What is Digg?52 Comments
- mojoe1185, on 02/12/2008, -2/+10Good to know that half of the electricity we use in the united states comes from coal, the worst polluter of all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_power_in_the_Uni ... - spyd3rweb, on 02/12/2008, -0/+6Is the only reason people do things is for social status? how shallow and pedantic.
- gannondork, on 02/12/2008, -0/+6I want a Chevy Volt please.
- acatzr800, on 02/12/2008, -0/+5dupe.. tho its nice to hear the reality of the cost-effectiveness of going green. Brings a little perspective into this 'go green' movement.
- Otto, on 02/12/2008, -0/+4That would be a separate problem. Support nuclear power to fix that issue.
- The_Ox, on 02/12/2008, -1/+5I'm 25 and I bought my first car last year: a 2007 Camry Hybrid. I love it for both the geek-ness factor and the quietness. The fact that it's eco-friendly is a nice bonus to me. I'm keeping my eye on http://www.hymotion.com/ to convert my car to a plug-in eventually.
- davidrools, on 02/12/2008, -1/+5Even when you get your electricity from coal fired power plants, you emit less GHGs than in an internal combustion engine (http://www.slate.com/id/2179609/fr/flyout) Because coal plants don't have to move and aren't limited by size, their emission control equipment is much more sophisticated and effective. Also, as alternative energy production gets cheaper and more widespread, coal will be replaced and your electric cars will become even cleaner. Not so for a gasoline engine.
- duke_nate, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3Agreed. GM needs to pull its head out of its ass and get on the Volt NOW. It would sell like wildfire and maybe they just might post a profit one of these years instead of record losses.
- Tantrum, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3Plug'in Hybrids are basically electric cars with gas engines as backups. I think it's a perfect solution but the price needs to come down. Actually a perfect solution would be electric with ethanol backup.
- Shiftgood, on 02/12/2008, -3/+6You know... a lot of people give Prius owners ***** for being smug. Im sure there are some of them, but everyone ive talked to about their prius is like "yah its cool....so anwyays". They dont really try to say anything else... Mostly because the people that buy them arent "car" people.. the just dont give a ***** what they drive as long as its cheap and it works.
I think this whole "they think they're above us" thing is something we created ourselves and just imposed on them without even looking at the reality of the situation. - Otto, on 02/12/2008, -1/+4You need to know more people. Most of the ones I know who own Prius's are complete jerkoffs.
This is not about the car, mind you. There's nothing inherently wrong with the Prius or hybrid's in general. But those early adopters are usually dicks. - richardiscool, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2$4 a gallon? Fuel is $8 a gallon in the UK.
- bowe, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2Are you being sarcastic? I can't tell. Have you discovered a cost effective way to produce hydrogen without using electricity?
- Berkana, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2Not necessarily so in the California Bay Area though. If you want to drive clean in an area where the electricity is dominantly generated by coal, consider getting a solar-electric hybrid: http://www.solarelectricalvehicles.com/
- bowe, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2The base Prius already beats the Tahoe, I don't understand why you'd make this argument. Prius vs. Plugin Prius vs. Tahoe, the best choice is a base line Prius. What would you go through the hassle of making a conversion? All you did by adding the plugin conversion was decrease the price advantage of a Prius over a Tahoe.
- superpixel, on 02/12/2008, -4/+6because folks in the Bay Area needed one more status symbol
- SemiSarcastic, on 02/12/2008, -1/+3If there isn't an option to dip my hybrid in gold its not worth buying.
- Shiftgood, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2case in point.
- VeganG, on 02/13/2008, -0/+2I'd rather have power plants increasing the pollution AROUND POWER PLANTS rather than it being everywhere.
- engwar, on 02/12/2008, -1/+3Seems like a good thing to me. I don't understand why people only think about $$ savings. Here's something where it costs the same (after 100K miles) and you see the following benefits.
1. Moves us away from dependence on mid-east oil
2. Puts fewer pollutants in the air. - inactive, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2I'm holding out for a Prius iPod Edition which is endorsed by Bono.
- willfe, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2Certainly not -- there are several ways to do this that don't cause any significant load on the grid. Think "trickle charge," which would barely consume more energy overnight than leaving your laser printer on. Even a "charge this bastard as fast as possible" cycle will not consume *that* much juice -- a clothes dryer or air conditioner will still use more in a normal cycle.
Also look at the bigger picture -- fuel refineries don't run on "magic," they require electricity for several major parts of their operations. Using less fuel == refinery doesn't work quite as hard == refinery uses less fuel == no additional strain on the grid. - skiddles, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2I doubt that anyone in Silicon Valley will be driving their Prius in the UK.
- inactive, on 02/12/2008, -1/+3Or better yet, drive what makes you happy and stop ***** worrying about what everyone else is driving.
