Quote:
Originally Posted by Staples
You'll see more and more go the electric route. Diesel has been out for a long time and it is more so economical, burns cleaner, but it's not very easy to come across nowadays. Only a select number of gas stations still carry it.
The Hybrid option is one of the best inventions in my opinion. You get the best of both worlds, especially if it's a vehicle that you have to charge. It still causes a certain degree of pollution because of a combustion based motor along with the fact it uses batteries.
I think you're going to see more Hydrogen based vehicles in the next 10 years to come though.
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Diesel is everywhere, but the % of fuel diesel produced per barrel of crude is rather low comparatively. Our truck fleet (and home heating oil) uses quite a bit.
Electricity is not green: don't be a lemming in america into thinking so. Our renewable energy as a % of total generation is still small (IIRC about 15%). No nukes have been built in years. It has to come from somewhere, and the bulk of it is non-renewable.
Super cars with hybrids are a way for these companies to also get around MPG regulations as they become stiffer. The ability to produce something that can get say 30 MPG in a hybrid mode but still have 500+ HP to feed into the egos of those with the wallets to buy these cars makes it possible.
Petrol is not going anywhere folks...though the price is going up
I like hybrid drive trains that have start/stop and the ability to regenerate, but our infrastructure cannot handle the electric load as it is during peak utilization. Having plugin hybrids would stress it even further without significant capacity improvements (such as...more nukes).
I do wish our choice of Diesel powertrains in the US was that of the EU. That won't happen until we have 8-10/gal fuel. Not that I wish that...but its the reality of our economy and how most americans choose to drive.
I'd love to replace the WRX wagon with a A4 TDI Avant someday.
- b