@Cycloptichorn,
Quote: Shrug. I don't foresee a 'one-size-fits-all' solution. Hybrid engines are great for extending length, for emergencies, and for the next few decades until battery technology can cope with those things.
Well now you seem to be sittin on my side of the aisle. ALl Ive been saying is that diesel technology can carry us much farther forward to some ultimate "personal conveyance" energy system. I do think batteries will improve and there will prbably be one HUUUGE leap forward sometime in the future. We arent a world that,In my mind, makes radical adjustments really quick especially when its something we depend upon. STuff like radio, tv, video, etc all took over 60 years to come around to some semblance of standardization and that isnt half as critical as transportation.
Travel without amenities does extend the fuel efficiency of our electric vehicles,I was at a hybrid meet last summer and there were many brands , from the everyday, (Prius,Escape) to more exotics (Porsche, Lexus). All of us recognized the deep discounts in fuel economy at anything but optimal climatic conditions. If you didnt need heat or AC, youd get the mileage at or better than reported in the EPA sticker.
The Ford Escape is being redesigned for 2012 and its reportedly at the 45 mpg range with full features (except AC). There is so uch "Ghost draw" on the elctronics from all the gizmos that I inderstand that Ford will be using a 9v backup system that will preserve the data in the computers etc so the car doesnt get a lobotomy every so often (another little dirty secret about hybrids that I failed to mention). I now have a teeny backup battery on the cars main computer so it wont forget how to read the wheel traction (The Escape hybrid is an SUV with AWD and the damn wheels check their traction like 200 X a second so as to distribute AWD power).
DOnt get me wrong, e love this car, its a hoot. WHen I drive at 35 it sounds like a window fan unless its hot out and we have AC on, then it kicks over to the 4 cyl engine very often.
However, its not a big huge gas saver as is. If I get 32 Im doing greater than reported (I slip stream and dont jack rabbit start). Itll take , as you sya, a decade (I think more like 2) to develop anything reasonably long range, AND we develop some kind of an elec-infrastructure.
