Would you consider: Alternatively Powered Vehicles

[ghosthunter]

Would you consider alternatively powered vehicles as your next car to purchase (if such vehicles are available on the local market)?

Alternative power includes:
-electric
-electric/gasoline hybrid
-hydrogen
-bio-fuel (includes bio-diesel/bio-gas)
-electric bikes
-etc

EV World (click here)

TidalForce Electric Bikes (click here)

[109]

yes, i would.

but the problem is that they, hybrid cars for instance, are priced exorbitantly, the cost of fuel you could save in years is being added to the sticker price.

though greener, it's costlier.

[niky]

Actually, if the government would grant tax breaks for hybrids, the cost would be LOWER.

Consider the Toyota Prius:

A few Priuses (Prii? Grammar experts, which plural is correct? :P) are being used by taxi operators at the moment. While the initial cost is higher, gas bills are lessened by over 70%, while maintenance bills are very low. Brake pads on the Prius only need to be changed every 90,000 km... that is over twice what most car brake pads can do... and this is in CITY driving!

And that was the ONLY thing the operators had to change besides the oil and filters. The very nature of hybrids lengthens the life of the engine. The worst conditions for your car's engine are idling in traffic and starting and stopping. (most stress)... The electric engine does almost all of this for the gas engine.

The gas savings will only balance out the price of the car at around 160,000km... but the way fuel prices are rising, that number might go down quickly in the coming years.

[mazdamazda]

I'd consider a hybrid SUV like the Ford Escape.

Though, for the moment the price doesn't justify the savings. Like in the case of the Prius (save for the taxi operator story). Compared against an Echo (which is one of the top gas misers in the US), the ROI of a Prius is just way too long.

[woodfire]

YESSSS! I am already using bio-diesel (10% blend) in two of my diesel-engined rides for two years already!

[niky]

ROI may be long, but long-term dependability is a plus. Would be best if the Prius were diesel-electric, but US market regs... grrrr....

Comparison is fair, but you have to note that the Prius is a compact car, while the Echo is a sub-compact. :D

I'm willing to bet a fair percentage of new cars over the next decade will be 'hybrids' like the new Escape Hybrid... normal cars with an electric-assist... as this is the easiest way to go for now.

[tebs]

i think that the government is pushing a bill that would give natural gas vehicles a zero percent tax on CBUs. just read it this morning in Manila Bulletin.

i think it's for the PUBs. don't know about private vehicles though

[glntVR]

yes i am. would love to own eco-friendly cars. not only do i save gas. i also save mother nature.

[Bogeyman]

What's good for you usually costs higher than what's bad. Go to any restaurant and ask to see their menu. Compare the prices of the fruit juices versus those of the sodas, and you'll see what I mean.

Ako, I'd go for alternative vehicles given the finances and the opportunity. Since present circumstances have granted me neither, I went for the next best thing: a Euro-compliant diesel engine, doing its bit for the environment.

[mazdamazda]

Originally posted by tebs
i think that the government is pushing a bill that would give natural gas vehicles a zero percent tax on CBUs. just read it this morning in Manila Bulletin.

i think it's for the PUBs. don't know about private vehicles though

yup, the gov't is pushing for 60% of PUBs to be running on natural gas.

though, I'd rather have them running on hydrogen since this really is the way of the future! what is just lacking now is the proper infrastructure!

and a hybrid gasoline-hydrogen vehicle is feasible. just look at the hybrid RX-8.

[wrecker]

definitely!

i've seen an episode of these vehicles in discovery channel and i think they're good alternatives

[luckytruck]

yup, i would. 5% blend bio-diesel na ako ngayon

i would prefer the bio-diesel route. makatulong pa sa cocoonut farmers natin. i just hope they stop cutting coconut trees down.

andy

[jim]

yes I saw a japanese video featuring a Lexus Hydrogen powered SUV. the by-product is water. very environment freindly!

[pajerokid]

Would I consider having one? A BIG YES!!!!

