Hybrid cars have a long way to go. Suck.

[JuiceTheGator]

So that new Fisker car came out and it looks cool. Then, when the auto reporters dig in a bit, you find out it's really pretty sad. The battery taking up the interior space makes it unattractive to me.

2012 Fisker Karma: Motoramic Drives | Motoramic - Yahoo! Autos

Sixty miles an hour arrives in 6.3 seconds, slower than sporty versions of the Toyota Camry.
"There's a misconception that small equal fuel economy," Fisker says, adding that "the Karma can be driven more fuel efficiently than the Prius." That's no guarantee that it will be, or that every driver will get even Prius-level efficiency. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rates the Karma as having 32 miles of electric-only range, a 52 mpg-e overall rating and only 20 mpg when its engine runs; Fisker claims careful drivers could get well over 100 mpg and 40 electric-only miles on a full charge. My 62-mile test drive though the hills and clogged streets of Los Angeles averaged about 30 mpg.

 

[ForkEmBucky]

Electric hybrids do, sure. Battery technology doesn't really have anywhere to go. We've already thinned them out, engineered them differently....nothing we can do about the chemistry.

If not for prohibition, Americans would have chosen alcohol over gasoline almost a century ago, and our engines would all be designed for it. We'd be fermenting our frickin' grass clippings...

 

[LeaderOCola]

Electric hybrids do, sure. Battery technology doesn't really have anywhere to go. We've already thinned them out, engineered them differently....nothing we can do about the chemistry.

If not for prohibition, Americans would have chosen alcohol over gasoline almost a century ago, and our engines would all be designed for it. We'd be fermenting our frickin' grass clippings...

no.

 

[ForkEmBucky]

no.

Every other technology has made LEAPS since invented. Batteries are still shit. And until they discover a new chemical reaction that stores energy, batteries will not be improving much. Or...I guess you can hit me with your superior technological intellect?

Because I've read professional journals about how battery technology hasn't been, and will not be keeping up with the rest of our technological progress. Chevy came up with every trick they could think of to eek out what battery life the Volt has. The Volt sucks.

 

[occupant]

What's the point in even trying.

We're fucked.

Humvees on the house...that only run on a mixture of toxic sludge, nuke-yoo-lar waste and baby seal blood.

FUCK YEAH MOTHER NATURE!!!! IN YOUR BITCHY FACE!!!

 

[JuiceTheGator]

Every other technology has made LEAPS since invented. Batteries are still shit. And until they discover a new chemical reaction that stores energy, batteries will not be improving much. Or...I guess you can hit me with your superior technological intellect?

Because I've read professional journals about how battery technology hasn't been, and will not be keeping up with the rest of our technological progress. Chevy came up with every trick they could think of to eek out what battery life the Volt has. The Volt sucks.

What's a "Volt?" You mean the Obamamobile? Yeah, nobody would buy that POS except gov't entities forced to do so and a few heavy KoolAid consumers.

This Fisker appears to be little more than a fancier Obamamobile with a larger batter and equally pointless performance.

 

[Rusty Kuntz]

It's nice looking from the outside.

 

[occupant]

It's nice looking from the outside.

Yeah, but it's popularity and potential for utilization of less fossil-fuels may help that foreigner in the White House in some contrived way so it must be shunned.

 

[JuiceTheGator]

Yeah, but it's popularity and potential for utilization of less fossil-fuels may help that foreigner in the White House in some contrived way so it must be shunned.

So buy one...that's the way to show support. It's $40k for a $20k Chevy cruze with a big battery that splashes acid on your kids if in a crash. To each his own - that's what I say about that.

 

[ckhokie]

This Fisker appears to be little more than a fancier Obamamobile with a larger batter and equally pointless performance.

The Fisker isn't going to get the MPG of a full blown electric because it still has a combustion engine on board that runs a generator. 30mpg in traffic is still on par or better than other hybrids out today.

What makes the Fisker different from other electrics out there, is the fact that there is an onboard engine to run a generator to create electricity so the user doesn't run into the 50 mile or so range that other electrics have. If anything, it's the most efficient style hybrid out now.

 

[rmilia1]

As someone in the business the biggest problem with hybrids is that they are not cost effective. The average hybrid costs 8000 dollars more than its gas counterpart. this means that the average consumer needs to drive a car for 5-6 years before they will start seeing some sort of financial benefit. Since the average consumer only keeps a car 3-3.5 years there is little point in buying a hybrid. Not only does the technology and the way they are engineered need to improve but they also need to become less expensive.

 

[LeaderOCola]

Every other technology has made LEAPS since invented. Batteries are still shit. And until they discover a new chemical reaction that stores energy, batteries will not be improving much. Or...I guess you can hit me with your superior technological intellect?

http://dx.doi.org/10.1149/1.1836378
based on this seminal paper,

it's being worked on worldwide in many universities and govt labs

 

[JuiceTheGator]

As someone in the business the biggest problem with hybrids is that they are not cost effective. The average hybrid costs 8000 dollars more than its gas counterpart. this means that the average consumer needs to drive a car for 5-6 years before they will start seeing some sort of financial benefit. Since the average consumer only keeps a car 3-3.5 years there is little point in buying a hybrid. Not only does the technology and the way they are engineered need to improve but they also need to become less expensive.

Well, that's the bottom line. The batteries wear-out in 5 - 8 years and the cost of replacement is, you guessed it, another $8,000. So, they never save you any fuel costs. So, I'm not sure what the point is except electric cars can be really fast with the electric motor torque.

 

[bchampy]

So, I'm not sure what the point is

Isn't the point to decrease our "carbon footprint"?

 

[ChiefWhiteHorse]

Isn't the point to decrease our "carbon footprint"?

The last person I heard use that word was a dirty, beach bum who gave a slanted speech to my highschool about global warming

 

[bchampy]

The last person I heard use that word was a dirty, beach bum who gave a slanted speech to my highschool about global warming

Hence why I put it in quotations.

 

[JuiceTheGator]

Cookies Required
based on this seminal paper,

it's being worked on worldwide in many universities and govt labs

Good job on the 1996 article about that new Li/O2 battery that still costs too much for daily application in cars.

Gov't research is a waste of money and people doing gov't research should all be fired.

 

[JuiceTheGator]

Isn't the point to decrease our "carbon footprint"?

lol. Yeah, too bad a Prius' carbon and pollution footprint is the same as a Range Rover. It has a market for commuters in heavily urbanized areas - that's why it exists. The market takes care of these problems, not worthless and loud hippie MFers.

LMAO @ libs always thinking gov't interaction can help a market operate better! What a joke.

 

[LeaderOCola]

Good job on the 1996 article about that new Li/O2 battery that still costs too much for daily application in cars.

Gov't research is a waste of money and people doing gov't research should all be fired.

not even you can be this stupid

 

[24seven]

As someone in the business the biggest problem with hybrids is that they are not cost effective. The average hybrid costs 8000 dollars more than its gas counterpart. this means that the average consumer needs to drive a car for 5-6 years before they will start seeing some sort of financial benefit. Since the average consumer only keeps a car 3-3.5 years there is little point in buying a hybrid. Not only does the technology and the way they are engineered need to improve but they also need to become less expensive.

Yep. I had a guy try to sell me on new double-pane windows for my house, telling me it would save energy costs. He wanted around $300 per window, I have 10 windows, making the cost around $3000.
My power bill for the entire YEAR in 2011 was $578. No fucking way I would see any savings in my lifetime.