Re: Anyone Here Driving a Hybrid yet?

Dave Lyon wrote:


"J. Clarke" <jclarke.usenet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Dave Lyon wrote:


"Pete C." <aux3.DOH.4@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Dave Lyon wrote:

<raven@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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In alt.fan.cecil-adams Dave Lyon <lct.products@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
But electric carts (that was an inadvertant typo, I meant to
type
"cars")
are sexy and so we've got them. They suck tho, so they've
been
married to
the more dependable ICE system which irons out the worst
features
of
an
electric car.

ICE's aren't more dependable. They just have better range.

Same thing.


Range = dependability?

My pocket knife is very dependable. Does that mean it has the same
range
as
your car?

He is correct to an extent, a vehicle that leaves you stranded at the
side of the road when you have to take a longer detour route due to an
accident or other road closing would qualify as not dependable and
unlike a conventional car that was low on gas, stopping at a gas
station
would not be an option with an EV.

Pete C.

If we're going to live in the hypothetical, then what makes you think
there's a gas station in that detour?

It's not the car's fault if you use it outside of it's designed
purpose. If you have an EV that is capable of a 50 mile commute, and
you try to
go
80, that doesn't mean the EV is unreliable.

If I buy a Focus, and fill it full of gravel for my driveway, there's a
good chance it will break down before I get it home. Does that mean my
1 ton pickup is more reliable? After all, it would have met the
requirement.

You must use the proper tool for the job to get the best results. There
are many hypothetical (and real life) situations where an EV is NOT the
best tool for the job. That doesn't mean that if won't function very
dependably within it's limitations and design criteria.

The point is that the EV is a very limited tool that costs as much as or
more than a more capable tool--the only real benefit that it offers at
this
time is that the owner gets to feel virtuous.

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

That may have been true at one time, but an EV can save money right now
with the proper application. I will certainly admit that it is a limited
tool, but those limits will shrink as we implement the tool.

If by "implement the tool" you mean "bigger and better batteries" then the
shrinkage will be limited. As for "saving money right now", for an
individual, if finances are so tight that one needs the few dollars a year
that an electric vehicle will "save" then one certainly cannot make the
payments on one.

If you people would wait for a viable hydrocarbon fuel cell to be developed
then everybody would be happy and there would be _real_ savings, but you
want a quick fix instead of a good fix.

The "E85" movement is closer to the right track IMO--if the infrastructure
is in place to distribute E85 then adding E100 to the pump would be simple
and there are fuel cells today that will run on E100, they just don't scale
to motor vehicle size yet. Once _that_ research is complete you'll be able
to buy an electric that can outrun a Corvette, get 80+ MPG, run halfway
across the US on a tank of fuel, and be filled up at any gas station in a
few minutes. I'd grab one of _those_ in an instant, but not some crummy
little 50 mile range battery powered piece of garbage that costs as much as
a Civic Si.

In the meantime, if you get your way then "electric" will become associated
with "crummy little short-ranged overpriced shitbox" and when electrics
with real performance become available they will be tainted with that
stigma.

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
.