Comments on: Gas slides under $2.00

By: hoyt

hoyt — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 16:26:22 +0000

Todd,

“non-patriotic, anti-war protesters” — ha! Exercising one’s Freedom of Speech is very patriotic.

By: aaron

aaron — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 20:26:39 +0000

in my first post i forgot to include this:

besides, when toyota starts combining v8’s (v10’s?) with electric motors, many will be glad we suffered through the first generations of hybrid. Le Mans 2010? i think endurance racing might turn into a fuel economy contest!

(i know someone at some point will say something about the corvette getting good fuel economy out of a 6L V8… while the corvette c6 has earned my respect, the transmission was designed to trick the standard epa test, forcing you to drive 30 in fourth gear, unless you want to go full throttle before shifting into second. I guess you could shift 1–>4th, then downshift into 2nd or 3rd…)

By: coho

coho — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 18:51:01 +0000

It’s not the dollars worth of gas saved at the end of the year by a single vehicle that makes the hybrids worth a bit more, it’s that they simply use less fuel. Less fuel used, fuel lasts longer. Petroleum based fuel isn’t all but gone, as we’ve been hearing since the ’70s, but we are using it up faster than it is being replenished. If we use it up a bit more slowly, we’ll still have some in the period between now and when we are offered an alternative that’s actually fun. Keep your SUV, they’re handy, but commute on your motorcycle/scooter/hybrid/etc.
We as a species are notoriously bad at taking the long view, this is an opportunity for us to think (and plan) generationally. I can’t go out and buy a hydrogen powered hover-bike, but it would be cool if my children could (or theirs).

By: todd

todd — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 17:38:47 +0000

it’s all a gimick. Do you think it costs Toyota all that much to include a small electric motor in a car? I think they’re just capitolizing on a trend and non-patriotic anti-war protesters.
-todd

By: sigint

sigint — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 17:33:20 +0000

I think it’s good there are hybrid cars. If they aren’t deployed now, when should they be? Should it be when the threat is clear and real? It seems to be that human beings rarely think ahead and always try to fix things when we’re deep in the problem instead of looking ahead and solving the problem now.

Yes they are “expensive” now but as time goes on they can figure out how to make it cheaper. If hybrids were to be introduced in the mist of the problem, how much do you think a hybrid would cost? Probably a lot more than they do now.

Also, if what the WSJ is saying is true, then it does make economical sense depending on what your situation is. For example, I can buy a cheapo Walmart DVD player for $20 that’ll last maybe a year or I can buy a high quality one that cost $150 that’ll last for 5 years or longer. Depending on my situation, the one that’s $20 might be a better deal because I have enough money to only spend $20 a year on a DVD player instead of $200 up front.

Depending on their situation, people might find it better to spend the money on a hybrid and not have to pay as many times for gas in a month. Some people can afford to pay more times per month for gas.