The Dead Zone (or, BP and the Oil Well That Keeps on Giving)

[HoreTore]

Oh, and as for what I can do with a combustion engine; drive more than 100 miles in a day. Turns out that's quite useful in America.

CR

Most of the worlds population live in big cities, and we do not care about that.

And what's stopping you from having two cars; one electric for driving short distances, and one petrol/hybrid for longer trips...?

[Ser Clegane]

And what's stopping you from having two cars; one electric for driving short distances, and one petrol/hybrid for longer trips...?

Are you also getting free cars in Norway?

[HoreTore]

Are you also getting free cars in Norway?

I'm sorry, do you live in a third world country?

[ajaxfetish]

Nope, just one where cars cost big money.

Ajax

[HoreTore]

Nope, just one where cars cost big money.

Ajax

Heck, even I had two cars when I lived with my ex. On a student loan. And I live in a country where cars are at least twice as expensive as in yours. Get real, we can all afford both an electric car and a petrol car - assuming you can afford a car in the first place.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Second try; for some reason the forum/internets ended up eating my previous post. @Mods: please do not delete the empty post, because it points to a problem with the forum software -- the forum should've rejected my empty post for not containing the minimum of required characters. I'll tell Tosa in a minute.

Petrol (internal combustion) engines are in fact terribly inefficient compared to electric engines -- both at delivering speed and at delivering torque. Diesels are significantly better than petrol engines, but still not nearly as good as electric engines. The one thing petrol and diesel engines have going for them is that you can store a lot of energy in a relatively small form-factor: say a car-tank. This is much more difficult with batteries or capacitators (much the same): it is not possible to store those amounts of energy in this fashion in a similar volume.

Incidentally diesel power locomotives are usually a hybrid: diesel powered generators to run the electric engines which run the train.

[HoreTore]

Second try; for some reason the forum/internets ended up eating my previous post. @Mods: please do not delete the empty post, because it points to a problem with the forum software -- the forum should've rejected my empty post for not containing the minimum of required characters. I'll tell Tosa in a minute.

Petrol (internal combustion) engines are in fact terribly inefficient compared to electric engines -- both at delivering speed and at delivering torque. Diesels are significantly better than petrol engines, but still not nearly as good as electric engines. The one thing petrol and diesel engines have going for them is that you can store a lot of energy in a relatively small form-factor: say a car-tank. This is much more difficult with batteries or capacitators (much the same): it is not possible to store those amounts of energy in this fashion in a similar volume.

Incidentally diesel power locomotives are usually a hybrid: diesel powered generators to run the electric engines which run the train.

Indeed!

And who on earth said that you had to buy that Audi instead of a Prius, eh?

[gaelic cowboy]

And who on earth said that you had to buy that Audi instead of a Prius, eh?

Why Jeremy Clarkson of course who else?????

[Tellos Athenaios]

[Crazed Rabbit]

Most of the worlds population live in big cities, and we do not care about that.

And what's stopping you from having two cars; one electric for driving short distances, and one petrol/hybrid for longer trips...?

You mentioned America:

Tougher envorimental restrictions on american cars would've prevented this, as that's the only way to get a prohibition on drilling.

And in America, even in large cities, it matters. And buying two cars because one is useless for long trips is stupid.

CR

[HoreTore]

You mentioned America:


And in America, even in large cities, it matters. And buying two cars because one is useless for long trips is stupid.

CR

....And could you please explain why you can't buy a hybrid....?

And why on earth is it stupid to have a second car you can use back and forth to work and the grocery store at almost zero cost...? most families already have two cars, one of which is usually a small one, like a Micra, yaris or Corsa. I see no reason why that one can't be replaced by an electric car.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Electric cars at this time are:
1. Too expensive compared to the petrol models.
2. The few I've seen are ugly little tin cans that most people in the US don't want to drive.
3. The electric grid to support, and the maintenance facilities to sustain them is non-existent.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Well yes. It'd be a tricky bit in New York, where complete backbone grid blackouts due to a failing piece of equipment are part of a good summer's day*.

* Or rather: the grid isn't exactly as solid and reliable as what one would wish.

[HoreTore]

Electric cars at this time are:
1. Too expensive compared to the petrol models.

Nonsense, they're cheaper than a Micra.

2. The few I've seen are ugly little tin cans that most people in the US don't want to drive.

They look about the same as a Micra, Yaris or Corsa. And yes, those cars are sold in the US, believe it or not.

3. The electric grid to support, and the maintenance facilities to sustain them is non-existent.

You can plug it in your outlet at home at night, and it has the capacitity to store enough to last throughout the day. No problems.

[Beskar]

There are also the SMART cars which are hybrids and have something like 180 miles to the gallon, compared to a typical cars 30 miles to the gallon. It makes no sense not to adopt at least hybrids, if not hydrogen or electric.

The thing is, it is the oil companies which doesn't want the consumers to actually get these types of cars, and thus invest bribe the automobile manufactures into not simply rolling out alternative types.

And people argue we should give these companies more power with a "Free-r" market because they will obviously act in our interests and not their own.

[HoreTore]

There are also the SMART cars which are hybrids and have something like 180 miles to the gallon, compared to a typical cars 30 miles to the gallon. It makes no sense not to adopt at least hybrids, if not hydrogen or electric.

The thing is, it is the oil companies which doesn't want the consumers to actually get these types of cars, and thus invest bribe the automobile manufactures into not simply rolling out alternative types.

And people argue we should give these companies more power with a "Free-r" market because they will obviously act in our interests and not their own.

Fortunately for the rest of us, however, in 10 years nobody will dream of buying an american car, and the Japanese make greener and greener cars.