Re: Ultra capacitors again

From: Uncle Al (UncleAl0_at_hate.spam.net)
Date: 09/24/04 

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 08:52:47 -0700

Pittsburgh Pete wrote:
>
> There is another recent article, "Ultracapacitors challenge the
> battery" posted in the JUne 2004 worldandi on
> http://www.worldandi.com/subscribers/feature_detail.asp?num=23938
> which shows pictures of the ultra capacitor bank on the Honda FCX fuel
> cell car (also mentioned in the SAE article). They stacked 160 cells
> in series to get 400 V for braking recovery, etc.

Let's see now... we have a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell + IC car with a
huge capacitor bank, novel hydrogen storage modalities, cutting edge
this, bleeding edge that... "a few test models of which are already on
the road in California."

It's bull***. It won't work, you couldn't afford to own it if it did
work, and it won't survive more than a few years without its guts
being torn out and wholly replaced. If you are in an accident you
will die. BOOM. How long do you think NiMH batteries last in a
conservative hybrid vehicle? About 5 years. How long does it take to
pay off a car loan? About 5 years. They are screwing you. You will
never realize a non-negative DCF/ROI from a real world hybrid vehicle
with five years of fuel consumption/mile being 1/3 the nominal price
of ordinary indestructable straight IC vehicles like a Honda Civic.
You sure as Hell won't gain any advantage by driving a much more
expensive car that is willfully fragile.

My VW 1989 VW Golf gets real world 28 mpg. Routine maintenance
amortized is maybe $50-70/year (oil, antifreeze, distilled water,
spark plugs, filters, etc. as needed) Registration and insurance are
ridiculously cheap. New Die Hard battery every 7-8 years, new tires
every 50,000 miles, new muffler every 12 years. My yearly operating
costs are near or below your monthly costs without even considering
gasoline. I am a long-term winner saving a fat five figures over the
life of my car vs. you - a half-year's salary tax free in my pocket.

Here how the screw job works, git: They loudly make a few efficient
cars at a severe loss to cover their Federally mandated asses. The
main technology goes into pig wagons and land yachts that sell at huge
profit margins to people trying to keep up with the Joneses. Said
sales targets are too stooopid to add up the true cost of a loan or a
lease. The sheep get sheared; the stooopid ante up hoping to win a
pot while going in with a busted flush. 

-- 
Uncle Al
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
 (Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/qz.pdf