[Skell]

What type of plant do you plant ex? :) ;)

[speechlesstx]

What type of plant do you plant ex?? :) ;)

I'm guessing something like this...



It is a nice looking plant. I've always thought so. ;)

[ETWolverine]

I bought a hybrid a month ago. I did it for the environment of my bank account. I have over 1400 miles and only spent 40 bucks on gas so far. So I went from spending about $250 a month on gas to $40!!!!!!!

Now, THAT is a reason to buy a hybrid. I'm all for it.

Oh... have you checked your electric bill?

[tomder55]

Does a hybrid make us less reliant of foreign sources of energy ? Does windmills ?

Not according the recent issue of Atlantic.

Turns out that both of these clean energies are dependent on the strip mining of a rare mineral called neodymium ,that is used in making lightweight permanent magnets that make Prius motors zoom and for the generators that give wind turbines their electrical buzz.Neodymium is also used in data storage devices and just about every computer, so the supply crunch is very real and a big concern.

if we are going to make even a few million of the hybrid and electric cars that are supposed to help rescue the planet from global warming, we will need to double production of neodymium in short order.

Clean Energy's Dirty Little Secret - The Atlantic (May 2009)

But in 2006, nearly all of the world's roughly 137,000-ton supply of rare-earth oxides came from China. And over the past few years, China has cut exports to nurture its own permanent-magnet industry, sending the price of neodymium oxide to a high of $60 a kilo in 2007. This worries analysts like Irving Mintzer, a senior adviser to the Potomac Energy Fund who sees shortages stifling clean-tech industry, and worse. “If we don't think this through, we could be trading a troubling dependence on Middle Eastern oil for a troubling dependence on Chinese neodymium.”

I wonder if the EPA will wave strict mining regulations so this rare mineral can be extracted ?

Lithium is another one of these rare earth minerals that we can also expect an 1849 like rush to mine now.
The US cannot expect to mine enough of it's own to satisfy the Greenies needs for Lithium dio batteries . But have no fear. Bolivia has a wealth of it. You know Bolivia... the nation where the nutty Evo Morales is President ?

[spitvenom]

Elliot You don't plug a hybrid in. The battery gets charged when you let go of the gas or press on the brake it takes the inertia and saves it into the battery. Check it out

2010 Honda Insight Hybrid - Official Honda Web Site

Tom as I said I bought this car to help save one environment and that would be the environment of my bank account. 52 mile round trip every day in a V6 tends to destroy your bank account environment.

[ETWolverine]

Spit, I'll take your word for it. I'm not buying one any time soon. I can't afford the initial capital expenditure that will lead to this gigormous savings.

Elliot

[tomder55]

All I'm saying is that this green thing is not the panacea that people portray it to be .

Another problem rarely discussed is the disposal of those huge lithium io batteries .Heavy metals such as nickel cadmium, mercury nickel metal hydrate and alkaline that can harm the environment are all present in them . Recycling can be a very complex procedure.

[spitvenom]

That is very true Tom. It was funny my wife's cousin was saying how happy she was that I got a car that is good for the environment and I laughed at her. I told her the mining of the minerals the shipping of the parts then the car to America all harms the environment.

[galveston]

Not only disposal of the batteries is a problem. Who is going to be able to pay for replacement batteries when they die?

I expect to see a fair number of these hybrids in the wrecking yards that have nothing wrong with them other than dead batteries.

[inthebox]

I bought a hybrid a month ago. I did it for the environment of my bank account. I have over 1400 miles and only spent 40 bucks on gas so far. So I went from spending about $250 a month on gas to $40!!!!!!!

What were you driving before the hybrid?

Going from a 15 mpg pick up to a Prius sounds reasonable, but compare like to like:

Honda Media Newsroom Release: 2009 Honda Civic Prices and EPA Data

Civic hybrid
$23650, [ cheapest model ] combined 42 mpg

Civic Lx sedan automatic
$18255, [ mid level model ] combined 29 mpg


That is $5395 dollars more up front for the hybrid, before sales tax.
If gas costs $3 per gallon, that is 1798 gallons of gas extra for the non hybrid.
You would have to drive the hybrid 168,489 miles at $3 per gallon at 42 mpg make up the initial $5395 upfront cost.

The higher the cost of the gas the lower the miles to be driven to breakeven.






G&P

[spitvenom]

Not only disposal of the batteries is a problem. Who is going to be able to pay for replacement batteries when they die?

I expect to see a fair number of these hybrids in the wrecking yards that have nothing wrong with them other than dead batteries.

Gal the battery comes with an 8 year 100,000 miles warranty. Let me ask you this would you replace the transmission on a 9 year old car?

[spitvenom]

What were you driving before the hybrid?

