Hybrid Powertrains... Pointless?

[GTSBoy]

had the jazz painted pink, and now I'm off to hairdresser's school

fixed

[Zac]

why? not sure what the point of this is. Seeing as no one would buy a vehicle like that.

Yaris/Echo is available overseas with a diesel.

I'm not convinced - people are still buying Korean cars! OK maybe it would need to have some luxuries as options but without all the 'image' to lug around we could see the full potential of a hybrid drivetrain relative to diesels.

[rj_astra]

I'm not convinced - people are still buying Korean cars!

People want A/C, P/S, ABS, Airbags, CD etc. And if I am not mistaken the Korean cars sell on features.

True potential of Hybrid.

Upgraded Prius

[Mini_Me]

interesting article RJ

i dont know where their claim of 110--180mpg comes from, if they are running the car completely off the batteries - a 30mile round trip, and charging off a house electrical socket.

i think this approach is where cars will be headed in the future. I'd have to think that overall, power stations (nuclear, fusion? solar etc)--> power grid --> homes + cars will be a more efficient approach to our energy needs

[Peter...]

interesting article RJ

i dont know where their claim of 110--180mpg comes from, if they are running the car completely off the batteries - a 30mile round trip, and charging off a house electrical socket.

i think this approach is where cars will be headed in the future. I'd have to think that overall, power stations (nuclear, fusion? solar etc)--> power grid --> homes + cars will be a more efficient approach to powering cars.

Yes but that scenario leaves out Exxon Mobile, British Petroleum, Shell Oil etc...

Not happening Jan.

[Mini_Me]

BP et al move into cold fusion + anti matter research? :D

[browny]

I remember reading a story a couple of years back of some trucks utilising a similar method of capturing heat from brake energy, but reusing it as a hydraulic force to get the truck back up to speed from standstill without having to use the engine as much as it normally would.

http://www.permodrive.com.au/ was the company. If their web site is a reflection of recent developments then it's not looking good....

[Bulgogi]

Browny: Yep, that was it. And yeah, doesn't sound too good looking at the website as well. Shame really, as it'd be very useful for trucking companies and fleet operators.

I'm interested to find out how Murdoch University (my old uni) went with the nickel-bromide battery they were experimenting with back in the late nineties/early '00s and how it'd rate with current battery technology.

[Mini_Me]

there have been some interesting battery + electric motor articles on gizmag recently. Batteries that can charge to 90+% of capacity in 1min. battery + electric motors that are comparable in weight + performance to equivalent dirtbike + roadbike engines etc

[jampac]

I think you guys are forgotting something with toyota hybrids that being all hybrid model toyotas or lexus are the very top model and have just about every option under the sun available (ie their heavy as), so there not currently sold as povo pack cheapies so you can save a bit of gas, but rather as a status symbol, so the total cost of ownership doesn't even come into the equation. Toyota has said publically that once the hybrid technology comes down in price to a level that is close to or matches existing technology, which they claim is possible for toyota hybrid system III then we'll probably see cheap yaris' with hybrid drivetrains and low level standard equipment.

[jampac]

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/...ess/toyota.php

GM, 75 years number 1 auto maker will be dethroned this year, on revenue and maybe total car sales by Toyota. 1 million hybrids per year by 2010.

[jampac]

interesting article RJ

i dont know where their claim of 110--180mpg comes from, if they are running the car completely off the batteries - a 30mile round trip, and charging off a house electrical socket.

i think this approach is where cars will be headed in the future. I'd have to think that overall, power stations (nuclear, fusion? solar etc)--> power grid --> homes + cars will be a more efficient approach to our energy needs

Toyota is already claiming similar mpg figures could be achieved by the new hybrid III system currently in development for next prius.

[TonyJZX]

Yes but that scenario leaves out Exxon Mobile, British Petroleum, Shell Oil etc...

Not happening Jan.

Also a fully electric car like that Amberjac Prius completely cuts out govt. excise.

I would suppose that driving a car on public roads where you do not pay our wonderful government 38c per litre would make you a more dangerous enemy than any alleged threat from Al Qaeda.

[Mini_Me]

excise on electricity

[TonyJZX]

excise on electricity

The govt. would be happy to do this I would imagine.

However as much as I dislike poor people (I'm kidding!) I would not like to unfairly hurt the battler who has no car and just uses power to heat up his food and house.