This Car Makes the Prius Look Like a Hummer!
This is not a prototype - it’s a production model car! Pretty sharp, until you are rear-ended by a Hummer. That’s why you won’t want to laugh too hard when you are passing up the gas station…
Tags: aptera, automobile, electric car, gas alternative, hybrid, plug-in car, plug-in hybrid
June 22nd, 2008 at 1:15 pm
I have been saying for quite some time that the reality of Hybrids does not live up to their hype. Now Consumer Reports confirms this. Over at TerraBlog from TerraPass TerraPass: Fight global warming, promote alternative energy they did a further analysis. The premium for the hybrid drivetrain over the first five years of ownership is 3,700 to 13,300. ouch! Just buy a diesel which is less than a 1,000 premium and run biodiesel.
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:13 am
Thanks for the comment.
I agree, but one also has to look at the law of diminishing returns in relation to the different hybrid technologies.
The premium for a Prius hybrid powertrain, and thus for all the Ford vehicles which license the design is extremely high because Toyota decided to squeeze every micro-kWH they could out of the powertrain using regenerative breaking and other techniques.
I have become a fan of GM’s version - General Motors goes for the low-hanging fruit and therefore probably achieves better ROI on the hybrid premium, which is much lower.
Also, which is better in the end? To have a small population with very efficient cars, or to reach the masses with marginally more efficient vehicles? It might be the second option. It allows everyone to feel that they have entered the green movement instead of limiting conservationism to those who can afford it.
Finally, we should calculate the damage caused by the green gadgets we create:
1) How much damage does the manufacture / disposal of the battery systems cause on hybrid cars?
2) How much mercury are we putting into our environment by switching to mercury-containing compact fluorescent light bulbs?
3) How much food are we consuming in the production of biodiesel?
If you think I am demonizing biodiesel by asking this, do a search for “biodiesel” on this blog and you will find both sides of the argument balanced.
Otherwise, diesel is way too expensive to use as-is.