Quote:
Originally Posted by strat61caster
Least efficient part of using an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) is start-stop driving, which isn't an issue for electric propulsion (which only uses the energy you need). Electric propulsion doesn't have the energy storage to do long distance cruising like ICE's can, so why would combining them to cover the weak points of each be a bad thing? You get increased efficiency off your old infrastructure (ICE/fossil fuels) while developing the future technology and infrastructure (Electric). It's a good idea, but anyone who thinks it's more than an in between step is fooling themselves. Problem is, we need this stepping stone to get to the future.
No argument that they're mostly boring and soulless and I'd rather do fossil fuels or all electric, but blindly bashing on hybrids is not an intelligent position.
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As rolling science experiments I'm sure they serve a purpose, but between the batteries that are only ~60% recyclable and the fact that a ton of electricity in the US is generated by burning coal AND the fact that the resulting cars are generally awful to drive, I don't see why people wouldn't be better off just buying a TDI Golf and getting better fuel economy than a Prius: it would use less fuel, be similarly practical, and wouldn't require replacing a $2500 battery after a few years. Hell, even the 123d, which was a pretty fun looking car (a diesel-powered 1-series hatchback) managed to hit a combined MPG that was in the mid-40's, and that car accelerates as fast as our BRZs and by all accounts handled pretty well... beats the hell out of a Prius / Volt / insert-boring-USDM-hybrid-here. Why can't we have these instead of Prii?
I basically have a philosophical objection to hybrids: I think electric cars are pretty cool (although we need to come up with better ways of generating the power), and efficient internal combustion designs are cool. Even the hybrids that are basically electrics with a built-in gas-powered generator for long trips make a bit of sense to me. What doesn't make any sense to me is a car like the Prius that has to lug around two complete propulsion systems for literally no fucking reason at all since it gets poorer fuel economy than some ICE designs and drives like shit. They only thing they do well is serve as a place for thoughtless would-be greenies to stick "namaste" and "coexist" stickers so that other drivers can giggle with ironic glee when they get cut off by the hybrid driver who's cutting across five lanes of highway traffic without looking while driving 85mph in a 65. Because that's good for fuel economy, you know.
My other major objection to hybidism is how every manufacturer seems to feel obliged to release hybrid versions of all of their cars. This gives consumers the impression that they're able to make "green" choices by electing to purchase a "clean, environmentally-friendly hybrid version" of whatever massive land-boat they think they want to drive. It's silly because if you want to do your bit to save the planet, the answer is clearly not to buy a hybrid version of the SUV you already drove, but to
drive something that's smaller than a house. Or take public transport. Or carpool. Or do literally anything that isn't buying a hybrid SUV. There's no reason to spend so much time and money fighting physics when you don't have to...