Comments on: High-Performance Hybrids

By: Colonel Klink

Colonel Klink — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 12:52:25 +0000

If you want to fix global warming then population control worldwide is ONLY ANSWER. Any discussion other then that is simply a toffee nosed latte trivial comment that has no significant backbone and everyone talks like that as they do not face up to the one issue! Why do you think they cut down trees = as tooooooooo many people on this Earth for the amount of free land! Having all you lot saying we need a HERO CAR WITH 2500HP AND 3400Nm MUST CHANGE AS YOU PEOPLE DO NOT REALISE IT IS NOT THE AUTOBAHN ANYWHERE AND EVEN IF YOU DO TRAVEL SUPER FAST IT IS DANGEROUS!

By: Me.

Me. — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 12:10:10 +0000

There is no F***ing point in “highbreds” because unless you are doing less than 30km/h your not saving any thing.
If they want to stop Globle warming bullsh*t, they need to stop cutting down trees, thats a better thing to do.

By: Colonel Klink

Colonel Klink — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:10:07 +0000

No use living in fools paradise thinking hybrids are great as they have batteries that must be disposed of which just add to the problem. HMMMMM. Only 1 answer and so many dimwits coming up with chardonnay followed by latte comments that is gibberish. 1/ POPULATION CONTROL 2/ OTHER CONTROL IS SECOND BUT A DISTANT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Colonel Klink

Colonel Klink — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:05:58 +0000

Less usage of power comes from getting education across but the biggest contributing factor is humans. As the population gets bigger it gets worse and demand for resources increases with devastation on a global scale that cannot be checked (look at Brazil rainforest!). THE ONLY WAY TO GET REAL ON THE ISSUE…. POPULATION CONTROL AND THIS HAS TO OCCUR! SOME COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD WILL NOT LIKE IT. I FOR ONE AM ANNOYED THAT BOTH FORMS OF GOVERNMENT HAND OUT SOME $3-4000 TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE KIDS! IT IS ONLY LAST TWO HUNDRED YEARS THAT IT HAS BEEN BAD AND THE POPULATION HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY. THERE IS NO OTHER ANSWER AND IAM NOT SAYING EVERYONE CANNOT HAVE KIDS… look around world at some nations; I have seen pics of people who cannot have work and they yet have many many kids which is WRONG!

Anyhow, leading back to new technology, they will produce smaller batteries for electric cars and they have got technology for hydrogen and water, etc = the politicians virtually will just suck up to business and they outstrip resources with no clear long term plan. They will do something, when business fast track it and til then climate change will get worse! It has to change!

By: David

David — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 10:48:02 +0000

Jbot,Heard this on SBS.I did more research taking in views of differing political slants
Evatt Foundation site quoting Michael Diesendorf Snr lecturer environmental Studies UNSW:
..If nuclear energy were to be expanded to contribute (say) half of the world’s electricity, high-grade reserves would last less than a decade. No doubt more reserves of high-grade uranium ore will be discovered, perhaps even doubling current reserves, but even this would be insufficient for a sustainable substitute for coal…
Blair government environment Minister Michael Meacher stated that peak production from economically recoverable reserves occurred 25years ago.
Mining companies state demand will outstrip supply as more new Chinese reactors are commissioned.Billion + want to live like NEW YORKERS & of course us.
All points to a finite resource.
Then there is the possible human cost.I would not want the job at the reactor face where despite all the protective shields you get a years dose of radiation in 8-10 hours & you don’t go back again.
Globally it is not the complete answer.
We need to use less & stop thinking in conventional economic terms when looking at alteratives.The age of the quick return might be over.it is like fighting a war.
I question the efficiency as a USD$57 billion processing facility for waste is being built in the USA but you could argue this is nothing compared to the cost of Global Warming,again it depends on how you look at the economics of the alternatives.
Sorry,I don’t have the same trust in Mr Howard who as a politician makes a very good nuclear scientist.Not trying to ram it home but I just dont think it is that simple. Like the new EVO.

By: jbot

jbot — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 11:29:40 +0000

David, nuclear energy is way way way more efficient than coal-sourced energy. Where did you hear that there is only enough Uranium for 25 years? Certainly in Australia it is a very promising energy source, as we have plenty of the stuff! Unfortunately, due to its bad image (despite few issues overseas), the Australian public don’t like the idea of utilising nuclear power. Howard has looked into it, hopefully something happens in the next few years!

By: David

David — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 10:22:34 +0000

Hydrogen is not sustainable nor is nuclear energy,we would use up Uranium reserves in 25 years if every coal fired station was replaced with reactors.Nuclear is an inefficient user of the resource hence the waste problem.
High performance hybrids like this are just fiddling about at the edges.
It shouts oppulent,unsustainable lifestyle.If you want a car to consume as much as a Focus then buy a Focus & trim the rest of your lifestyle accordingly.I know this won’t happen human nature is greedy & there are too many of us.Who are we to tell the Chinese to cut back after what has been done in the West?
Providing technologies initially only to those who can afford it?I don’t think we have time to wait for the trickle down effect to occur.
We better hope that PROF.TIM FLANNERY has got it terribly wrong.Co2 gas levels have risen faster than expected.
Time to act was probably 20 years ago,we have wasted opportunities,we still travel needlessly despite computer technologies enabling office automation ie work from home.Humanity may have missed the boat & nature is going to make decisions for us.Chances are it won’t be nice.
How many more years of drought do you think Aussie farming can sustain? Worldwide grain shortage?Think about it.
Grain is used not just bread.Stockfeed as well.
The Wimmera might be better off sowing tree seeds than crops.Get on yer bike before Mother Nature says enough.What we have done in a mere 200 years on industrialisation.Does any one really think it can continue for a 1000?The beloved Ford I6 will be lucky to occupy a paragraph of engineering history.

