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Who killed the electric car?
http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/
Disclaimer: Mods, if you feel this belongs in media centre, then by all means, move it. However, due to the nature of the content, I believe that this thread will get quite political anyway. Found a link to this movie on another site. I haven't seen it yet, but the trailer and the info on the website certainly are intriguing. With the rising cost of oil, why hasn't there been more incentive to find more fuel-efficient methods of driving a car? What do you think about this issue? I remember largely being told (and reading) that electric cars simply weren't efficient enough, but this is shining some new light on this situation. Certainly stuff that oil companies wouldn't want to tell you, and it also tells you why they're slowly looking into hydrogen fuel cells, which will still take a few decades before we see them (after which, they will still benefit from it, cause you can get hydrogen from oil). We've all joked about the oil companies buying up every little secret that would make oil less valuable (like a steam powered car, or one that runs on peanut butter. Heck, I remember a clip on the Simpsons where they were at Disney World, and the electric car ride, funded by oil companies no less lol, said it couldn't go far and that you were gay if you rode one), but do you think something like this movie will have some ounce of truth to it? Do you think that if electric cars were as good as this movie claims, and was as readily available to the average joe (with the required infrastructure to support it), it would be a good or bad thing? Why or why not? Jam it back in, in the dark. |
Who makes Steve Guttenberg a star? WE DO! WE DO! Most amazing jew boots |
How ya doing, buddy? |
I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body? |
We haven't seen research into these alternatives because there's been no reason to do it. Oil is just so darned convenient and cheap that nobody sees a reason to sink billions of dollars into an alternative until that alternative is in really high demand. I was speaking idiomatically. |
What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?
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Last edited by Cal; May 29, 2006 at 11:45 PM.
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Are hydrogen fuel cells like the most efficient thing in the world, though? I think the problem comes in plating the electrodes (needed in every engine) with platinum. That's right, a part of every hydrogen fuel cell engine has to be coated with platinum. That's not cheap. FELIPE NO |
I really don't think the oil companies could get any dumber. Whichever one of them develops some new type of fuel that becomes the standard first stands to make a hell of a lot of money, and it's not like they have to make that much in the way of adjustments at the gas stations... I mean, obviously the fuel is still going to have to be in liquid form and gee where do you suppose they have pumps for pumping liquid fuel into cars?
Although elecrtic cars still wouldn't work that great overall. They're really nice for stop and go traffic but freeway driving is hell on the battery as the car has to keep up high speeds for long distances. That's why hybrids get lower gas mileage on freeways, because combustion engines are much more efficient for that kind of driving and thus the car lets the engine do most of the work as opposed to city driving where the battery gets it's giggles. What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?
Last edited by Atomic Duck; May 30, 2006 at 08:52 AM.
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On the other hand, all the stop and go traffic with city driving requires the battery to have to kick in without much opportunity to charge back up. Even then my gas mileage is 2-3 times better than it was with an Oldsmobile. Jam it back in, in the dark. |
There's nowhere I can't reach. |
How ya doing, buddy?
"The avalanche has already started. It is too late for the pebbles to vote."
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The electric car was killed by the hybrid. The hybrid was just more practical at the moment.
About hybrid mileage, they beat all four-wheel combustion engines easily, and the only reason they don't beat motorcycles is because motorcycles have far less load to carry. Also, it would have been nicer, upon discussing how hybrids get better mileage in town, to give the comparitive numbers. Hybrids do get better mileage in town, but not that much better. I beleive it was 55 on the highway and 60 in town. That crushes the competition. Given gas prices, I honestly don't understand why more people don't buy them. Actually, I do. Only one American company (correct me if I'm wrong) has a hybrid at the moment, and a lot of people are really big on being patriotic by buying American goods. Poor reasoning, I'd say. Others actually have this misconception that hybrids are expensive, when they really aren't; a new one runs about $20K, just like most normal cars. Hybrids FTW! I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?
Guns don't kill people. Chuck Norris kills People.
