Hybrids

Gazing into my crystal ball, somewhat murky, I suspect that the hybrid is reasonable stop-gap solution that will be popular until the true hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles are available.

Fuel cells work, but are still very expensive ie not ready for the mass-transit market. Another example: residential hi temp fuel cell systems that provide all the electrical power for a house, heating/cooling, and any excess power could be sold back into the grid. You can do this today, but it costs $10K-15K ie about triple the cost of a residential gas furnace system. Likewise the available option of selling back into the supply system is not there.

Same applies to automotive hydrogen delivery and storage: but I believe its coming in 5-10 years.

If you have an SUV, the time to get rid of it it now.

Stewart Dibbs

I believe it depends on how much gas prices increases (or decreases).

"slatt333" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@j55g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Hybrids will always be more expensive than ordinary IC-only cars. You cannot install a hybrid system for the same price as an ordinary IC-only system.

Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan and Renault, is quoted in a recent Forbes article as saying the reason Nissan won't build a hybrid is because it makes no sense to spend $6,000 to build a car the public will only pay $2,000 for. Toyota breaks even on hybrids only if development costs aren't counted. Toyota has deeper pockets, so can afford to blow cash on gaudy money-losing frills like hybrids.

Since the whole hybrid/diesel/electric kerfuffle is entirely driven by government edict and environut scaremongering, it is impossible to predict what will happen in the future unless you can read the minds of those making the rules.

I'll hang on to the old girl, thanks. Gas is still cheaper than anything else. And it WILL go down from current highs. It always has.

Nissan is going to offer the 2007 Altima Hybrid in states with CA emissions requirements, which is basically CA and the northeast U.S.

The hybrid system is supplied by Toyota...

"Ray O" wrote in news:cec4b$4473da69$180fead6$ snipped-for-privacy@msgid.meganewsservers.com:

Very interesting.

Here's the exact quote from Ghosn, in reply to a question about why Nissan lags behind Toyota in hybrids: "When you have technology that costs $6,000 but the customer is willing to pay $2,000, you have a problem. ...We are not ready to mass-market a technology where you are losing your shirt on every car."

The quote is on page 112 of the May22/06 issue.

Maybe Ghosn meant Nissan wouldn't do it...unless the government held a gun to their heads.

Or maybe Ghosn meant that Nissan would not spend the funds to develop the hybrid powertrain itself or that it did not make fiscal sense for them to produce the hybrid mechanicals and electronics.

I couldn't afford to pay $41,000 for a regular car so instead I opted for a cheaper $21,000 Prius hybrid that gets twice the miles per gallon and a whole lot cheaper to maintain. For me, it's an excellent value overall. I should know. I had 15 vehicles before this one.

I glad you are happy with your car but me thinks you would have been even happier buying a Corolla and using the four or five thousands dollars you would have saved to buy ALL of your fuel for around four years, and you would not need to worry about spending another $4,000 for new batteries at some point down the line. ;)

The way I see it, I put my money where my mouth is. If I don't like what's happening around me I'll do something about it instead of just bitch and moan. To me, wasting fuel is just downright stupid. I don't waste water either. I burn my shit (literally) at about 7 cents a "flush". No fumes, no smoke.

mark_

Good for you, hope there are more people like you. I'm glad there are people willing to spend more money to save the environment. After all if more drivers would burn less fuel, even if it does cost them more to do so, it may lower the demand and the price for others. If they use less it will let more for those of us that like to drive big cars and high powered sporty cars, as well. Have you been successful in convincing anybody else to buy a hybrid?

mike hunt

So the EcoJohn transformed it from hot shit to no shit?

I noticed waterless urinals in Maine

Can't say that I have. Many people I know get their fuel on the sly from the company vehicles they drive. Thankfully their pilferage mentality doesn't rub off on me.

Using a hybrid with a motor that can use an engine that uses metangas and/or coal you could actually use your shit and fumes to make electicity to drive your car

Lost for words Mike?

As Martin Luther King said we should judge people by the quality of their character.

mike hunt

You think pollution is bad now, wait till everybody has a car that burns poop. I'm just glad we are not all still riding horses. LOL

mike hunt

HEY IT'S CALLED A CRAPHOUSE....IT'S SO FAST IT "FLIES"....I CALL SHOTGUN.....HEY CRAP AND THEN THROW IT INTO THE COAL CAR WITH A SHOVEL....LIKE AND OLD STEAM ENGINE....LOL

WHY were you watching urinals in the first place???

mike hunt

Because I rent a lot of coffee ;-)