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To: Big_Monkey
From my perspective, plug-in vehicles (including Chev's Volt) are DOA. You are effectively always tethered to your home by a distance which is half of whatever the cars actual range. IOW, in a vehicle with a 100 mile range, you can only travel 40-50 miles from your home. Not very practical.

That's incorrect, the good part to the series hybrid is you are not limited by the battery charge. After the batteries deplete to predetermined level the ICE (or turbine in this case) kick in to provide charge to the batteries and to run the electric motor.

There are some good arguments that can be had about battery life, and drain on the power grid, but I like this design as a good stepping stone to alternative power for vehicles.

32 posted on 06/12/2009 8:58:31 AM PDT by Rev DMV
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To: Rev DMV
"After the batteries deplete to predetermined level the ICE (or turbine in this case) kick in to provide charge to the batteries and to run the electric motor."

That wasn't clear from the article. Are you saying that the vehicle's range is only limited by the availability to refill with diesel - which is of course widely available in Europe and pretty well distributed in the US?

35 posted on 06/12/2009 9:04:04 AM PDT by Big_Monkey
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