Are Hybrid Cars rubbish?

Meta menardi · #11 (**permalink**) 26-01-2009, 10:43 PM

The greenest energy is the energy you don't use.

But don't lie in bed all day, you know who I am talking to.

Poirot · #12 (**permalink**) 27-01-2009, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soupdragon

What about fuel cells?

Fuel cells are linked to Hydrogen power, you use hydrogen to create electricity, I don't understand fully how it works as its very complicated, so much in fact car designers have been playing about with it for years now, and still none are commercially available.

It is interesting but with any hydrogen power they are not 100% clean as it takes electricity to seperate hydrogen from oxygen in water, and that takes a good bit of energy.

coasty · #13 (**permalink**) 27-01-2009, 09:42 AM

The Hybrid car is a route that we have to follow in order for manufacturers to develop a more efficient vehicle. I think that the current hybrid car is ok but when you analyse the vehicle as a whole life analysis ie right through manufacture and disposal then the damage to the earths enviroment and the fuels used is probably greater than a traditional fossil fuel car.

The trouble is like all new technologies you have to go through a development route top get to where you want to be. I think that the car will always have a part to play in our society. But the part will change , I think the day will come very soon where cities will be car free. Rail will be developed to some extent the trouble is for rail the costs are so high for development and running it will only be suitable for mass transportation.

I think in the short term with the economic problems car manufacturers will concentrate on low cost models and enviroment worries will take a back seat for a while... I have no doubt though that hybrid and electric cars are here to stay but have to agree that at the moment they are not the real deal...

squishy · #14 (**permalink**) 27-01-2009, 11:32 AM

hybrids aren't the way forward. hydrogen is, the new honda that is powered by hydrogen (was also on top gear) is an absolutely fantastic example. no sacrifices made for it (like short time's between charges, or the fact that the electricity isn't being generated in a renewable way, so it doesn't really make much of a difference), no more expensive to make or sell, and now they've found an efficient way of implementing it, fuel costs about the same as well!

Soupdragon · #15 (**permalink**) 27-01-2009, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ukwildlifeo

I read somewhere that the prius has big lithium batteries, and the lithium mines in Canada are poisioning the area around them (plus the carbon to get the lithium out). Mind you might be right wing propaganda.

I think it is nickel that is used rather than lithium, but it does come from Canada. I wasn't aware of the problems with mining the nickle, but it is not so easy or black and white, it never is.

Can mining make a greener world?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ukwildlifeo

But logically a hybrid car with a big heavy battery is not going to be as efficient when travelling along as a typical petrol car, but in a stop-go city environment it has its advantages.

When cruising, when you're not changing the speed the extra weight does not make that much difference. It's when you're changing speed that the weight is a problem but that is also when the hybrid system kicks in - it stores the energy when decelerating and uses it when accelerating. Overall if you want to be green buy a pedal bike. If you have to have a car, buy a very small, very cheap car. If you want to be almost as green and have a really good larger car then the prius is still a good choice as things stand.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ukwildlifeo

Electric cars are pointless unless its more effiecent to burn the fuel, convert it to electric, send it through miles of wires/cables and charge up the battery than to just burn the fuel in the engine. Unless you charge it on renewable energy of course...

I'd agree with that. Looking at it another way, a car like the prius avoids this by having the petrol engine and the electric close together, without the miles of cables.

One area of research that would make most difference is how we store and move energy around. We generate many times more energy than we use. If we could have that lightweight, reliable, easy to charge, cheap, near 100% efficient (and friendly) reusable battery then energy and carbon worries would not be our primary concern. That battery might be a hydrogen fuel cell, which might be the next step to improve the production process as a whole. We are never going to arrive at an answer if will always be a matter of keeping our minds open and weighing up the consequences.

Poirot · #16 (**permalink**) 27-01-2009, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squishy

hybrids aren't the way forward. hydrogen is, the new honda that is powered by hydrogen (was also on top gear) is an absolutely fantastic example. no sacrifices made for it (like short time's between charges, or the fact that the electricity isn't being generated in a renewable way, so it doesn't really make much of a difference), no more expensive to make or sell, and now they've found an efficient way of implementing it, fuel costs about the same as well!

I agree hydrogen power is a great solution, and if you could find a way of producing hydrogen by solar power or something small then there would be no need for petrol stations, people could just fill their car up from home, now wouldn't that be cool

Everyone goes on about the honda fuel cells, but i heared that BMW was making a hydrogen combusion engine, anyone know if this is true?

ron1863 · #17 (**permalink**) 31-01-2009, 08:49 PM

I'm sure Top Gear reviewed a prototype Hydrogen powered car and agreed that it was the way forward as there was no difference in power and the only thing coming out of the exhaust was water.

Electric cars have inadequate power and their range is very limited and solar power is no use in the U.K.