[Vwdiesel] VW modifications, etc. Also any USA Diesel car Clubs?

[pmdolan at sasktel.net]

Charging the batteries of a Prius at home will save petroleum?  How is that?

Most power in CA is generated from natural gas (I think - at least every power plant there that I have worked on is).  So, crude oil is conserved, but natural gas is not.  On top of that, an electric utility is 10-15% efficient.  That is BEFORE the energy gets to the car, where it suffers THOSE inefficiencies as well.  So, if you put diesel in your tank, I would guess that it took about as much energy to refine it and get it there as you have left, so that would be 50% efficiency.  If you plug it in at home, that is, at the very best, 15%.

Electric, fuel cell, and other "displaced emission" vehicles are incredibly wasteful of energy and resources and have no business on the roadways at all.  Even full hybrids are no great shake.

If you want to do the environment a good turn, get your Prius friends converted over to TDIs.

Pat

----- Original Message -----
From: William J Toensing <toensing at theunion.net>
Date: Monday, April 10, 2006 2:04 am
Subject: [Vwdiesel] VW modifications, etc.  Also any USA Diesel car Clubs?

> With this last posting I can see how much I don't know. Speed & 
> racing are not my area of interest & what I shared is what I 
> learned 30 to 40 years ago. I will turn 73 years old next 7 May. 
> My particular interest is fuel economy. Being retired & on a fixed 
> income & fearing we will soon be paying $5 or more a gallon I can 
> see where the cost of my mobility may become a serious problem 
> before I become too old to drive. After I get my '81 Dasher diesel 
> up & running I will take a look at getting the diesel Rabbit with 
> A/C up, running, & converted to run on throw away French fry oil. 
> Some of you might be interested in checking out www.calcars.org. 
> This is a non profit orginization out here in Calif. that is 
> modifing Prius hybrids with lithium bateries to extend the battery 
> range up to 40 miles before the engine starts up to recharge the 
> batteries. The idea is that most people most of the time drive 
> less than 40 miles a day & instead of using the engine to recharge 
> the batteries on short trips could recharge their batteries at 
> home at night. Imagine what this would do to reduce petrolium 
> consumption. Also imagine what a 3 cylinder Polo turbo diesel in a 
> Prius would do to further improve fuel economy. There is also a 
> magazine some of you might be interested in devoted to hybrids & 
> fuel efficient diesels. It is called "The Green Car Digest". Does 
> anyone know of any magazine published in the USA devoted to diesel 
> autos, not trucks? There was one called "The Diesel Car Diegest", 
> I think, which was published back in the '70s & early '80s but 
> went out of business. Also,
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