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#31 | ||
Fiat POWAAH!
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Western Australia
Posts: 2,309
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Just thought I would add my 2cents worth, I quickly read the replys so I apologise if I am just repeating what someone said.
- Hybrids are a bandaid/stop gap fix, they have no place on Australian roads, they may be enviromentally friendly for the 5-10 years they're in service but then what? What are we going to do with all those batteries?? And god help anyone if a hybrid catches on fire! - Bio-deisel is the future, particularly for the transport industry. Speaking from my location (South West WA), we have a biodeisel plant. We also have a failing dairy industry. Now I'm blessed with a bit of horticultural knowledge and know, for a fact, canolla will grow very well in areas known to be used as dairy farming land. Now you don't have to be a rocket surgeon or a Brain scientist to realise the huge potential that is sitting right there. The government should assist these farmers to transist their land into canola crops instead of throwing our tax dollars into something that come 2010 , will be almost obsolete. ![]() |
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#32 | ||
Peter Car
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: geelong
Posts: 23,145
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Just said on the news it will take more than 7 years to make the $5000 more expensive Hybrid Camry back in fuel savings.
And the Government is subsidising the car to the tune of $70 million of our tax dollars. Thats probably more money than the 10,000 cars they want to build a year cost. So how is this going to save anyone a cent? Hybrids are nothing but a scam, but you can imagine a whole bunch of brainless greenies buying them thinking they are saving the planet, or people thinking it is saving them heaps in petrol dollars when it reality its not saving them anything at all in the short to medium term. There's got to be a better way. Does anyone know if Ford US is building a Hybrid version of the V6, cause i'm pretty sure they are but I can't confirm that. Can anyone else. |
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#33 | |||
Life's a Gas
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Sydney
Posts: 2,029
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Quote:
Power and driveability is indistinguishable from petrol, and it'll cost about the same to run as a Camry. All you will lose will be some boot space. Get a round tank for the spare wheel well and throw in a space saver, and you'll still have access through the fold-down back seat. Why does that not sound like a better way? |
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#34 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Is that your face, or did you neck throw up
Posts: 3,041
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Bossxr8... I agree with your comment about the current Hybrids,,, I looked a buying a Honda Civic for the miss's a few months ago, and decided to was not viable. Very little savings for a high purchest cost... But the GM Volt will go 45miles on straight electricity from the batteries before the petrol needs to kick in to generate power to charge the batteries. At which it's economy is 55mpg.... Now 45mile is about 60km. For the average driver they will not cover 60klm in a day. So at night or when ever at home you plug into the power point and recharge the batteries (3hrs charge cycle)....
If my wife used this car, she would litery never need fill the tank with petrol.. |
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#35 | |||||
Life's a Gas
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Sydney
Posts: 2,029
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Quote:
Very interesting read. Thanks for that. Quote:
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Last edited by Abacus; 10-06-2008 at 06:46 PM. |
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#36 | ||
Life's a Gas
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Sydney
Posts: 2,029
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Anyways, back on topic.
So the Falcon is doomed in 2010 because Toyota is going to build hybrid Camrys here, and Holden may (or may not) build a hybrid Commodore??? No chance. I'm not saying the Falcon will live forever, but the hybrids won't be the reason for its demise. |
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#37 | ||
spanner spinner
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: south west vic
Posts: 38
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our fleet of trucks run on LNG making huge savings on fuel only uses diesel as a "spark plug"
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#38 | |||
Peter Car
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: geelong
Posts: 23,145
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Quote:
The industry minister will be flying to Detroit tommorow to talk to GM and Ford about making hybrids, and they are seen to be responsive to it, so maybe all the aussie manufacturers will go this way, even though it doesn't make one cent of sense it would be corporate suicide not to do it, especially with the government throwing big buckets of cash at it as incentives. |
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#39 | ||
The Vengeful One
![]() Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Tazzy
Posts: 12,762
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2010 is the year Ford is brinning out the Diesel Falcon, so its not like we wont have a chance of competing
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#40 | |||
Life's a Gas
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Sydney
Posts: 2,029
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#41 | ||
Regular Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Aldinga Beach S.A.
Posts: 221
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I dont see how electric cars can be called GREEN cars, as we burn coal and gas to make our electricity and that aint renewable or good for the environment, WTF!!!!!!
