Are Hybrid Cars rubbish?

[Leif]

Originally Posted by Poirot

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.

Apparently creating hydrogen to use as fuel is incredibly inefficient given that you have to use energy to create the hydrogen in the first place. And fuel cells at the moment require very expensive precious metals such as Platinum.

[Soupdragon]

Originally Posted by Poirot

LOL just imagine going down the m6 in a solar powered car and suddenly the sun gets covered by a cloud. In one word FAIL

Just imagine going down a hill in a prius on a narrow icy road! I had to on the way home on Tuesday, but never again. I'm so glad i didn't meet another car.

The heavy battery is in the boot, but it's a front wheel drive, so I had to get the car mats out under the wheels to park it on our (by then) icy parking spot. I never had this trouble with a Metro or Fiesta!

[Mikel]

For all short trips use a bike...efficiency,fitness ,enjoyment and virtually no pollution...except in the manufacture of the bike.

[Myra]

I agree with Mikel 100%. We (me, hubby, and 2 kids aged 2 and 6) have one car, a fairly large estate car with the most fuel-efficient engine we could find (a turbo-charged diesel). We bought it in 2002, planning to keep it as our only car for about 10 years, and then buy another.

We use the car for weekend trips, grocery shopping, etc, but for getting to work/school, we have bikes. I take my daughter to school and son to the childminder using a childback tandem and trailer. You can see photos of us here if you like:

Snow on a School Day

So bike commuting is not just for single people, it works for families as well!

[epops]

i know 1 or 2 people with hybrid cars not the best thing i ever seen or traveled in and for any of those doubters about 4x4s the best car i ever had was a frontera 35/40 to a gallon a bit more on a run good towing car and absolute dream in the snow and ice and the few times i used it off road it was the dogs now im lumbered with a little escort till i can afford a lanny or another frontera im sorry to say i love 4x4s but each to there own

[eeyore]

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!

except that to make hydrogen you need to electrolyse water - which requires electricity - and if that electricity isnt being generated sustainably you are still no further forward

plus the more energy conversions there are the less eficient the processs because losses occur at each stage

in a standard car you are going from carbon fuel potential energy to kinectic energy in the engine.

in a hybrid you are going from potential energy in the power station fuel - to kinetic in the turbines , to electrical in the wires , to stored chemical energy in the battery then back to electrical to drive the car and then finally to kinetic in the motor/wheels

and in a hydrogen car you are going from power station fuel - to electric - to chemical potential (via electrolysis) then burning the hydrogen to release kinetic to the engine

[nightshade]

Darn things use most of the planets rare metals and are heavy to boot

[nigel_b]

Originally Posted by coasty

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...

What coasty says. Its part of the pathway to the future, not the future.

We've kicked our environment into next weeks. 100, 150 years down the line is when it'll start to tell. Its too late already. Make the best of a bad job people.

There's many different estimates as to how much oil is left. 50 years? 70 years? One thing's for sure, on 49 years 11 months 3 weeks you wont be at the petrol station filling up for the last time. The remaining easily-extracted oil will be ring-fenced for the military. You cant fight wars without oil and they'll want to be able to fight wars. F-16s dont fly on solar.

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by nigel_b

You cant fight wars without oil and they'll want to be able to fight wars. F-16s dont fly on solar.

but missiles run on hydrogen , submarines and ships run on nuclear - mankind was fighting wars long before the oil was exploited ( from the point where ug ug - bonked ugg over the head with a rock because he had something he wanted) and will be doing long after the oil has run out - it wouldnt be that hard to make a jet fly on hydrogen.

more pertinently you wont be queueing for petrol at that point because as soon as demand outstrips supply the price will go up sharply - and by the point that supply is almost exhausted only the very rich will be able to afford it

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by eeyore

but missiles run on hydrogen , submarines and ships run on nuclear - mankind was fighting wars long before the oil was exploited ( from the point where ug ug - bonked ugg over the head with a rock because he had something he wanted) and will be doing long after the oil has run out - it wouldnt be that hard to make a jet fly on hydrogen.

Wasn't it Eisenhower that said that he didn't know what World War 3 would be fought with, but WW4 would be fought with sticks and stones?

Jim