Quote:
Originally Posted by JuneBug
Hybrid cars- why bother when VW and MB have clean diesels that are simpler, great on gas, and last longer than gas engines (and we don't have any numbers on how long these fancy hybrid systems will last) all we need is more capacity at the refineries - see above- and you have cheap fuel.
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I'd agree...except I have a high-efficiency furnace in my house. What makes it high efficiency? It captures a lot more of the waste heat that would normally go out the flue. Is it more complicated, yes. Have I had a problem with it? Yes, once in 9 years I got a leaf sucked in the inlet. Was it more expensive? Yes, but I got a rebate from the gas company which largely offset the cost increase. And it burns at 93% regardless of the cost of the fuel.
A lot of you guys do your cooking outside on the grill during the summer, so as not to heat up the kitchen and make the house hot, or so as not to incur as much on your electricity bill from running the A/C to remove that heat. So my car is throwing off all kinds of heat everytime I apply the brakes, why am I a whacko for thinking it's a good idea to recover that energy as electricity instead of dissipating it as heat? Are you guys whackos for cooking outside? Be men and take the heat in the kitchen.
I shopped around for a few years before I got my HE furnace. I had one HVAC guy tell me they don't install them, there are too many problems. But ultimately this has become the norm, the problems are a thing of the past. And so will be with hybrid vehicles. I don't hear any of you guys bitching anymore that cars don't make any power because of emissions controls, cars are faster (and cleaner) then they have ever been (or as fast).