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Comment by smileysteve | Hacker News Reader

Re: 1, ignoring the complexities, is really interesting but depending on the effort to change our battery banks quickly makes renting a car more feasible.

And this highlights American traffic and sparseness.

- plug-in hybrids have 10-13 mile range which is great for running a few errands (this is only slightly more feasible than in a golf cart or ebikes) - also great for last mile connectivity for mass transit n users;

- the Nissan leaf 2012 had an 80 mile range - perfect for most daily commutes in a metro area

- modern electric vehicles have 200-300+ mile range, good for weekend getaways; esp with a charge at the destination

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PHEVs were quoting 20+ miles on electric last decade, I think 25-35 is common now?

Actual distance depends on elevation changes and speed/driving, but 15-20 is quite acheivable, as long as you don't make it to highway speeds. And if you go a bit farther and use a splash of gas, no big deal, that's why it has a tank.

25-35 is common, and some like the Prius PHEV can do 45.

BYD Seal DM-i has a plug in range of 125km / 78mi.

I’ve done the math a couple of times and IIRC if we can get the charge density per kilo to about twice what lithium ion can do, you hit a point where a deposit battery that’s around 20 kilos has enough range extension to start being worth doing. That’s the weight of a large bag of kitty litter or a commercial bag or rice. Put a good ergo handle on it and most people should be able to lift a few of them consecutively.

But until one unit is worth about 8 miles of extended range, there would be no point. 3@25 or 30 miles might make it worth the trouble for a road trip, or camping.

A great range extender weighing twenty kilos is available right now, a diesel generator.

It can also double as a air/water heater, emergency power for household or medical appliances, and emits about as much carbon in 30 years as it takes to manufacture a battery pack.

Honestly surprised Honda hasn’t designed a hybrid that’s more generator and less hybrid but I suspect that has to do with air and noise pollution loopholes for generators versus engines.

Nah, the BMW i3 had one of these as an option, as does some Chinese car, with no regulatory difficulties. Also a common arrangement for ‘hybrid’ buses and trains.

The i3 certainly had some us regulatory difficulties, they had to change the battery and fuel tank sizes.

actually if you can get a late-1990-ish 90-100cc 2T japanese scooter like Honda Lead 90 or Suzuki Address 100, or even later Yamaha Neos / MBK Ovetto 100cc of 2005-ish vintage this whole discussion about ranges and fuel consumptions becomes pointless.

because those have had fuel consumption of like 2-3L per 100km. with fuel tanks of about 6L you had all the range for errands you could possibly need.

and they were capable of moving two persons around _and_ moving a ton of grocery, or something like an ironing board.

hell, in 2000s we were doing 700km trips on them.

Small 2-stroke engines tend to be worse for pollution emissions (NOx, particulates) despite generally good fuel efficiency.

well, yes, I like the smell of 2T exhaust in the morning.

still, even my yamaha majesty 250 of 1992 (4HC-edit) only ate 3.5L/100km despite hauling thrice the mass of that same ovetto.

Of course you do. As long as someone else pays for cleaning up after you. There have always been leeches in the world.

your comment reminds me of a rant by a severely clueless person who insisted that we must conserve water despite living on an island in a middle of a second largest european reservoir.

which is utterly pointless.

Of course it does. When you apply zero thought to anything you can always find false equivalence.

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