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| Would you drive an electric car or truck?
Posted: 4/7/2009 10:20:33 PM | | I would like to drive an electric car, I don't think it's affordable or necessary to change now. Doesn't it cost more to maintain and repair electric/hybrid cars? I thought the batteries cost a lot to replace. I'm sure the cost will go down, technology will improve and eventually become more of a stanard for everyone, but by then I may be too old to operate a vehicle safely. | |
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| Would you drive an electric car or truck?
Posted: 4/7/2009 11:25:20 PM | There are some pretty decent affordable hybrids coming out. Ford's coming out with the Volt, right? It's pretty cool.. check it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevy_Volt
I know it's fun to beat on Ford because of our recent economic troubles, but not everyone who works there is an idiot. hehe
Tesla is always worth a look, too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_motors or http://www.teslamotors.com/ My god, they are beautiful cars. I was wrong about the price for the Bluestar, though.. it'll be around $30,000. That's not exactly cheap, but it's not insane.
Someone mentioned something about the energy being used to produce electric being dirty. Well, this is an important but realistically meaningless point.. it is not possible to switch completely from dirty fuels/vehicles to clean fuels/green vehicles. We have to take steps. Yes, sometimes electricity is produced by fossil fuels (but sometimes not, as in hydroelectric or nuclear power). Since it is easier to switch to hybrids or electric vehicles first, then we should (and are) doing that first. Then, we can worry about how we produce power.
I don't know. I think that even if you don't give a damn about the environment, electric (and hybrid) cars are pretty freaking cool. I mean, they're based on cutting-edge technology! I don't understand why some people are still happy to putt around in cars that use dated technology when we could be pushing the envelope so much further. I guess there were people who didn't want to give up the horse & buggy when the first automobiles came around, too. | |
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| Would you drive an electric car or truck?
Posted: 4/8/2009 12:00:37 AM |
Since it is easier to switch to hybrids or electric vehicles first, then we should (and are) doing that first. Then, we can worry about how we produce power.
Are you suggesting huge sums of money be invested in a transportation system without adequate planning for providing it with power?
I guess there were people who didn't want to give up the horse & buggy when the first automobiles came around, too.
If there were more horse & buggy folks, more reluctant to accept the car our world would be far less toxic than it is and there would be far less concern about global warming.
Yes, we've heard all the stats about how deep the horse manure would be in the streets if the car hadn't come along, but it isn't logical. Once the poop was too deep to be tolerated people would relocate to more rural areas, or walk. Accepting the car has contributed to accelerating the pace of industrial development.
Since Ford's mass production line started cranking out a car every 93 minutes only 100 years (approximately) ago the car has brought far-reaching and phenomenal change to the world. All the change brought about by the car happened in just barely more than the average human life span, but is only a wee blip in the timeline of the planet. | |
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| Would you drive an electric car or truck?
Posted: 4/8/2009 12:33:12 AM | >Since it is easier to switch to hybrids or electric vehicles first, then we should (and are) >doing that first. Then, we can worry about how we produce power.
>
>Are you suggesting huge sums of money be invested in a transportation system without >adequate planning for providing it with power?
No, I didn't suggest that. What do you mean, transportation system? There is no need for an entirely new transportation system. I am not talking about trains or hydrogen-powered cars. I am talking about electric cars and hybrids. There are plug-in electric cars and hybrids in development and in production that require nothing other than an everyday electric socket, and in the case of hybrids, your everyday gas station for fuel. You didn't look at the links I posted, did you? Check them out.
>I guess there were people who didn't want to give up the horse & buggy when the first
>automobiles came around, too.
>
>If there were more horse & buggy folks, more reluctant to accept the car our world >would be far less toxic than it is and there would be far less concern about global >warming.
Perhaps, perhaps not. I would argue that culture based on selfish materialism and needless over-consumption is more responsible for our world's environmental problems than the automobile alone, but that's besides the point.
>Yes, we've heard all the stats about how deep the horse manure would be in the streets
>if the car hadn't come along, but it isn't logical. Once the poop was too deep to be
>tolerated people would relocate to more rural areas, or walk. Accepting the car has
>contributed to accelerating the pace of industrial development.
I am not sure if you are trying to be funny here or if you are being serious. I'll let others decide that.
>Since Ford's mass production line started cranking out a car every 93 minutes only 100
>years (approximately) ago the car has brought far-reaching and phenomenal change to
>the world. All the change brought about by the car happened in just barely more than
>the average human life span, but is only a wee blip in the timeline of the planet.
I'm not sure of your point here, but sure, the car changed our lives, for the better and also for the worse. No one can dispute that. | |
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| Would you drive an electric car or truck?
Posted: 4/8/2009 1:12:38 PM | I vote we go back to good old natural horse power and buy an equine.. Tear up all the asphalt and collect the poop for organic fertilizer at home.
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