What do you think of the new electric and diesel cars?

Question

What problems do you think it might have?
What is the purpose of inventing these cars?

Answer 1

I think that the diesel cars have much more potential than the electric or even the gas/electric hybrid ones. Diesel is cheap to produce, diesel engines are incredibly reliable and easy to maintain, the gas mileage is very good, and the torque produced by the engines is incredible. Right now, diesel is expensive because they're still working out the bugs on removing the sulfur from the diesel to decrease exhaust emissions. It's expected to come down in price to match regular gasoline, or slightly cheaper, once they've gotten all the flaws figured out.

Electric cars have too many problems to be considered a benefit. If there were a significant increase in electric cars, then it would take vast amounts of electricity to charge them all, and this would drive up the price of electricity. Also, they can only run for a couple hours on average before they need to be charged again for several more hours. As if that's not enough, the electrical systems in these cars are incredibly complex and notoriously unreliable and hard to service. They're also very expensive. It takes $56,000 to convert a Scion XB from gas to electric, not including the Scion itself. A diesel engine typically adds about $2,000-$5,000 over a gas engine.

The purpose of inventing these cars (which, by the way, both came out around the same time as the internal combustion engine way back near the turn of the century) was in exploring different engine styles and types. Cars were just becoming a means of transportation when the gas, diesel, and electric engines became available. The only engine at the time was the steam engine, which, if properly developed could've had potential, but people wanted something different.

I still believe that steam engines could've been something if they'd been developed like the gas and diesel engines over the last century. What could be better than pulling your car up to a lake and siphoning some water in to fill it up?

Answer 2

I think the problem would be cost as a start. Diesel, being a byproduct of oil, should be cheaper than gas, but isn't for some odd reason. Safety should also be a consideration. I am an EMT, and as such I see alot of accidents where the occupants need to be cut out of the vehicle. The electric hybrid cars are a problem in we do not know what fuel source they were using when they crashed. A rescuer could be electrocuted or seriously injured. I think we should stick with one or the other and leave the hybrids alone. Air bags are also dangerous, even though they save lives.

Answer 3

The success on these cars depends on what Big Oil companies do to discourage people from getting interest in them. The techonolgy is good but needs support from governments in order to really become better and more popular.