Then if this article is a hit job put out by the big oil companies to keep people from buying hybrid vehicles so that they could drill down in Texas, how come this discussion was not start over seventy years ago when General Electric and Westinghouse introduced the GG1 electric locomotive for the built for the Pennsylvania Railroad. I would think that the prices for locomotive fuel, diesel, would give them more money than what they make with automobiles.

I can guarantee this though, when General Electric's diesel-battery hybrid comes out, the big oil companies will raise a fuss about that.




[edit on 11/5/2006 by gimmefootball400]

Oh,that goes without saying.

Look, electrical powered vehicles are nothing new. As a matter of fact, vehicles were powered by electricity until 1915... The biggest issues at that time was

(1) Speed
(2) Distance

However, I read somewhere that Tesla was able to design an electrical powered vehicle that was able to go over 90 mph, and I can't remember the distance before having to be recharged,but it was a fair distance. Guess what. The project was killed because certain members of the "powers that be" didn't think it was efficient enough, still.

I would imagine they also pack a punch.


As a side note, power is measured in Watts.... Rather confusing this subject if you don't choose your words carefully!

With new technology comes the need for new means of safety. If people always said it was to dangerous we would still be using a horse and carriage.

firstly - fire fighers and rescue personell are PROFESSIONALS - not yahoos who just cut into things without a care

they already deal with fuels / gases / chemicals etc with out incident

pluss vehicles already have batteries - and isolating the nattery is one of the first things they do here [ the uk ]

i used to work in the motor trade - and every vehicle that i saw which had been involved in a serious wreck where there was a fire risk or rescue required - ALWAYS had the battery cables cut away

fuel / bake / hydaulic and pneumatic pipes altray infest many areas of modern vehicles

and upto now all have been dealt with - there is no special danger from a hybrid that fire fighters cannot tackle - so stop claiming that there is

IMHO you got the answer right here:



Think about it logically, why would there be wires inside the uprights that hold up the roof? There wouldn't be, there is NO reason for wires to be inside the roof supports.
If the motor is in the front the batteries will be towards the back, the wires will run along/under the floor. Not up to the roof!
Same scenario if the motor is in back.
Texas is an oil state, why wouldn't they take a poke at alternative energy?

May I add two things:

Rubber shoes is NOT going to magically protect you from electric currents. Try getting hit by lightning wearing Rubber shoes. You'll most likely be in hostpital or even die.

Locomotives can run at over a thousand amps. I know a Deisel electric locomotive that can put out 1800 AMPS at full power. EASY to kill you.


The new Deisel electric will store energy lost in braking to use later by using generators connected to the wheels, or something to that effect.

[edit on 14-3-2007 by PisTonZOR]

I have heard that these cars are dangerous for the emergency workers and therefore it is very likely that you, the driver, would also suffer more in an accident due to having to wait for medical care.

Also ... I just took my car in for an oil change and I noticed that there are two different price lists for all services now ... regular cars and hybrids. The hybrid price list for service is higher by about 1/3. Upkeep costs more on hybrids.

That is possibly the most ignorant statement that I have ever seen.
Rubber was one of the first electrical insulators discovered. It is still in use today. There is nothing magic about it. It is science look it up. Google is your friend.

Also lightening is an electrical beast but it is a beast of a different nature. The power from a bolt of lightening could power a medium size city for a short period of time. There just is not much out there that can protect you from something of that magnitude.

[edit on 14-3-2007 by ultralo1]

Ignorant? lmfao! Go prance around when the ground is highly electrified, let's see if your all fine and dandy then. While it may help protect you, it won't make you invincible, and if your trying to pry a car open, when you may be touching it, I DOUBT that rubber shoes will magically protect you.

Don't bother replying.

[edit on 16-3-2007 by PisTonZOR]

Knowledge is power when it comes to electricity.
If a fireman cut through an electrical wire while trying to get someone out of a car, he would most likely not be harmed at all. Even if there is a big shower of sparks.
It just doesn't work that way......
A fireman could be barefoot on wet pavement while cutting a battery cable and he still wouldn't get zapped.
Electricity goes in a complete circle, onboard a car the pavement is not a part of that circle.
Also, a car manufacturer would be completely idiotic not to put a fuse in the battery cables. That would blow the instant the wire was shorted to the car body.

Comparing lightning to batteries is like comparing apples to pebbles.