DonAndersen Posted March 6, 2011 Posted March 6, 2011 Folks, You got the bug - you're off the save the planet. And to do your part - you're going to buy a electric/gasoline hybrid kind of car. And no we are not going to argue about how stupid that is. OK - how do you get it from Calgary to Vancouver? Do the hotels/motels have charging capabilities and if so are YOU charged for them Block heaters are typically 750w or 1 HP. Now you are charging a battery that drives a motor of 50+HP. So who pays? The hotel operator [who then turns around and charges more room rent to all of us], the car owner - Ford - Honda - who? regards, Don Quote
Flyfisher Posted March 6, 2011 Posted March 6, 2011 What's the problem Don? The car's a hybrid so you use gas for the trip to the coast. At home if in the city you use electric for bopping around and for the drive to and from work and charge it at home. "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." ~Winston Churchill Quote
DonAndersen Posted March 7, 2011 Author Posted March 7, 2011 Flyfisher, No problem, I can see gas as a fall back. Just wondered how folks were getting these things charged. Wife is pestering for a new car. Don Quote
birchy Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 It's only full electric cars that need to be plugged in to recharge Don. The hybrids have a battery that recharges whenever you're braking or running on gas power. I believe they say the life span for the batteries is ~10 years. Quote
bigbowtrout Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 It's only full electric cars that need to be plugged in to recharge Don. The hybrids have a battery that recharges whenever you're braking or running on gas power. I believe they say the life span for the batteries is ~10 years. Unless Don's wife wants a Chevy Volt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Volt The Volt's lithium-ion battery pack can be charged by plugging the car into a 120-240VAC residential electrical outlet.[2][12] No external charging station is required.[13] After the Volt battery charge drops to about 35% of full charge, it switches to extended range mode, when a small 4-cylinder internal combustion engine burns premium gasoline to power a 55 kW (74 hp) generator supplying the electrical power to extend the Volt's range. In addition, while in extended range mode and travelling at highway speeds, the engine can engage mechanically via a clutch to combine with the electric motors for propulsion.[9] The electrical power from the generator is sent primarily to the electric motor, with the excess going to the batteries, depending on the state of charge (SoC) of the battery pack and the power demanded at the wheels.[14][15] Quote
Ricinus Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 There is a lot of debate whether a hybrid/electric car is more eco-friendly than fuel efficient gas/ diesel when you factor everything in. Regards Mike Quote
bigbowtrout Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Full electric mitsubishi is now in Canada http://www.mitsubishi-motors.ca/en/i-miev/ 140km on a charge. I'll stick to my 2009 green car of the year. VW Jetta TDI. I'm getting around 920km per 55L fill and if I could just drive like a grandma I could getover 1000km Quote
ÜberFly Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Compared to RickR, you do drive like a grandma!! ... and if I could just drive like a grandma I could getover 1000km Quote
SanJuanWorm Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Does anyone realize: A ) the toxicity of the batteries when they must be diposed of? B ) the fact that a battery replacment cost on a hybrid is in excess of 10,000 dollars? Keep burnin that oil suckas. Quote
Nick0Danger Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 it's like cfl's there not more efficient or cost saveing than incandestent when you fact in price, and manufacturing and materials. Quote
Taco Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Don, the 15 to 20 grand difference between a hybrid or electric car and standard economy car will buy you a piss pot of gasoline. I really question the "planet saving" ability of the electrics, the vast majority of electrical power is generated by coal, natural gas or hydro. Quote
Gaffer Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 If I every get an electric car I was just planning on pluggin it in at work, but I would buy diesel before anything else. The technology is proven and better suited for Canada where we tend to driver greater distances and the infrastructure for fueling is already in place. Of course this changes my mind. Andrew Quote
DonAndersen Posted March 7, 2011 Author Posted March 7, 2011 Guys, While I may/or am be convinced that "eco-friendly" cars may be a load of crap. please help me convince my wife. Ever since she started to listen to New Age music and eat tofu, she's turned into a greeny. We've driven smaller cars for years. On our second Honda and third Toyota. Mileage on them is dropping. Looking for alternate solutions. regards, Don Quote
Taco Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Must be from hangin' around a natural fibres only for fly rods guy......... Quote
