Re: Cheap Gas=Unnatural Capitalism - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

07-09-2003, 10:38 AM

On Sun, 06 Jul 2003 09:23:51 -0400, Me <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>Yup. Me too. Fossil fuel remains popular only because there is no real
>commitment to develop better and cleaner fuel for automobiles. The hybrid
>cars that Toyota and Honda make are a good step in the right direction,
>but they're still too expensive. A neighbor of mine has a Toyota Presis
>hybrid and he absolutely loves it; he gets something like 60MPG with it.

Until they start making hybrids with real power that don't cost the
earth, I think I'll leave others to the guinea piggery.

--
ricardo, ex-euroslav vancouver bc canada
e-mail: remove spamfreezone to reply
for liability purposes: I *always* obey the law.
'89 grand am le, garaged; '91 mx6 gt

07-09-2003, 11:38 AM

In article <3f0c534d.48797830@news>,
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] says...
> On Sun, 06 Jul 2003 09:23:51 -0400, Me <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>
> >Yup. Me too. Fossil fuel remains popular only because there is no real
> >commitment to develop better and cleaner fuel for automobiles. The hybrid
> >cars that Toyota and Honda make are a good step in the right direction,
> >but they're still too expensive. A neighbor of mine has a Toyota Presis
> >hybrid and he absolutely loves it; he gets something like 60MPG with it.
>
> Until they start making hybrids with real power that don't cost the
> earth, I think I'll leave others to the guinea piggery.
>
>

This years Civic hybrid fits the bill but it isn't selling so great.
--
_________________________
Chris Phillipo - Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

07-09-2003, 05:35 PM

Ricardo wrote:

> >Yup. Me too. Fossil fuel remains popular only because there is no real
> >commitment to develop better and cleaner fuel for automobiles. The hybrid
> >cars that Toyota and Honda make are a good step in the right direction,
> >but they're still too expensive. A neighbor of mine has a Toyota Presis
> >hybrid and he absolutely loves it; he gets something like 60MPG with it.

> Until they start making hybrids with real power that don't cost the
> earth, I think I'll leave others to the guinea piggery.

That's the whole issue. Any substitute must be at the same general
level of cost and practicality, or utility. And, if such substitutes
already existed, we would have them offered to us already, because
whoever offered them would become fabulously wealthy.

When I lived in Phoenix there was a test driver program for the EV-1
and I regret not being in a position to be able to test it, but aside
from the cost to recharge it, it would have been fun to test it
otherwise for free. I was not interested in buying a vehicle with
about a real-world 60-mile-or-so range that cost something like
$35,000 and likely subsidized at that cost, or in the neighborhood of
several hundred dollars a month to lease(!).

I hope fuel cells continue to be a promising future tech item but
yes, the cost has to be much lower and performance has to be
equivalent (same range, same acceleration and normal operating speeds,
about the same recharging or refueling time as with current vehicles)
before alt-tech vehicles will become other than novelty items or show
toys.

Dave Simpson

07-09-2003, 05:37 PM

Ricardo wrote:

> Until they start making hybrids with real power that don't cost the
> earth, I think I'll leave others to the guinea piggery.

I remember long, long ago, when talking to a lefty about this issue
and that performance of alternative vehicles has to be equivalent to
be taken seriously, her reply was the typical, unrealistic "We have to
reconsider our priorities..."

(No, you have to get real.)

Dave Simpson