asg70 wrote:The negativity in the comments underneath is telling. This sort of projection should be met with joy by peakers as it's like watching Hirsch Report style adaptation happen without having to first convince the public about the dangers of peak-oil. But since so many people are so attached to the idea of collapse they can't abide any good news.
This thread is old and the user I have quoted is now banned but I thought that 4 years on it would be good to revisit this since these things typically get pushed under the rug. I'm thinking of things like the mass uptake of the Segway, which will revolutionize inner city transport. Remember that one?
I am a realist and base my decisions on what's happening in the real world, not the corporate/ Government promises world. I looked into buying a Nissan Leaf recently, what a great saving that would be for me over the course of 20 years driving. Then I discovered the batteries only last 8 years, only have a usable range, for my needs, of 3-4 years, and cost an absolute fortune to replace. I couldn't make the equation work so shelved it. I thought though about the future and about what would happen at 8 years when they all start coming up for sale because of dying batteries? Who will buy them knowing they have to pony up $10k or so for a new battery?
Hybrids suffer similar issues though not on the same scale and that because they use a lot more gasoline than battery, at least down here where we have long driving distances. The technology is great and I would love to see it take off but it doesn't make economic sense unless you live in the inner rings of a major city, and especially not for the millions here in Australia on low incomes. They can afford an old 4-cly banger and that's about it.
These hybrids are selling well though and the sales people at toyota for one are really pushing them over the standard model. I know because my sister got talked into getting one. It was a silly decision since she lives in a remote area 40km from town and regularly makes 300km trips otherwise. At least her battery pack wont degrade in a hurry.