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Originally Posted by Old Mechanic
When you compare a UPS delivery vehicle to a HH version of the same vehicle and see a 30-40% improvement in efficiency, you should try very hard to understand that the standard version is already optimized for fuel efficiency.
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That's the thing, the electric hybrid also sees a similar improvement compared to stock. What it comes down to then is cost and availability. Whichever one is cheaper in larger orders will probably be what's used for the most part.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Mechanic
What would a comparable TDI VW (also optimized for fuel efficiency) do if it was getting 30-40% better mileage after being converted to a HH system.
No gas electric hybrid could touch it.
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Maybe not, but we're looking at marginal returns here. A gas hybrid can easily double the mileage of a similarly sized car, ala a stock Prius versus a Camry. If we turn the Prius into a HH, we're not going to double the mileage again, but odds are we're going to more than double the cost. It's just diminishing returns. Now, if gas prices go up more, while costs go down, then alternatives may become financially viable, just like hybrids became viable this decade, but we aren't at the point yet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Mechanic
Will you spend 30 k for an BEV with a 100 mile range? Every source I have read admits that BEVs will be a very small minority of the vehicles on the road for decades to come.
Every source (the optimistic ones) tells us the battery technology breakthrough is just around the corner.
The technology for 100 MPG is already here fellow ecomodders. Read the links provided.
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HHs seem to suffer from the same issues EVs do. The cost doesn't justify the investment. Something like a Prius only carries a premium of a few grand over similarly sized vehicles, and it can reduce operating costs for the owner by well over a thousand bucks per year at the national average in terms of miles driven. Both EVs and HHs have a much higher premium and save the owner way less. Lets say an EV/HH has a ~$9000 premium over a hybrid. At best it's going to cut fuel costs by a third compared to a hybrid, and the reduction in brake wear is already present w/ a hybrid, so people are looking at a ~30 year payback compared to a hybrid, while a hybrid only has a ~3 year payback compared to a similarly sized conventional car.