CNET: Survey finds 48% of Americans interested in PHEVs, and Reasons why 52% are hesitant.

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Rybold, Sep 10, 2009.

  1. Rybold

    Rybold globally warmed member

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    #1 Rybold, Sep 10, 2009
  2. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    #2 dogfriend, Sep 10, 2009
  3. adamace1

    adamace1 Senior Member

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    There never was.... It's to bad.
     
    #3 adamace1, Sep 10, 2009
  4. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    I'm optimistic that the planet will recover eventually once the humans have sealed their own demise. Hope some of the other animals survive. The plants should thrive with more CO2 and they will eventually overgrow and reclaim most of the planet.
     
    #4 dogfriend, Sep 10, 2009
  5. Rybold

    Rybold globally warmed member

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    Maybe the mass extinction will somehow select out those who are neglecting the planet. :D

    Perhaps, a solar burst will fry the power grid and destroy all powerplants that are not off-the-grid solar panels. Maybe some unforeseen event will permanently incapacitate the gasoline supply, globally.
    Or perhaps, more realistically, those who are responsible are noticing and anticipating the future demise and are currently shifting their personal sustainabilities to "off the grid" and fully independent-capable, and some day when human kind meets decision day, those who are living off the grid and independent and in safe areas will survive, and those who don't have even the simplest clue what "energy" actually is or how simple scientific concepts work will die off.

    Personal goal: One day, my house will be covered with solar panels, and I will have an electric car, and all of my electricity needs will be independent from the rest of society. I already have a vegetable garden in my backyard. It is not currently large enough to feed my family year round, but it's at least a start.

    Culture shock: I live in an urban area, Orange County, CA. Last week, I visited relatives in Colorado and I discovered that when you buy a house there, you get several acres of land (or more) along with your house, and the people are very friendly and the crime is very low, and the airplane flight took me several hours at ~650mph (the Earth is HUGE!!!). If intercity Los Angeles turned into a massive riot (remember the Rodney King riots?) and mass looting and lawlessness occurred, I would be safely thousands of miles away up near the Rocky Mountains. Eventually, the rioters in the major cities would die off due to starvation and unclean drinking water and malnutrition. We would survive. :)
    I'm not planning on running off out into "the middle of nowhere" any time soon, but I am continually increasing my knowledge of my options.

    MORE REALISTICALLY ADDRESSING THE ABOVE QUOTED TEXT: Looking at Earth's history, most mass extinctions during warming periods were the result of substantial increases in volcanic activity; releasing massive amounts of ash and toxic surfuric acid into the atmosphere.
    More imminently though, the depletion of the ozone layer entirely will result in massive DNA damage (deadly skin cancer for all animals and plants that are not protected under the surface of the ocean). All land-based plants and animals will not survive. Our only food source will be from the ocean. If humans are not responsible, over fishing could occur. The geological record and the fossil record show that life did not exit the ocean and enter land until the ozone layer had formed. Prior to that, land-based life was not possible.

    :focus: ?
     
    #5 Rybold, Sep 11, 2009
  6. wfolta

    wfolta Active Member

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    The survey itself is flawed and stupid.

    First, it mentions a 40-mile range. That's a legitimate question for an EV, but not for a PHEV. Anyone who answered yes on that question simply doesn't understand all of the concepts. (Which is perfectly fine. Everyone is not an expert on everything.)

    Second, it does not mention "I don't currently have any place to plug the car in", which would get a lot of votes, including mine. That's why a non-plug hybrid works great for me.

    In terms of the online comments to the article, you must be new to the Internet if you think that the discussion will be informed. :) The critics are usually totally misinformed and only half understand one side of the equation.
     
    #6 wfolta, Sep 11, 2009
  7. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    Not new to the internet, just realizing that the number of misinformed and / or totally clueless people (on any subject) is growing exponentially. :rolleyes:
     
    #7 dogfriend, Sep 11, 2009
  8. bluemonday

    bluemonday New Member

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    Well it is hard to analyze without being able to see the questions and cross tabs for the survey. But I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it is "flawed and stupid."

    This:

    "PHEVs promise better fuel mileage, lower carbon emissions, and less oil dependence than cars that use gasoline exclusively.
    These hybrids can typically reach a distance of around 40 miles on a single charge."
    Seems to be the basis for their question about the 40-mile "range" (which I would guess is really the range of a charge, not of the vehicle, since it is PHEV.) Depends on how they asked the question really. But I do think this is a concern. Many people don't know what an PHEV is and think they will be stranded after 40 miles. It is not necessarily the job of the survey to educate them on what it is before measuring their opinions, depending on what they are trying to find out for the survey. But they definitely shouldn't be misleading people, either. So really it depends on how they fashioned the questions (as it often does with surveys.)


    This
    "The survey found that 79 percent would buy a fast-charging electrical outlet for their homes. But many also expressed the need for charging stations at work and at public places."
    Seems to indicate that the place-to-plug concern was not a significant concern and was probably included in the "other category." Again, you can't assume their methodology was to give the respondents only those categories of concern to fit into. Some surveys do it that way, saying "which of these applies to you?" Others ask open-ended questions and then try to categorize the responses afterwards. Some use a mix of asking "which of these apply to you?" and also "what other concerns do you have?" and then fit the answers into categories.
     
    #8 bluemonday, Sep 11, 2009
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