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BA MK11 Ute TS Territory XF Fairmont Ghia |
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#42 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Gren A Waverrey
Posts: 2,369
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Toyota has appealed to people who have not scratched the real surface of environmental issues and sounds like we have one already with the Toyota Prius and it's nickel-laden battery.
I am sure that if you had a front-page article with this "dead zone" as a direct consequence of supplying the Prius with power, I think you may find a few people jumping off the "Green Car" bandwagon. I will not consider an electric car as I see them as a vehicle of gesture rather than solution. If humans really wanted to save the world, we'd destroy ourselves as we are the greatest environmental threat. We de-forest areas, render species extinct everyday, pollute, contaminate and destroy without regret. It is only when things become bad that we take action. The reality is cars are not designed to be green. They are a crude yet effective means of transport. They will continue to pollute in their own way for a long time. There are other ways to reduce emissions, like turning off your TV/stereo/radio/lights/anything electric when you aren't using it. I'd rather drive a Falcon that polutes, than the romantic Prius or Electric-Camry, which could be replicated by putting a motor on my fridge and stapling a matress to.
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Practicing - Sleeping with a guitar in your hand counts, as long as you don't drop it. Don't snap my undies. |
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#43 | ||
Banned
![]() Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 8,303
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You fools! Ford have been selling hybrids for years! Ford Marketing just haven't told us.
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#44 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2007
Location: W.A.
Posts: 1,001
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Electric cars still need electricity to charge, and electricity is still made with fossil fuels for the most part. Hybrid cars still use petrol.
One thing that puzzles me though, I thought that gas pockets usually formed above crude oil deposits underground, so if there is plenty of gas to be had from the NW shelf, why is there not also crude oil being produced? or have I got it totally wrong? Seems to me the only thing keeping oil prices high are the durker durkers...
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2004 BA MKII FPV Pursuit 6sp manual in Mandarin MMR Built short motor, all the good gear. Kenne Bell 2.6 intercooled kit from BPR Tuned by Xtreme Ford Tuning - 400rwkw Build thread here |
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#45 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 12,077
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Quote:
The ONLY reason that LPG is cheaper is it has less tax/excise. The more cars that run on LPG the less that run on petrol/diesel. The less petrol/diesel, the less tax income for the greedy grubs. Solution: Increase tax on LPG to make up the difference so LPG goes up. Anyone who thinks that the greedy grubs will do ANYTHING that reduces their income is living in lala land..... |
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#46 | |||||
Life's a Gas
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Sydney
Posts: 2,029
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Quote:
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#47 | ||
Casual surfer
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Sydney - Loving my new GTF
Posts: 270
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Why don't FORD Oz bolt this into our performance range??????????
Would be sensational ![]() ![]() ![]() The Ford F-250 Super Chief concept takes truck leadership to a new level – as the world's first vehicle with Tri-Flex fueling, enabling the supercharged V-10 to run for 500 miles between fill-ups on hydrogen, E85 ethanol or gasoline. Running on hydrogen, the supercharged V-10 engine provides up to 12 percent fuel economy improvement on an energy equivalent basis versus a non-supercharged gasoline V-10 – and nearly 500 miles per fill-up. Using hydrogen, the Tri-Flex V-10 produces 400 lb.-ft. of torque and 99 percent less CO2 than using gasoline. Ford flex-fuel vehicles offer the customer convenience of filling one tank with E85 and/or gasoline. The transition from hydrogen fuel power to either E85 or gasoline is handled seamlessly through a dashboard-mounted switch and can occur while the vehicle is in operation.
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GTF-#97-Kinetic/Matte Black, Manual, Enjoying it daily Sold- 08 FG XR8 Sed EGO, 6 speed m, 80mm John Bowe throttle body, K&N air filter, Big Mouth CAI, rip shifter. 275/30-19,245/35-19, XR50 Sold- 06 BF XR8 Ute, 6 speed,80mm throttle body,Herrod full stainless cats back,K&N air filter,CAI,rip shifter.265/35,245/40-18. Sold-Mrs Jase_Boss-09 XR8 Sed Breeze-Build to order for her,All options except sat nav,6 speed m, 80mm John Bowe throttle body, K&N air filter, Big Mouth CAI. 19" |
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#48 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 2,343
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I can't see the Falcon being on showroom floors in 20 years at all. It saddens me deeply ;(
Unless Ford do a huge back flip in the next few years, shed some size & weight and install a 4 banger/ decent LPG 6 / Use cylinder shut down technology. Its the size and weight of the falcon that will always give it terrible fuel consumption figures. |
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#49 | ||||
BA Falcon XT
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Perth WA
Posts: 848
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hopefully technology can advance a fair bit and then hydrogen falcon would be nice i would buy one, but as i said technology would need a bit of advancement before we see it as a viable options for a passeger car.
