A question on hybrids

lantaur · Nov 12, 2007

Football_Bat said:

2muchcoffeeman said:

You'd have been better off with a diesel.

It may surprise those who associate diesels with smoke-belching 18-wheelers, but a cost-benefit analysis by the RAND Corp. finds so-called advanced diesel engines provide a slight edge over gas-electric hybrids and both leave E85 in the dust.

Even more surprising? The study claims that the high cost and resource-intensive means of producing and transporting E85 - a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline - makes it less beneficial to society than using straight gasoline.
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http://blog.wired.com/cars/2007/11/diesels-provide.html

And hybrids aren't cost-effective. You're looking at a minimum of 7 years before you see any actual savings.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071028/BUSINESS02/710280333/-1/BUSINESS
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Not only that, but also if your battery pack has to be replaced and you're out of warranty, you're looking at dropping six large.
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The warranty on my battery is for 10 years. Don't see that being a problem.

Also, here's something from the wired article:

Maybe we're missing something, but we see some holes in the study.

First, it doesn't consider the impact of tax credits and other incentives to use alternative fuels. Uncle Sam gives a tax credit for buying a new hybrid vehicle. Tack that on to the $198 savings in operating costs RAND says you'll enjoy with your new Civic hybrid and you've met, if not exceeded, the savings you'll see with a diesel.

The study did not consider the environmental impact of black carbon, which is produced by burning biomass and fossil fuels. The researchers concede that "might bias the climate analysis in favor of diesel." Indeed it does.
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Also, that article had gas prices being at $2.50 a gallon. Yikes.

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A question on hybrids

lantaur Well-Known Member

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A question on hybrids

lantaur Well-Known Member

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