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Originally Posted by Stefx
Drivetrain loss is one of the factors which determine overall system efficiency. Lots of people will consider real-life fuel efficiency (mpg) or CO2 emissions as the final criteria that matters.
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That's because people fundamentally misunderstand engineering. The significance of the 30% drive train loss number, is if you took a Prius's weight, speed, and drag CD, and applied it to pure gasoline car, the pure gasoline car would yield 10% to 15% better mileage than the Prius. The only reason the Prius is hailed as such an amazing car, is because no one has built a pure gasoline car (in the United States, at least) with a focus on pure fuel economy. The American consumer is apparently too uneducated to understand engineering (and the underlying physics), and in the absence of any equally fuel conscious pure gasoline car to compare against the Prius, isn't aware enough to realize that the Prius is in fact a step back.
On the other hand, the global (non-American) consumer doesn't have this myopic view, because they have access to more fuel efficient gas cars available around the world which we are not allowed to buy. All the Prius ends up being is a symbol of the ignorance of the American consumer; you should hear what the British think of it. The Prius is not a really a hot seller anywhere else in the world for good reason. And everyone else is more concerned about the environment than we are, if you believe the polls.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stefx
The Atkinson-Miller cycle and the regenerative braking are the key to the Prius's efficiency. There aren't many vehicles on the market that implement those old, simple and yet effective technologies.
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If the Atkinson-Miller cycle was such a forward thinking innovation, it wouldn't translate to such inefficiency. I suspect it sounds good on paper, but doesn't work in real life, just like perpetual motion machines.
Regenerative breaking is the only new technology that contributes to improving the Prius's efficiency. However, in a highway situation, it's almost useless. Around the city it's helpful, but the Prius still dips into the gas every time the driver pulls away from a stoplight, reducing the effect of brake recharge on mileage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stefx
There are very few available cars on the market that obtain better fuel efficiency and lower emissions than the Prius. Although it's not the ideal solution, it's a much better solution that 99% of the available vehicles in North America.
I'd love to drive a diesel/hybrid that could run off biodesel made with organic waste (further reducing landfills) and lower our dependence on Middle East Oil.
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It is true that the American consumer has little to choose from in terms of getting good mileage. However, the Prius gets good gas mileage for every reason BUT the hybrid system (great drag cd, light weight materials, small gas engine). I'd rather not vote with my money for hybrid technology, which was ineffective from day one. It just encourages auto manufactures to try strapping hybrid systems on everything, including SUV's, which is absurd. Plus, I don't want to be bored to death when I drive.
The smartest thing we can do in the short term is what everyone else but China does, drill for oil in our own territory, then use it sparingly in the form of diesels and efficient gas cars. Somehow though, a sensible solution like that has been lost in the political noise and ultra-fanaticism surrounding saving the environment.
There are also other solutions to the gas problem. Honda makes a great new CNG car. Tesla is also developing a wicked electric roadster/coupe in cooperation with Lotus. Someone could also time the stoplights right, for once. That would save more gas than thousands of hybrids.