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Click here to check out my signature http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...ignature-1.jpg Quote:
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#50 | |||
Casual surfer
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Sydney - Loving my new GTF
Posts: 270
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Quote:
Hey some of us on here need to have some positive thoughts.
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GTF-#97-Kinetic/Matte Black, Manual, Enjoying it daily Sold- 08 FG XR8 Sed EGO, 6 speed m, 80mm John Bowe throttle body, K&N air filter, Big Mouth CAI, rip shifter. 275/30-19,245/35-19, XR50 Sold- 06 BF XR8 Ute, 6 speed,80mm throttle body,Herrod full stainless cats back,K&N air filter,CAI,rip shifter.265/35,245/40-18. Sold-Mrs Jase_Boss-09 XR8 Sed Breeze-Build to order for her,All options except sat nav,6 speed m, 80mm John Bowe throttle body, K&N air filter, Big Mouth CAI. 19" |
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#51 | ||
windsorman
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: sydney metro
Posts: 260
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the technology is available for cng (compressed natural gas) with home refill stations. ford actually started to delve into this way back in 1997. see attachment we have plenty of the stuff. we sell it to china for sweet f a . if the govt was serious and made it viable for ford , im sure they could have a model up and running before toyota built any hybrids in oz.
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351capri |
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#52 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Ivory Tower
Posts: 5,414
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Quote:
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2021 BMW M550i in Black Sapphire Metallic.
11.52 @ 120mph stock |
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#53 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,451
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Quote:
Ford would have to spend a LOT of money to convince the public of the benefits of LPG to get over the idea that it wasn't cool or green enough. Ironically Holden getting into LPG is a good thing. Ford and Holden could work on promoting LPG together. At the end of the day Toyota is hammering them both at the moment and they have a common interest in keeping large cars viable. Dan |
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#54 | ||
windsorman
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: sydney metro
Posts: 260
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sorry cant get attachment to work. go to google ... natural gas cars..
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351capri |
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#55 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Perth, South
Posts: 3,064
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Quote:
the gov't needs to set up the infrastructure before this will be a viable fuel. would be ok for city commuting, but not for long distance travelling, lpg on the other hand is a lot more readily available, which at this point in time makes it a more viable fuel. |
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#56 | |||
Life's a Gas
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Sydney
Posts: 2,029
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Quote:
It could work, in theory, but it would require massive amounts of co-ordinated R&D, standards, and infrastructure development. But yeah, as I said in the LI thread, CNG could have a role in hybrids, where the limited range wouldn't be such an issue. |
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#57 | ||
.
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Bundoora
Posts: 7,199
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What about the energy required to make the components for an electric car, and the energy to plug it in of a night and recharge it? Plus the fact that Prius cars have radioactive components in their cars?
I think the pollies have fell hook line and sinker for Toyota's magnificent marketing ploy of only focusing on the positives...ie fuel savings and low carbon emissions, rather than the overall picture, such as forking out a heap more $$ to buy the thing, and investigating alternatives first. A number of experts have already said diesel (the clean euro stuff which is better than here) is much better to run. If they can slot one in at not much extra expense over a petrol, they may be cheaper than a Prius which has a greater premium at the dealer. |
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#58 | |||
Life's a Gas
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Sydney
Posts: 2,029
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Quote:
LPG is always going to be a fraction the price of diesel. Even when you factor in diesel's better economy an LPG car is about 35% less expensive to fuel up, km for km. |
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#59 | |||
Life's a Gas
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Sydney
Posts: 2,029
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Quote:
There's no reason why they can't run DOD with it. That should solve the problem for a while. |
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#60 | |||
Clevo Mafia Inc.
![]() Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 10,496
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Quote:
Either are better than Hybrids, the diesel uses less fuel and the hybrid uses electricity from coal fired power stations. |
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