YYC economic down turn.

[Beefitarian]

First I must update: I just got a new part time job at the Jubilee, I am very excited about it. I might be able to fly twice, or even more this year.

The Tesla seem way better than other Electric cars out there.

Something seems very wrong over at General Motors. They had over a decade head start they should be at least building Chevrolet Volts that would appear as good when new. I don't know if they have even started selling them.

[7ECA]

The Tesla is one hell of a car. I had the chance to ride in one a while back, the acceleration is breathtaking - as is the price.

I've heard recently that Toyota is looking at expanding their hybrid powertrain into their truck line, and once they do that, it will be another step in the right direction, eventually leading to either hydrogen or all electric trucks as well.

[hangar3]

You have to admit though it is an aspiring video. I think once other car makers start pumping out affordable electric vehicles the trend will be a landslide from there.

Oh I hear you, I'd drive one if they were in the $20 - 30k range.

[Beefitarian]

I am surprised no one is working on a nice clean diesel hybrid. The mileage would be spectacular.

It could even be a plug to charge electric with a back up generator to extend the range.

[7ECA]

Probably because diesel is not nearly as clean as people think. Most diesels (when they are properly tuned - I'm looking at you VW), emit gasses that tend to be worse than what is emitted by gasoline engines.

Smaller engines are the way to go, especially with the great potential in hybrids and the increased capacity in newer batteries. Hell, Toyota's latest race cars have over a thousand horsepower on a hybrid powertrain.

[leftoftrack]

What does telsa have to do with Beefs lost job?

[Beefitarian]

My company had slowed down because of lowered oil prices, hence the lay offs.

Someone back a page suggested we quit depending on Oil and posted a vimeo of Teslas "Dear Oil Companies letter."

I guess we switch to coal to fuel our transportation. Unless they were planing to buy a solar panel carport to charge that Tesla.

[hangar3]

We ended up talking about the downturn > the oil and gas industry > the future (electric cars)

He got a job for now apparently so that's good
Good luck!

[Beefitarian]

Probably because diesel is not nearly as clean as people think. Most diesels (when they are properly tuned - I'm looking at you VW), emit gasses that tend to be worse than what is emitted by gasoline engines.

I think the problem you refer to is Nitrogen Oxides that should be addressed with urea injection, not Volkwagons filter that did not work as well. Or do you mean the mostly carbon soot from a poorly tuned engine that falls out of the air to the ground? In older fuels they had more sulfur in there and that was nasty.

But I don't know, maybe the diesel proponent guys that claim they have been used in enclosed areas such as the Potash mines under ground because they can run clean, are full of bologna.

This article http://www.livescience.com/52284-volksw ... enges.html
seems legit, Mercedes urea injection blue tec has worked fine in California.

Smaller engines are the way to go, especially with the great potential in hybrids and the increased capacity in newer batteries. Hell, Toyota's latest race cars have over a thousand horsepower on a hybrid powertrain.

I agree with that. You can use an even smaller Diesel engine but nobody seems to be developing a clean one for generators yet.

[iflyforpie]

I can't believe that nobody has made a hybrid truck yet. Put an electric motor at each wheel, now you have 100% torque at 0 RPM, dynamic braking to save your brakes and recharge your batteries--which you can put where the axles, diffs, drive shafts, transmission, and transfer case used to be since you won't need any of them. Just sync all motors and now you have 'in effect' three locking differentials. I'd buy one.

[Beefitarian]

I heartily agree up to this part.

I'd buy one.

When they finally build it it will be $130 000 or something silly and we'll both be driving old trucks we can afford.

[7ECA]

Beef: I read an article a while back when the VW scandal was all over the news, where it was talking about the idea of diesel as a clean alternative to gasoline. I can't seem to find it anymore, but I do remember the idea being that diesel was inherently clean because it does not emit the crap that gas does, the problem is diesel emits crap that is much worse for the environment. If I find the article I'll post it.

