Why don't people understand - today's so-called hybrids are not the answer?

Question

IMHO, the solution is a True Hybrid. More than 50 years ago the Railroads figured it out (sorta)-why do you think the locomotives that pull the big freight trains are called Diesel-Electrics? And the military has figured it out (sorta)- they have a prototype next gen HummVee in testing. Even stodgy old GM has almost got it, with their Roller Skate platform. What we need are vehicles powered by electric motors in the wheels, with electricity from an onboard generator driven by an engine that burns a bio-fuel(NOT blended gasoline or diesel), that's produced in a plant that uses biofuel. And what if our farmers became so good at raising whatever crop is needed to produce the biofuels, that we stopped needing to import oil, and actually became a fuel supplier to the world?

Answer 1

unfortuantely the transition from fossil fuel to biofuels is going to be left up to the economy.
like usual, the bigger decision makers that influence the economy will drag their feet so the can continue to make record profits.

Answer 2

While i do agree with you in some points. Electric vehicles still would need a power source. Electricity is produced by some means either through oil or plug in capabilities. There is not a purely electric vehicle that doesnt consume energy from either plug in technology or consume energy in some other form. I do believe we can start encorporating solar techbology on the mirrors and roof of cars to power hybrid technology but i really believe that hybrid hydrogen technology will really take off in coming years. it really will be combining the best of both worlds and many manufacturers are starting to produce hydrogen buses for commerical use and also soon for consumer use hydrogen cars. I definately think that current hybrids are on the right track to start cutting pollution and reducing oil use throughout america and the world but do think theres a variety of solutions and tehcnology that can be incorporated into the future car. hydrogen is the most abundant resource and as we find more efficient methods to extract and use the fuel, the cars and technology will become mainstream. i think it is important to note that electricity must be generated some how and that some other fuel source will be needed to power the car, whether it needs to be plugged in at night or have a small gas tank there will still be a need to find energy to power that electric engine, unless the solar technology i mentioned was incorporated which would really make it a clean energy solution

Answer 3

It's not that we believe that they're the answer but for right now, we don't have a better viable alternative. Most stations across the country don't have even an E85 pump for those who have a flexible fuel car. Even if our farmers become good at raising whatever crop is needed to produce these biofuels, the plants need to be built and brought online.

Brazil has already converted and uses an ethanol based upon sugarcane.

Answer 4

One of the big Wall Street Global Equity Investment Research firms, UBS, just released a study to let investors know which technologies their research suggests will succeed in the US and why. They narrowed it down to diesels and hybrids.

In Europe diesel has succeeded with 50% of new cars being diesel and little to no hybrids.

In Japan, you'll look all day for a diesel, but hybrids are everywhere.

Guess which they picked for the US?

Here's a link to the story. There is a link to the PDF report released 2 days ago to Wall Street (over 60 pages long)

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/05/study_diesel_ma.html#more

I agree with their conclusion.

Notice how they didn't even consider hydrogen as a contender.

I like the askers suggestion, with maybe a very small diesel generator running on biodiesel to power electric motors. I guess we'll all have to wait and see.

Answer 5

Because I think we are still "figuring it out". Like the early days of personal computer architecture (conflicting standards and incompatibility from one vendor to the other) things are still sorting themselves out and we have not determined what way is best.

Your opinion is that the true hybrid is best. What data supports that? Someone else could claim bio-diesel powered vehicles are best. What data supports their viewpoint? What about pure electric vehicles, which are recharged in the home or at the workplace with electricity generated by nuclear fueled power plants? People could make valid arguments for that path as well (and, nuclear power would also lessen our dependence on foreign oil).

I think, like any other technology/paradigm shift that is in its infancy, there does need to be various paths we take to try to achieve the same goal. Some will work, some won't. Some will emerge as "best", some will be suitable "seconds", and others will fade due to impracticality or cost or whatever other reason.

In any case, I do agree with you on Bio-fuels. Let's face it, gas prices are not going down to the low levels we have enjoyed for the past several decades. While that puts a pinch on the American consumer's wallet, its the most powerful catalyst for continued innovation, research, funding and support of alternative energy sources for automobiles, homes, businesses, farm machinery, trucks, mass transit, etc.

