Where is hybridcars.com ?
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·I was beginning to think it might have been "silenced" by pro-hydrogen bush-ites! :wink: Let's hope we can survive under radar here for a while.... 8) 8)
Maybe, but the forum was still active a few days ago ! (I was there too).
Sad, anyway...
By the way, in France there is a site called "moteurnature" held by people who pretend to be "green" and who are in fact almost exclusively promoting hydrogen and fuel cells. They don't understand anything about hybrids (although they claim it's really cool) and I was fired out of their forum several times (under different user names) because I was trying to put some real technical arguments in the discussion...
I'm with you Frenchie! Vive la "auld alliance"! *
Have to admit I'm not surprised at the number of forward thinking types in your homeland though - Citroen are one of the most innovative manufacturers in the world (think of the DS). And you guys have had electric Saxos and 5% biodiesel nationally for ages. Nothing like that over here!
Come to think of it, that reminds me that the closest thing to a plugin hybrid yet was meant to come out this year from Citroen - the Xsara Dynactive with a 10km all electric range (IIRC) with the engine switched off for urban zones at the flick of a switch. Citroen also had a fairly advanced prototype plug-in hybrid (the Dynavolt http://www.benerridge.freeserve.co.uk/dynavolt.htm) and Renault are (allegedly) seriously considering testing the market with a plugin hybrid version of the Kangoo delivery van with a 20km or so electric range. Can't imagine any of the American companies being this advanced in this direction. :wink:
As for your hydrogen fans over there, I have to admit I too was once in their camp. The physicist and the romantic in me really want hydrogen to work. :? But, it was after I looked at the sums for myself and realised that for 1kWhr of primary electricity a current hydrogen car can only go 0.8 miles compared to the 4 miles of a current battery car, and that PEM fuel cells are only 50% efficient (vs 46% for the vastly cheaper latest TDi engines!), that I realised plugin hybrids are by far the most cost-effective and ecologically sound way forward.
Ah well. They'll catch up sooner or later! 8)
(* Scots for "Let's all gang up against the English")[/url]
Have to admit I'm not surprised at the number of forward thinking types in your homeland though - Citroen are one of the most innovative manufacturers in the world (think of the DS). And you guys have had electric Saxos and 5% biodiesel nationally for ages. Nothing like that over here!
Come to think of it, that reminds me that the closest thing to a plugin hybrid yet was meant to come out this year from Citroen - the Xsara Dynactive with a 10km all electric range (IIRC) with the engine switched off for urban zones at the flick of a switch. Citroen also had a fairly advanced prototype plug-in hybrid (the Dynavolt http://www.benerridge.freeserve.co.uk/dynavolt.htm) and Renault are (allegedly) seriously considering testing the market with a plugin hybrid version of the Kangoo delivery van with a 20km or so electric range. Can't imagine any of the American companies being this advanced in this direction. :wink:
As for your hydrogen fans over there, I have to admit I too was once in their camp. The physicist and the romantic in me really want hydrogen to work. :? But, it was after I looked at the sums for myself and realised that for 1kWhr of primary electricity a current hydrogen car can only go 0.8 miles compared to the 4 miles of a current battery car, and that PEM fuel cells are only 50% efficient (vs 46% for the vastly cheaper latest TDi engines!), that I realised plugin hybrids are by far the most cost-effective and ecologically sound way forward.
Ah well. They'll catch up sooner or later! 8)
(* Scots for "Let's all gang up against the English")[/url]
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