More hybrid sales....

[Bill R.]

here

[Bimmer Nut Ed]

yep, I think they're cool. I especially like the prototype Bimmer put on their X5 with the pic of all 4 tires smoking! More HP and great milage, but of course added complexities. Now the complexities might be worth it, if it had a limp home mode where if either engine broke down, you could still get it home to work on it. No more towing bills!

[Bill R.]

gas engine breaks or you run out of gas the range on electricity only is about 2 miles.... One of the prius sites on the net has a owner who ran out of gas and found out the limits of the electrical by itself... still 2 miles is better than o miles with a conventional gas engine... I guess with a range of over 600 miles you forget what gas stations look like...

yep, I think they're cool. I especially like the prototype Bimmer put on their X5 with the pic of all 4 tires smoking! More HP and great milage, but of course added complexities. Now the complexities might be worth it, if it had a limp home mode where if either engine broke down, you could still get it home to work on it. No more towing bills!

[Tiger]

Yep... 600+ miles makes me forget about gas station... My diesel gives me 600+ miles range in city alone... nearly 800 on highway (yet to be tested). My first tank gave me 678 miles on 21 gallon fill

We almost put down payment on that Lexus Hybrid until we hear delay... gee... we can't wait that long.

[winfred]

"You can drive the 400h from Los Angeles to New York and back nine times and produce less smog-forming emissions than painting a room in your house,"

well gee, like that has **** to do about anything, lets all go plunk down $40k+ on a suv because it polutes less then house paint

[Tiger]

Ahem... try $53,000... $40,000 will buy you a regular RX330.

[George M]

I am a fan of fuel efficient cars for a variety of reasons as I drive an economy car for my daily driver...but the nos. don't wash if anybody believes a hybrid car will pay for itself by its superior fuel economy...it won't. The extra complexity and associated initial purchase price and maintenance over the life of the car will not offset the saving in fuel economy versus a similarly equipped car with equivalent performance.
A hybrid car is a magnanomous idea in principle and many environmentally conscious people will buy them...a good thing. The economic pragmatist won't however unless the government steps in with a give back in an effort to promote demand....another good thing. As to why we produce so many big, thirsty cars in the first place is complex....I don't think we should as the world's fossil fuel reserve is finite....but others disagree....a whole different discussion.
George

[winfred]

i look at terms like "fuel economy" and "safety" as buzz words anymore, if it was about saving lives tubular rollcages fuel cells helmets nomex fire suits and speed governers would be law and all cars not complying with the new standards would be confascated and destroyed, think of the lives that would be saved a good bet 50-75% of the fatilitys would be eliminated, but that would be so unpopular a civil war would break out. as for cars, we have the short term answer till new more efficient (that can be restored to full power or swapped out as fast a filling a tank) fuel cells can make full electric cars a option, diesel electric, a 1 to 3 liter (bigger motors for bigger private vehicles) common rail lean burn diesel motor running at it's ideal rpm for efficient opporation clutched to a generator and motor, id guess that it could be refined to return over 100 mpg and have a much better service life then the current offerings that split powering the car between the engine and motor.
i could be talking outta my ass but i don't think so much as usual

I am a fan of fuel efficient cars for a variety of reasons as I drive an economy car for my daily driver...but the nos. don't wash if anybody believes a hybrid car will pay for itself by its superior fuel economy...it won't. The extra complexity and associated initial purchase price and maintenance over the life of the car will not offset the saving in fuel economy versus a similarly equipped car with equivalent performance.
A hybrid car is a magnanomous idea in principle and many environmentally conscious people will buy them...a good thing. The economic pragmatist won't however unless the government steps in with a give back in an effort to promote demand....another good thing. As to why we produce so many big, thirsty cars in the first place is complex....I don't think we should as the world's fossil fuel reserve is finite....but others disagree....a whole different discussion.
George

[Karl]

It's a good bet 50% of the fatalities would be prevented because only 50% of the people could afford such a car. the rest would be on bus or bicycle.

[George M]

sad reality is...it is all about economics as you Winfred hit on some good points. This BTW relates to aircraft safety as well...not only in terms of how airplanes are engineered and their intial purchase price but maintenance cycles and attendant cost along the way...comes down to cost per mile. Airplanes can be made safer at a much higher cost to the public which would make them prohitive to much of the public. Same is true with cars. You are absolutely correct Winfred...it is about maintaining civil liberty.....cars could be made not only much safer....and also wired for alcohol detection... remember the 43% stat I put up a while ago about alcohol related deaths?....slowing them down would accomplish this greatly but even with current technology, an IC powered vehicle can be made more fuel efficient. Power to weight ratios however which have to be considerably lowered which Americas won't like. Car makers make cars that Americans like and can afford. As long as an average Amercian can afford a big heavy 5.7 liter SUV, he or she will buy one. There is no mystery why the typical European drives a car with half the displacement of what many of us drive in America...fuel prices....and the further whammy...taxation on larger displacement engines. Until we adopt a similar practice...some would say this is government intervention...others would say people unfettered won't do the right thing...John/Jane Q public will continue to drive thirsty cars they can afford...why?...because they can....don't blame the automakers...supply and demand is human nature...perhaps not the best side of human nature either...see below. With demand for fossil fuel on the steady increase throughout the world with big increases in China and India...things will change and you will see barrel prices and therefore gas prices at the pump increase and people will gradually move away from thirsty cars and trucks even if the government doesn't add taxation to the mix to decrease demand. Whether you agree with the war in Iraq or not...most would agree that the war is more than about deposing a ruthless dictator and regime and/or imminent WMD threat and haven for terrorism. Iraq sits on the richest oil reserves in the world and is the linchpin for oil which make the wheels go round in America....supply and demand...ugly or not side of human nature is for you to decide as we could by changing our habits lower but likely not ameliorate all of our dependence on foreign oil which may end up more unpopular than the war.
George