I also saw a study recently on the health impacts of diesel exhaust (not that it matters but there was an interesting article in a trades magazine mentioning the study), needless to say it is pretty harmful.

http://news.ubc.ca/2015/01/07/breathing ... -the-hood/

[Beefitarian]

One thing with diesel exhaust is it causes much more irritation to people especially with asthma. I will scope your ubc link.

The biggest problem as far as I know is diesel does not require as much refinement. Therefore the producers do not bother removing as many nasty things. That stuff will end up in the exhaust if not burned, filtered or treated somehow.

That was the reason there was more sulfide from the old stuff which was pretty nasty.

My position is that just because they are not bothering to make clean fuel for diesels does not mean the engines are at fault. You could burn BioDiesel and have a very clean exhaust. There may still be things in there that could kill you such as carbon monoxide but it is much cleaner than what is most common these days.

[Braun]

Probably because diesel is not nearly as clean as people think. Most diesels (when they are properly tuned - I'm looking at you VW), emit gasses that tend to be worse than what is emitted by gasoline engines.

I think the problem you refer to is Nitrogen Oxides that should be addressed with urea injection, not Volkwagons filter that did not work as well. Or do you mean the mostly carbon soot from a poorly tuned engine that falls out of the air to the ground? In older fuels they had more sulfur in there and that was nasty.

But I don't know, maybe the diesel proponent guys that claim they have been used in enclosed areas such as the Potash mines under ground because they can run clean, are full of bologna.

This article http://www.livescience.com/52284-volksw ... enges.html
seems legit, Mercedes urea injection blue tec has worked fine in California.

Smaller engines are the way to go, especially with the great potential in hybrids and the increased capacity in newer batteries. Hell, Toyota's latest race cars have over a thousand horsepower on a hybrid powertrain.

I agree with that. You can use an even smaller Diesel engine but nobody seems to be developing a clean one for generators yet.

My VW Touareg tdi has urea injection not a filter, fwiw.

[plhought]

Regenerative Gas-Turbine with an electric drive would be the way to go in my books.

[JasonE]

If you are an environmentalist - what the heck are you doing in aviation?

I have bought and would buy another VW diesel. I love the smell of cheapness (err I mean diesel) in the morning. Just drove 3000 km on $150 of fuel.

[iflyforpie]

The fuel is the cheap part of owning any car.

Basically, if you drive enough to economically justify owning a diesel car, you're spending way too much time driving. The low fuel costs distract people from the higher purchase cost, the (now higher) depreciation, the higher maintenance costs... And for someone who's had several gas vehicle decades old with half a million km on the clock... TDIs are not really much more durable in comparison. I've got a photo of a TDI somewhere blowing blue at only ten years old.. while I followed them in my three decade old Volvo that didn't burn any oil.

Plus when things go wrong with VWs.... or any German car for that matter... they go really wrong. The sunroof went on my first and last VW. It was $3000 to replace what they called a 'cassette'--basically everything that had to do with the sunroof except the hole in the roof. That number represents over a years' worth of fuel for my truck. Every car I've ever owned has had a sunroof and none of the others so much as leaked. Of course, then there was the rust at ten years (Okanagan car, never saw snow), the wheel bearings, the leaky valve guides (even with synthetic oil since new), electrical gremlins, etc etc... and the massive loss I took upon selling it.

[Beefitarian]

I knew you didn't want to buy that new truck with the motor wheels. I do think I should buy a house near you or your airport and build a hanger so we could try to build such toys. Then again I never even got out to visit with the trailer like I should have.

Regenerative Gas-Turbine with an electric drive would be the way to go in my books.

Now we're talking!

Also I noticed 7ECA had mentioned Hydrogen. Why are we not going there for clean fuel. It's not like we have to use a staticky cloth bag for a fuel tank, waiting for it to burst into flames.

[7ECA]

Hydrogen is another interesting prospect. The price will need to drop, and the availability of hydrogen filling stations will need to be increased to make it more worthwhile.

Toyota is supposed to be releasing the "Mirai" hydrogen powered car in California this year (I'm not sure if it is going to be a nationwide release, because I think California is the only state that has a network of hydrogen stations), the MSRP is $57,500 USD. Cheaper than a Tesla, but still steep compared to any entry level Prius hybrid.