Going from a 15 mpg pick up to a Prius sounds reasonable, but compare like to like:

Honda Media Newsroom Release: 2009 Honda Civic Prices and EPA Data

Civic hybrid
$23650, [ cheapest model ] combined 42 mpg

Civic Lx sedan automatic
$18255, [ mid level model ] combined 29 mpg


That is $5395 dollars more up front for the hybrid, before sales tax.
If gas costs $3 per gallon, that is 1798 gallons of gas extra for the non hybrid.
You would have to drive the hybrid 168,489 miles at $3 per gallon at 42 mpg make up the initial $5395 upfront cost.

The higher the cost of the gas the lower the miles to be driven to breakeven.






G&P

In, The insight EX is $19,800 and very nicely equipped. After taxes and I bought an extended warranty was $23,400.00 I was driving a 2000 cougar. I would have to fill up twice a week. I am filling up just about once every two weeks (if I can work it right). And My MPG just keeps going up. I am getting 49.4 MPG as of this morning. Friday I was getting 46.9. To be honest those EPA estimates don't mean sh*t because the insight is only supposed to get 43 combined city and highway.

[tomder55]

I would if needed. My Corolla wagon is 1995 and running fine approaching 200,000 . But it has never shown any tranny problems .

I have been reading on some Prius websites about sudden acceleration so I checked a consumer's site and found this

Feds Aware of Prius Runaway Acceleration

Toyota blamed it on door mats .

[spitvenom]

That is my point to replace a tranny and to replace the battery in a hybrid is pretty much the same price.

I'll be sure to let you know if I experience the run away acceleration with the insight.

[galveston]

I hope you get good service out of it.

I wonder if it would be really dangerous if you let it get into high water, from the electricity, I mean? I have read that rescuers using the jaws of life need special training so they won't get electrocuted.

[ETWolverine]

I hope you get good service out of it.

I wonder if it would be really dangerous if you let it get into high water, from the electricity, I mean? I have read that rescuers using the jaws of life need special training so they won't get electrocuted.

Gal, I hadn't heard that. Nor do I believe that it should be necessary.

Jaws of Life are used on the frame of the car... the roof and doors, primarily. Unless electric and hybrid cars are so radically different in construction of the frame from regular gas-powered cars, there shouldn't be any electric current running through the roof or the doors. I cannot fathom any reason that the rescue worker would be using the JoL on any part of the car that has a large among of electrical current running through it. The JoLs are strong muthers, but they are used on the thinnest part of the vehicle, like the roof joists, as much as possible because it's easier to cut through the thin parts than the thick parts. Most of the areas of the car that would have electrical lines running through them are THICK.

I speak from experience on this issue. I'm an EMT, and I've been around the JoLs for quite a while now. I've had cars peeled open all around me as I stabilized MVA victims. So I have some direct experience in this matter. Never used them myself, but part of the EMT course of training includes how they work and how they are used. Nobody properly trained in their use would ever used them where there was a live electrical current.

Elliot

[twinkiedooter]

I think the taxpayers should bill Obama for the 9,000 gallons of fuel he effectively wasted on Earth Day at $3.00 a gallon just to fly Air Force One and Marine One to Iowa so he could change the air in his head... er, advise folks to properly inflate their heads.

[excon]

Hello again:

You righty's are going to have to find some other argument to use. You complain because Al Gore has a big house. You complain because the president flies in a big airplane.

In terms of an argument against global warming, or what we should do about, it's kind of weak. But, when it's all you got, go for it.

excon

[ETWolverine]

Hello again:

You righty's are gonna have to find some other argument to use. You complain because Al Gore has a big house. You complain because the president flies in a big airplane.

In terms of an argument against global warming, or what we should do about, it's kinda weak. But, when it's all you got, go for it.

excon

As usual, excon, you are missing the point.

There is plenty of proof that global warming a) isn't actually occurring, and b) isn't man-made, even if it is.

The point of talking about Al Bore's house or Obama's use of AF1 or Pelosi's use of military planes for personal travel has nothing to do with global warming. The point of all this is to show the hypocrisy of the left, an ongoing theme that you seem to miss over and over again.

Simply put, if BO, Al Bore, "Stretch" Pelosi, and the rest of the political and Hollywood elites on the left believe that global warming is such a serious problem that everyone must make sacrifices (which is what they claim), then they should be making sacrifices... like smaller homes, less use of private jets, use of public transportation, etc. But apparently they only want such sacrifices for everyone else. THEY are apparently too important to make such sacrifices.

That is the hypocrisy being pointed out. It has nothing to do with whether there is or is not global warming.

Did you understand the point now, excon?

Elliot

[tomder55]

Al Gore moved into a McYurt