Times = The humanity of an Islamic terrorist.)
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To: Bigh4u2

"Not until they can come up with one that will go at least 300 or more miles between charges. "

Why? An awful lot of people don't go far in their vehicles on a daily basis. Small electric cars make sense for local driving.

We have two cars. One is used mainly for longer drives. The other goes to the store and other short trips. I don't put 300 miles a week on that one. It would be no big deal to plug in that car on a regular basis. No big deal at all.

Frankly, I can't remember the last time it went over 45 mph. It's our jump in and go car. Of course, I paid only $1000 for it, so I'm not that eager to buy something brand new to replace it.


14 posted on 07/18/2006 12:13:08 PM PDT by MineralMan (non-evangelical atheist)
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To: Bigh4u2
Not until they can come up with one that will go at least 300 or more miles between charges

Agreed.

And, it will have to behave as a conventional vehicle..ie same or close pick up, speed, etc.

15 posted on 07/18/2006 12:13:15 PM PDT by Puppage (You may disagree with what I have to say, but I shall defend to your death my right to say it)
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To: Mikey_1962

Ethanol uses gasoline to produce and transport E85. It's just another subsidy.


16 posted on 07/18/2006 12:13:19 PM PDT by finnman69 (cum puella incedit minore medio corpore sub quo manifestu s globus, inflammare animos)
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To: LouAvul
This is a city commuter car,

this is the only thing they should have be marketed for,imo,but,what's the cost to charge it vs. filling up a 4cyl gas mizer? and are we gaurenteed the electricity comes from solar,wind,hydro or nucular sources?

17 posted on 07/18/2006 12:13:45 PM PDT by Minnesoootan
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To: RonF
How many kW of power does it take?

And does it blow the breaker on your home circuits when the air conditioner is also running?

18 posted on 07/18/2006 12:14:08 PM PDT by Minn
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To: Mikey_1962

How much does e85 cost per gallon? Not that I have a choice though. Houston only has a few refueling sites and they aren't anywhere near where I live.


19 posted on 07/18/2006 12:14:12 PM PDT by StolarStorm
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To: LouAvul

I'll buy one of these cars just as soon as John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, Howard Dean, Nancy Pelois, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Carl Levin and all the rest of the liberals turn in their automobiles and buy one.


20 posted on 07/18/2006 12:14:55 PM PDT by GianniV
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