On 31 Mar 2004 11:29:24 GMT, Albert T Cone wrote:
Why? The efficiency of a petrol engine while stopped in traffic is 0%.
(Fuel consumed, no work done) and in stop-start traffic it is poor at
best. Electric drives excel here as if no work is to be done, no power
is used.
Huh? The response was to the OP of not using Hybrid cars because they
are petrol powered. Hybrids don't run the engine when stopped, so no
power is used.

indeed

but again the cost per mile
in energy of driving an electric car is a pretty good hint at the
comparative efficiency.
It cost more per mile per hp. Currently available electric cars are a
lot less powerful than thier petrol counterparts.

yes, but this doesn't bother me. My current car is great for thumping up and
down an autobahn. But I spend 90% of my driving time pottering around
congested British roads at sub-40 mph. An electic car, with regenerative
breaking, seems to be idea. Or at least it should be a whole heap cheaper to
run.

But it isn't, at least not to any significant extent. If you charge an
electric car from grid mains you will increase the amount of fossil fuel
burnt.

That doesn't follow. My current lecky comes from a supplier who only buys
renewables, period. None of my cash goes to buying more fossil fuels to
burn. However, not all 'green' tarrifs are like this.

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