Fuzzy Logic said:
Interesting editorial on Hybrids (lot's to think about):
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/pb/hybrids.htm
Luddism at it's best. The fact of the matter is that very early
implementations of the Hybrid technology are already more efficient and
provide cleaner engines than almost 100 years of diesel development - and
unlike the mechanical nature of diesel technology - will probably have the
same fast development that other high-technology sectors enjoyed in the past
decade.
Why invest in a 19th century technology when you can invest in 21st century
technology is beyond me - but only time will tell.
As for the specific questions he asks -
- What is the price of replacing the batteries in the hybrid - they are
under warranty for 7 or 8 years, the real question is how much they will
cost to replace at that time. (How much did 512MB of memory cost 7 years
ago?)
- How much for the electric motor - this should be easy to find - the
electric motor is something that you can find in millions of appliances -
the smarts of the Hybrids are not the motor itself which is proven
technology - but the management and interaction between the two engines and
the regenerative components.
- Salt and sand spray - why should these components be any different from
any other component that is enclosed?
- Why does the Prius cost so much more than the Echo? - Because we are in an
early phase of development and one of them is a sub-compact while the other
is a medium sized machine. The correct comparison is between the Prius and
the Camry - but the "editorial" chose to ask the question that presented
it's point of view in a falltering light instead of comparing apples to
apples.
- Why sell a car for half it's cost - Toyota states that they have made
money on the first generation Prius and plan to do the same for the 2nd -
can he really support his opinion that they are losing money building it?
Ron.