[LINK] plug-in-hybrid-vehicles and grids

[grove at zeta.org.au]

On Mon, 7 Sep 2009, David Boxall wrote:

> On Sun, 6 Sep 2009 at 14:55:37 GMT stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote:
>> In 2010, Ford will sell a plug-in-hybrid-vehicle Ford Transit van.
>>
>> ...
> Plug-in-hybrid? That's a new one on me. From what I see, it just
> combines the disadvantages of hybrids and all-electric vehicles.
> Obviously someone thinks it's a good idea.

It all adds to the green conspiracy.

> On a different tack: how come compressed air hybrids get so little media
> coverage? They're said to be more efficient than battery hybrids, under
> some conditions. Not sexy enough?

Not sexy enough.  People want magic pudding machines that release 
more energy than they put into the system.

The whole "green" thing, when coming from the sources such as Big Oil,
Big Coal, Energy.com, Motor.corp and so on just makes me want to 
scream and yell to people not to fall for it.   Planting trees to offset 
carbon from a rock concert/motor race/etc is just a feel good exercise.

The same applies to all these wonderful new "hybrid" vehicles and 
so on.   In this case, it just makes Big.corp feel good in the marketing 
dept and tax breaks.   The early automobiles were already electric  - 
in 1909 you could buy an electric car and it ran just as well as the 
petrol driven ones.   Just that it appears that some clever wag realised
that a whole distribution chain could be profited from by using gas.

I am a complete sceptic regarding "green initiatives" (careful - I am not 
a global warming sceptic), until a complete new technology stack comes 
along to replace what is already here, because in the end, 
coal companies will keep turning anthracite into smoke, oil companies will 
turn beaches into sumps, motor companies will continue to produce inefficient
modes of transport that are not obsolescence proof and governments will 
continue to let them because it suits their own agendas of resource 
plundering and profit margins etc etc.....


rachel

-- 
Rachel Polanskis                 Kingswood, Greater Western Sydney, Australia
grove at zeta.org.au                http://www.zeta.org.au/~grove/grove.html
    "The perversity of the Universe tends towards a maximum." - Finagle's Law