Figuring Out How Much a Hybrid, Diesel, or Small Car Will Save Per Year

The cost of the batteries (which are expensive and use relatively new
technology compared to the lead-acid batteries that usually start cars),
the electric motor, and the electronics to control the hybrid system.
There might also be an additional cost for the transmission or device
that connects the motor to the rest of the drive train.

I suspect that the materials used to make the front-loading washers are
a little more expensive. They may be more expensive to make just because
the washer machine companies haven't been making them for some time.

Jeff

 

I think you have that backwards but you seem to correct it below.

It certainly takes energy (much of it necessarily in the form of
fossil fuel) to mine and process the ore into nuclear fuel, but this
doesn't mean that there isn't a big net savings in CO2 emission. A
pound of nuclear fuel provides energy equivalent to 100,000 barrels of
oil. Even if it takes a hundred barrels to refine it, that is still a
huge reduction in CO2.

This isn't an unqualified endorsement of nuclear energy, but it does
have potential to reduce greenhouse gases.

 

I think you have that backwards but you seem to correct it below.

It certainly takes energy (much of it necessarily in the form of
fossil fuel) to mine and process the ore into nuclear fuel, but this
doesn't mean that there isn't a big net savings in CO2 emission. A
pound of nuclear fuel provides energy equivalent to 100,000 barrels of
oil. Even if it takes a hundred barrels to refine it, that is still a
huge reduction in CO2.

This isn't an unqualified endorsement of nuclear energy, but it does
have potential to reduce greenhouse gases.

 

Yes, the batteries are costly, but it's hardly fair to refer to them as "new
technology" - Ni-MH batteries have been around for a very long time now.
And the transmission device is far simpler than the average auto box and
much cheaper to manufacture. Maintenance costs for it reflect that
simplicity, i.e. zero. Much of what is said about the Prius is hearsay and
guesswork (Note "there might also be and additional cost...", rather than
"the cost difference is..."). I confess I don't know the whole life carbon
load of a Prius when compared to a non-hybrid equivalent vehicle, but until
somebody actually comes up with verifiable facts and figures I will continue
to drive it believing that I am doing considerable good rather than
considerable evil in terms of the environment - and the improved gas
performance is really a bonus. Oh, and by the way, here in the UK the Prius
starts at around £18,000, which appears to be getting on for twice what it
costs in the States. If I were living over there I would be biting your
hand off (a quaint British expression to indicate enthusiasm;-)) to get one.

Chas

 

Yes, the batteries are costly, but it's hardly fair to refer to them as "new
technology" - Ni-MH batteries have been around for a very long time now.
And the transmission device is far simpler than the average auto box and
much cheaper to manufacture. Maintenance costs for it reflect that
simplicity, i.e. zero. Much of what is said about the Prius is hearsay and
guesswork (Note "there might also be and additional cost...", rather than
"the cost difference is..."). I confess I don't know the whole life carbon
load of a Prius when compared to a non-hybrid equivalent vehicle, but until
somebody actually comes up with verifiable facts and figures I will continue
to drive it believing that I am doing considerable good rather than
considerable evil in terms of the environment - and the improved gas
performance is really a bonus. Oh, and by the way, here in the UK the Prius
starts at around £18,000, which appears to be getting on for twice what it
costs in the States. If I were living over there I would be biting your
hand off (a quaint British expression to indicate enthusiasm;-)) to get one.

Chas

 

It appears one will need to buy ones washing machines on line from Canada,
same as we buy new toilets, if we want machines that work well. LOL

 

It appears one will need to buy ones washing machines on line from Canada,
same as we buy new toilets, if we want machines that work well. LOL

 

What is wrong with the toilets that we have in the US? You can buy ones
that work well and save water here.

What is wrong with the washing machines you can buy here? You can buy
them for a few hundred dollars. And if you want higher quality, you have
to pay for it.

Jeff

 

What is wrong with the toilets that we have in the US? You can buy ones
that work well and save water here.

What is wrong with the washing machines you can buy here? You can buy
them for a few hundred dollars. And if you want higher quality, you have
to pay for it.

Jeff

 

However, technological advances were needed to make the batteries for
use in cars (and buses). The same is true to make lithium ion batteries
work.

