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Hybrid Vehicles Hybrid Vehicles - Archived Discussions Will ethanol E85 catch on in the US? Will we Live Green and Go Yellow? 
2104 messages, Last post on Oct 27, 2006 at 5:34 AM
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Replying to: socala4 (Jun 22, 2006 5:03 pm) I don't loathe the gas engine. Much like the telegraph, it was great for a while but it is now time to move forward. I'm definitely not an expert in the field but I do suspect that an EV could potentially re-charge on the fly, giving it unlimited range. I think it is possible to create roadways that allow for an EV to re-charge while driving over them. I'm not an expert in this field so I don't have a good feeling about the feasibility but it is a potential that doesn't exist for an ICE powered vehicle.
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Replying to: tpe (Jun 22, 2006 5:50 pm) You've either described a perpetual motion machine or a hybrid. You need to have another source to fuel the battery and to power the car when the battery lacks power, regenerative braking doesn't provide enough energy to do it. The hybrid basically takes the refueling system and marries it to the engine, rather than relying strictly on another secondary source (the power grid), which is not a bad idea at all given what technology we have and are likely to have. One point is that the hybrid need not necessarily be a gas engine, and alternative technologies may come down the pike that can be used to provide power when the electric motor cannot, while keeping the battery charged. In any case, we need stuff that works, and this works reasonably well now and will probably improve, and best of all, the market seems ready to embrace it. You can't say that about electric cars, except in very limited circumstances. |
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Replying to: socala4 (Jun 22, 2006 5:44 pm) Other manufacturerers are following Toyota into the hybrid field. Its kind of like Toyota following GM and Ford into the FFV field. Its not so much that they think it is a good idea but that they realize it is a big enough market that they can't be left out. Wagoner's comment probably reflect a missed opportunity. I'm not entirely sure he could revive the EV1 because I don't think the batteries are available. When GM got out of the EV business they also sold their battery interest to an oil company (Chevron). Its clearly a very complicated issue. I don't know what's going on. I can only speculate like everyone else. |
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Replying to: socala4 (Jun 22, 2006 5:59 pm) Not really. I can envision specialized lanes on an interstate for transferring energy to re-charge batteries. It has nothing to do with perpetual motion and the recipient would pay a fee. Its futuristic but its doable. ICEs represent an archaic technology thats clinging on to life. |
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Replying to: tpe (Jun 22, 2006 6:17 pm)
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Replying to: snakeweasel (Jun 22, 2006 6:47 pm) It would be easier to get them onto these more easily managed trains and buses than to try to provide individual customized powerlines for everyone. And you can't wire the entire country to such a great extent.
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Replying to: socala4 (Jun 22, 2006 6:50 pm) It can be done but the logistics of it on a large scale is very hard. |
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Replying to: socala4 (Jun 22, 2006 6:50 pm) My biggest hope is that gas prices stay high for at least a couple more years. Whether or not EVs end up being part of the solution these high gas prices have definitely increased exploration into alternatives. |
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Replying to: tpe (Jun 22, 2006 5:17 pm) It is something he has never tried and has a fear of anything new. I can guarantee if he drove one of the new diesel cars that are available today he would whistle a different tune. The way it is he is more comfortable behind the keyboard passing on information that the media spews out. Reading books that guess what people want. Knowing what people want is a science that eludes the brightest of minds. Most of which do not hang out blogging on Edmund's. I'm like you I was too late to have a shot at any of the EVs. I tried buying a couple of the golf cart type and found they are not allowed on most streets I need to drive on. Batteries are still an obstacle to electric vehicles that are reasonably priced. The savings in gas could be recouped faster with an EV than with a hybrid.
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Replying to: snakeweasel (Jun 22, 2006 5:22 pm) The real sad part is they jumped out just as they had the donkey by the tail. They had developed what is today the standard battery for all hybrids the NiMH. If they had hung in and followed those that were with them they would probably killed the hybrid market before it ever developed. I can tell you I would buy a RAV4 EV long before I would consider a Prius. And I don't even like the looks of the Rav4 that is currently being sold. |
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