gbarry42
Well-known member
I recently had the chance to drive one of the those "long distance" cars they are making now. I thought I'd share some of the highlights. This one is a Prius, made by Toyota. It uses a liquid petroleum distillate fuel which is stored in a 12 gallon tank. The car can travel around 450 miles before the still inevitable need to add more fuel. You have to bring it to a public facility to do this, but fortunately they have gotten the filling process down to where the average consumer can do it themselves.
It's made to look a lot like a fast charger, only it's even bigger than a Blink. And it's got a hose to match. I guess size does matter. The whole setup is made to look like the fuel just magically appears, but as I understand it, there is a storage tank underground, and a truck comes in at night when no one is looking and fills the thing back up.
Notice the word "Power" prominently displayed. They really want us to associate this dispenser with the conventional charge stations we're all used to. So, anyway, you work that hose into the filler port, which they still insist on putting at the rear of the vehicle. Squeezing the lever starts the flow; I managed to get this done without breaking the dispenser. The business end still looks like it cost $5000. Maybe Yazaki makes those, too.
Well, here she is getting a feeding.
The whole process takes around ten minutes. That's some consolation in return for having to take it over there in the first place. I asked the guy running the place if I could get one of those dispensers installed in my garage, so I could just fill up every night. He just stared at me the way someone would if I suggested charging my LEAF from the solar panel it has on the roof. I dropped the matter...he probably just didn't know the answer.
The whole adventure cost me about the same as driving the LEAF for an entire month! Those prices are going to have to come down if they expect to sell many of these petrol cars. Fortunately, the need to drive this thing is minimal, once a week or less.
Another nod to our friends at Blink is the ridiculously large screen, which occasionally plays annoying advertising, or otherwise displays a message telling you to insert a floppy disk in high resolution ASCII text.
Also note the red lights and the breakaway hose connector. You can apparently drive off while the hose is still inserted! I'm sure they'll get that oversight taken care of in newer models. Someone will probably try to patent the idea of putting a switch in filler door or something.
Some words about the vehicle itself.
To reduce the anxiety of a strange new technology, the car still has a traction battery. This is actually something of a necessity, as the "internal combustion" engine can't really do the job alone. It needs some help from the electric motor. But lest you think you could still pretend to be an EV, your range would be measured in feet, not miles.
The regenerative braking is still there, but it is quite reduced. You think your LEAF could stop quicker; this one pulls about half the power off the wheels, and you have to get on the brakes to make even that happen. Due to a smaller battery and smaller motor, I assume.
They might be able to one day make an engine big enough to power the vehicle by itself, but since about most of the energy from the fuel is thrown away as heat (it's like 20% efficient!) I don't think anyone would want to pay for an "improvement" like that. But, look at how far batteries and solar panels have come...no doubt in just a few years they will double the efficiency of those engines. Then, the sky's the limit.
Happy April!
It's made to look a lot like a fast charger, only it's even bigger than a Blink. And it's got a hose to match. I guess size does matter. The whole setup is made to look like the fuel just magically appears, but as I understand it, there is a storage tank underground, and a truck comes in at night when no one is looking and fills the thing back up.
Notice the word "Power" prominently displayed. They really want us to associate this dispenser with the conventional charge stations we're all used to. So, anyway, you work that hose into the filler port, which they still insist on putting at the rear of the vehicle. Squeezing the lever starts the flow; I managed to get this done without breaking the dispenser. The business end still looks like it cost $5000. Maybe Yazaki makes those, too.
Well, here she is getting a feeding.
The whole process takes around ten minutes. That's some consolation in return for having to take it over there in the first place. I asked the guy running the place if I could get one of those dispensers installed in my garage, so I could just fill up every night. He just stared at me the way someone would if I suggested charging my LEAF from the solar panel it has on the roof. I dropped the matter...he probably just didn't know the answer.
The whole adventure cost me about the same as driving the LEAF for an entire month! Those prices are going to have to come down if they expect to sell many of these petrol cars. Fortunately, the need to drive this thing is minimal, once a week or less.
Another nod to our friends at Blink is the ridiculously large screen, which occasionally plays annoying advertising, or otherwise displays a message telling you to insert a floppy disk in high resolution ASCII text.
Also note the red lights and the breakaway hose connector. You can apparently drive off while the hose is still inserted! I'm sure they'll get that oversight taken care of in newer models. Someone will probably try to patent the idea of putting a switch in filler door or something.
Some words about the vehicle itself.
To reduce the anxiety of a strange new technology, the car still has a traction battery. This is actually something of a necessity, as the "internal combustion" engine can't really do the job alone. It needs some help from the electric motor. But lest you think you could still pretend to be an EV, your range would be measured in feet, not miles.
The regenerative braking is still there, but it is quite reduced. You think your LEAF could stop quicker; this one pulls about half the power off the wheels, and you have to get on the brakes to make even that happen. Due to a smaller battery and smaller motor, I assume.
They might be able to one day make an engine big enough to power the vehicle by itself, but since about most of the energy from the fuel is thrown away as heat (it's like 20% efficient!) I don't think anyone would want to pay for an "improvement" like that. But, look at how far batteries and solar panels have come...no doubt in just a few years they will double the efficiency of those engines. Then, the sky's the limit.
Happy April!
