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5290 messages, Last post on Oct 25, 2006 at 8:37 AM
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Good Story on Hybrid Mythology 1. You need to plug in a hybrid car. As soon as the word “electricity” is spoken, you think of plugs, cords, and wall sockets. But today’s hybrid cars don’t need to be plugged in. Auto engineers have developed an ingenious system known as regenerative braking. (Actually, they borrowed the concept from locomotive technology.) Energy usually lost when a vehicle is slowing down or stopping is reclaimed and routed to the hybrid’s rechargeable batteries. The process is automatic, so no special requirements are placed on the driver. Car companies explain that drivers don’t have to plug in their vehicles, but a growing number of them wish they had a plug-in hybrid. The ability to connect a hybrid into the electric grid overnight to charge a larger set of batteries means that most of your city driving could be done without burning a drop of gasoline. Can you say 100 mpg? So far, auto makers have been reluctant to bring plug-ins to the mass market, claiming that today’s batteries can’t take the extra demand. Until a car company takes a chance on the great potential of plug-in technology, hybrids don’t require plugging into the grid. 2. Hybrid batteries need to be replaced. Worries about an expensive replacement of a hybrid car’s batteries continue to nag many potential buyers. Those worries are unfounded. By keeping the charge between 40 percent and 60 percent – never fully charged and never fully drained – carmakers have greatly extended the longevity of nickel metal hydride batteries. The standard warranty on hybrid batteries and other components is between 80,000 and 100,000 miles, depending on the manufacturer and your location. But that doesn’t mean the batteries will die out at 100,000 miles. The Energy Department stopped its tests of hybrid batteries – when the capacity remained almost like new – after 160,000 miles. A taxi driver in Vancouver drove his Toyota Prius over 200,000 miles in 25 months, and the batteries remained strong.
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Replying to: larsb (Oct 19, 2006 6:35 am)
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Replying to: gagrice (Oct 19, 2006 7:27 am) Well, we know NYC and SF both have extensive hybrid taxi fleets. Boston in September had it's first hybrid taxi. LA has some too. Lufkin, TX has a hybrid taxi service online. Ford has presented a Hybrid taxi study to Austin city leaders. Chicago's Escape hybrid test taxi program involves a one-year evaluation of one Escape hybrid taxi given to the Department of Consumer Services. The department's plan is to use the hybrid taxi to educate the public and cab drivers about the benefits of hybrid taxis before the city's June 2007 mandate that taxi companies incorporate hybrids into their fleets. So, it looks like it is catching on in various cities. Maybe a little slower than it should be, but progress seems to be ongoing.
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Pennsylvania drivers, get your hybrid rebates while they're HOT!! LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, Pa., Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania already has awarded more than a quarter of the $500 rebates available this fiscal year under a first-come, first-serve program for state residents who purchase new hybrid electric vehicles, Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty announced today. "More and more Pennsylvanians are making a difference by demanding cleaner cars that get better gas mileage," McGinty said. |
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Replying to: larsb (Oct 19, 2006 7:35 am) Hmm the article I read about NYC taxis was not what you would call extensive. They had to fight tooth and nail to get 18 Escape Hybrids allowed by the taxi police. It seems that NYC only allows 11,787 taxis to be licensed. The board felt the Escape was not roomy enough. He is trying to get a license for one more Escape hybrid. It costs about $222,000 to get a permit for a taxi in NYC. Not sure about other cities. San Diego taxis use a lot of CNG which of course is cheaper and cleaner than a hybrid. http://www.schallerconsult.com/taxi/taxi2.htm#introduction |
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Our own XCEL leads a record run in a Honda Insight. 2254 miles at an average 150.0 MPG. Pretty darn good I would say. Go Wayne! 150 MPG Insight |
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