It depends on which one. The one used by Toyota is really simple. So is
the CVT used by Honda. However, other car makers use different
technology. Honda even used a manual shift transmission for a while with
its hybrid.

Maintaenance costs for many manual transmissions is zero, too.

I haven't seen any verifiable facts about the carbon prints for building
in any cars.

BTW, except about the batteries, I agree with you.

Jeff

 

However, technological advances were needed to make the batteries for
use in cars (and buses). The same is true to make lithium ion batteries
work.

It depends on which one. The one used by Toyota is really simple. So is
the CVT used by Honda. However, other car makers use different
technology. Honda even used a manual shift transmission for a while with
its hybrid.

Maintaenance costs for many manual transmissions is zero, too.

I haven't seen any verifiable facts about the carbon prints for building
in any cars.

BTW, except about the batteries, I agree with you.

Jeff

 

You are entitled to your own opinion but my one son bought one, $1,700,
looks great, and has all the bells and whistles except for one problem, it
does not get the job done. When he questioned the manufacturer about the
problem he was told to run the load a second time. They suggested he try
running half the recommended clothing load. I can only imagine how bad
they are if one lives where they have hard water.



As to the toilets, they work fine for urine but they do not flush waste
properly and must be flushed a second time.



How does that make the washing the new machines and toilets save water?



Typical wacko ideas foisted upon the people by a government afraid of the
environuts. Wait untill they are done with us on the man destroying the
plant with CO2 crap LOL

 

You are entitled to your own opinion but my one son bought one, $1,700,
looks great, and has all the bells and whistles except for one problem, it
does not get the job done. When he questioned the manufacturer about the
problem he was told to run the load a second time. They suggested he try
running half the recommended clothing load. I can only imagine how bad
they are if one lives where they have hard water.



As to the toilets, they work fine for urine but they do not flush waste
properly and must be flushed a second time.



How does that make the washing the new machines and toilets save water?



Typical wacko ideas foisted upon the people by a government afraid of the
environuts. Wait untill they are done with us on the man destroying the
plant with CO2 crap LOL

 

It's not my fault that you use appliances that don't work well. There
are very good toilets that flush well and don't use lots of water. And
there washing machines that clean well.

While quality does cost more, spending more does not ensure quality.

Jeff

 

It's not my fault that you use appliances that don't work well. There
are very good toilets that flush well and don't use lots of water. And
there washing machines that clean well.

While quality does cost more, spending more does not ensure quality.

Jeff

 

Gordon McGrew wrote:

But what about the fact that raw data indicates that CO2 levels indicate
a lagging property?

JT

 

Gordon McGrew wrote:

But what about the fact that raw data indicates that CO2 levels indicate
a lagging property?

JT

 

Like I said you are entitled to your own opinion

 

Like I said you are entitled to your own opinion

 

No, I got it right. U235 is the less stable isotope, U238 is more
stable and is the more common isotope. U238 contains small amounts of
U235 and since the only difference between them is the atomic weight
(number of protons & neutrons) the only way to separate them is by
using the weight of the atom. That's how centrifuge enrichment works.

You would be right if all of the potential energy of a pound of
nuclear fuel could be used, but it can't be for a lot of different
reasons. Currently we can only extract a small percentage (less than
10%) of the total before the fuel has to be re-processed to remove the
byproducts of the chain reaction. The byproducts will poison the fuel
by acting as chain reaction dampeners. This reduces the amount of
heat the pile can develop and the amount of work the reactor can
provide. Re-processing a pound of fuel is more energy intensive and
much more dangerous than make a new pound of fuel. These byproducts
are highly radioactive and their half life ranges from around 10 years
to well over 100,000 years.

I am against generating electrical power using nuke plants. Not
because of environmental issues but because it is not an economical
method of generating electricity when you consider ALL of the costs
associated with it.

As for greenhouse gases, why do you not want to reduce the greatest
greenhouse gas of all, water vapor? Water vapor has been proven to be
a very effective greenhouse gas, we prove that on cloudy nights when
the temperature stays high. On clear nights, the temperature drops a
lot. Spend the night in a desert sometime and see, 100+ during the
day and close to freezing at night.