Toyota Prius, transport, and the future.

[yorkie_chris]

My bike's got a headlamp on it, I'm not too worried about unlit roads
Also it would be nice to see the sky rather than just an orange glow.

What happens if you're walking home from a night out? What if you break down? Or your property's been vandalised? Every noise outside is a lot scarier if you can't look and see there's nothing there.

I cannot comprehend how we're expected to put the safety of ourselves and our property at risk for the sake of 'reducing carbon', by switching off street lights. We've had street lights for thousands of years, why switch them off now??

[yorkie_chris]

Round here there are streets lit where noone lives. It's gotta be into megawatts of power which is mental.

That at least is fair, but they're talking about possibly doing it everywhere, not just industrial areas.

You'll just have homeowners fitting security lights to the fronts of their houses, coming on everything a leaf blows past. Same street lighting *sort of* except now the council doesn't have to pay for it. Egads, it's a conspiracy!

Fuel oil from coal is expensive...done by the Germans in the 30/40s and South Africa because they had plenty of coal and little oil but expensive to do.

I agree about safety of the 2CV but since the first one built could only do 40mph flat out...an accident will be a slow accident.

A very basic diesel or petrol car will be a better bet than any electric.

When was the last time nuclear fusion was talked about? Why isn't money being put into that? It is another possiable that requires far more energy than it makes, after all trying to copy how a star produces energy.

They can now get more energy out than the put in using lasers to get the hydrogen atoms close enough to make helium. Next they need to figure out a way to sustain it.

As for biofuel, recently a type bacteria (e coli) was modified to produce bio fuel when fed, so it will soon be viable to create it in tank etc, rather than take up valuable farming land.



The biggest problem is overpopulation!! people need to start thinking, and act by only having on 1 or 2 children, there are too many of us on this planet.

[ophic]

Originally Posted by beabert

They can now get more energy out than the put in using lasers to get the hydrogen atoms close enough to make helium. Next they need to figure out a way to sustain it.

That's basically nuclear fusion. To my knowledge it hasn't been perfected yet. Can you quote your sources?

And you never get more energy out than put in. Fundamentally impossible, even if some of that energy is contained in mass form.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by The Basket

I agree about safety of the 2CV but since the first one built could only do 40mph flat out...an accident will be a slow accident.

But just because some hippies paint flowers on them it doesn't mean that's all that's coming out of the exhaust...

More NOx and HCs than some houseboat sized muscle car lol

I run two v8 land rovers totaling 7.5 litres, and my sv. The landies are both gas converted. Our Disco is the family car. It is 10 years old, in great condition and is considerably less poluting than both petrol and diesel. It covers less than 6000 miles a year and will never cost as much environmentally that a Prius ect that have batteries created from materials that scar the Earth and have a massive carbon footprint to create. My series landie was built in 1968 and is maintained well enough that it too has a minimal footprint (LPG, parts maintained so as not to need replacing etc) from manufacture to scrappage. I also only cover about 2000 miles a year. Our main mileage is covered by the bike. Although it has come by ship from Japan, it regularly returns 55mpg, is also well looked after and causes a lot less damage (road surface, space on the roads, and consumables etc) than any hybrid car. What will happen to the mighty Prius when it is an old car and in need of serious repair? How much environmental damage will it cause when it is scrapped. I am willing to put a large amount of money on the fact that my Land Rover will be running for far longer that any Prius now on the road.

I pass many different types of vehicle every day and am always amused that 99% only have the dirver on board. By anyones maths, a full 7 seater people carrier will always be more economical than a Prius with only a driver.
Simply, no vehicle can ever be classed as 'green' simply due to its environmental cost of manufacture, running and maintainance. However, attitudes towards motoring can make it have much less of an impact; Do you need to make that journey? ...Can I car share? ...Do I really need the newest car?

That's my 2p's worth. Take it or leave it.

Originally Posted by ophic

That's basically nuclear fusion. To my knowledge it hasn't been perfected yet. Can you quote your sources?

And you never get more energy out than put in. Fundamentally impossible, even if some of that energy is contained in mass form.

Yes nuclear fusion, fission is a another dead end in the future, ofcourse its not been perfected otherwise we wouldn't be having this discusion lol.

Yep mass is energy, the energy gained from the difference is mass is more than the power used to power the lasers etc etc.