The beautiful thing about bio-diesel is there are so many different feedstocks that can go into its production, properly equipped manufacturers don't need to be tied to "one plant" (unlike ethanol, which has fewer sources, like corn and sugar cane). Bio-diesel feedstocks include: African Palm (the best "grown" source), Soybeans, Rapeseed, Sunflowers, Jatropha, Peanuts, and many others, as well as used cooking grease and used cooking oil. The nice thing about the multi-feedstock model is that, depending on prices for the inputs, a manufacturer can switch from expensive sources (for example, spot prices for soybeans go up due to a bad growing season) to less expensive sources (such as oil from Jatropha plants grown in or imported from warmer climates).

I am personally so bullish about bio-fuels, I am thinking of either leaving my current job to join some kind of a bio-fuel / alternative energy startup or to just head out on my own and start some kind of a bio-fuel business.

Answer 6

Hmm.. this sounds like more of a statement than a question.

There are energy losses when you convert one source of energy from another. Even the conversion of AC to DC Power incurs some noticeable loss. Going from combustion engine to electrical engine to the wheels would make for an overly complex and lossy powertrain.

There are so many ways to improve the efficiency of petrol, i can't believe we are using them! It seems like america will only adopt these things once the cost of gas takes a major hike.

There are small turbo-diesel/straight diesel cars out there that are exceeding 60mpg hwy in europe. toyota's vvt-i and honda's upcoming a-vtec are making sizeable boosts in efficiency, allowing them to get more power out of smaller motors. biofuel and hybrids are still maturing, so is hydrogen. At this point, gasoline is still the most cost efficient way of powering our vehicles.

Let's not forget the whole concept of driving the speed limit, driving defensively, putting the windows up, keeping your car in tune, etc etc. Many people have no clue that they are dumping excess money & carbon into the air with their driving habits.

I have a 2000 chevy cavalier that's rated at 29mpg highway. I used to drive at 75mph on the highway and pass people at 85mph. I was getting about 26-28mpg. I thought my car was a piece of junk.

When i started to adhere to the speed limit, not rapidly accelerate, and spend some time in neutral, my mileage jumped up to 31-33mpg. Adding on a cold air intake, lightened pulleys, and switching to synthetic oil has improved that even further.. Once i got an average of 37mpg. I was shocked.

So.. if you're really worried about our dependence on foreign oil, the environment, and your wallet, change the way you drive. Every time i see a lifted half ton truck i shudder. The solution to our oil problems start with you.

Answer 7

I totally agre on the irrevalency of hybrid.....

when the toyotas first came out they said that they fot like 64 mpg

then an independant reasearch group tested then and found that they really only improved about 4 mpg over non hybrid cars


fuel cell is definatly the awnswer

the only problem is that currently creating hydrogen uses more fossil fuels to make it than just putting the fuels right into cars

we need to solve this and then we can move forward

Answer 8

I believe, in the future, it is quite problematic to allocate land to grow crop for food, and grow crop for energy (bio fuel).
Planting crop require land, reduced by sea level rising, good soil quality, reduced as effect of global warming, and predictable climate, now we see the beginning of changing climate pattern caused by global warming.
Also, even today, even in advanced nation, agriculture sector requires special incentive, special help from government, just to perform it's role (supply food).

I personally believe, that teleportation may help mankind reduce the effects of global warming and meets transportation needs.
Take a look when you're travelling, how many trucks, ships that going around the world, just to make sure that a particular product mined/harvested, assembled/processed, distributed to our house, then dumped, or recycled.
I don't wish my self and my pets get teleported world around, but I hope in the future, the PC I'm using right now coming to my house thru my teleport room, powered by solar energy.

Hoax or not, the theory is exist, developed by Einstein, teleportation may be plausible and applicable.

Answer 9

Do you like the Brazilian rain forest? Because Brazil is the main US competition for things such as soybeans and corn. Demand for bio fuels go up, price of food goes up, more land is put into production and more rain forest is slashed and burned to meet the demand.

Answer 10

People will come around, but the problem is what to drive while we wait. I drive my hybrid because it's the best alternative I think I have at the moment. I really don't want to be focused on my car or the mechanics, although I am interested in doing what's environmentally forward. But what's available to me the average consumer? Am I on track?