What is Digg?74 Comments
- valkraider, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I get 45+ miles to the gallon average in my 2002 Volkswagen TDI. Highway I get more than 50. I use Biodiesel made from recycled deep fryer oil with no modifications whatsoever to my car or engine, and have been doing so for almost 60,000 miles.
I have never understood why the Hybrids were so "great".
http://www.biodieselnow.com - spampurge, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Actually, if we want to kick our civilizations oil addiction, we must realize that it will never be done by just one or two "alternative energy" methods. Biodiesel, solar, etc. will have to be used For example, solar where there is sunshine, biodiesel where it can be grown locally, etc. Where biodiesel is concerned specifically, the commercial media focus on expensive it is to grow, but they don't even think about growing it 100% organically, which will cut out the petroleum based fertilizers and pesticides and using lots of manual labor with animals instead of mechanized tractors. Face it, we as a civilization have to totally think "out of the box" if we want to solve the oil addiction problem...
- bat-21, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"I don't understand why the US still uses gasoline and never used diesel."
At low temperatures, diesel fuel turns into a gel. BTW, Ford just unveiled a prototype hybrid diesel-electric vehicle at the Detroit Auto Show. - MoonDogAFO, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2After a long lurking phase, my first digg!
bought my Prius in April 2005. In the warm months, I got approx. 50 mpg. On every long trip I took in the summer or fall (300+ miles), I got 52 mpg. Now, in the winter months, I get roughly 40-45 mpg, depending on outside temp, how much interior heat I use, defrosters, driving conditions, etc.
I paid $23,500 for mine, new off the lot. I received $2,000 in Federal tax deductions, plus another $2,000 in New York State tax deductions.
I am 6'1" tall, weigh 230 lbs, and have plenty of room. My family took the car on a trip to North Carolina, and we were comfortable the entire way.
As for the biodiesel enthusiasts out there, I would never knock your choices. In fact, I considered doing biodiesel myself. However, the Prius is whisper quiet during 90% of my drive time, gets me good mpg, saves me gas $$, handles well in the bad weather, and doesn't require that I scout out sources of used cooking oil, screen out the particles in it, or "cook" my own biodiesel fuel (ie - my Prius is more convenient for me than biodiesel). - rodball, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1" I use Biodiesel made from recycled deep fryer oil"
--
"Biodiesel cars smell like fajitas."
In all seriousness, to those that use it - does biodiesel smell like it's origins? - nkthen, on 02/26/2008, -0/+1Great taking down the myths.
http://www.hybridcarsmoney.com - jasqwerty, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1#8 isn't a myth. I'm sorry, it's just not. They still carry highly explosive gas as a normal car, but with MUCH MORE BATTERY ACID, and HIGH VOLTAGE WIRING. The wire coloring is nice, except that of course the labeling isn't visible from the outside, so first responders have no clue if what they're cutting through is OK, or if its already electrified. "- and in case of fire, lots of water -" Yah, I'm sure being burned alive is pretty bad, but I'm not so sure soaking high voltage circuitry in water is that good of an idea.
- longofest, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Did you guys actually read the article? The article dispells ANTI-Hybrid myths!
- hydrokayak, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3I'm a firefighter on my local department. I have not been trained in how to extricate from a hybrid vehicle safely. I'm not cutting a car that's hybrid until I know how to, so don't crash a hybrid in my town...
- jlbraun, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Biodiesel is absolute idiocy. It is roughly FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND TIMES less efficient in terms of watts/acre than even the worst solar cells. Solar is where it's at.
- joker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Hybrids are an interesting phenomena. Economically it really isn't worth the premium when comparing like models. If you drastically reduce the size of your vehicle, it may end up being worth it, but basically gas prices are going to have to more than double from what they are today in order to make the deal break even.
I personally believe that the hybrid isn't going to be the long term soution, just an intermediate (and necessary) step towards a major breakthrough.
