Study defends green credentials of EV's

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted By: supton

Could do what NH did. On I93 in Hooksett there is a toll. I guess for 100 yards it isn't I93 but something else.

Tolls make sense, for point of use; but I have looked a few times of circumnavigating them to save a buck. But that puts a load onto side roads. No good answer IMO.


I could see their use for certain areas. Like in CT we have a lot of traffic going from Boston to NY.

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted By: Coprolite
While off topic, I must say that the US needs to increase the gas tax. I pay big money in tolls each day to pay for infrastructure that should be covered by taxes. I also want to feel safe driving over any bridge in the US.


Most states and locales have the gasoline tax money going into the general fund. Only a portion goes to roads. As for tolls, I suspect the same MO.

 

[Trav]

Give these politicians in MA more tax money and they spend it on all sorts of useless garbage or outright steal it in the form of kickbacks. You don't give these people 1 penny more in tax until they prove by audit they are spending the money for its appropriated purpose

I don't care what party they belong to its the same scam with a different twist, getting more money out of your pocket and into theirs while making you believe its for a good cause is the end game.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: SonofJoe
Finally, as an engineer, the complexity and shear amount of 'stuff' you need to make a realistic EV or hybrid bothers me. It's not just the costly and not particularly green-to-manufacture batteries, it's the regenerative braking systems, it's the 'range extender' you need to drive any distance, it's the wildly complex transmission systems that you need to marry up all the various sources of power and it's the weight of all this stuff you have to cart around in the name of saving fuel and reducing emissions.


I'm not sure what is complex in an EV. Code, perhaps. But hardware? ICE has more parts, and in the engine alone. Battery, convertor, motor, differential.

Hybrids can be more complex than conventional, with more parts. However, Prius does have a battery pack, and electric motor; but no transmission. [I believe they got rid of even the serpentine belt!] Regeneration is done by the electric motor, so no additional parts there.


Ford, Toyota, and Honda hybrids are relatively simple. Ford-Toyota hybrids do have a "transmission", yet I consider the transmission the sum total of 2 electric motors and 1 simple planetary gearset, for smooth power split with no clutches, no torque convertors, no shifting.

Its true no serpentine is needed. Honda Accords have a clever series-parallel arrangement, series at low speeds, and one dog-tooth clutch for power split (parallel) at higher speeds, not too complicated.

As for battery weight, thats why I don't favor PlugIn hybrids, since I have a gas engine with the penalty of a large Li-Ion battery in the back, too much in my opinion, and also too expensive (have you priced a Volt lately? too high). Non-plugIn Hybrids with something like a 1.5 kWH battery makes more sense, giving you a decent 40-60 MPG without severe weight penalty.

 

[wwillson]

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