Why are you arguing with WoW players? It's pronounced "Shut the fuck up and get a job. Raiding isn't a job." - Lukage |
Hybrids are good, and are only slightly more expensive than a comparable normal car. But they are more expensive to repair, and there is more things that can break down on them. This is another chicken-egg issue though, as if they were more popular parts would be cheaper.
I was speaking idiomatically.
"The avalanche has already started. It is too late for the pebbles to vote."
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Alot of people just dont have the money to suddenly drop thier current car and buy a hybrid. Even if they sold the old one. Others cant even use hybrids because they cant do the work as well as a regular car can.
My father has to use a stronger truck to accomplish the work he does. (The Army has had him building stuff down on the border for years) A hybrid just would not have the power or stamina to accomplish the same amount of work his current truck goes through. Do they even have hybrid SUVs yet? If my siblings and I were still young I doubt he could fit us all into a dinky little car. The same probably applies to other families. I really doubt you'd be able to fit many children and two adults into a hybrid car. Also.. what would be the point of electric cars? Okay, so you're not putting gas in the tank. Instead you're using more fossil fuels to power it up all the time. >.> What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?
Stuff goes here~
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For people with a hybrid, I've actually been curious. How's the pickup on it compared to other small cars? I used to have an Escort and I really didn't like how it had a problem with accelerating from 30-60 MPH as it made merging onto highways pretty difficult. Most amazing jew boots |
Don't you get like ridiculous tax breaks for having a hybrid?
Jam it back in, in the dark. |
Here's a rather recent article that seems to address a few questions pretty well. I'll just take out a few quotes I think are worth everyone's time.
There's nowhere I can't reach. |
what i don't get is why people havn't hurried up with the water-powered cars yet. somebody made one but not much else is happening with it. think about it; water is made of hydrogen and oxygen. separate the two with electricity and you have an extremely flamable gas with the only exhaust being water. it's the perfect solution, there's water everywhere!
This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it. |
I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?
Guns don't kill people. Chuck Norris kills People.
Why are you arguing with WoW players? It's pronounced "Shut the fuck up and get a job. Raiding isn't a job." - Lukage |
Not to mention riding in a car full of hydrogen isn't the smartest idea around. I was speaking idiomatically. |
What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now? |
Good Chocobo |
Hybrids are also more of a hassle to manage more than anything. You're not going to find many certified mechanics willing to work on a hybrid. For that you'll need a specialist, meaning extra money you're putting into a car that's already charging you more for "saving" you money.
I wouldn't purchase a hybrid to be honest, not until they're more popular and have more mechanics certified to work on them. Right now just isn't a good time. Also: why the fuck would they make a hybrid SUV? That's ridiculous. FELIPE NO |
I for one would not buy a hybrid either. I mean, atleast not yet. Like you said, they're much trickier to find a good mechanic to work on (and damn near impossible to work on yourself). Also, I have yet to see an actual hybrid that doesn't scream "pretentious". They may as well sell the damn things at Starbucks. Most amazing jew boots GI Joe is the codename for America's highly trained special mission force. Its purpose: to defend human freedom against COBRA. A ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world. 24 can't jump the shark. Jack Bauer ate the shark long ago. Now 24 can only jump the water, and that doesn't mean anything. - Jazzflight <Krizzzopolis> acid you are made of win. <Dissolution> And now my god damn scissors are all milky |
What's pretentious about them? I don't see hybrids as a say to save the environment, I see them as a way to save money. The more expensive gas gets, the more money you save. Of course it depends on your driving habits. The people who save the most money by buying a hybrid are people who do mostly in-town driving, as that's where it shines the most. Plenty of economy cars can get decent to good mileage on the highway (as noted earlier in the threat), but only the hybrid can get you the beyond awesome mileage when talking about in-town driving.
As for not buying them yet because of mechanics and such, yeah, that is a big problem in the United States. I wish the government would divert some of the war funding to give incentives to mechanics to learn how to do maintenance on hybrids. Maybe in 2008 . . . Jam it back in, in the dark.
Guns don't kill people. Chuck Norris kills People.
Why are you arguing with WoW players? It's pronounced "Shut the fuck up and get a job. Raiding isn't a job." - Lukage |