Green Gloat

DavidF · 03-24-2008, 04:23 PM

My new addition! my calcs show that based on my current useage on the accura, we should save about $2,000 a year by running the Prius (think tool budget). Bought it on Friday and so far liking it a lot.

WoodWrangler · 03-24-2008, 04:32 PM

Now where are the 4x8 sheets going to go? Better buy a roof rack!

Trent Mason · 03-24-2008, 05:03 PM

David,

Nice purchase!

If your calculations are correct, you will have about $2000 extra/year to spend on tools! Great choice, good for the wallet and the environment.

Trent

b4man · 03-24-2008, 05:16 PM

Congratulations David. My husband has had one for 2 years. He loves it and it isn't too small.

Will Goodwin · 03-24-2008, 05:19 PM

Well I guess your green machine balances out my big gas hog. Congrats, I am sure you will be well pleased with the purchase.

gator · 03-24-2008, 05:19 PM

I agree that money savings are great and going green is good too, but, everytime I start to think about trading in my truck for something small, I stop and ask myself, "Self, What will I spend in gas per year and compare that with what car payment's yearly total is" and think about that difference over the 3-5 years worth of payments. I have found that with a little more judicious travel, I keep the truck.

George

sapwood · 03-24-2008, 05:58 PM

Hear, hear David!
Green's good

More money for tools, cheaper to travel, and it looks all shiny

Roger

dick541 · 03-24-2008, 07:56 PM

David you made the best choise in a car, I tell people I hate them so much I have 2 of them and love every mile I put on them. I am getting over 54 MPG. on the new one and LOML is getting over 52 on the old one.
dick

DavidF · 03-25-2008, 08:59 AM

Originally Posted by gator

I agree that money savings are great and going green is good too, but, everytime I start to think about trading in my truck for something small, I stop and ask myself, "Self, What will I spend in gas per year and compare that with what car payment's yearly total is" and think about that difference over the 3-5 years worth of payments. I have found that with a little more judicious travel, I keep the truck.

George

You're right George the payment has got to be taken into account, but I have leased cars since coming to the States so every 3 years I get to ride in something new!

This keeps my maintenance bills to virtually zero other than the odd oil change so a significant saving over running an older high mileage vehicle.

Jeremy - It does have more room in the back than the Acura so at least I can get a 4' x 2' sheet in the back!

Dick - currenly getting 45mpg on the commute to Apex, hoping that might go up as the weather warms up, but still not complaining.

Roger - yes, it is nice and shiny

Travis Porter · 03-27-2008, 10:34 PM

Congrats! I drove one of those as a rental in Las Vegas. Strange not having the motor start up initially and the way it cuts on and off, but it was a nice ride.

Time for a shop addition!

junquecol · 03-27-2008, 11:29 PM

I'm surprised at how poor these things do on gas mileage. My ninety Honda Civic gets 38-42 MPG, depending on how hard I drive it. In twenty years and how many thousands of dollars more, have they only achieved less than 10% increase in the MPG. If you really want to **** a Prius owner off, just get up close behind him / her and draft them on the highway. The gas engine comes on. As for costs, I traded a dog door for my Civic. A while back the Discovery Channel did a program on the "total green effect" of these cars. After you consider the energy to make the batteries and shipping, a Hummer has less of a carbon foot print. I'm waiting for a "hot rail" turbo charged diesel to hit the market. They should get 60 - 70 MPG.

DavidF · 03-28-2008, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by junquecol

I'm surprised at how poor these things do on gas mileage. My ninety Honda Civic gets 38-42 MPG, depending on how hard I drive it. In twenty years and how many thousands of dollars more, have they only achieved less than 10% increase in the MPG. If you really want to **** a Prius owner off, just get up close behind him / her and draft them on the highway. The gas engine comes on. As for costs, I traded a dog door for my Civic. A while back the Discovery Channel did a program on the "total green effect" of these cars. After you consider the energy to make the batteries and shipping, a Hummer has less of a carbon foot print. I'm waiting for a "hot rail" turbo charged diesel to hit the market. They should get 60 - 70 MPG.

