What's up with the hybrid haters?
Yesterday, the Detroit News posted an article by Mike Hudson, Hybrids are cool, but is it because they make others green with envy?
All I can say is, what's your problem Mr. Hudson?
"But, depending on whom you ask, our love for hybrids may only be highlighting just how shallow we are," states Hudson.
Mr. Hudson asserts that diesel engines are the future, not hybrids, not fuel cells. The same diesel that isn't allowed in vehicles in many parts of the country, is the future.
Hudson states, "As it stands, a modern diesel engine gets nearly identical mileage to a gasoline hybrid. But because of the oil-refining process, diesel costs less than gas and the engine tacks on only $1,000 or so to the sticker price of a car-- as opposed to $3,000 minimum for a hybrid system."
First, $3000.00 isn't the minimum on all hybrid vehicles.
Second, show me a car with a sticker price of $16,000.00 that compares to the Toyota Prius in functionality, design, and performance. I don't think such a car exists.
Third, a diesel, Mr. Hudson forgets to note, doesn't get nearly the same fuel efficiency as a full hybrid in stop-and-go traffic and emits far more pollution than a Toyota Prius or Ford Escape Hybrid in such driving conditions.
The hybrid powertrain is in fact, a diverse piece of technology, and it's full potential has not even been utilized. Already hybrid vehicles come in three distinct flavors, a compact Sedan in the Prius, an SUV with the Escape hybrid, and a sporty Sedan in the Honda Accord hybrid. Each offer unique attributes for different kinds of driving.
New diesels, according to most experts, are typically 30 percent more efficient than standard gasoline engines. Of course, Advanced Gasoline Engines are also 20 percent more efficient than standard gasoline engines, and emit far less pollutants than diesel. So which is better?
The larger point, which Mr. Hudson appears to have no clue, is that a hybrid car can utilize a standard gasoline engine, an advanced gasoline engine, or even Hudson's favorite, a diesel engine - Ford has already created such concept vehicles - as part of its powertrain. Even more important, a hybrid could be powered by a hydrogen engine, or a fuel cell.
Perhaps Mr. Hudson hasn't heard of the Hydrogen Economy?
While the hydrogen economy is probably a few decades away, hybrid vehicles represent an interim technology to the future, diesels represent a bump in the road.
Rather than shallowness, hybrid cars demonstrate that people not only care about ending foreign-oil dependency and cleaning the environment, but we care about building our technological and manufacturing infrastructure around technologies focused on the future, a better future.
If that is Mr. Hudson's definition of shallow, then call me shallow.
While diesel could represent an important piece of the hybrid powertrain, diesel in place of hybrid vehicles, would be step backwards, not forward.
In my opinion, calling hybrid cars shallow is ignorant.
Join the our hybrid car club.
All I can say is, what's your problem Mr. Hudson?
"But, depending on whom you ask, our love for hybrids may only be highlighting just how shallow we are," states Hudson.
Mr. Hudson asserts that diesel engines are the future, not hybrids, not fuel cells. The same diesel that isn't allowed in vehicles in many parts of the country, is the future.
Hudson states, "As it stands, a modern diesel engine gets nearly identical mileage to a gasoline hybrid. But because of the oil-refining process, diesel costs less than gas and the engine tacks on only $1,000 or so to the sticker price of a car-- as opposed to $3,000 minimum for a hybrid system."
First, $3000.00 isn't the minimum on all hybrid vehicles.
Second, show me a car with a sticker price of $16,000.00 that compares to the Toyota Prius in functionality, design, and performance. I don't think such a car exists.
Third, a diesel, Mr. Hudson forgets to note, doesn't get nearly the same fuel efficiency as a full hybrid in stop-and-go traffic and emits far more pollution than a Toyota Prius or Ford Escape Hybrid in such driving conditions.
The hybrid powertrain is in fact, a diverse piece of technology, and it's full potential has not even been utilized. Already hybrid vehicles come in three distinct flavors, a compact Sedan in the Prius, an SUV with the Escape hybrid, and a sporty Sedan in the Honda Accord hybrid. Each offer unique attributes for different kinds of driving.
New diesels, according to most experts, are typically 30 percent more efficient than standard gasoline engines. Of course, Advanced Gasoline Engines are also 20 percent more efficient than standard gasoline engines, and emit far less pollutants than diesel. So which is better?
The larger point, which Mr. Hudson appears to have no clue, is that a hybrid car can utilize a standard gasoline engine, an advanced gasoline engine, or even Hudson's favorite, a diesel engine - Ford has already created such concept vehicles - as part of its powertrain. Even more important, a hybrid could be powered by a hydrogen engine, or a fuel cell.
Perhaps Mr. Hudson hasn't heard of the Hydrogen Economy?
While the hydrogen economy is probably a few decades away, hybrid vehicles represent an interim technology to the future, diesels represent a bump in the road.
Rather than shallowness, hybrid cars demonstrate that people not only care about ending foreign-oil dependency and cleaning the environment, but we care about building our technological and manufacturing infrastructure around technologies focused on the future, a better future.
If that is Mr. Hudson's definition of shallow, then call me shallow.
While diesel could represent an important piece of the hybrid powertrain, diesel in place of hybrid vehicles, would be step backwards, not forward.
In my opinion, calling hybrid cars shallow is ignorant.
Join the our hybrid car club.
Labels: Accord hybrid, clean diesel, Escape hybrid, Ford, Ford Escape hybrid, Foreign Oil Dependency, fuel cells, fuel efficiency, Honda, Hybrid Vehicles, prius, toyota
posted by Dahcredyns at
9:11 AM
1 Comments:
More people should learn about electric vehicles as a solution. "Zero emissions" is something that's going to be required by law one day (you know it will). Making the decision to go electric is far cheaper anyway, like 10 cents on the dollar vs. gas. (source: zapworld.com)
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