[SGVLUG] [OT] Especially for Tom & his Prius.... [my rebuttal, then I'll shut up]

[Michael Proctor-Smith]

On 7/10/06, Dustin Laurence <dustin at laurences.net> wrote:
> On Mon, Jul 10, 2006 at 06:48:42PM -0700, Emerson, Tom wrote:
> This is absolutely *not* greenhouse gasses.  It is point emissions of
> things like NOx, sulfur, and particulates.  It doesn't count greenhouse
> emissions at all--remember, neither the CARB nor the EPA officially
> cares about them.  You probably know that, but what you wrote sounded
> like you equated the two.

Speaking of CARB apparently they are changing the diesel regulations
for 07 or 08 and some of the cool new TDI will no longer be available
in California :-(

--snip

> I cannot imagine not being curious enough to push it that hard.  That's
> what the road to Vegas is for.  That and seeing if your car has enough
> downforce to not become an airplane (if the other drivers are any
> indication).

I know you must be joking as modern cars simply do not make it to
production without wind tunnel time and things like checking it they
produce lift. But I agree the road to Vegas is for checking how fast
your car will go. Damb traffic still has me wondering the maxium speed
my truck can go.

--snip

> That's pretty cool.  The amazing amount of information on TDIs was a
> selling point, and it would be nice if there is something similar for
> the Prius.
>
> There was one hack I liked, at least.  If we bought a Prius I had
> planned to try to get a 2004 so I could try to convert it to a plug-in
> hybrid.  I thought that would be pretty cool, still do.  The problem
> there is that with the premium for one that new, plus the $5000-$10,000
> to convert it, I could buy a 2000-2003 VW, several mileage enhancements
> like re-chipping it, putting in a taller 5th cog, and so on, run it on
> 100% biodiesel pretty much forever, even buy the Elsbett flex-fuel
> conversion so it can run on straight vegetable oil (I kid you not), and
> probably *still* save money.  So I just couldn't justify it, not even as
> cool as a plug-in hybrid would be.
>
> Say, assuming we manage to buy this thing, I think some more of you
> should get into the act so we can have a "my car is greener than your
> car" showdown. :-)
>
> Dustin, OK, maybe not

Well just wait if any one really gets serious about mpg you will have
TDI electric hybrids. I remember one of the car companies in Europe
working on that before the exposition on gas electric hybrids. But
maybe the electric motor is not that much of a help with a TDI as
torque is not going to be a problem even with a small displacement
TDI.

One of the guys at my work wants his then car to be bio-diesel. Maybe
Americans will wake up and smell the french fry smelling exhaust.