For those of you thinking about buying perhaps the following, cut from http://www.kiplinger.com/personalfinance/features/archives/2005/11/hybrids.html, is just the push to make you commit, but hurry... (besides if enough of you buy them, there will be more gas for my Yukon)
"If you buy a hybrid in 2006, you're eligible for a tax credit based on a complex formula that takes into account lifetime fuel savings of individual hybrids (the Edmunds calculations don't consider this credit). Credits will range from about $650 for the Accord Hybrid to $3,150 for the Toyota Prius. But the law sets a limit: Only buyers of the first 60,000 hybrids sold per carmaker get the full credit. After that, credits will decrease, and they will end entirely after 15 months. So if you want the full credit, buy early in 2006." - karmakazi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The problem with hydrogen is we currently have no efficient source for producing hydrogen (except for oil and gas but that kinda defeats the purpose). Water contains hydrogen but it takes a lot of energy to free it and where would this energy come from? ... you guessed it traditional power plants (coal, gas nuclear). If we can get large scale fusion reactors to work then fuel cell cars may be the way to go but until then hybrids are the way to go.
To use biodiesel on a large scale we would have to convert every acre of arable land to biodiesel and we still would not match demand... and we would have nothing to eat. - hongy_r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Hydrogen is the only feasable way to go. They just have to find a way to make it not cause a Hiroshima after each car accident, because Humanity would kill itself and everything else with its bad driving."
and dispell myths about hydrogen also, perhaps? - garland, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i wish people wouldn't get so excited about hydrogen fuel cells and plug-in cars saving the environment; where do you think that energy comes from? power plants are not all sunshine and windmills! i live in the northeastern united states, and according to my electricity company most of my energy comes from coal, natural gas, nuclear and oil power plants. anyone bragging about the fuel efficiency of their hydrogen fuel cell car or plug-in car needs to take into account the emissions created by the power plants that provide the energy for their cars. so unless you live somewhere with a lot of really clean geothermal power (iceland!), fuel cells and plug-ins are not that green.
- frosted, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Good article.
Diesel is not regulated like gas and gets very very dirty, worse for the environment.
Hybrids do not pump out ozone, that's 100% *****.
If you read the article you would know that you DO NOT PLUG IN A HYBRID, fool.
The prius is not perfect, consider that the gas tank is a bag, and that bag is flexible. In the winter you can not fill it quite as full as in the summer. That also costs extra time at the pump. The pump clicks off saying that your full as the bag builds pressure, it holds about 10 gallons and when you are 7 gallons full, it tends to click off, you have to keep trying to fuel and keep your eyes on the number of gallons you put in. It may click off 5 or 6 times before you are full. - sentai, on 09/06/2008, -0/+0http://www.di6.info Congratulations mate for this good written article, there is good info in it
- PhotoStory, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Until they get 15+ more miles per gallon than my Honda Accord (conventional), I am not interested.
- elroy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Have fun buying batteries for your $30,000 compact car, you liberal pussies.
- OBKenobi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Let's also talk about Biodiesel conversion of EXISTING conventional engines. The oil companies really don't want you to know about that. So instead they are promoting this "transitional" tech that still leaves us dependent on oil. We can be completely free of oil using Biodiesel, without much added cost.
What it took to finance the invasion of Iraq could have paid for the transition to Biodiesel through subsidies and tax breaks. Only problem is, Bush's oil buddies would lose 70% of their business. - ravenmuffin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0> Have fun buying batteries for your $30,000 compact car, you liberal pussies.
But apparently those are two of the myths! RTFA. - ronjohnson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0#8
Firefighters have coped with advancing automotive technologies for years, and they will skillfully deal with hybrid cars.
Maybe if it was a big city paid firefighter. But those local guys, volunteers are going to hurt themselves and maybe you trapped in the car. I am not knocking volunteers, they do a great job for free, but their skill level/trainning in this situation may not be up to par with a paid fire dept.
Be afraid, be very afraid of the jaws of life - cathode, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0saftey be damned....
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Hybrid cars with biodiesel powering the engine, and regenerative braking and solar power charging the battery. That's the future.
- floater, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Most are valid points, but as a first responder I know that the point regarding EMS is dead wrong. Water is not the solution and even after a hybrid battery is disconnected, the charge can stay active for up to five minutes. Forget the 750 volts - that is just the 'potential' energy. It's the 125 amps that will kill instantly. A typical defib that every school and mall has uses 50ma (much, much less that just 1 amp) to stop and stabilize the heart. Household current is typically 15 amps, and that will surely kill you. Now multiply that by 8!
- ravenmuffin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0> Why do I love hybrid cars? The heavenly silence in electric mode. It's exquisite! I wish I could afford one.
When Jeremy Clarkson reviewed the Prius on his UK petrolhead program, he claimed that was a negative.
Seemed to think pedestrians wouldn't hear one coming and thus get run over.