By: Me.

Me. — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 07:20:48 +0000

weatherchannel.com .au have a ‘rigged poll’ the question asks “will you buy a hybrid?” I vote no and then it shows masive numbers of votes that say yes, but what i’m asking why? The only time a hybrid is “saving the earth” is when you do less then 30km/h and unless you drive in grid locks theres no point buying that car

By: Andrew M

Andrew M — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 08:27:18 +0000

yeah hybrids are just a way to make people THINK they are saving the planet.
yep hydrogen seems to be the way.
but dont think we will be paying 60 cents a litre once we get it though. prices will stay the same and they will blame the drought for holiday price hikes ha ha ha no really they probably will.

my big question is if people are wanting to save on fuel costs why dont they concentrate on LPG?
it is here now and makes a large car run cheaper than a hatchback.

By: Toyota Paul

Toyota Paul — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 07:53:44 +0000

Fair enough on the I6 argument… Andrew.M as for the future of battery powered vehicles, plugging them in and the associated emmissions…. the answer is Nuclear power! But yes its a good point, partly why I have a preference for hydrogen cell vehicles over battery powered ones.

By: Rocket3

Rocket3 — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:03:45 +0000

Toyota paul,
Andrew M answered your question. Technology can be used on almost any engine once developed. The reason the Falcon engine was chosen is a simple case of the parts and technology of the current motor is here in Aus and not elsewhere. this means that if a certain compression ratio was needed to further development it is a short and relativly cheap turn around to have this done. The I6 engine is the only engine produced in Australia using almost 95% aussie made parts.

By: Sexythang

Sexythang — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 14:54:28 +0000

i guess a large number of people are thinking that they can get away with paying high petrol prices. i beleive the cost of hydrogen fuel (be it in what storage form) will be about the same cost as petrol/diesel when the time comes. given the fact that market forces will balance itself out and that energy is not created from thin air or water. and the fact that nobody is going to work so hard to develope the technology unless they are able to recuperate all the dev cost from sales.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 13:15:40 +0000

Rocket3 – Yes I realise water contains hydrogen, but the fuel cell reaction goes a little like this:

2H2 + O2 = 2H2O + energy.

Cars of the future will use separated hydrogen and oxygen to react and make the energy… water will come out the exhaust.

The problems with fuel cells is that to make them, you have to start with water and use energy (which is typically electricity) to separate it into its elements… then you put them in the cars and away you go. So to make these fuel cells costs a lot more than the good old petrol alternative.

Andrew M has a good point re the charging of battery cars with domestic power. I think fossil fuel power plants run somewhere between 40-60% efficient, compared to petrol engines at 40% so in reality they aren’t all that more efficient. HOwever I think the impact of battery powered cars aren’t as bad as power plants would make less pollution and greenhouse gases overall than dirty petrol engines.

If you want to make a difference and save the world, the prius or even the hummer :-) is not the way do do it. Ride a bike.

By: Andrew M

Andrew M — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 12:12:44 +0000

actually paul i am talking about the next step in hybrids which is where you actually do plug them in. i read something a while ago where it is the next version of the prius to be plug in aswell to further reduce fuel consumption.
i just scrolled up to check and yes this article does mention the plug in models

By: Andrew M

Andrew M — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 12:08:37 +0000

oh paul you always find a way to put a negative spin on what ever ford (or even GM) does
mate its the technology they are obviously interested in not the way the cylinders run
so are you saying that you can run hydrogen in an I6 but not a V6.
no different to if they developed a gas system on an I6 motor. it could easily bolt straight on to a V6 too

By: Toyota Paul

Toyota Paul — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 12:06:51 +0000

Im not sure what your getting at Andrew.M, hybrids use batteries… as far as I know you dont plug them in and recharge? If you meant the actual making of the battery in the first place, then that could apply to every car. Bit confused about that post…

By: Andrew M

Andrew M — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 12:04:00 +0000

Rocket3,
i reckon that they should be made to include emissions created by electricity that you plug into these cars aswell otherwise its false advertising as far as im concearned.
for eg (and i dont know the real figures its an eg)
say the fuel used to do 1km might only create say 75g/Co2 per/km but the the coal burnt to produce say 2000kw which is needed to acompany the motor to do that 1km might create 100g/Co2 per km.
so are they allowed to only display that the car only creates 75g Co2 when it really creates 175g C02??

By: Toyota Paul

Toyota Paul — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 12:03:57 +0000

Oh lol sorry glanced and saw the R. As for the I6, but any developments youd think are useless given they are going to start using V6s in the relatively near future.

By: Rocket3

Rocket3 — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 11:53:43 +0000

hey paul that was reckless saying that not me. and Ford is actually donating I6 motors to the University that has recieved government funding to develop hydrogen technolgy and alternate fuel technology, not hybrids. Obviously Ford will get first dibs on any results achieved from this program though.

By: Andrew M

Andrew M — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 11:52:34 +0000

Paul,
what have ford done about the oil crisis?
well they are the only manufacturer that sells a vehicle that doesnt depend on the price of oil one bit. yep a solely dependant LPG vehicle.
dont forget that a hybrid isnt the only alternative to fuel prices.
also you musnt read the articles that say in terms of hybrid technology GM is actually right on top of the ball at the moment.
but any way hybrids are a joke when there are a few small diesel cars out there at the moment that can get better efficiency than a hybrid and yes one of them is a FORD. not to mention you actually will get some sort of power figures out of a diesel.

would you please just take your toyota jacket off for one second

also the government will not hand out money to ford unless they actually impliment what ever it is they are getting the money to develop
so where is your source that ford gets X dollars and then throws it in the bin??????