Hybrid cars, help with research

Hello,
I am a student at California University of PA. I am currently doing a graduate level paper on the correlation between air quality versus the increasing number of hybrid cars in the city. I have chosen to start my project on Los Angles. I have the air quality data I need but I am lacking information on the number of hybrid cars. I am hoping to go back as far as 1997 with this data but anything would help. Can anyone help me go in the right direction on where i can obtain this data.
Thanks
Matt Whaley

 

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I don't think there are nearly enough hybrid cars on the road in any cities to give a good indicator of how much pollution they prevent. I would be shocked if you could get this number.

 

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Ask several dealerships about sales numbers, determine an average, multiply by the number of dealers in the phone book.

 

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You sure as hell chose a difficult issue to do a paper on, that's a fact!

Just to keep you honest, you'll also have to do a full research into how many new cars were brough into the city, and what type of engine they had. Not to mention how many new delivery vans, and also new industries that started up. ...all in the same time period.

Personally, I think your paper ain't gonna' show nothing of any consequence to anyone.

Baron Max

 

Thanks for your thoughts, I have been hearing that from many people. Do you have any suggestions for a less complex research paper? I have all semester to complete this but i do not want to wait until the last minute

 

One suggestion would be to stick with your general original theme but rather do it on a comparative basis. You should be able to locate numbers for the average amount of pollution per mile of conventional IC engines and the same for hybrids. That would demonstrate the benefits of making a switch to hybrid vehicles.

 

And even then it will be very difficulty to get accurate figures. I did some research of my own because I was thinking of purchasing a hybrid. One factor that comes into consideration that some do not think about is climate. In cold weather, the heater does not work unless the gasoline engine is running because the heater uses hot water circulated through it to produce heat. In hot weather, only a few have electric air conditioner compressors, so many require the gasoline engine to be running to cool the vehicle. Remember, full hybrids get most of their fuel savings because the gas engine shuts off at stop lights, when coasting, etc. Also, even those with electric air conditioner compressors will deplete the batteries pretty quickly when the engine is stopped. Another thing to think of is the batteries themselves. With a gasoline engine, it doesn't matter if the fuel tank is full or only 1/4 full, the engine produces the same power. Not true with the electric motors in hybrids, when the batteries start depleting, you start loosing power from the electric motors, so the gas engine has to do more of the work. I think you understand what I mean by getting accurate figures for a hybrid vs. an all-gasoline powered vehicle. There are a wide varity of hybrid systems and a wide variety of driving conditions that effect the effeciency of the system.

 

Yes, I understand. And it's not just a matter od driving conditions but driving habits as well. But there should still be some reasonably accurate average numbers available from some independent sources (not connected to auto makers). Places like Consumer Reports and similar ones.

 

Here's an example of what I'm talking about: http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cach... pollution" + hybrid&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us

 

You might also do an economic comparison into how long it takes to make up the premium you paid for the hybrid via savings in fuel. From what I've heard the batteries need to be replaced after a few years and aren't covered by the warrenty. Replacing them pretty much eats up your fuel savings. Or so I've heard.

 

Yes, that article from 7 years ago was a projection of greenhouse gas emission reductions from hybrid cars. The hybrid cars have been on the road now since that was written and those actual results don't equal the earlier projections, a lot of it due to the reasons I stated, such as hot and cold weather. That wasn't taken into account when the early studies were done. I have seen many complaints from owners that live in hot and cold climates that their hybrids were getting only a little over half the milage they were estimated to produce. The milage can almost double in mild weather for a driver that does mostly stop-and-go city driving. Also, that article was speaking of plug-in hybrids too. I don't think any plug-in hybrids are sold in the US, the nation that wha3454 was to base his/her paper on.

 

For myself, it would have taken over 10 years to recover the extra cost of the hybrid. The good news is that all the new hybrids that I researched did have around a 100,000 mile warranty on the batteries. The bad news is that those special batteries are very expensive, something like $5000, plus they can be very difficult to replace. The cost of battery replacement would be more than the old car was worth, so it would be like a BIC cigarette lighter, use it until it quits working (the batteries go bad), then throw it away.

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I don't see why a hybrid needs $5,000 worth of batteries. I thought that the batteries pretty much floated. $5,000 worth is what you would expect for some kind of range on a charge. Working designs have been done with $120 worth of standard lead-acid batteries.

 

Do you have any evidence for those working designs? I'm sure that car manufacturers would be highly interested.

Baron Max

 

I mean working designs for hybrids that gain efficiency by converting gas or diesel to electricity to power electric motors. I don't mean anything that has any range without gasoline.

 

The hybrids that are sold today do not use lead-acid batteries. The main determent for automakers building more hybrid vehicles to sell is the availability of the batteries. Here is a link I just googled on the batteries:

http://www.hybridcars.com/technology-stories/battery-replacement-costs.html
I hadn't read this particulat website before, but I had read similar estimates at other sites. As I said, I was seriously considering buying a hybrid vehicle and was researching the vehicles before I bought.

 

I have one.
so if your counting, add +1.

;-)

 

People have successfully built hybrids in their garages like, forever. The only hybrid design that costs too much to replace the batteries to be worth it is an expensive crap design. There is MASSIVE documentation on how to do this successfully. The automakers are taking us for a ride, so to speak.

The first hybrid that I knew about could do about 45 mph using a 35 hp diesel motor with generator plus a 24 volt aircraft alternator. It floated two 12 volt deep cycle batteries while running the main engine. It was a conversion from a Subaru pickup truck. It was featured in Mother Earth News about 1980. It's not hard to extrapolate using a somewhat larger motor/generator and 3 or 4 batteries. Total battery replacement cost is about $240 at today's prices. The range is very poor when the diesel engine gives out, but it's a lot better than the range on my gas-powered car when it's fuel-based engine gives out. It will at least get me as far as the gas station, mechanic, or home, and electrical outlets are often freely available.

Some people work to gain opportunities and some people save up their stumbling blocks to build a freaking barracade.