Some future predictions that are going to be unpopular...

[clixanup]

We have new technologies, although not perfected yet, which are able to produce zero emissions. By not perfected yet, I mean they either divert emissions somewhere else as you said, or they are currently too expensive to produce.

My friends, I introduce the Perendev motor:

http://www.americanantigravity.com/perendev.shtml

And if breaking the laws of thermodynamics isn't your thing:

http://www.theaircar.com/

Q. Why didnt John 'Moneybags' Howard sign the Kyoto protocol?
A. Because it would cost too much.

Partly. Mostly it was because he's right up George W. 'Oil Baron' Bush's backside.

I do drive a Commodore, but my 3.8 will still get 500ks to a tank. And when a hydrogen car is available I will be the first to throw away the keys to the Commodore and buy one.

By the time you can buy one, the oil companies will have figured out a way to make Hydrogen engines as inefficient as petrol power. I've heard that one litre of hydrogen contains enough potential energy to drive a car for 3,000km. I can't see them releasing that sort of technology to the public any time soon.

Anyone remember the E-Commodore?? What happened to it?? Why didn't it go into production??

Answer: Someone doesn't want you driving a car which consumes one-third of the petrol you currently use.

 

[MySV6]

Why is a mandatory fuel economy level a problem? Even if on an electric car you are only delegating the emissions from the car to the power station, the amount of pollution is still diminished. A huge steam turbine can produce more power/fuel than your smoky V8 can. What if youre in an area like Sydney and are receiving hydroelectricity?

The better option is hybrid cars like the Prius - have a motor that charges the batteries in the car using an efficient motor designed to match the required generator with the best fuel efficiency possible (Diesels are probably a better option for this).

I'm all for phasing out fuel-inefficient cars but V8's are not the only ones that should be looked at. I have friends that have 4cyl 4WD's that get worse economy than many V8's. Each car has its plusses and minuses I guess.

Actually it's not just Sydney that receives Hydro power - The Snowy Mountains scheme feeds into the 4 state grid (NSW, QLD, Vic & SA), and really if you buy "Green energy" all you are doing is paying a higher price cause the electricity you receive is not specifically sent to you from that green source. All you are doing is paying a price which makes the production of electricity by these green sources profitable as based on the current spot price and medium-term electricity contracts they are not earning enough to cover their costs. (Yeah I do work for an Electricity Generator in NSW)

MySV6

 

[mixin]

Actually it's not just Sydney that receives Hydro power - The Snowy Mountains scheme feeds into the 4 state grid (NSW, QLD, Vic & SA), .................cut.............. (Yeah I do work for an Electricity Generator in NSW)

MySV6

If I remember correctly, doesn't NSW have heaps of coal-powered stations around Newcastle & out West? What are the total outputs like as a percentage compared to the output of the Hydro scheme?

 

[portercg]

It's not all bad, I remember seeing a concept car from Chrysler. Ran on LPG which fed a couple of modified missle jets (u heard right) that spun a constant speed turbine generator which delivered enough grunt to run a 500hp electric motor. When you weren't using all the energy from the turbine it diverted power to a mass flywheel that was good for a quick energy burst of up to 300hp. It was compact and powerful and very clean, and I'd be more than happy with half of that kind of power in something the size of a Vectra.

We can hot up petrol engines and we'll hot up whatever else sits under a bonnet, that's a fact!

As Aussies we have to address the environmental issues. Lots of countries overseas are virtual sewers because of pollution. can't have that at all.

Graham

 

[gemini]

I wouldnt mind driving around an electric engine. I have been on a few websites where they have conerted there cars into electric. It would be pretty cool driving a VN commodore powered by a 250HP electric motor

 

[greenfoam]

Some prototype Fuel cell cars are allready faster than a V6 VN, they will be really fast come 2010 so don't worry about that. And I read about some of those flywheel cars that car really haul for a short time running off the energy in the flywheel

 

[MoSkA]

Well regardless of all this green stuff, i'm gonna buy a 5.0 V8, I will drive a V10/V12/V16 one day in the future and I will continue to purchase 98RON petrol and sniff it..... uhgh I mean .. combust it within the confines of a petrol powered engine.

Faster electric cars in the future...

Geez if the hoons are as bad then as they are now ... we'll all be slowly phased out due to car accidents. Well the idiots anyway... Which could be a good thing in the long run...

YAY FOR THE ELECTRIC HYDRO CARBON BASED MOLECULAR.... Sorry what were we talking about?