The only reason the Prius is so expensive is due to the hybrid engine, just because you are spending $6000 more doesn't mean you are getting $6000 more car. I go by size, which is what one looks at when buying a car. If you want a mid-sized car you are not going to look at a Prius, you would look at the Camry hybrid. If you want a compact or small car you would look at the Prius and if you wanted a mini you'd look at the Honda Insight.
hybrid engine? dude. you mean the electrical engine. or do you mean the battery pack.
the four stroke combustion cycle was detailed as early as the mid 1800s, patented in the 1860s. electrical motors since the 1820s. its the integration of both into a seamless unit that has taken so long. and like fuel injection its had to wait for advances in computing power in order to be manifested properly.
the prices of batteries is coming down. technology is making them more powerful, efficient and cheaper to produce. just like old circuit boards are being recyled into elctrical toys, they will find ways to reduce the waste from batteries. they are expensive, but thats changing
i agree that most people shop by size. but most people also shop by price. you mean to tell me if you want a midsize car you shop the mazda 3, prius, 5 series, maserati whatever it is and bently arnage? you dont. you know you have a budget, you stick to whatever your budget decides.
i seriously cross shopped a loaded mini cooper S works and a tahoe and an S2000 honda and an EVO. seriously. theres a whole bag of size difference there. but considering the prices including rebates, they were all in my budget and i thought about them all. 3 are enthusiast cars of course, one was going to be a toy hauler for my other toy (1969 BMW 2002 that would have become a dedicated vintage racer!) then i decided to keep my car, get a bike instead.
If this was the case then companies would just make lower emission petrol engines because the technology is cheaper and the cost to build them is cheaper. Hybrids aren't cheap (obliviously) to build or to research. Small petrol engines are. If GM was out to reduce it's overall CAFE why wouldn't they just bring out their small European cars like the Opel Corsa?
if it was as easy as you say, they would have done just that. in fact i'll quote someone here to make my point for me.
YSSMAN
car companies cannot control the demands of the consumer.
paraphrased
people are willing to spend mid 20s on a green car. instead of spending mid teens on an economy car. it might be a prestige thing. it might be a snob thing. it might be a green thing.
fact is most cars sold in the NA market have bigger engines than thier counterparts in other parts of the world. if GM make thier 1.3 liter compact car available how many sales do you think theyd make? how much would they have to subsidise the price in order to make those sales?
would the cost in subsidising those cars be the same as that on a hybrid which also gives them a greener image for free?
the car companies have to make what will sell. japanese kei cars might make it here in the future. but how many of the SUV driving, "i want a safer car" sheep are going to buy one when they know that some drunken teenager in a 70s ford bronco could decimate them by missing a stop sign.
applying just a little thought easily gives us the solution that a higher price point car with more expensive technology that gives you free publicity and a greener image is cheaper than a smaller cheaper car.
remember, the car companies dont just answer to their shareholders. they also answer to the DOT, EPA, NHTSA, ambulance chasing lawyers, labour unions, vendors, advertisers, and unwittingly to organisations like green peace, earth first, marketing and image companies and so on.
making a little car (corolla) doenst cost much less than making a camry. really only a difference of materials. making a corolla sized car for camry money with expensive tech is cheaper than making a kei car you cant sell.
For a large, off the grid kit, yes it will be that expensive and that will power your entire home. I'm suggesting a smaller kit that reduces the power you do use, such as the
SPS Energy Cottage 240 Solar Kit which is sold for $3,272.50 plus the cost of shipping. You won't be able to run your entire home off of this but during the sunny months you could take full advantage and reduce the amount of power you are drawing. Or you could even bump it up to the
SPS Energy Cottage 320 Solar Kit and really take advantage of the sun's power.
requires an inverter to run regular appliances. this is for battery powered items only. nice cheap kit though. one i didnt know about. but remember,
if all youre doing is reducing your electric consumption, you arent generating enough power to charge your plug in hybrid.
But why not just do the cheap things like adding the $25
compact fluorescent light bulbs that are 75% more efficient then the incandescent ones and last much longer. Or you could get the $100
programmable thermostat.
Also energy saving appliances are only about $100 then the non-energy savings one so if you were going to buy one why wouldn't you just buy the one with the Energy Star badge on it?
Windows for an average house would be about $6000 depending on what kind of windows you had. I know when we put windows in our home it was around that price and we did get the energy saving ones. I can vouch the electric bill in the summer went down as did the gas bill in the winter.
not really relevant to the actual car discussion but im going to leave them here so people can see. im a big fan of energy conservation so the more people who read this the better. im all for reducing electric consumption and have actually looked at going off grid. i just happen to live in a stupid real estate environment so i dont own a home so its not going to happen. but i have looked at all those things youve talked about.
its not just that. its;
landscaping. planting seasonal shade trees that shield your house from direct sun when blooming in summer, but when its winter/ fall the branches are barren of leaves and that allows the sun to still give you light and heat.
insulation.
design. different floorplans of the same size will have radically different energy consumption.
orientation, you need a large south facing wall for a heat collection/ passive radiation and also a south facing roof for solar panels. that way you harness more of the suns power in winter. in summer its a given youre gonna get it.
materials. this ones a duh. but windows and insulation come to mind.
reduced consumption as youve stated. this involves everything from what appliances you use to how you use them and when you use them.
but all that is nothing without the big one, vigilance. no use having an energy efficient home if youre gonna leave the windows open all day. lights on. etc
...poor economy? Heavy car?
, they work about as well as four 60 watt straight bulbs do.