[boybi]

Originally posted by mazdamazda
yup, the gov't is pushing for 60% of PUBs to be running on natural gas.

though, I'd rather have them running on hydrogen since this really is the way of the future! what is just lacking now is the proper infrastructure!

and a hybrid gasoline-hydrogen vehicle is feasible. just look at the hybrid RX-8.

NOOOO!!!!! hwag naman po sanang hydrogen para sa mga PUVs natin! considering how our government enforces safety measures, and how our PUV drivers maintain their vehicles, baka magkaroon tayo ng pagsabog ng mga vehicles (mini H-bombs) left and right. baka yung katabi mong jeepney sa traffic bigla nalang sasabog dahil sa poor maintenance!

[Bogeyman]

Taken from www.hydrogennow.org:

*_Hydrogen is less flammable than gasoline. The self-ignition temperature of hydrogen is 550 degrees Celsius. Gasoline varies from 228-501 degrees Celsius, depending on the grade. When the Hindenburg burned, it took some time before the hydrogen bags were ignited.

* _Hydrogen disperses quickly. Being the lightest element (fifteen times lighter than air), hydrogen rises and spreads out quickly in the atmosphere. So when a leak occurs, the hydrogen gas quickly becomes so sparse that it cannot burn. Even when ignited, hydrogen burns upward, and is quickly consumed. By contrast, materials such as gasoline and diesel vapors, as well as natural gas are heavier than air, and will not disperse, remaining a flammable threat for much longer.

* Hydrogen is non-toxic. Hydrogen is a non-toxic, naturally-occurring element in the atmosphere. By comparison, all petroleum fuels are asphyxiants, and are poisonous to humans.

* Hydrogen combustion produces only water. When pure hydrogen is burned in pure oxygen, only pure water is produced. Granted, that’s an ideal scenario, which doesn’t occur outside of laboratories and the space shuttle. In any case, when a hydrogen engine burns, it actually cleans the ambient air, by completing combustion of the unburned hydrocarbons that surround us. Compared with the toxic compounds (carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and hydrogen sulfide) produced by petroleum fuels, the products of hydrogen burning are much safer.

* Hydrogen can be stored safely. Tanks currently in use for storage of compressed hydrogen (similar to compressed natural gas tanks) have survived intact through testing by various means, including being shot with six rounds from a .357 magnum, detonating a stick of dynamite next to them, and subjecting them to fire at 1500 degrees F. Clearly, a typical gasoline tank wouldn’t survive a single one of these tests.

Lousy as our PUV drivers are in terms of maintenance, they managed to get by using petrol-based products. Barring Murphy's Law, siguro naman they wouldn't be as 'dangerous' with supposedly safer hydrogen as an alternative.

[ghosthunter]

Personally I would like to own a hybrid powered car... something like the gasoline/electric nissan Cerfiro where it's performance is at par with its gasoline engined version but still gets much much better fuel milage.

I heard that Honda is discontinuing its CRV gas/electric hybrid due to poor sales in the USA.

I wonder how much a hybrid would cost locally if they would sell them here...

[kiper]

HYBRID!! Electric and gasoline engine..ayos yan.

[niky]

AFAIK, hybrid-electrics may cost something like 200-300 thousand more.

Personally, I'd like to see gas/electric hybrids with cylinder de-activation technology. It would be cool to have a 2 liter V6 hybrid that runs on electricity in traffic, 3 cylinders while cruising, and on 6 cylinders with electric assist while accelerating... :O ... that would be sweet. :D

[ghosthunter]

Actually with gas/electric hybrids, you can have a 1.2 liter engine that came perform at par with a 2.0 car. Something like a 4WD config, the front are connected to the gas engine while the rear is powered by the electric motors

underheavy acceration, both the gas engine and the electric motor propels the car. Under city driving (traffic) only the electric motor and highway conditions, the gasoline engine moves the car while recharging the batteries. Regenerative braking.