Other than the obvious, one of the things the Prius has done is to raise awareness of the possibilities of the technology and the affect we can have on the environment if we care enough. The Toyota tech is now being used; and improved, by manufactures around the world. Some will lead to practical, all electric vehicles that WILL have superb gas mileage AND be good for the environment. A 90 Honda civic will be poluting the environment far more than a Hummer or a Prius, but if you want to end the dependence on Foreign oil a Hummer IS NOT the way to go; ergo, a Prius is good step in the direction we want to go. And by the way, on the highway the gas engine is running anyway whether an idiot is drafting you or not.

jerrye · 03-28-2008, 01:43 PM

Is anyone developing the oldest hybrid system for automobiles? Seems to me diesel/electric would be the way to go, especially with the low particulate/low emissions engines of today. Diesels can be made much more efficient than gas. Also heard BMW has a fleet of 7-series cars in Europe running on hydrogen...not electric, internal combustion burning hydrogen. Only exhausts water. IMNSHO, it's going to be difficult to replace internal combustion because it is very efficient, and can be made even more so, and has the infrastructure already built, and has better power to weight ratio than anything other than straight electric. Look at Honda, with their SULEV engines. In many larger cities the exhaust from these engines could arguably be said to be cleaner than ambient air! IIRC, Henry Ford's first car was electric, but he had the same issue we have today: range. Batteries are still not where they need to be to allow long distance traveling. Thus the development of hybrids.

The thing that scares me is how Biofuels are being touted as the "answer for breaking dependence on oil". Heard a story (on CNBC, I think) stating that we could take ALL of our grain crop & convert to biofuel & still not meet more than 40% of our fuel needs. Yes, boys & girls, oil is here to stay, at least for a while. Not really bad, cause there is SO MUCH that is & can be done with it. Look around & see if you can find anyplace, or any product, that does not have an oil-based material. You can't. What's the answer? I don't think we have it yet. I only wish those searching would research longer, and have more reliable data from that research, and think it all through, before announcing that "we have found the answer". Really getting tired of all the hype. Would love to see some good, reliable, dependable results.

DavidF · 03-28-2008, 02:08 PM

You're right Jerry, we have acheived so little in the feild of alternative energy that you have to ask yourself why? we have been to the Moon for heavens sake! Personally I think Hydrogen is the way to go, but unless we build prototypes and make commercial propositions like the Prius work, then we are never going to find out. It is simply too easy to maintain the status quo when we really believe we have an inexhasustable supply of oil. As I mentioned before, some, if not most of the problem is one of mind set, not technology. I agree, bio fuel is not the way to go and seems to have made people take their eye of f of the real oportunities and at the same time raised the price of all the other corn based products and feedstuffs to a point where they will be causing hardship to a great many people.

GeorgeL · 03-28-2008, 02:22 PM

Jerry,

Several manufacturers in Europe are working on diesel hybrids. Up until recently the problem has been that diesel engine do not like to be turned off and re-started often. Tailpipe emission, both particulate and NOx, are very high at start-up. Today with high-pressure common rail fuel system a diesel hybrid can become a reality. However, it may be a while before any diesel passenger vehicle is widely accepted in the US.

I also believe that hydrogen is the way to go but again it will be some time before we have the infrastructure to make this technology work on a wide scale.

You mentioned Henry Ford’s work with an electric car. Did you know Ford had a working, full hybrid concept in 1974? Ford experiment with an E100 van and a Lincoln MkIII. These vehicle had lead-acid batteries, idle stop, regenerative braking, electric only drive mode; just like today’s Prius. All with a carburetor and no computer! Like today the limiting factor was battery technology. The transmission in these Ford prototypes used 2 electric motors and a planetary gear set; just like in today’s Prius. Unfortunately, Ford did not patent this technology. People give Toyota too much credit for inventing the hybrid, they were just the first to bring a successful hybrid to market.

The real interesting hybrid technology is the new GM and Chrysler 2-mode system. Finally we can have a full sized hybrid pick-up or SUV and not be limited to payload of towing capabilities of the current hybrids.

George