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Comments
Your point is pointless, since it only applies to first-person.
If I want to reduce *YOUR* emissions, I want an option to do that.
Hybrids offer a solution of that intent. By me supporting them, seeking out those that want one now, a configuration pleasing to you will emerge later. We all win.
Forcing people to change is pretty much futile. Offering a solution that they find appealing, yet still solves the problem, is a dramatically more effective approach.
JOHN
You have solved very little with the Prius it still dumps tons of pollution and uses non-renewable resources. I consider my sister a true environmentalist. Whatever University (from Washington to Beijing) she is working at, she rents an apt. close by. She is 50 and has never owned a car. She rides her bicycle. I let her preach at me because she lives what she preaches. You are polluting more than the guy in the Hummer that only drives 4-5k miles a year. If you dump 3 tons of CO2 by driving 15k miles per year or you dump 3 tons driving 5k miles per year who polluted the most. That is the point. A guy in a Hummer that drives 3 miles to work is not as big a polluter as the guy that drives 20 miles to work in a Prius.
It is virtually impossible for everyone to live within a few miles of where they work. I happen to work near JFK Airport. Ain't no way in hell I'm moving to Jamaica, Queens.
When Hollywood has people imagining it is more glamorous to drive to the Oscars in a Prius than in a limo, that's progress. Perhaps not as much progress as riding bicycles to work. However, more people will embrace the change if you offer a practical alternative, then make it seem sexy or fun, than if you preach from examples that nobody thinks they can follow.
Hats off to your sister though.
Sorry bad diesel joke!
Reclaimed deep fat fry oil from restaurants such as McDonalds etc can be processed into bio diesel at app .60 cents a gal!
http://www.journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_mike.html
Really?
There's actually a very serious flaw to your assumption/accusation.
Try looking at the big picture.
By living farther from work, I live spitting distance from everything else!
Having the family, friends, grocery store, retail stores, bank, indoor entertainment, and outdoor entertainment (bike trails) just outside my homes doors saves a ton.
Not everyone can live near both. Being closer to them than work is far more effective, especially since the drive to work is so efficient anyway.
Your comment is also extraordinarily vague. What does "long" mean? Do you mean distance, speed, and/or time?
JOHN
You are good. I appreciate your attention to detail. You have your act together even if we don't agree on politics I like you.. Let's put it this way. In 1968 I was commuting 12 miles and got tired of the long fight with traffic in San Diego. I applied for a job in Alaska with RCA. They hired me and took me to Anchorage. I was located very close to the communications building avoiding traffic on my way to work. I liked it. It had nothing to do with the cost of fuel or pollution. It was the fact that I was wasting my life away on the freeways in San Diego. I see so many people spending more than 10% of their life driving back and forth to work. There has to be a better way to live. What did you do for entertainment all those years of commuting before you had the Prius with all it's fancy high tech gear? Do you see where I am going?
To some people the time alone on the highway listening to tunes is their time. That may be a valid argument. I would rather be sitting on my patio sipping a drink watching the Orioles and humming birds or planting another tree. I can sleep at night knowing I did a little bit to fight pollution.
Which hybrid would compete against the VW Touareg TDI? The new Lexus SUV hybrid?
quote -In terms of greenhouse gases, diesels are among the lowest emitters.-
Interesting viewpoints.
One exception is Leo DiCaprio who owns and drives an Insight I believe (or atleast he did a few years ago, maybe he's in a Prius now, who knows).
I still prefer my TDI, no mateer who is driving what, it is what I prefer.
Just thought I'd throw that little info out there..dunno why.
I think it is really a shame, even disgraceful, that CARB will not allow the VW TDIs to be sold. These are NOT the polluting diesels of yesteryear. For CARB to allow 3/4 ton diesel SUVs and trucks, which definitely pollute more than the TDI, is discriminatory to say the least. Clearly they would not be doing it if the TDIs were being produced in the USA, as the diesel SUVs are. I only hope that CARB will come to their senses once we get ULSD across the country, in two more years.
I also think that if one can, one should also! The fact is there are way too many roadblocks against it! On that note, I think the governments should remove the strutural impediments that it keeps in force. For example if one looks at the results, in the west anyway only 20% of the city's population live and work in the city. 80% come from far to surrounding cities. There are a host of things that come together to make that happen. So if the cities set goals to improve this ratio, (they dont want that to happen for a host of reasons) it would go a long way to making that happen. I myself have business that is 1.5 miles from my house. But I figuratively had to move heaven and earth to make this happen. Before, the commute was 22 miles R/T. So I have gone from 5808 miles to 792 miles per year miles. I used to go INXS of 7 x more mileage. More common in this region is a 50 mile R/T or 13,200 miles yearly comute. The obvious nexus is that it would structually decrease the daily, monthly, yearly, miles.
Here in the area where I live it is actually against "the laws" to be energy independent. To convert to solar would cost between 13,000-20,000 dollars, given the tax breaks of 4500 per system and a monthly G/E bill of 75 dollars BE would be app 9.5 years.
Basically the concept is to have a solar system with app 2x the max need with or without batteries to either store or sell back to the power company excess energy. With this system I would actually be a net net net (NNN) energy "producer"
If I combine making biodiesel at .60 cents a gal my TDI with 520 gal a year usage would now be 312 dollars or 26 dollars a month! I also would be providing businesses with a viable service and cost savings! There are definite laws against energy independence!!!