dryfly Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Don This is a "no brainer." Ford Focus or similar model. Let me see ... mileage is a bit less than the Toyota Pious ... for the same (what?) $36K you can buy two (count 'em two) Fords and easily get (what?) 500K kms on them...they will outlast the little woman. Or you can get one Pious and save a few $$ on petrol that will be pissed away when you need to service the batteries at 100K or whatever it is these days. Ka-Ching! I dunno about that VW Green car of the year BBT ... there was one parked outside of dad's last spring ... was around freezing and the diesel Jetta ran all day long ... green as grass. Don ... buy her a Ford Focus and buy a chrome "Hybrid" insignia for it it that makes Sandy feel better. If you get her the hybrid you can move to Lethbridge so she can get priority parking at the Park Place Mall. Green madness. BTW .. this is real ... there are hybrid stalls at PPM. You can't make up stoodip eco-weenie *hit like this. Regards Clive Quote
Ricinus Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 A Cadillac SUV Hybrid HAS to be earth friendly- Right? Right? Regards Mike Quote
ÜberFly Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 What's wrong with New Age music and tofu?! Ever since she started to listen to New Age music and eat tofu, she's turned into a greeny. Quote
dryfly Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Mike "A Cadillac SUV Hybrid HAS to be earth friendly- Right? Right?" Well .. er ... well .. maybe .. then again, maybe not, eh? To quote someone here about 2 years ago... "Pretending to give a *hit." (One of the great quotes here...) Pretending to give a *hit is the ONLY reason to drive a Caddy hybrid. Makes no economic or physical sense. Just window dressing. And if an owner of one of these thinks they are portraying "greenness" I have news for them. It is right up there with buying electricity from the grid from Bullfrog ... the same electrons as the rest of us 98 percent of which are coal generated. Quote
dryfly Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Don .. my apologies for the hijack!! There are a lot of options for you, none of which involve getting a hybrid IMHO. You can get Sandy a great well-appointed, mid-sized sedan that gets good mileage and won't break you stock options to maintain. In the long haul (say over 200,000 km) you will save a lot of money sticking with conventional AND get good mileage. Clive Quote
Smitty Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 I have heard - unconfirmed - that disposal of the electric/hybrid cars at the end of their lives is becoming more and more green friendly. Clive: It was this thread and my experience at Teacher's Convention that led me to revive the thread on Climate Change. So what's the answer then? Because there are disposal issues, because there is higher initial cost, is that it? Should we just give up on hybrid and electric car technology? Is that what we should teach the kids in our classroom? Lets just keep the 100% gasoline burning cars, and forget all this "eco-weenie" stuff? Shall we gloss over that the cars are the single largest source of emissions? Seriously, isn't there a middle ground to occupy here? Can't we support green technologies and say to them "you still have a long way to go here" (citing the disposal issue). Don's asking a question about reducing impact, and yes, it is fair to say that the technology may be "full of crap". Ok, so what's next? What's are the challenges/barriers that need to be overcome so that truly green technologies have widespread adoption. Obviously price point is one. Yet Clive, you frustrate me because you've got experience and knowledge in an industry that needs your contribution, and yet you cling to the notion that "forget the trendy eco stuff. Just buy a gasoline car and be done with it". Ok, but what's next? It doesn't always have to be about false piety and superior attitudes. What if someone like Don's wife wants to genuinely make a difference? Hopefully, I say, we get to a point that we would reach a financial and political tipping point to favor something that has less impact on the environment. In other words, plenty of reasons given on this thread to not buy an electric car or hybrid. Any reasons in favor of buying an electric or hybrid? Just wondering, Smitty Quote
theboy Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Does anyone realize: A ) the toxicity of the batteries when they must be diposed of? B ) the fact that a battery replacment cost on a hybrid is in excess of 10,000 dollars? Keep burnin that oil suckas. C ) strip mining lithium is hard on the eco system as well. Quote
SanJuanWorm Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Servicing the batteries on the Prius is around 14000 dollars which occurs at 4 or 5 years I believe. Quote
degorter Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Wow, I can't believe you guys got to 23 posts on this hybrid issue without anyone referring to the wisdom of Trey Parker and Matt Stone in South Park episode 1002. But then again we South Park watchers are that much ahead of the curve. farrrrrt, whiffffff, Ahhhhhh! Quote
DonAndersen Posted March 8, 2011 Author Posted March 8, 2011 Clive, I've looked @ the Ford Focus and think it might be the way to go. Typically we've owned cars that got >35 mpg since 1971 with exception of the Honda we have now. It's mileage is a tad poorer. Frankly I've had a aversion to Fords. Had 2 of my own and 2 co. trucks. The doors flying open, the motors crapping out, the "I think I'll stop now, I've seen a puddle" and one of the world's best heaters where the snow placed on the floor boards in November was still there in March, I've about done with Fords. Still, you never know - the Focus could be a gooder. Apparently my wife hasn't made up her mind on what she wants. Got clues on color but that is about as good as it gets. Maybe if a get her a crystal pyramid to park under for a while and some green tea close by, the muse will strike. Don Quote
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