Hybrids, EPA VS Prius

I don't understand all the ruckus about the new EPA mileage tests lowering hybrid mpg. Correct me if I do be wrong -- I've seen recently, many times, that the the EPA standards were changed for hybrids however the truth seems that the EPA standards were changed for all cars as the tests for all cars have been modernized/accurized by the EPA. So it appears that many/most/all cars had their mpg lowered right along with the hybrids and that hybrids remain in the top ranks of mpg and the seldom mentioned but all important greenhouse/ pollution index.
Comparing roughly comprable cars like the Corolla, Golf, Accura, Camry and Volvo the Prius still has better than twice the city mpg and less
than twice the hwy mpg and often half or 2/3 the greenhouse gas emissions. The Volkswagen Deisel is the only competitor I find in this brief survey.

Even if a more thorough review finds more competition for the Prius it is still way up there and was single-handedly the technology that built
the path to the PHV of the near future.

So my conclusion -- all the articles about the EPA lowering hybrid mpg are media hype as the truth is all cars got their mpg lowered.

Al

It's true, but the media likes drama. Everyone loves to watch the "almighty hybrid" be put it it's place either because they are jealous or any hybrid owners they have come in contact with were *ssholes to them or went on a holy quest on how their car was better than theirs.

South Park even had their shares of laughs making fun of the subject. We all know that hybrids are nothing new, heck it's like century old technology when you look at diesel powered trains that did exactly the same thing. Use a diesel engine to power a generator that runs an electric motor.

I think they are a step in the right direction, and before long I'm sure all modern gas powered vehicles will be like this. Even if the all electric car doesn't displace them in the near future. They will still have military and commercial purposes I'm sure, but getting all the wasted energy off the road is certainly good for our health and environment as a planet.

Using gas to build buildings or bridges, yeah makes sense. Using gas to power your car and waste over 90% of the energy as you drive, not so good.

knightmb wrote:

Using gas to power your car and waste over 90% of the energy as you drive, not so good.

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From an article in the September 2005 issue of Scientific American:

Despite 119 years of refinement, the modern car remains astonishingly inefficient. Only 13 percent of its fuel energy even reaches the wheels - the other 87 percent is either dissipated as heat and noise in the engine and drivetrain or lost to idling and accessories such as air conditioners. Of the energy delivered to the wheels, more than half heats the tires, road and air. Just 6 percent of the fuel energy actually accelerates the car (and all this energy converts to brake heating when you stop). And, because 95 percent of the accelerated mass is the car itself, less than 1 percent of the fuel ends up moving the driver.

Thats alot of energy wasted.
Energy contained in a litre of fuel

Petrol 9,700Wh/l 12,200Wh/kg
Diesel 10,700Wh/l 12,700Wh/kg

This electric car suffers from the same problem of heating its tires. :wink:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=f0sm0llYfew

Greg

I don't consider heating the tires to be an inefficiency :lol:

Lowell said:

I don't consider heating the tires to be an inefficiency :lol:

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Yeah, good point. If it didn't (no friction), you would slide off the road in the first turn