Engineer believes hybrid vehicles will gain ground(Pimp my ride effect)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05059/464017.stm

<snip>

Electric motors have always been more efficient than gasoline engines because they don't waste energy by inefficiently burning fuel or transmitting their power through gears, Porche said.

"So when your neighbor gets that new Lexus that smokes you off the light because you're in your Dodge Durango that needs to sip gas for about 10 seconds before it really wants to move, he's going to go, 'I want that hybrid Lexus and I'll pay an extra $10,000 for it.' "

When Porche refers to American drivers' lust for power, though, he isn't just talking about the speed of an automobile -- he's also talking about the increasing demand for electrical power for accessories and controls inside the vehicle.

And that is reason No. 2 why he believes hybrid technology may have a much bigger future than J.D. Power forecasts.

"I call it the 'Pimp My Ride' phenomenon," said Porche, referring to the MTV program that transforms everyday cars into customized high-performance vehicles that are often loaded with electrical gizmos like motorized shoe racks or remote-controlled digital cameras.

[freethought]

1. God! So much great technollogy out there!

The wait for a Toyota Prius is a 6 mos to a year! Can you imagine that! A backlog of car orders a year deep!
Mercedes tests a new fuel injection system for diesel fuel. Higher efficiency and more of the 'snap, crackle and pop' of a gasoline engine.
UPS is going to test a new transmission that runs by hydraulics than a complex series of gears.

Hybrid systems that run seemlessly with internal combustion engines.

Chrysler desinged an engine that can 'deactivate' two of its eight cylenders and still run smoothly. Okay, I'll give Chrysler that one!

You would think that Detroit would be all over this stuff!
Nope!
It is hard for me to have any sympathy for U.S. automakers. The word 'innovation' seems to be dirty word. Perhaps there is a ray of hope somewhere but I don't see it. Fine! Let gas prices skyrocket!
Watch the Prius and Smart cars score like crazy! Detroit will just get left behind.

Gad! One would think we would already be moving in this direction but we are not. Sucks!

[northzax]

2. there's only one problem

batteries are heavy. until that problem is solved, electric cars, even ones runnig off of internal power plants, will be slower on the update than gasoline one.

[Kolesar]

3. The unintended effect will be using MORE energy

as they add the stupidest stuff imaginable to their cars.