Jones Beene wrote:
Jed,
The biggest advantage the Prius has over other designs is that it exists.
You can buy one.
Yes. I hope they sell all they can make. No one is suggesting that they
cease making them because the design is less than adequate. However to add
a larger battery pack to the present design if silly if you can't use it
on the freeway.
You misunderstand. The prototype Prius+ with an add-on battery pack cannot
be used on the freeway. This is a temporary limitation because they are
working on a shoestring. The version that they will sell next year as an
add-on kit *will* be used on the freeway, and it will save significant
amounts of gasoline even on the freeway, even compared to a regular Prius.
It will not be quite as good as the serial design you are discussing,
especially for people who only travel on the freeway for 10 miles or so,
but it will be better than an unmodified Prius and *far* better than a
regular car.
The Prius+, with the add-on battery pack will give the average driver
well over 100 mpg; probably 120 mpg, I guess.
The vehicle I suggest will do better than 120 mpg since you never need the
large ICE during the average day. It will more like 1000 mpg... hmm...
No, all else being equal (the weight of the car and so on), it will achieve
a lower mile per gallon rating with the ICE engages, but something roughly
equal 240 mpg when fossil fuel electricity is used. When the electricity
comes from nuclear or wind, the comparison becomes fairly meaningless --
like comparing apples to oranges.
- Jed