Maybe he just has bad memories of bicycles in Cambridge. - bloodguard, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Just another shout out for diesel.
I have a 2003 VW TDI (Turbo Diesel) and have put almost 156K miles on it. I get around 52 MPG on it (mostly highway miles) and it’s been trouble free (hasn't seen the shop except for oil changes and maint.)
I -try- to run as many tanks of renewable bio diesel in it as I can.
A coworker's prius has never gotten better than about 40 MPG. She gets to smugly cruise in the carpool lane though. - bacon_skoda, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1something biodisels don't have: regenerative braking
- Zeuser, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0One better solution would be an electric/bio-diesel hybrid. There's no silver bullet solution to the problem. The most pressing issue is proper energy management. It just doesn't make sense to have a V8 powered SUV idling in downtown traffic. That's where the Hybrid makes sense; don't need the engine right now? Turn it off!
Most of the problem with our petrol consumption really comes down to irresponsible energy managment. Oh heck... there is NO energy management at all! People just consume and consume without thinking about better ways and then they bitch when gas prices are too high!
Hybrid cars are a step in the right direction because they simply say: "If you can't properly manage your fuel consumption... I'll do it for you!".
PS: My next car will be the Accord hybrid. Damn that thing is quick, quicker than my current Acura TL! and under 60 km/h... it runs on electric only. Kickass! - jaysedai, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Plug-In Hybrids are the best of both worlds. And give you the equivalent cost of around $.25/gallon.
- Eliminator, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0valkraider,
The 2006 TDI is EPA rated at 37/44 MPG. Is your 2002 much better than that or does your car run more effieciently on B100? - Reddog_x2000, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Hybrid biodiesel/electric cars would be even more efficient. But, the best practical solution I see in the semi-near future would be a hydrogen car. I don't buy the estimates that we will, at best, be at 30% by 2050. In fact, I don't think we'll have any choice but to do far better than that.
- hordak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0DIGG+++++++++++++
It answered my questions on replacing the battery! - Anchoret, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0> Did you guys actually read the article?
Among the typical diggnorant user I believe this is regarded as cheating, like using the spellcheck function.
Why do I love hybrid cars? The heavenly silence in electric mode. It's exquisite! I wish I could afford one. - Izanagi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"I think we need a combination of Biodiesel and Hybrids. One just won't do it. And I doubt the US will be switching anytime soon. Canada on the other hand. We're smarter. I think we will beat the US to getting rid of oil totally. Although still not very soon."
@techlinks
No, we'll just take your oil ;D - nwagers, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I like it when people bitch about hybrids having no torque. It makes it easy to spot the idiots. Anyone with a clear understanding of the fundamental differences between a motor and an engine can say without a doubt, motors have more low-end torque. Engines of course are the opposite. If one was to race from 0 to lets say 30, assuming the motor has a similar amount of engineering, the motor (like in a hybrid) would win. The opposite would be true of racing from 50 - 80. Also it is worth noting that burning a single gallon of gasoline produces 27 lbs of CO2. Do the math if you don't believe it.
- vertigoblue, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0i didn't think diesel burned cleaner than gasoline...
even though you get better mileage - dognose, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I wish news media would stop quoting "100 mpg" ratings on plug in hybrids. They use household electricity, which costs money, you can't quantify them in mpg anymore. It's basically the same as saying a pure electric car gets infinity mpg. When people see the real costs of plugin hybrids, they'll realize they were dupped. And if plugin hybrids or all electrics ever really take off, they'll have to start adding a road tax to electricity! In the mean time, the whole "buy electricity when it's night time" doesn't pan out either. Many power companies don't off that choice to home customers.
- Izanagi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0link:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/20/60minutes/main1225184.shtml - John184, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Hybrids pump out lethal levels of Ozone O3 molecules.... but at least I'm saving money on gas.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Well, let me tell you kids something about the plug in cars.
Convenience stores all have outside power connections.
Collecting on the purveyors of the oil binge- priceless - bluefire0728, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Hybrids are just a scam! A local TV station tested the mileage of a Toyota Prius against a Toyota Matrix and they both got the same 36 MPG!"
