Possumblog

After reading that post by Tim Blair, I think I'd probably watch that episode of America’s Bloodiest Celebrity Beatings proposed by Tim.

It really wouldn't be sporting, though. I mean, how's a self-absorbed celebrity supposed to defend himself while simultaneously patting himself on the back AND blowing his own horn?

What have I been reading about the environmental concerns with disposal of the hybrid batteries, and the huge cost of replacement seven or eight years down the line.

It's not something that people want to worry about now, but imagine the problem we have with regular lead acid 12 volt car batteries now, expanded by an order of magnitude with great huge honking piles full of exotic heavy metals. I don't think it's an insurmountable problem, but it is one that will have to be dealt with, and is one of the hidden costs of switching to this sort of hybrid power.

I think Chrysler's old gas turbine from the early '60s actually would be a better solution. It tanked as a powerplant because it didn't have immediate torque, having to build up to it. Gas turbines like to spin at a constant, fast speed--instead of hooking it up to the transmission, they should have hooked it up to a generator to provide electrical power, which has max torque available at zero RPM. The turbine could be harnessed as a backup. The fuel is the good thing, though, because turbines are not finicky, and will run on just about anything, including cheaply made things like kerosene or waste oil. Current hybrids rely more on the internal combustion engine, and tend to use the electric as a supplement or backup power, and the engines have to be tuned to provide a good range of power useful for driving, rather than simply as a generator-turning device.