Would you ever buy an electric car?

[Speedbag]

During my brief stay on this planet, I vow wholeheartedly to burn up as much dead dinosaur juice in my personal conveyances as I possibly can.

Suck, squeeze, bang, blow. Repeat.

Amen.

[Johnny OrganDonor]

Not ready to go all electric but this cute little hybrid eco concept sounds nice.  Don't think it's posted yet.

http://www.porsche.com/usa/aboutporsche/pressreleases/pag/?pool=international-de&id=2010-03-02

[ducatiz]

I'm holding out for the US to get off it's ass and set up the infrastructure for NG powered cars.

+1

I assume you've seen the PHILL?  It was co-marketed with the CNG Hondas.  Company running it went bankrupt.

I tried to get one.  Don't have a CNG car, but I know they'll come around. 

[Drunken Monkey]

Here in the People's Яespublic of CA you see a fair number of fleet vehicles running on CNG. But I suspect they're either aftermarket modifications or the manufacturers only make sales to fleet buyers.

Makes sense: If you have a fleet of vehicles, you're already in a position to have your own gas pumps. So why not spend a bit extra and set up CGN refueling (and get clear air tax rebates, etc.)

[lethe]

I used to have a coworker that commuted -daily- from Cherry Hill NJ to downtown Manhattan.  2.5 hours each way.

I asked him why, and he said it very simply...

We have four kids.  Cherry Hill has nice homes for decent prices (compared to the NYC metro).  I can send my kids to public school there and they'll end up at Harvard, whereas the public schools in NYC are garbage, and what I do simply doesn't exist in Cherry Hill or (nearby) philly.

It really opened my (then single and childless) eyes.  He could not afford to live in or close to NYC and where he needed to live, he couldn't make enough money.

I am one of these fools too.
Hawley, PA to NYC everyday. Even when gas was at it's highest the numbers still worked in my favor and the only really bad part of the commute is the city and the area immediately surrounding it so I'd have to put up with that anyway.

Whomever wants to admonish me as a gross polluter for living unnecessarily far away do so when you get rid of your truck/SUV and only use things like your bike for purposeful travel only. 

[angler]

I plan to put propane injection on my next diesel, does that count as green?

[ducatiz]

I plan to put propane injection on my next diesel, does that count as green?

just buy one of those "Carbon Fartprint" stickers.  that will do it.

[cyrus buelton]

I'd be a little worried driving around with a tank of LP in my car...............


Talk about a big bang on collision with another vehicle or object.

[angler]

I'd be a little worried driving around with a tank of LP in my car...............


Talk about a big bang on collision with another vehicle or object.

Lots of CNG/LPG powered vehicles on the road.  Almost the whole Rebublic of Kalifornia state vehicle fleet.  Metro here in DC is replacing a lot of its older buses with CNG buses.  Lots of commercial fleets around here use CNG. Back in the late 70's gas crunch many commercial fleets converted.  Every RV has a tank.  How many times do you hear of a vehicle going boom?  No safety issues that I know of......

[Autostrada Pilot]

There are lots of CNG vehicles where I live (there's even a filler station just 2 miles from my house). I looked into the CNG civics, but they have pretty small tanks and you can only go like 200 miles between fillups.  This would work well for my commute, but I'm concerned that'd I'd get stuck somewhere when I couldn't find a CNG station.  I bet the iPhone has an app for that though (too bad I don't have an iphone).

I think that as more people adopt hybrid, electric and CNG cars, the price of gasoline will fall as demand drops.  I'll be there to enjoy reasonable priced gasoline in my existing metal box. 

How much energy/metal does it take to make a new metal box? Does the energy saved by operation these less-oil-dependent cars outweigh the energy/natural resources needed to create a new metal box to replace an existing metal box (of course cars wear out and need to be replaced, but it seems like we build cars faster than we NEED them).

[angler]

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2008/05/the-ultimate-pr/
http://environment.about.com/od/environmentfriendlyautos/a/new_old_cars.htm
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/car-ownership-carbon-footprint-460109

The answer is: it depends.  Batteries are nasty, toxic things.  Most agree that somewhere around 28% of the total carbon footprint  of a new car across its entire lifecycle is in its manufacture.  So is it better to keep a well running, low mpg used car.  Probably yes.  If you have to buy a new car, you are better off, from a green standpoint, buying the highest mpg car out there.  That's not necessarily a hybrid.  One of the VW diesels gets better mileage without all the electro-motive crap.

[cyrus buelton]

Lots of CNG/LPG powered vehicles on the road.  Almost the whole Rebublic of Kalifornia state vehicle fleet.  Metro here in DC is replacing a lot of its older buses with CNG buses.  Lots of commercial fleets around here use CNG. Back in the late 70's gas crunch many commercial fleets converted.  Every RV has a tank.  How many times do you hear of a vehicle going boom?  No safety issues that I know of......

I just figured the tank would be much bigger on a vehicle then on a camper/RV.

They must be well protected.


We aren't that advanced in the midwest.

[angler]

I just figured the tank would be much bigger on a vehicle then on a camper/RV.

They must be well protected.


We aren't that advanced in the midwest.

The installs that I personally know (farm pick ups) the tank is mounted in the bed - no extra protection. Those CNG/propane pressure vessels are EXTREMELY tough - very difficult to rupture.

[ducatiz]

I'd be a little worried driving around with a tank of LP in my car...............


Talk about a big bang on collision with another vehicle or object.

DOT approved CNG tanks are pretty much bomb proof.  Even if the valve breaks, there is a checkball inside to prevent gas from flowing out.

I'd say they are safer than a regular gas tank, esp now that many cars have plastic tanks

[cyrus buelton]

Interesting info, guys.


So how sturdy is my LP Tank for my grill?