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+--- Thread: Hybrid interest article (/showthread.php?tid=24594)
Hybrid interest article - SteveJobs - 12-20-2006
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0612200297dec20,0,4391758.story?coll=chi-business-hed
Re: Hybrid interest article - BigGuynRusty - 12-20-2006
I thought interest was waning when I saw an episode of "The New Adventures Old Christine" and they were trashing the Prius. South Park tore apart all hybrids in the "Smug" episode.
Wasn't long ago that the Prius was Hollywood's darling.
BGnR
Re: Hybrid interest article - Racer X - 12-20-2006
If they really want to make a hybrid be worth the trouble and expense, they need to make diesel hybrids, maybe even diesel/electric drive hybrids. Electric wheel motors, and the diesel just runs a generator, and the batteries will provide the lower speed juice to the wheels.
Diesel electric has been working in busses and locomotives for decades. Then the diesel can be biofueled as well. All wheel drive, and each wheel is powered properly based on traction and slippage.
If you were told it would cost 32-35K,. would last 200K+, and that it would really get 35+in city when the diesel was generating the juice, and 40+ highway, and ran great on biodiesel, would you be interested?
you would not believe the low end power that thing would have with both the batteries and the generator sending current to all 4 wheels at full pedal with no tire slippage..
Re: Hybrid interest article - Paul F. - 12-20-2006
Being a cheapskate making less money than I'm worth..
I'd be a lot more interested if that price dropped to 25K or less, but yeah... generally I'd be interested.
Re: Hybrid interest article - Racer X - 12-20-2006
Think total cost of ownership over the decade or two this thing will last. The diesel would run forever as it would be used in a narrow power band at about 1/2 speed most of the time. Stationary power plants, which is what it would effectively be, can be made more effecient when the operating perameters are within a narrow set of variables.
vary the load with the field current in the generator, and let the engine run at a relatively constant speed, and just adjust fuel delivery as needed to generate the HP and torque necessary to generate the power that you need. No more. That is max effeciency.
Re: Hybrid interest article - Paul F. - 12-20-2006
Oh, don't get me wrong... TCO is great...
But the difference between a loan payment of $350 a month and $500 a month can still squash the deal, no matter how much "less" maintenance and gas will be purchased.
I'll just wait for that very same model (should it ever exist) to be a 5 year old USED car used by one of those folks that just reflexively buys a new car every five years...
THEN I'll be able to afford one.
And that same concept in a "mid size" SUV (Nissan Pathfinder sized), and I'm SO there!
Re: Hybrid interest article - brofoski - 12-20-2006
After "Who Killed..." electric cars seem to be Hollywood's darling again. Clooney is going to be 1 of the 100 getting the Tesla, so that will bring more attention to electrics. I'm looking into an electric, it would be perfect for me.
Re: Hybrid interest article - Racer X - 12-20-2006
just keep in mind, the electricity was probably derived from fossil fuel, so don't delude yourself.
However, the standard automotive gasoline drive train usually gets only about 35% of the total available energy out of that gallon of gas, and puts it to the road. (diesel is abouy 38-39% I believe) So having a natural gas or coal powered generator somewhere running at about 58% effeciency is a step in the right direction.
Re: Hybrid interest article - brofoski - 12-20-2006
You are delusional if you think I was deluded.
Re: Hybrid interest article - Racer X - 12-20-2006
man, you must be crazy if you think I think you are delusional.