News on hybrid vehicles, fuel cell cars, and the future of automobiles

I need testimonies of people who love hybrid cars for a speech for class. Please help!

Find hybrid car at www.autoweb.com

Explain whether or not you like hybrid cars

Also in what ways they are enjoyable to drive around/ how can they improve your standard of living?

Going into depth would be appreciated.

I hate hybrid cars, for several reasons

1- They’re not environmental friendly http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/10/2269766.htm
2-They’re slow [0-60 in 10.5 sec]
3-They’re ugly http://www.biblelife.org/energy-hybrid.jpg
4-They look unsafe
5-They’re ugly http://automoti.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/2007_toyota_prius.jpg

Still I support environmentalism and there’s a much more efficient alternative fuel which would let us keep our beautiful cars, a fuel which is clean, renewable, and could replace petroleum easily. But there’s a trick to it….It’s illegal! http://hemp-ethanol.blogspot.com/2008/01/economics-history-and-politics-of-hemp.html

I’ve heard rumors stating that hybrid cars hurt our enviro due to excessive mining. Bolivia is a prime example, entire mountains are being cut away to accomodate the demand for the exquisite metals needed to build the batteries. Are there websites with the data and pictures?

There will always be some environmental impact from any product we use

but hybrids cause less than most other cars
Bolivia provides Lithium which is used in laptop batteries and the Tesla, but not in Hybrids which currently use Nickel metal hydride (NiMH)
The daily mail reported this pictured huge open cast Nickel mines in Sudbury Canada and blamed hybrids; but their pictures were over 10 years old and the mines had cleaned up their act before the advent of hybrids – there is much more nickel used in a Hummer than a hybrid battery.

Also Lithium and Nickel are easily recovered and recycled from car batteries after use, Toyota alrady have such facilities and buy-back programmes in place; unlike the exotic metal alloys and oil used in fossil fuel cars

I mean how well do hybrid cars hold on to their value 5 years later? Any study or data?

Apparently hybrids do not have as good of resale value as expected. No hybrids were on the top 10 lists for resale values from edmunds.com or kbb.com. Things might be better now with the high gasoline price.

Seems to me where there is little braking during an average drive in flat terrain, the battery’s would get little charging.
Does this mean hybrid electric cars are less usefull in flat terrain?

Hi,

it depends on the hybrid, there are multiple levels of hybrid. Some basic info to help clear things up…

Full hybrids recharge the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) hybrid battery by the regenerative braking generator, the internal combustion engine (ICE) running, or just the friction of the wheels rolling on the ground.

The regenerative braking system is just one part of the recharging that occurs when a full hybrid runs or brakes.

A full hybrid can move and run the air conditioning system using electricity only, the ICE does not have to start.

This is done with a combination of an ICE, two powerful electric motor/generators (one to move the front wheels and one to brake them), and a large NiMH storage battery.

A partial hybrid is not able to move or run the air conditioning without the ICE running. Just like in a full, a partial’s ICE is usually shut off at stops and restarts when the accelerator is pressed. The exception is if the air conditioning is running in a partial, then the ICE does not stop, no matter what.

A partial hybrid also has a small electric drive motor and a regenerative braking motor in addition to the ICE to recharge a smaller NiMH storage battery.

A mild hybrid does not have additional battery storage, or may have a very limited storage capacity. The ICE must run to move the vehicle and run the air conditioning.

Essentially, a mild hybrid has an electric motor that stops and restarts the ICE when it is not needed, such as at stop lights to prevent unnecessary idling.

All Toyota and Lexus hybrids are full hybrids. Ford/Mercury hybrids are full hybrids. Honda Civic is technically considered a full, but works as a partial. GM’s vehicles are either partial or mild, depending on the vehicle (Tahoe is a partial, Malibu is a mild). Nissan Altima uses the Camry Hybrid tech, so it is a full. Chrysler/Dodge are all milds.

So, a partial or mild will not get much benefit from less stop and go because the ICE will be running continuously.

A full hybrid will still get benefit from any driving, but it depends on the vehicle.

Quite honestly, Highlander Hybrid or Escape Hybrids are still SUV’s and are still limited by their body shape and weight on the road.

There is serious wind resistance for any vehicle traveling at highway speeds and that wind drag is more of a factor than the reduced braking from long distance travel, flat or not.

The less streamlined body shape of an SUV just adds to that, hybrid or not.

A more streamlined body (the Prius actually slips through the air easier than a Corvette, .26 vs. .27 Cod) lessens the air drag at every speed, but there is a reduction in mpg as speed increases, no matter what.

So, essentially, a full hybrid is fine on flat terrain, even if the ICE is running more. A vehicle like a Prius, even according to the EPA, will get 45 mpg at mostly highway speeds with little braking. I personally maintain an average of 51.7 throughout the year, and there’s still piles of snow here in Wisconsin where I drive.

Lots of info, but looking to give you a more detailed answer for a fuller understanding. If that doesn’t do it, let me know on any specifics.

Electric cars and hybrid cars are need by us, but can they compete today’s cars like in Speed, Power, Comfort, Looks?

That’s the whole point of hybrids and electrics. It’s easy to make an electric vehicles fast and powerful, just difficult for it to have range. The first cars to reach 60mph were electric cars. You could easily put in a thousand horsepower electric motor into a car but the batteries would be depleted very quickly. We’ve been able to make gas cars with 50mpg plus back in 1982 which is still better than what the modern hybrids get but they lacked speed and power, the addition of an electric motor making the efficient cars hybrids is what gives the power and performance that the consumer wants.

We really don’t need hybrids and electric cars. We don’t even need so many cars. If we were willing to accept the lackluster performance of the 1982 econoboxes then why enhance the performance with an electric motor? If we want the flexibility to change the fuel source from fossil to something clean like solar by using electric vehicles then why don’t we just synthesize gasoline from CO2 and H2O with solar power? Synthesized fuels could even be carbon negative whilst an electric vehicle with solar generated electricity is at best carbon neutral

Ultimately, Hybrid and electric will be seen for what they are, marketing to create an additional market niche for new cars just like model years, tail fins, station wagons, minivans, SUV’s and Flex Fuel cars. Measures that would actually make a difference such as changing how we make the gasoline just doesn’t make the auto manufacturers any money.