Hybrid Misconception

[Kybosh]

I drive a truck (as of one month ago). Take that you hippies.

[twotoner]

Originally Posted by Sliver

So was it a kit you bought and wired up yourself?

She aint pretty but it gets the job done. City of Calgary does a great job clearing the pathways believe it or not.

I'd recomend http://www.itselectric.ca if you want to keep it local and have someone convert a bike or get a new one set up for you. If you are keen on doing it yourself and learning a little, http://www.ebikes.ca is also great for parts and background info. Endless-Sphere, www.endless-sphere.com/forums, has a lot of excellent information and welcomes newcomers with questions.

[burn_this_city]

How far on one charge??

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Thats rediculous. Try passing on the 2 lane with that bucket of junk between here and Kelowna. Its a sure fire way to end up a hood ornament on a Peterbilt.

I don't think you've driven a Prius, they have easily enough power to pass on a two lane. EASILY. Like I said, I was going 140 without barely any effort when passing on the flat.

Up a hill might be a different story, but any hill steep enough that would make a difference has a passing lane, or you don't pass.

I'd guess that a prius is faster going from 100-140 than at least 50% of cars on the road (and I think that estimate is low)

[twotoner]

It goes 40km on a charge

[SeeGeeWhy]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Thats rediculous. Try passing on the 2 lane with that bucket of junk between here and Kelowna. Its a sure fire way to end up a hood ornament on a Peterbilt.

Electric motors are great at generating torque. The 2009 prius is rated at having 153 ft-lb of torque. As a comparison, am si civic coupe only generates 139 ft-lb of torque at its peak. I don't think a Prius would have trouble passing on the road to Kelowna unless its battery was dying.

[twotoner]

Originally Posted by SeeGeeWhy

Electric motors are great at generating torque. The 2009 prius is rated at having 153 ft-lb of torque. As a comparison, am si civic coupe only generates 139 ft-lb of torque at its peak. I don't think a Prius would have trouble passing on the road to Kelowna unless its battery was dying.

So true. I have torque arms on my bike above to prevent the motor ripping the dropouts apart. Tesla has a good page on torque:

" Acceleration & Torque

Instant Freedom

The first time you drive the Tesla Roadster, prepare to be surprised. You're at freeway speed in seconds without even thinking about it. There is no clutch pedal to contend with and no race-car driving techniques to perform. Just the touch of your foot and you're off, without any of the sluggishness of an automatic.
How powerful is the acceleration? A quick story to illustrate. A favorite trick here at Tesla Motors is to invite a passenger along and ask him to turn on the radio. At the precise moment we ask, we accelerate. Our passenger simply can't sit forward enough to reach the dials. But who needs music when you're experiencing such a symphony of motion.
Rest assured that this responsiveness works at all speeds, as noticeable when you're inching your way through parking lots as when flying along freeways.
100% Torque, 100% of the Time

The Tesla Roadster delivers full availability of performance every moment you are in the car, even while at a stoplight. Its peak torque begins at 0 rpm and stays powerful at 14,000 rpm.
This is the precise opposite of what you experience with a gasoline engine, which has very little torque at a low rpm and only reaches peak torque in a narrow rpm range. This forces you to make frequent gear changes to maintain optimal torque. With the Tesla Roadster, you get great acceleration and the highest energy efficiency at the same time. All while requiring no special driving skills to enjoy it. This makes the Tesla Roadster six times as efficient as the best sports cars while producing one-tenth of the pollution.

"
http://www.teslamotors.com/performan...and_torque.php

[stampsx2]

My step-dad has a Camry hybrid and when I went for a drive in it I was impressed. It's a little too small for me and would be hard to get used to after having a truck for so long. But if I had a cross-city drive to work everyday I would strongly consider it.

I have a feeling gas prices are slowly creeping up on us and once it passes a certain level like $1.50 a liter I may not have a choice. He says he gets on average 6L/100Km which to me right now is only a dream.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by habernac

Carbon offsets or credits are the biggest bunch of BS since the Nigerian money email. All they are is something that makes some rich person feel better for their continued bad habits. At least someone driving a hybrid in the city is contributing to better air quality.

Sounds like driving a Hybrid car A better solution would be to by $5000 worth of green power then to drive a Hybrid. Subsidizing wind power would be a much more efficient way of producing real reductions in CO2 emisiions.

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by GGG

A better solution would be to by $5000 worth of green power then to drive a Hybrid. Subsidizing wind power would be a much more efficient way of producing real reductions in CO2 emisiions.

Didn't we have this discussion. Like, a couple weeks ago. Oi. So I guess I'll ask the same question I did last time.

If I buy a hybrid car, and I banned from buying green power?