Prius; Justify our need for Consumerism

Discussion in 'The big picture' started by Wingen_Miner, Aug 25, 2009.

  1. DJ-Studd

    DJ-Studd Junior Member

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    Re: Prius; Justify our need for Consumerism

    I'm not denying that, but as it stands at the moment we still have a need for personal transport in this country; not to mention the size of the country and there will always be a need for people to travel, it may as well be done in the cleanest fashion currently possible.

    I'm sorry, but I disagree with the whole theory that someone has to be the first to adapt to the technology. Look at the Tesla Roadster, they've produced an electric vehicle that is quicker than a Lotus Elise, all with the tiniest of startup funds. It comes down to governments and oil companies, not the number of people that are willing to take up an electric vehicle.
    Toyota have announced that they're about to start producing an electric Camry; why can they not base their electric vehicle on a car that is actually enjoyable to drive in the first place? It's a shame that the BMW and Lexus EV's are out reach of 99.9% of people.


    The argument of buying second hand cars doesn't win it for me, I purchased our car primarily based on it's safety rating. You just can't get that from an old car and I wasn't letting my new born be driven around in a car with no airbags and sub-standard ABS, not to mention the huge safety advancements of electronic stability. As it is a diesel I intend to keep it until it blows up, at which time we'll probably all be driving EVs anyway.
     
  2. Wingen_Miner

    Wingen_Miner Junior Member

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    Re: Prius; Justify our need for Consumerism

    I can see your point of view DJ, after all, what we place inside our vehicle is far more precious than the vehicle itself could ever be.

    But how many of the safety features that we see on modern cars simply a further aid to survival in a crash? and yet the designs of the vehicles have reduced the drivers ability to avoid one in the first place (stability control and perhaps ABS aside)?

    New cars are often bigger, all heavier (my wife's astra 4 cyl weighs more than my EH holden 6 cyl), more powerful, and most importantly......... offer poorer visibility than their predecessors.

    I have been fortunate to never have had an accident in a vehicle; old or new [touch wood], so i couldnt really say which type of vehicle i would prefer to be sitting in when it happens. Getting hit hard in a new car would still no doubt inflict life threatning or debilitating injuries, so its not as simple as saying that you can walk away from a new car smash as opposed to an old car smash.

    But since I'm not a crash dummy, I still lean towards a vehicle that compliments my ability to AVOID the crash to begin with.
    (better visibility, smooth power delivery, relaxed driving feel).

    btw Len, i do like the look of those trikes. another good example of thinking outside the sqaure and matching the vehicle to your own needs, rather than what the market says you should have.
     
  3. springtide

    springtide Junior Member

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    Re: Prius; Justify our need for Consumerism

    Yeah the Tesla looks great but on Top Gear they fried the battery in 25 minutes! - we need something that is a bit more reliable!
     
  4. DJ-Studd

    DJ-Studd Junior Member

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    Re: Prius; Justify our need for Consumerism

    I'd say carry a spare, but that goes against what I've said here :D

    I think it gets a bit more when you're not fanging it, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. I'd presume they also keep the size of the batteries down in order to save weight, given the type of car that it is. Put a highly efficient solar panel on top and it can recharge while you're having a picnic 8)
     
  5. springtide

    springtide Junior Member

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    Re: Prius; Justify our need for Consumerism

    If you want something a bit more low - key the Mitsubishi i-Miev electric is availible in Aust next year - 100km/hr+ and 160kms per recharge (22 kilowatts) from a single phase 15 amp socket. But this brings out my "closet doomer" - i figure i would need about 9 kws per day which is nearly double our current household consumption (not that good but it's sold and the next one will be better). At present Australia isn't doing enough on the renewable energy front but what if most people bought 1 or 2 i-mievs/holden volt/etc in aust. and doubled it's power consumption? I honestly believe that if the lights started to dimm people would scream coal and nuclear and just about anything else to feed the grid.
    - yes i am hoping to get an off grid system to feed an i-miev or similar - i know its aiming high but...... :nike: :nike:
     
  6. RobWindt

    RobWindt Junior Member

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    Re: Prius; Justify our need for Consumerism

    "The argument of buying second hand cars doesn't win it for me, I purchased our car primarily based on it's safety rating..."

    Depends on your local circumstances surely, we have many 4wds and trucks around here, most with bullbars, and I flat out refuse to drive a mobile crumple zone.

    Having spent some time driving a tow truck I can say that yes, an airbag may increase your chance of survival, but your legs are in the crumple zone, an airbag can also crush the chests of children and the elderly, they should be in the back.

    For rural areas I would suggest a solid old car with updated seatbelts, updated ignition for improved mileage, good quality tyres and suspension, and LPG where it's available.

    Do be aware that crash tests do not cover the reality of an offset headon with two to five tonnes of bullbar, a common accident type on country roads and one that I survived in a 1969 valiant fitted with retractable seat belts - both vehicles were travelling at approx' 80 kph giving an impact speed of around 160 kph - and I walked away.
    A static test into a barrier at 30 - 60 kph is not an indication of reality

    Rob
    https://nakedmechanic.blogspot.com/
     
  7. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    Re: Prius; Justify our need for Consumerism

    good points rob,

    too many put too much stock in modern protection devices. an air bag that goes off prematurily can cause a lot of damage, also when an air bag deploys it only does it once and deflates fairly rapidly so if your vehicle continues on after the initial impact that sets off the air bag then has another impact you have no protection have heard of people being injured in those cases. and for me modern cars just seem to crumple away to nothing just look at some of the scenes on tv news, still can't figure how air bags can be placed to protect kids?? who are supposed to be in the back seat upto 3 across.

    len
     

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