Not-so-green electric cars

Gilligan

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
Clem72 said:
Hot air out of my ass?
Click to expand...

I've not seen that used as a metric. I have seen, however, pollutants calculated based on the work being done by the power produced. Pollutants discharged per ton-mile, for example. Further, the emissions limits on modern ship propulsion plants (my field) are increasingly strict as each year passes and the use of LNG or CNG instead of bunker or No. 2 is very much on the rise. ;-)

And being published in a fairly obscure and narrowly focused journal isn't exactly my idea of "headline grabbing"..:killingme I'd be surprised if more than 20 people read some of the rather dry technical papers I've presented over the years.
 
huntr1

huntr1

.
I have a 1997 Suburban, 2001 Saturn, 2006 Pilot and 2012 Focus.
What's the greenest vehicle in my driveway?
Answer: The Suburban.
Why? #1 I can haul 8 people, plus gear, which on a scout outing removes 1 vehicle from having to go, which means the 16 MPG highway is neutralized as a negative.
#2 the "carbon tax" on its production was paid 20 years ago.
#3 it's painted GREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Gilligan

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
huntr1 said:
I have a 1997 Suburban, 2001 Saturn, 2006 Pilot and 2012 Focus.
What's the greenest vehicle in my driveway?
Answer: The Suburban.
Why? #1 I can haul 8 people, plus gear, which on a scout outing removes 1 vehicle from having to go, which means the 16 MPG highway is neutralized as a negative.
!
Click to expand...

Fundamentally, that is why trains and ships are also "green".
 
DEEKAYPEE8569

DEEKAYPEE8569

Well-Known Member
This must be the B-side of owning a hybrid or an electric vehicle. First, less dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels as a whole was the big selling point of vehicles like the Prius.
Now, the proverbial 'they' is saying that type of vehicle does decrease the aforementioned, but the trade-off is somewhat canceled out having a different, yet still potentially damaging effect. So maybe keeping your old, non-hybrid isn't such a bad idea.
 
Gilligan

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
DEEKAYPEE8569 said:
less dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels as a whole was the big selling point of vehicles like the Prius.
Click to expand...

? You put gas in the tank..and/or you put coal and natural gas through the steam boiler.


And dig absolutely massive craters in the earth to ferret out lithium which is also an environmental mess to deal with after yr through the batteries.
 
GWguy

GWguy

*
I figured I'd go green by riding my bicycle in lieu of the truck.

But then I realized that it takes mining operations to get raw material, refining to make metal, sulfur and by-products to make rubber. Riding the bike means I need to eat more to get the needed calories so I don't starve to death, that means farmers have to use more gas and diesel for farming and transportation operations as well as more pesticide. Not to mention that all the added food I have to eat makes more poop and CO2 producing more waste for the septic systems and greenhouse gasses.
 
Gilligan

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
GWguy said:
Not to mention that all the added food I have to eat makes more poop and CO2 producing more waste for the septic systems and greenhouse gasses.
Click to expand...

It's the methane production that is of most concern....indoors and crowded spaces especially.
 
PeoplesElbow

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
Ok the real question is how much faster to tires and breaks wear out on something like a Camry Hybrid vs a regular Camry?

The regular Camry is also going to have brakes wear out as well as tires, I think the difference will be minimal, after all I haven't heard about anyone complaining about how fast the tires or brakes wear out.

Some moron doing one burnout at a stoplight probably makes more than the difference between the two.
 
Gilligan

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
PeoplesElbow said:
Ok the real question is how much faster to tires and breaks wear out on something like a Camry Hybrid vs a regular Camry?

The regular Camry is also going to have brakes wear out as well as tires, I think the difference will be minimal, after all I haven't heard about anyone complaining about how fast the tires or brakes wear out.

Some moron doing one burnout at a stoplight probably makes more than the difference between the two.
Click to expand...

Aren't most hybrids using regenerative braking?....I would expect the brake pads to last a lot longer accordingly.
 
PeoplesElbow

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
Gilligan said:
Aren't most hybrids using regenerative braking?....I would expect the brake pads to last a lot longer accordingly.
Click to expand...

It is a difficult thing to measure, the way I drive brake pads last a lot longer than most, I know people who go through brakes like clean underwear.

From some back of the envelope calculations I did back in the 90's I estimated you would be lucky to recapture 15% of your braking energy. With a do it yourself system with regenerative braking turned all the way up it was like mashing on the brakes as hard as humanly possible and about threw me the windshield
 
Gilligan

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
PeoplesElbow said:
It is a difficult thing to measure, the way I drive brake pads last a lot longer than most, I know people who go through brakes like clean underwear.

From some back of the envelope calculations I did back in the 90's I estimated you would be lucky to recapture 15% of your braking energy. With a do it yourself system with regenerative braking turned all the way up it was like mashing on the brakes as hard as humanly possible and about threw me the windshield
Click to expand...

I've driven a couple of hybrids in the last year or so (rentals..I travel a lot) and the regen braking on one of them was downright aggressive and took some getting used to. It was a Ford, if I recall correctly.
 
PeoplesElbow

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
Gilligan said:
I've driven a couple of hybrids in the last year or so (rentals..I travel a lot) and the regen braking on one of them was downright aggressive and took some getting used to. It was a Ford, if I recall correctly.
Click to expand...

It isn't adjustable? I have never driven a commercially built hybrid, just the one I was part of building. The controller had a knob to control the regen level that we mounted in the dash.

I figured the commercially built ones had it turned way down to be more consumer friendly. I disagree with some of the direction that automakers take in their design and until one builds the hybrid that I want I refuse to own one.
 
Larry Gude

Larry Gude

Strung Out
Got a ride in a buddies Tesla this AM. The nice one. These things are freaking awesome. He, and another pal who has the same model, have had them long enough that they absolutely trust them to go about 250 miles without fail. One guy took his family to Florida in it and the super charge stations are laid out close enough and near food and rest stops to be a very sound model.

In any event, FWIW, the acceleration and braking were seamless, smooth as silk.
 
PeoplesElbow

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
Larry Gude said:
Got a ride in a buddies Tesla this AM. The nice one. These things are freaking awesome. He, and another pal who has the same model, have had them long enough that they absolutely trust them to go about 250 miles without fail. One guy took his family to Florida in it and the super charge stations are laid out close enough and near food and rest stops to be a very sound model.

In any event, FWIW, the acceleration and braking were seamless, smooth as silk.
Click to expand...

I imagine that it takes some research ahead of time to know where the charging stations are because I have only seen a couple of them in my travels.

I see non-electric cars park at the ones at the Hagarstown outlets all the time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top