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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jacques Chitte who wrote (21539)	5/13/1998 3:16:00 PM
From: Zoltan!	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

Did you read the new Beetle offers a turbodiesel option that they say is as quiet and as responsive as an advanced gas engine with about double the fuel economy? Something like 50 mpg highway. Diesel. Those willing to spend $1,275 extra to get it, and hunt for diesel fuel once they have it, will be delighted with the so-called 1.9-liter TDI. It puts out 90 hp, is actually quieter and smoother than the gas engine, requires no special driving techniques and is generally fun and satisfying to wheel around. Plus, you get up to 48 miles per gallon, about 700 miles between fuel stops. If you're into the full Beetle experience, the TDI is a must. It's as peculiar now as the old Beetle's air-cooled rear engine was back then. VW figures just 8% to 10% will choose the diesel. Too bad. It's the kind of engine that could erase America's aversion to diesels, a change that would dramatically cut this country's fuel consumption. usatoday.com

To: Jacques Chitte who wrote (21539)	5/15/1998 12:47:00 AM
From: Krowbar	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

<< A turbodiesel is far more efficient than an electric car. >> May 28, 1997--- Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. ("ECD") (NASDAQ National Market:ENER) has received the final energy consumption data for the 1997 American Tour de Sol from the competition organizer, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association ("NESEA"). The first place winner in the Production Category, a Solectria Force achieved the impressive equivalent of 130 miles per gallon (MPG) on range day, powered by Ovonic nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. Range day, Wednesday, May 21, 1997, gave competitors the opportunity to drive the required 69 miles of the route, plus as many additional miles as they could with the remaining energy available in the batteries. The 28 KWh Ovonic NiMH battery pack with its superior specific energy, expressed as watt hour/kg (Wh/kg), achieved a range of 249 miles. The "equivalent MPG" for the EV is based upon "oil well-to-wheel" efficiency, including central generating plant efficiency, power transmission losses, charging efficiency and mechanical drivetrain losses. The superior specific energy (Wh/kg) of the Ovonic NiMH battery and the efficiency of the Solectria drivetrain account for the differences in equivalent MPG between the EVs. Also, the Prius electric hybrid already available in Japan is getting 80 MPG now. Del

To: Jacques Chitte who wrote (21539)	5/16/1998 12:47:00 PM
From: Grainne	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

Okay, I must admit I am a little confused about the winner in the fuel debate here with you and Del and Duncan. Which technology is winning? Your post on the vegetable oil powered car is very interesting. Am I understanding correctly that Volkswagen is the leader in turbodiesels? Isn't that going to kill a whole lot of vegetables if most of the world's cars run on it? Where will we plant them all? California's agricultural areas are already being taken over by housing, which is of concern since we WERE America's salad bowl and everything. And Del's post about the battery-operated car was very impressive, don't you think? Message 4466932