If worst come to worst, will you break down to get a energy efficient vehicle?

Question

Or are you gonna hold out as long as you can, and keep driving a pure gasoline or deisel vehicle.

The new hybrids are a novel thing, but they still got lousey acceleration. And if you convert to Biodeisel, well, how long will that last? In some parts of the country people are getting pretty ruthless because its getting harder to find waste cooking oil to make the stuff. I doubt we'll be driving all electric cars, because there isn't enough infrastructure to support life sized slot cars. But wouldn't it be cool to have electric hot rods?

***uhmmm - yes I did test drive the Prius. Its got great acceleration, only if you have a very light load. I like to see how a car does its thing with a reasonably full load, so I go with friends to check out new cars when they come out. Maybe when I got to drive it, the demo had some real wear and tear on it. I'm sorry I wasn't impressed. If they chopped it down and made a two seater, I might consider it more seriously.
* Even my sisters old (original) CRX Honda gets 55-65 mpg, its old but her husband likes to tinker with it to make it run a little better, than average.

Answer 1

I will certainly focus on a Hybrid when I buy a new car in a couple years, but for how problematic they may be, they're not significantly more fuel efficient than a new Japanese car. Biodeisel is not a very good idea. I think it pollutes a fair amount, and requires a lot plant life to provide the oil, saving petroleum alone is not beneficial if you're still polluting.
With the lifestyle I live, being a drummer and adventurous, traveling type, I need a biggish car. If there's a hybrid Minivan or SUV out there in a couple years that has a service warranty to back it, I would prefer it over another traditional combustion engine.

Answer 2

Ok....ok...

Maybe if I regained a sense of balance (what I lost from being on certain medications) I *might* in the near future break down, stop walking and relying on the bus to get wherever I go, and *buy* a motor vehicle....

As in a motor scooter. :P Because I stink like crap at driving *cars*. ;)

So yeah, for some of us dirt poor and medically held back, you really are preaching to the choir. Even when I was a teenager, before the meds and before I screwed up on driver's ed, I was designing fuel-cell and electric vehicles back when my peers were doodling up hot-rods.

But yeah....I might break down and get an efficient motor vehicle someday and *be* a part of the problem. *lol* ;)

Until then, well, I guess I will have to suck it down and ride the bus, huh?

(oh, and the problem with electric and hybrid vehicles isn't really acceleration....if you stick to a basic design, low-speed acceleration--say to 60 mph--isn't an issue. Trouble is highway acceleration, where the electric motor stops being so effective against *aerodynamic drag*. Not to mention having to compensate for range issues by cutting *power draw* to the bone)

Just saying. (really, Nissan built an electric car back in 1986 that went from 0-60 in *two* seconds....but it ran on super-capacitor arrays, and only had 20 miles of range. Good news was, it could recharge in as little as five minutes)

Answer 3

I drive a car that gets 38mpg, and my family has a hybrid on order. I don't see why you would get a huge vehicle that gets poor gas mileage. Gas guzzling SUVs and trucks are a hassle to drive around and cost too much. I see no positives in them.

Would I try bio-diesel or an electric car? Sure, but not on a whim! They would have to be practical to drive and own.

Answer 4

Already did. I've owned a Prius for over a year and adore it. No problem with acceleration either - where did you get that idea? Have you test-driven one?

They're roomy, there's plenty of cargo space, and I routinely get 50-55 mpg. What's not to love about this car?

Answer 5

Lousy acceleration? I see Prius' taking off from lights cutting people off all the time. I test drove one and it was zippier than my other Toyota.

But in answer to your question, fuel cost is a trivial expense to me so I won't switch until I find one I really like.

Answer 6

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Infrastructure isn't as much problem as you think - most EVs charge at night, using off-peak electricity - my utility even has a special EV rate, overnight, of only 2.5 cents per kwh. At this rate, my 1300 miles/month of driving costs just over 8 dollars, yes, EIGHT DOLLARS. In my gas sedan, that's well over 200 dollars worth of gasoline!
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Estimates are that 30 to 50 million EVs can charge overnight without taxing the electric grid.
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Some electric hot rods:
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http://www.teslamotors.com
http://www.venturi.fr/us/fetish/fetish_spirit/fetish_spirit.php3
http://www.electricbw.ca/silence.php
http://www.wrightspeed.com/
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And finally, an affordable family electric car, not available until next year:
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http://www.milesautomotive.com/products_xs200.html
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It gets 200 miles to the charge, costs $28500.
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Answer 7

When they start building trucks that use the technology I may buy one. I need a truck and I can't justify buying into the technology until I can use it.

Answer 8

BS......bought a new prius, and love it..if they make an electric car thats this powerful ill buy that one too, i dont car if i do have to plug it in....screw exxon and the arabs

Answer 9

I'd be embarrassed to drive a gas guzzler. It's just socially self-ish.

Answer 10

I will do it before worse comes to worse. Try looking into long range solutions instead of short, knee jerk reactions.