When Hybrid Technologies choose to offer their first cars for sale this way, it gives them a simple way to test that price point without exposing themselves to an angry eco-mob due to an unfulfillable waitlist. These are undoubtedly extremely limited quantity. Frankly, there’s no proof that Hybrid Technologies is ready to sell a production car, but this is a novel way for them to test their metal. I wish them the best. I’m a firm believer that lithium ion powered electrics plus solar and wind clean home power generation will be the future of the motorcar. While $65 seems extreme, the LI battery technology is still relatively bleeding edge. It’ll be MUCH cheaper very soon.

Maybe is just for the go-fast mail slot

Bottom line, why doesn’t MINI offer the diesel version in Yankee land now?

We’ve discussed this, at length already. Check out This post for the why.

Why are we discussing a technology that currently is hugely expensive and achieves very limited results?

Bottom line, why doesn’t MINI offer the diesel version in Yankee land now?

long answer, bio-fuels are something the bush admin is pushing for non-environmental reasons. mostly, to keep crop prices high–if you know all the ties b/n the gov, ag industry, farm bill, developing country subsidies, etc, then you know what i’m talking about. (and, in my opinion the reason they’re pushing h2 is just to give them some green cred even though they know it’s a pipe dream that doesn’t threaten their oil & gas buddies at this point.)

as far as their enviro impact, ethanol produces less tailpipe co2, but has been shown to have worse smog emissions = worse cases of asthma in inner-city children (which right now most of those cases come from the super dirty version of diesel we burn in the US).

then there’s where you’re getting the ethanol from… corn ethanol processing is very energy intensive & becomes a wash in overall co2 emissions. u’re just kicking them further up the chain from the tailpipe to the processing plant. not to mention, where are you going to find enough corn to satisfy our driving habits? plus, you’d starve half of the developing world as corn ethanol prices increased just so americans can drive their cars.

sugar ethanol processing (brazil) is a decent bit more efficient than corn ethanol processing, but still kicks out more co2 than elec cars running on coal electricity.

then there’s cellulosic ethanol–some real promise there. just google for details. but again, you’re still using a combustion engine so you’re still going to have a decent # of emissions as more & more cars come onto the road.

so, if you’re going to combust, all you can do is make engines more efficient. what’s laughable about that is most of the appreciable technologies that make them more efficient just turn them off & run other forms of power (hybrids, batteries, fuel cell apu’s, start/stop idling, etc). so, you’re making a very inefficient process as efficient as possible by using it as little as possible–seems stupid. a loosing game that can never be won.

then, why do we use hydrocarbons? HC’s are the only energy source that’s abundant and dense enough to satisfy our energy demands. if you want to stop the problems that come along w/ burning HC’s, you have to curtail use (which will never happen, unless gas hits $20/gal) or find another energy source.

the only other energy sources that are abundant enough to meet out demands are nuclear & solar (and possibly some new wind tech that’s in testing)–there is absolutely nothing else. in both cases you need electric cars. the only real hurdle to the electric car gets back to energy density. batteries can’t store enough energy to last 250mi (unless it’s a tiny tesla or mini)–impractical in the US. so, we have to wait for better battery tech or super capacitors or something else.

anyways, lots of pieces to the puzzle.

Why is there no mention of the validity of bio-fuels in your statements?

Just curious.

Thanks,

I am totally serious! Sarcastic, but serious. Not seriously sarcastic. (8P)

http://www.evworld.com/evguide.cfm

surprised Hybrid Tech isn’t kicking out info like this. but, here’s their spin on ev vs h2:

http://www.hybridtechnologies.com/lithium/why_electric

http://www.evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=16664

confirm at will…

I say the MINI community should all go green. Let’s all trade up or convert. We (in the USA) could get together, build a giant pipeline that runs coast to coast and pump sea water to desalination/fueling stations all over the country. And then, using H2O, converted to hydrogen, we could run our MINIs until the wheels fell off. Not only could we fill up our cars with a garden hose, we could all but eliminate emmissions (or at least cancel out those nasty ol’ SUVs) and lower the sea levels to counteract all that global warming. CA and FL would be saved until the next wildfire or hurricane and we would all have the warm fuzzies. I’ll take my water powered, hydrogen-fuel cell MINI in green.

Sign me up.

Here in Alabama, we have what might be the dirtiest coal burning power plants in the country.

An electric MINI powered by coal is almost certainly more harmful to the environment than my current gas guzzling MCS.