Re: GM/Hybrids/Hydrogen
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Re: GM/Hybrids/Hydrogen



Just for comparison, I got to borrow a Prius for 2 weeks while the inlaws were on vacation. My daily comute, mainly in town, drop off kids at school, go to work, come home, total 25 miles a day.

2001 Pontiac Aztek (I know, but it was cheap used) 16 MPG

1986 Mustang GT 16 MPG

2005 Prius 48 MPG. Triples my mileage, performance is more than ok, but definitely not a hot rod. Hybrids are not pie in the sky...They are here today, seem to work just fine.



----- Original Message ----- From: "Sandwich Maker" <adh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, February 17, 2006 10:35 AM
Subject: Re: GM/Hybrids/Hydrogen



" From: farna@xxxxxxx
"
" This is what GM has said for the last 2-3 years at least -- they were
" going to skip the electric and hybrid drives due to limited
" practicality,

ummm aren't fuel cell cars electric?  perhaps developing a
cost-effective mass producible electric drivetrain is easier than i
think, but i recall the troubles gm had with the initnal ev-1s.

" and go straight to hydrogen fuel cells. This makes a
" little sense -- people aren't exactly flocking to hybrids.

true - but toyota for one is selling as many prii as they can make.

" They're impractical for the vast majority of drivers.

i'm beginning to wonder if hybrids are impractical period.  they
-sound- good, but i haven't seen any analysis of total life-cycle
costs including additional manufacturing pollution, battery
replacement, disposal of hazardous waste...

" It makes sense not to waste R&D money on a stop gap.
" []
" But there will be some lean years
" during that gap if they don't do something to show the public they are
" on the power curve -- hence the EV-1. Maybe they should have kept them
" out there with some minor improvements? At least something would be
" running around.

as i recall, folks who were lucky enough to get ev-1s loved them and
tried to get gm to let them buy the cars when their leases were up -
and there was a long waiting list of folks who wanted more ev-1s.

imho gm would've been -very-wise- to keep the ev-1 going and perhaps
even slowly evolving, even if it was never more than a halo car.

" Converting the big vehicles to hybrid doesn't net much.

not the way they're doing it for sure.  it's just marketing, and if
anything they're selling it as a 'clean' way to get -more-power-.

" A Malibu converted might, but one of their smaller cars would be better.
" Some cost involved, but the public confidence it would inspire would be
" priceless.

it would be an excellent move, but somehow i can't see gm putting the
commitment into it that toyota and honda have.  it'd probably wind up
another half-fast product like the olds 5.7 diesel.

" As you pointed out -- they are betting on someone else developing
" infrastructure by the time they are fully ready for production. That's
" the only real loop hole in their strategy, other than the public
" confidence, but it's a big one! There has to be some partnering with oil
" companies (the most likely distributors of hydrogen) and other industry
" contacts to get that infrastructure in place -- maybe even the
" government. That's the only way Brazil got turned on to alcohol fuel --
" government investment. A very good case of government working for the
" greater good of the country!

we're talking about a long slow process here, with a large scale
commitment.  i don't see any sign the relevant parties are even
thinking about it, let along talking or planning.  certainly the
government isn't likely to consider that kind of horizon.
________________________________________________________________________
Andrew Hay                                  the genius nature
internet rambler                            is to see what all have seen
adh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx                       and think what none thought














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