In the past, we Angry Men have been rather rude to hybrids. Not without reason, of course (and not without provocation–as anyone who’s been nearly suffocated in the cloud of Smug produced by the Prius crowd can appreciate).
Still, the mark of any rational man is to realize when he may have been unfair, and since it’s Friday and we Angry Men traditionally want to have a bit of fun today, let’s take a look at some hybrids and electric vehicles that we might all actually want to drive:
Hybrid Technologies 220mpg AXP Entry ($65,000)
Universal Electric Vehicle Spyder ($70,000)
Tesla Roadster ($109,000)
Why, you may ask, are we spending time looking at these toys for the idle rich? Well, mostly because they’re awesome, of course (this is Friday). But, also, it’s been so long that we’ve all probably forgotten that roadsters were one of the original driving forces in automotive development and adoption. Back when cars were far too expensive for just anyone to have one, commercial vehicles and roadsters helped pave the way—two markets where bottom line price is usually not as important as other factors. Here’s hoping this is the start of a whole new way to drive!
But, on to the discussion: What will make you switch from the good old fashioned internal combustion engine? Price? Performance? Street Cred? Geek Cred? What will it take to persuade you to drink the Kool Aid?
May 30, 2008 at 3:45 pm
AOC asks:
What will make you switch from the good old fashioned internal combustion engine? Price? Performance? Street Cred? Geek Cred? What will it take to persuade you to drink the Kool Aid?
$4 gas is doing a pretty good job of selling me, though of course the cost analysis doesn’t work out. 🙂
Seriously, if I was in the market for anything but a car to kick around on the weekends, I’d consider a hybrid. That’s because I would want something like a Prius for its amenities anyway. Given that I really only need a car for weekends and trips, having too much money in one is dumb. Hybrids are simply too expensive for me at present.
June 2, 2008 at 3:46 pm
What will make you switch from the good old fashioned internal combustion engine? Price? Performance? Street Cred? Geek Cred?
The minute I
1) need a new car and
2) the price is right for the value.
I don’t need the latest fad (I usually eschew it, really), but I don’t want to pay for a BMW and get a Chevy with a quiet motor.
My biggest annoyance of the whole slow change to electric cars is that combustion engines won’t ever make the switch to CVTs. This could have made a much more efficient automatic transmission 20 years ago.
If the right stars align and combustion engines don’t die a horrible death in the next 20 years, CVTs might have a chance to make their contribution.
June 5, 2008 at 10:40 am
I feel I have much to say on this topic, as I:
-currently drive a roaster
-am an internal combustion engine designer
Internal combustion will never go away completely, because liquid (or solid, such as the bunker fuel that ocean going vessels burn) fuels will always have a greater energy density (volume and weight) than batteries, hydraulic accumulators, ultra-capacitors, and whatever else may come along. However, the average Joe commuting or having weekend fun doesn’t need to carry enough energy to transport millions of tons thousands of miles. A 40 mile range of say, the proposed Chevy Volt, would do perfect for most people just going back and forth to work.
The very concept of a roadster is minimalism. Strip away everything you don’t need – back seat, roof, air conditioner, etc. The pure light weight of the car results in better gas mileage. My 2500 pound car, for example, gets 25/30 mpg, which might be comprable to a mid sized sedan, but I’m having a lot more fun burning my fuel with reckless abandon. With a 10 gallon tank, $4/gal fuel still doesn’t hurt that much.
This minimalist roadster concept creates a strange caveot for the hybrid though. Everyone associates hybrids with fuel economy, but a hybrid is simply an optimization – the Prius optimizes it for smug, oops, I mean fuel economy. A different design could be tweaked for much more fun! Alternate storage devices can supply power for acceleration off the line when a typical 4-cylinder roadster is still finding its feet. Drive technoloy (typically electric motors) open up exciting new frontiers in AWD, with minimum added weight. Also, heavier system components can be placed stragecially throught the chassis to develop the ideal weight distribution.
For me, the koolaid becomes palletable when a similarly priced hybrid roadster outperforms my 2.0 l 4-banger. This is not to say I wouldn’t homebrew one for weekend fun, though.
March 28, 2014 at 7:05 am
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May 2, 2014 at 6:31 am
Interesting question. Just as long as its price defines its value, maybe. But then again, cars like these are not for everyday use and not practical. But who doesn’t want to have something like this, right? Thanks for sharing!
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