tahoe better for the environment than prius?
Published by kyle April 13th, 2006 in Newsmax sent me this article, its pretty interesting; talks about how much worse the new hybrids are for the environment, maybe some of these tree hugging liberals can now stop whining at how GM needs to be more like toyota. gm’s cars are actually not as bad for the environment as some hybrids. many people don’t realize the environmental ramifications of the lighter weight materials and batteries of the hybrids, they just see that they aren’t using as much gas, and that must be better. the energy obviously is magically created. maybe people will start thinking before they talk about those conspiracy theories about how there are infinite power sources but we can’t have them because it will put companies out of business. what?
GM needs to be more like toyota because toyota is uuber successful and GM is on the verge of going out of business. Just because Toyota has a massive R&D facility dedicated to building cleaner vehicles doesn’t mean that’s all that happens there. One day Jin, while working on a process to make a pound of poodle poop propell a prius for 100 miles discovers that methane, when mixed with the soy sauce he accidently spilled on it from his lunch magically, created an amazing new fuel source! Poodle owners everywhere rejoice. Story at 11.
Batteries are nasty to recycle and more of them means more nastyness. However, I’ll bet a pound of poodle poop that there’s some TM brains working on that one as well.
Burning less gas is a step in the right direction. Changing the way the entire world uses energy will have to be an evolution, not a revolution. Taking baby steps are how these things get done. History will remember the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic and Ford Escape Hybrids as a step towards where ever we wind up.
Do big business stiffel R&D towards new power sources? Hell fuck yes. Petrol is the biggest business in the world. Period. If energy was a huge concern, then why not get the energy companies to team up with every engine manufacturer in the world and find an effieient energy source thats renewable and roll it out everywhere? Everyone can come up with their own list of reasons, but I’ll just stick with extracts from corn don’t have the same profit margins as good ‘ol crude.
You do make some reference to american vs foreign auto makers above. I believe that GM has taken a HUGE step in right direction with their Flex Fuel initiative. You can now go to a dealer and order a Pickup, Tahoe, Utility Van or an Impala that will run on regular gasoline OR E85 Ethanol. Thats right, a vehicle that can do EITHER! And, starting this year, hit the onsstar button and they’ll give you turn by turn to the nearest E85 refuelling station.
Way to go GM. Is it a revolotion? Nah, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. GM’s got bigger problems than alternative fuels right now, but that can be for another rant.
As long as the automakers keep doing what they’re doing, one day we’ll have a solution. That’s the difference between a competitive market (auto manufacturers) and a cartel (OPEC) selling products. We’ll actually get inovation out of competition. Kyle, let me know if you wanna go in on a Poodle with me.
as long as we can name it e85 ethanol.
a great reply bill, im glad that people actually read and think about this stuff. i would hope that some of the people reading my site will be part of the new generation of engineers and execs that can realize some of these important goals. i would like to see the e85 and the hydrogen fuels be a bit more successful but this is a new task for america. we have really only gone through one phase of energy production - burning shit. we have gone through many changes in communications, weapons, etc, but energy for vehicles will be much like nuclear power plants. most people will be scared, it will be very costly at first, and there will probably be some tragic accidents, but hopefully that will lead us all to some significant benifits, and lots more toxic waste…:-/
i hope someone takes a min to dig up those stats on how much used reactor fuel will be piled up by 20XX - the figures were staggering. just goes to show, everything has a tipping point..
also, from wsj.com
“The health-care deal, similar to one reached at Ford, is part of a massive overhaul of the unionized U.S. auto industry as auto makers try to pare health-care and retiree obligations that foreign auto makers like Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. don’t have. Between them, GM and Ford also are looking to eliminate more than 60,000 jobs over the next few years through plant closings, massive retiree buyouts and other attrition programs.”
just goes to show what some companies sacrifice for margins. Toyota may be uuber successful but healthcare and pentions are something americans are accustomed to. its hard to pull that out from under so many thousands of employees, i think the profits might be staggering then…
I’m all for retiree benefits, but GM has some of the best in the world. If they can’t afford it, then what the hell does it all matter. I’m sure TM and Honda have some sort of program. As long as it’s adequate, and employees are given a lifetime to plan for their retirement, then it shouldn’t be an issue. Changing a retirement package 5 years before retirement isn’t acceptable.