RE: One Year Review of the 2016 Toyota Prius 3
Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm into automobiles almost as much as I am technology (these days the lines between the two blur)
This is where I have to disagree with you.
The vaunted Tesla, was built straight out of a book published in the 70s.
If i was building a car today, i would build a turbine running a genset.
Probably a tesla turbine, so the thing could be built and repaired by any machinist. (ooooh, those people have gone away. Used to be a machinist in every garage)
So, a turbine, that can basically run on any fuel, with extreme efficiencies, with the very nice drive control of electric motors.
Do you know why railroad companies use diesel-electric locomotives? For that very control. Yes, diesel locomotives are hybrids. Been that way longer than most people have been alive.
And, the last piece i wish to drop about "technology" is that i had a 1985 Ford Escort Diesel that got 50 mpg highway.
I have to disagree on the Tesla front. The hardware is nothing new but the true genius of Tesla is the software and the flexibility to do significant upgrades over-the-air. The hardware is merely like the blank canvas and the software is the paint that brings it to life.
The turbine idea is a great concept, definitely more flexible than EVs and would be much more practical if the infrastructure breaks down. I am aware of the diesel/electric locomotives, I wish the US would utilize these more for transportation. I've always been fascinated by trains.
The Escorts were good cars and the diesel engines can have amazing efficiency! I had a 1986 Honda CRX HF (gasoline) that averaged around 45mpgs. It was so small and light though and didn't have many of the safety features today's cars have (which add significant weight) but it was an amazing car to drive. The weight distribution was nearly perfect.