Hybrid-Car Tinkerers Scoff at No-Plug-In Rule
By DANNY HAKIM
The idea of making hybrid cars that can be plugged in to wall outlets is supported by a diverse group of interests, from neoconservatives to utilities.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
I want to plug my Prius in.
Looks like I'm not the only one that wants to plug his Prius in at night. I really like my Prius, I just wish it would get better gas mileage. For all the complicated technology it seems like I should get better than 40-45 mpg. I'm hopeful that when I have to replace my batteries I will be able to replace them with better versions that will allow for more stealth driving and better mpg. I'm also hopeful that the replacement of the batteries will be many years from now.
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2 comments:
While plugging in may give you better gas mileage, are you just pushing the problem somewhere else? Now the power company has to generate more power for your battery charging sessions, and they probably burn fossil fuels. Perhaps that form of transmission is far more efficient...I'm just thinking out loud. Maybe you need a bank of solar panels from which to charge your car while it sits in the driveway? Related to your last post, is the "profit motive" driving Toyota to do the right thing in this case? Maybe they figure by avoiding the stigma of plugging-in, they can make more profit...at the expense of consumers like you.
I'm hopeful that the power company will provide more efficient means of producing power. If we can push all power generation to the power plants then we can work on cleaning up the power plants. When the problem is at each and every car it is almost impossible to fix.
I like the bank of solar panels idea. Hopefully soon the cost of solar panels will decrease to the point where they make sense. BTW, the decrease in cost of the hybrid and solar panels are all driven by RD efforts that have a "profit motive". Without the profit motive we would not have hybrid cars today. Note that it was Toyota a profit driven company that brought the hybrid to the average person.
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