-- steveec5000
Hi, did you read the article at all? Not everyone buys hybrid cars for gas mileage. That said, I own a 2005 Toyota Prius. On average, I get 45 MPG. It's very handy because I go to school at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA, and maybe once a month I'll make a trek back home to the Bay Area, which is about 200 miles. Which means that I'd make a round trip of 400 miles each time. The Prius does wonders for me. - gonetill5, on 07/26/2008, -0/+0hybrids... puh-leaze!! i would take a pure electric car any day. check it. goss132 totally cool, and within my price range! can't beat it at around 22,000. i think i'll use my old car for long distance trips or something.
- e4digg, on 07/30/2008, -0/+0Moving vehicles to another power source is imperative. Whether it be high efficiency diesel engines running biodiesel, gasoline-electric hybrids, or all electric vehicles change is happening. Whatever drawbacks of a particular technology, the reality is we need to rely on American sources of fuel to continue our easy and effortless transportation.
I chose all electric. I am in the middle of converting my '94 Tercel to an all electric vehicle. You can see the project at http://www.ZeroGasoline.com - riskable, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0My oh my, this article is just chock full of ignorance! First things first...
Someone said they read a magazine article showing a Prius getting 36MPG. That is BS. I'd have to throw an anchor out of my Prius to get less than 40MPG. 99% of the time I'm getting 46-51MPG and it isn't like I'm trying to drive conservatively. I fill up my tank about once every six weeks.
A couple of posters have extolled on about the merits of their high-MPG Volkswagon TDIs... I have a few things to say about that: Your TDI is spewing about 100x more smog-forming emissions than a Prius. Not only that, your TDI is illegal in CA because it can't meet the emissions requirements! Also, a TDI is a *TINY* car. It is about the size of a 1992-1996 Nissan Sentra... A very "compact" car. A Toyota Prius is a "mid-size" car and has far more legroom, headroom, storage space, and it's a hatchback--meaning it is more convenient than the trunk situation of the TDI. I'm not saying size and storage space are everything (if it were, we'd all have vans, trucks, and SUVs), but as far as gas mileage/size/efficiency goes, the Prius wins hands down.
Also, imagine a completely destroyed Toyota Prius... Sandwiched between two giant 18-wheelers. There's a guy trapped inside and the Fire Dept arrives on the scene. Here's a few things that WON'T happen:
"Battery acid everywhere!" Um... The Prius uses a half-sized 12V battery under the hood (as in, half the size of a typical car) and NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) batteries in a compartment in the back (that power the electric motor). NiMH batteries don't have "acid" and they won't "leak".
"Rescue workers will be electrocuted and DIE!" This is about as likely as getting hit by a meteor. The rescue worker would have to be barefoot, standing in a puddle, and reach down and grab the positive lead directly attached to the end of all the battery packs... Assuming they're all still perfectly connected together. Touching the positive lead on one or two (or three!) battery packs alone is the equivalent to getting a strong static shock when you touch a doorknob in the winter (well, maybe a bit stronger, "Youch!" but it won't kill you). The battery packs are hooked up to each other like batteries in a flashlight. If you got enough D cells strung together in a line, you could actually kill someone. In a car wreck, what do you think the likelyhood is of all the batteries remaining together like that? They'd probably be strewn about all over the place. It is highly unlikely that the batteries would remain connected and even if they were they are in a damn strong plastic compartment... They'd have to somehow make contact with the car's painted body (which is a lot harder than you think since the batteries are in the middle-center of the vehicle).
-Riskable
http://riskable.com - twinklyJesus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Hybrids are road turds! I get 24 mpg in my "99 Corvette. Show me a hybrid with the looks, performance and curb-appeal of my 'vette, and I'll buy one. Until then, STFU and worship my ass!
Twinkly Jesus - jgroovy, on 08/18/2008, -0/+0true.. yeah i'm down with goss132 too. probably the best EV platform for the consumer around. alot cheaper any way, and battery systems you can change out at will. love it. go goss132!
- stevec5000, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Hybrids are just a scam! A local TV station tested the mileage of a Toyota Prius against a Toyota Matrix and they both got the same 36 MPG!
- mike_p, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0A Hybrid that uses an ethanol/gasoline mixture? Seems like a feasible step in the right direction... but then again we use oil for way more than our cars anyway... so it's only a percentage off of the impending oil crisis.
- G0DM0D3, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"8. Hybrids pose a threat to first responders."
This article is *****. Hybrid cars are death traps in accidents. Firefighters are specially trained on where to cut in an accident with hybrid cars and the car cannot be touched until a trained technician is on site
NO DIGG hybrid cars are peices of ***** -
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