I'm not sure it has one, unless one of the MB SUV models. I sat in the Toureg when I was at the dealer to test the Passat. The seats are very sports car like. I kind of think the V10 TDI is overkill for most people. It is just a big engine, more fit for a truck than sport utility. I am sure there will be people go for them. If they were 200 lbs heavier they would qualify for the tax write-off.
http://www.greenconsumerguide.com/profiles_html/t/toyota/page1.ht- ml
http://www.greenconsumerguide.com/profiles_html/t/toyota/page6.ht- ml
full review
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/?id=52
So why would I want to get a Prius hybrid at 27k when a diesel Corolla (I am guessing since it is not sold in the USA, 1200 premium) for 13.2-15.2k?
Might be a real good reason Toyota will only import the diesel versions if other OEM's are eating their lunch in this sector!?? This disparity in price (27k Prius vs 13-14k Corolla) has already created a market opportunity for Honda, which has also introduced the Civic hybrid! http://www.edmunds.com/new/2004/honda/civic/100344093/prices.html- ?tid=edmunds.n.mipmake.popular.num2.1.honda* @18867.
The flip side being, if I can sell a 27,000 dollar product @ higher profit, why should I sell a 14k product at lower profit that directly competes with it!!???
>Horsepower is the end all.
>Unless Prius has better power
>to weight ratio going uphill
>compared to Camry, it won't
>perform as well. Thats the bottom
>line. Torque won't do anything
>if there is little or no power.
Did you know:
Horsepower = [ T (ft - lbs) x N (rpm) ] / 5,252.113121
T= torque
Horsepower is directly related to Torque
YMMV,
MidCow
Perhaps Robertsmx misunderstands both the theoretical and practice application/effects of the formula of which you speak?
Torque is EVERYTHING!!! For example on a triple digit weight motorbike 100 hp/82 torque is a rocket ship!? Why because of the power to weight ratio!!!!
Again this torque to weight ratio is another reason why a diesel hybrid would be a better combo than the gasser hybrid combo all things being equal! So it would be easy to calculate what the torque to weight ratio has to be with the lower torque of the gasser to BE with a diesel hybrid., or if that is not changeable the weight loss necessary for the gasser hybrid.
___I don’t know if most know this or not but the Euro spec fuel economy numbers are ~ 10 – 20% more generous then those of the US EPA’s. Add in the Imperial gallons and you can see how it is nice to look at extra urban numbers as high as has been linked but in comparison to the US’ EPA, they are a bit more down to earth. Still great mileage but not nearly what you would think when viewing the manufacturer’s web sites is all.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
IMHO, the electric motor is an equalizer for tiny gas engines to effectively deliver the torque of a heavy diesel engine. An electric motor can deliver its maximum torque at 1 RPM. What turns into electricity charging the battery is rated power output (ie. horsepower). As the electric motor and especially batteries (or fly wheel/hyper-capacitor, whatever the energy storage device may become) get more efficient, the ICE gas engine can get very small and high revving for maxmum power to weight ratio (torque will be provided by the electric motor). Eventually the tiny gasser ICE itself probably get replaced by a fuelcell in order to get rid of NOx altogether. In comparison, the NOx problem with diesel is unavoidable simply because its a result of high temperature combustion (which is also the source of diesel engine's high relative thermal efficiency compared to SI einges.) That's the bigger picture; that's why I figured I will skip the first generation hybrid SUVs, and contented myself with my recent Highlander purchase.
The Prius was quicker accelerating both from rest to 60 mph and from 30-70 mph during a simulated pass."
"The run to 60 took the Toyota 10.7 seconds and a second longer for the VW."
"The passing gap was wider: the Prius went from 30 mph to 70 mph in 10.7 seconds (a coincidence) while the more sluggish Jetta required 13.6 seconds to accomplish the task."
With my TDI tuned similarly to the european TDI's, I turned the 30-70 in 8.95 seconds.
BP & Arco stations in California and Chicago Metro areas currently have low-sulfur diesel (30 ppm) available at their pumps, and they are working at getting it across the U.S. In two more years it should be available everywhere, and down to 15 ppm. Once this is done, diesels will have catalytic converters and scrubbers (as they do in Europe), and emissions are expected to meet even CARB standards! Even now new VW diesel cars are quite clean using EGR, and they meet federal emissions standards.
make up the margin on volume, greater marketshare, more $$ from service, etc.
I just got back from Madrid and was VERY impressed with the number of diesels there. It really seemed like 75% in the city. Even saw a diesel Dodge Caravan. The biggest surprise was a VW Golf TDI WITH 4-motion AWD. That's like my dream car. The only way that I knew the Volvo I rode in was diesel was by the feel of it (TORQUE!) and that the tach redlined at 4500 with 2000 being where I'm used to seeing the 3000 point. To hear the "diesel" sound I had to walk to the front of the car and listen carefully. sweet. Ford, MB, Volvo, Citroen, Peugeot, Seat, VW, Skoda (VW), BMW, and probably more that I can't recall, all had diesels on the road.