FollowupID: 538608 Submitted:
Tuesday, Dec 04, 2007 at 13:52
Ingtar posted:
As with any new technology, resource requirements are always greater when they first come out. Once they gain public acceptance and fall into mass production they become much more efficient to produce.
I agree with you they are much more suited to inner city driving, where our cars often spend more time idling at lights than actually driving. The benefit with electric cars here is they are most efficient at take-off, and don't need to be 'running' to achieve immediate response.
As for the production of hydrogen, there are many 'greener' ways to produce the electricity required, and the upside is that hydrogen can store that energy. This means that solar and wind generation is more suitable because you don't necessarily need peak production at the same time as there is peak demand. The downside is there needs to be significant demand (read social acceptance) before these production plants become economically viable.
I have also read the report you talk about, and I believe it was sourced from America, can't remember exactly though. It made some assumptions about battery life etc in the Prius that are still to be proven. I think the Prius is now approaching the 10year age that the batteries are supposed to last, and they haven't had to do a heck of a lot of replacements yet. So be wary what reports you read, and what assumptions they make.
Probably the biggest adjustment to the 'green-ness' of your car is the way you drive it. A little less right boot can go a long way.
