Quote:
Originally Posted by daepp
The electric car might be great in a couple of decades but as a way to tackle global warming now it does virtually nothing. The real challenge is to get green energy that is cheaper than fossil fuels. That requires heavy investment in green research and development. Spending instead on subsidizing electric cars is putting the cart before the horse, and an inconvenient and expensive cart at that.
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This is the crux of the whole green vehicle conundrum today. Hybrid and electric powered vehicles at this point are just a stop-gap between conventional gas-powered cars, and whatever the future holds, be it hydrogren-power, bio-diesel, or whatever hasn't been invented yet.
Bio-diesel makes sense, but only in areas that do not have colder climates. Bio-diesel fuel tends to congeal very quickly, and can clog the fuel lines.
Hydrogen powered vehicles still have a long way to go, and the manufacture of hydrogen is still very costly, and not always environmentally friendly. Besides, not too many people want to be driving in a car that has 2 5,000 psi tanks of hydrogen sitting under their butts, given hydrogen's tendancy to go BOOM in non-ideal conditions such as sudden impacts and sparks.
Solar works as a means to charge a battery and propel a lightweight vehicle, but you'd need a foot-ball
field sized solar panel to effectively power your typical 3,500 to 4,000 lb sedan or SUV. Not very practical.
Still, something's gotta happen - and while the hybrid and electric cars of today are an interesting study in technology, they aren't the solution.
I wonder if its worth looking into super conductivity and electro-magnets -- kinda like some of the super-trains in Asia...
My $0.42,
-Z-man.