Re: Word

[farna@xxxxxxx]

True, but the AVERAGE American family has more than one car. It wouldn't be practical for my wife and I to have a pair of hybrids, but certainly would be practical for us to have one. That's if my car wasn't a 40+ year old "play" car as well as commutter. I won't give up my Rambler, and we can't really take it on all longer trips (plus I don't like putting that many miles on it), so her car needs to be capable of that as well. I imagine many of us on the list with older "play" cars that do double duty as drivers are in the same boat. My daughter's car could be a hybrid, but I'm not about to pay that kind of money for an 18 year olds car who has just over a year of driving experience. 

But for the AVERAGE American family that has two "newish" cars in the yard, one of them could easily be a hybrid. Around town they are very efficient, but on long trips they can actually get 1-2 mpg less than a similar conventional car, especially if you can handle a five speed. I think it will be long enough before hydrogen fuel cells become the norm that there will be plenty of hybrids around. I'll think about one in 4-5 years when used ones are around, or maybe convert an old Rambler to my "simple hybrid" idea... maybe even with a pull cord under the dash... ;> 

On September 16, 2005 JOE B FULTON wrote:

> IMHO, hybrids will never outsell conventional drivetrains.  The american
> driver needs a car that will serve for long trips on the interstate as well
> as the daily commute.  Why carry the extra weight of batteries and  have
> that eventual expense of battery replacement when the conventional
> drivetrain can be made yet lighter and more fuel efficient?  All of the
> majors are now developing lighter chassis using more aluminum, magnesium and
> plastics to improve the efficiency.
> 
> Joe Fulton (yes, stuck in the 60s)
> Salinas, CA
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <farna@xxxxxxx>
> To: <mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Friday, September 16, 2005 5:21 AM
> Subject: Re: Word
> 
> 
> >I agree. US automakers all basically stated that they would not build the
> >"stop gap" hybrids, but "wait for hydrogen technology to mature" 3-5 years
> >ago. There is some logic to that strategy, since everything will have to be
> >changed. They have been putting lots of money into hydrogen fuel cell
> >technology. But it's going to be a while before infrastructure, technology,
> >and the public are all ready. I'm thinking that someone thought that woud
> >be a good excuse to not spend some money, but it' going to cost them in the
> >long run. Hybrids don't have to be complicated to garner a savings --
> >something simple like I described earlier would be perfectly acceptable and
> >a lot lower cost (mainly due to R&D savings) than the current breed. It's a
> >high tech world out there, but sometimes low tech answers are still the
> >best. Skip the part about a pull cord on the dash though...
> >
> > On September 15, 2005 Mahoney, John wrote:
> >
> >> [US automakers] "should get off their asses and build more hybrids and
> >> not cede the territory to the Japanese."  "Seize the opportunity for
> >> success."  "Detroit will only succeed by building the finest cars and
> >> trucks in the world,"
> >>
> >>
> >> Lee Iacocca, last night in Motown.
> >
> >


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