- Sackula, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2I absolutely agree to that, and one of the problems I've noticed is that people drive a hybrid like it's a race car. I can't tell you how many times I've been passed by a Prius on the highway going at least 10 mph faster than I am. The car is for economy and that's how it's marketed, maybe you should drive it like the manufacturer intended.
- askjeffro, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2I enjoyed this article, thought you might too:
http://www.motortrend.com/features/editorial/112_0 ...
"Consider, for instance, my long-held belief that the majority of hybrid-vehicle buyers chose their rides for the same reasons people pay $1000 a plate to swill champagne and scarf shrimp "for a good cause." Of course, they'll prattle on about how economically sound it is to pay $12,000 over the price of a small conventional automobile to save $400 a year in fuel costs, and they'll blare your eardrums raw extolling the dire need to reduce carbon emissions in any way possible (especially on the drive from the weekday Beverly Hills estate to the weekend Malibu beach compound). But the reality is this: For many buyers, a hybrid car is nothing more than the four-wheeled equivalent of a yellow LiveStrong wristband-a conspicuous, self-satisfying, effort-free membership card into the "I Care" club." - mGARANDEUR1, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1pretty much
- mGARANDEUR1, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1Yeah, except everyone plugging cars into their houses would only cause the power plants to produce more emissions. Fuel cells are far more practical than battery powered cars.
- santiago1, on 02/12/2008, -1/+2 Heh! This is the Bay Area, define Fancy Job!
- AirRaven, on 02/12/2008, -1/+2Buried for Godwin.
- inactive, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1dugg up for family guy ref.
- dgendreau, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1Wait a minute... How will you be getting the Hydrogen for these fuel cells without producing any more emissions than a plug-in hybrid?
As it stands, a plug-in hybrid already produces less emissions than a gasoline engine including the emissions of the power plant and the energy loss in sending the electricity to your home. - Devin, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1As someone who drives about 25,000 miles a year that's only a 4 year ROI. It actually would make a lot of sense for me, and once the warranty on my Prius is over I intend to have it converted to a plug in.
- pitdog, on 02/12/2008, -1/+2Yes, lets move the pollution out of the cities, to the power plants.
- mGARANDEUR1, on 02/12/2008, -2/+3Yeah, and what happens when the battery in the car burns out (which will inevitably happen)? The batteries in hybrid cars are extremely expensive and are not practical. Plus all the extra chemicals dumped when disposing of the battery. Not worth it.
- inactive, on 02/12/2008, -2/+3Was it difficult to tell your parents you were gay?
- inactive, on 02/12/2008, -1/+2If you wanted something that was cheap and works, you'd spend $2500 bucks and buy a 15 year old Honda Civic and drive it for 10 years until it dies, then repeat. If you buy a Prius, your a douchebag who wants a status symbol.
- StevePilot, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1The Prius doesn't come out nearly as rosy if you compare it to a car a bit closer to it, like my Corolla, which I paid $15000 for and gets 38MPG. At 100k miles and $4/gallon that's $10528. So about $26k compared to your $39k.
The break-even point, at $4/gallon, is about 300k miles. Which with my current commute is about 13 years payback. - Shiftgood, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1I dont think you read the article. The guy that manufactures them can only make a few, so he is trying to get them into the hands of influential people so that his business might grow.
commenting on stories you havent read is shallow. - HseLoMein, on 02/13/2008, -0/+1HA i love what my company is doing!!
- MindTrigger, on 02/12/2008, -1/+2These idiots will never understand that people in this country, due to ingrained culture, aren't going to just stop using gas all in the sudden. It will have to run out, or become prohibitively expensive first. In the mean time, all they do is piss people off by telling them to buy a ***** little prius.
- AngelBunny, on 02/13/2008, -0/+1not necessarily. if the price goes down in the future for batteries then it will be something anyone can do, and honestly, i'm all for it.
- inactive, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1...........
- The_Ox, on 02/13/2008, -1/+1Grow up.
- The_Ox, on 02/13/2008, -1/+1Even you, yourself, said: 'I'm holding out for a Prius iPod Edition which is endorsed by Bono.' in this comment thread.
- bowe, on 02/12/2008, -2/+1If they were cool kids they'd be riding bikes instead.
- sockpuppets, on 02/12/2008, -9/+8"The price runs about $10,000. Even if gas rises to $4 a gallon, it would still take nearly 100,000 miles of driving before you broke even."
How about just focusing on getting those ***** out of their SUV's first? - removesstains, on 02/12/2008, -7/+5Lame
- supermanred, on 02/12/2008, -3/+1Buried for story timing Nazism.
- sublimemm, on 02/12/2008, -7/+2reported a few days ago
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