Green Cars

Katenika
Katenika Posts: 6
edited March 2009 in Commuting chat
Hi,
As cyclists I thought you would be interested in a greener transport. :D
I am a student researching into the subject of Green cars and I am interested in what people think about "Green" cars.

So if you drive, can you please take a part in my survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=g ... caTw_3d_3d

Thanks a lot

Katenika
«13

Comments

  • Crapaud
    Crapaud Posts: 2,483
    Cycling is not synonymous with environmentalism.
    A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject - Churchill
  • downfader
    downfader Posts: 3,686
    Crapaud wrote:
    Cycling is not synonymous with environmentalism.

    +1. I burn baby pidgeons to warm my home. :lol:
  • nation
    nation Posts: 609
    Crapaud wrote:
    Cycling is not synonymous with environmentalism.

    It's funny how many people think this, especially given that the most lusted after gear tends to be carbon fibre, which is basically made of pure oil.

    I think this person is asking us to do their homework for them.
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Cyclists don't spend much time thinking about cars.

    A fair bit of time avoiding them though...
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • Katenika
    Katenika Posts: 6
    Wooooooooooooooooooooo :shock:
    Yes, I am doing a college project and
    sorry I disturbed you from looking at the bikep0rn,
    I thought you might actually have a conscience. Green cars are not just about the environment but could save you money so you would have more to spend on bike bits. I am a cyclist as well and could probably kick your butts in a sprint! :evil:
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Keep your hair on sunshine. I did your survey, and being unpleasant is not often the ideal way to persuade people to do things.
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • The Chingford Skinhead
    The Chingford Skinhead Posts: 718
    I don't drive so I can't complete your survey. However I would say that there is no such thing as a green car, they are all polluting and environmentally unfriendly, just some are worse / better than others. It's like calling a knife with a shorter blade "danger free" - it's not danger free - just less dangerous than the knife with a bigger blade :wink:
    Pain is only weakness leaving the body
  • nation
    nation Posts: 609
    Katenika wrote:
    I thought you might actually have a conscience. Green cars are not just about the environment but could save you money so you would have more to spend on bike bits.

    I don't own a car, nor do I really have any interest in buying one.

    Nice attitude, though.
  • Katenika
    Katenika Posts: 6
    Sorry, lost_in_thought, :(
    Got a bit carried away... :oops: :oops: :oops:
    Thanks for completing the survey :)
  • cycling1964
    cycling1964 Posts: 2
    [quote="
    sorry I disturbed you from looking at the bikep0rn,
    I thought you might actually have a conscience. l:[/quote]

    Damn I've been rumbled. :oops:
  • nwallace
    nwallace Posts: 1,465
    Living only a 20 min bus journey away from town, and with the bus costing less than parking, I couldn't give a toss about city cars. The motor is for journeys where sitting back and reading a book is impractical or impossible. That view may change if I move further out into the sticks but then once I get further out into the sticks the small power output becoems a liability and could even end up being less economical than the early 1980's 2 litre beast I currently drive.

    The concept of a Green vehicle seems to be entirley down to a lack of carbon emissions at the point of use. This conveniently ignores the fact that to make Steel and Aluminium requires shit loads of heat, to produce the material in a liquid state.

    I must thank you for placing the word "Green" in quotation marks as it allows me to answer your questions.

    Ultimately the most important factor of anything is energy efficiency.
    A vehicle capable of producing 200bhp from a 2 litre engine is considerably more efficient than one capable of producing 100bhp from a 2 litre engine, strangely both will have roughly the same fuel consumption, 25 to 35mpg.

    If you charge up a "green" electric vehicle from a petrol generator, using 4.5 litres of fuel and that charge takes you 25 miles, then it is less efficient than a 2 litre petrol engine.

    But no matter how efficient any power source becomes it will never meet the "green" requirements, and that includes renewable energy, because the amount of energy needed to create the equipment currently at least is more than that produced in operation.

    Considering also that a fair part of the current warm climate can be attributed to the early being as close to a circular orbit as it gets (And therefore consistently close to the sun), NASA and other agencies Temperature calculations not adjusting for the expansion of the heat sinks known as Cities (which is where ecomentalists seem to want us all to live, and of course starve because no food can be brought in from the deserted countryside) since the mid-70's.

    Energy efficiency on the other hand is a good thing and can be sold to people quite easily, it saves you money.
    Most people looking at Polo Bluemotiions see the 90mpg quoted economy figures and think great, then promptly discover they can only get about 60mpg out of it when trying and realise that you can do that with a standard 1.9 Turbo diseasel.
    Do Nellyphants count?

    Commuter: FCN 9
    Cheapo Roadie: FCN 5
    Off Road: FCN 11

    +1 when I don't get round to shaving for x days
  • Konan
    Konan Posts: 43
    My car's blue ;)

    24022009015.jpg

    I shall partake in this survey as it presents an excellent way to avoid doing the laundry for another few minutes.
  • downfader
    downfader Posts: 3,686
    The Chingford Skinhead wrote:
    I don't drive so I can't complete your survey. However I would say that there is no such thing as a green car, they are all polluting and environmentally unfriendly, just some are worse / better than others. It's like calling a knife with a shorter blade "danger free" - it's not danger free - just less dangerous than the knife with a bigger blade :wink:

    ..they call those "safety" knives :wink::lol:

    Oh and I completed the survey for my mother who does drive and cycle (she doesnt deal with computers well). Green cars are a bit of a myth, as is saying bikes are 100% green LOL
  • edhornby
    edhornby Posts: 1,780
    I agree that nothing is without environmental impact.... but on a practical level the best way to reduce your impact is to never buy a new car, keep the one you have for as long as possible, and use it as little as possible, especially avoiding short journeys

    basically use your bike as much as you can !!!
    "I get paid to make other people suffer on my wheel, how good is that"
    --Jens Voight
  • brixtonbiker66
    brixtonbiker66 Posts: 56
    There is no such thing as a green car!!

    Building, usings and getting rid of these things creates a huge mess.

    The sooner we get rid of this label to have anything to do with the car the better.

    A car will never be green.

    Walk or take a bike if you want to improve the environment.
  • brixtonbiker66
    brixtonbiker66 Posts: 56
    On the green subject , What does happen to a carbon fibre bike at the end of its life?

    Can it be recycled??
  • verloren
    verloren Posts: 337
    downfader wrote:
    Crapaud wrote:
    Cycling is not synonymous with environmentalism.

    +1. I burn baby pidgeons to warm my home. :lol:

    You should use baby seals instead - they burn just as hot, but last a lot longer and don't leave your house smelling of burnt feathers.
    '09 Enigma Eclipse with SRAM.
    '10 Tifosi CK7 Audax Classic with assorted bits for the wet weather
    '08 Boardman Hybrid Comp for the very wet weather.
  • nation
    nation Posts: 609
    brixtonbiker66 wrote:
    On the green subject , What does happen to a carbon fibre bike at the end of its life?

    Can it be recycled??

    Nope. It's usually burned or landfilled. There are a few companies that shred it to make filler material or re-process it for parts that don't need any significant structural strength, but that's not really "recycling" per se.
  • downfader
    downfader Posts: 3,686
    verloren wrote:
    downfader wrote:
    Crapaud wrote:
    Cycling is not synonymous with environmentalism.

    +1. I burn baby pidgeons to warm my home. :lol:

    You should use baby seals instead - they burn just as hot, but last a lot longer and don't leave your house smelling of burnt feathers.

    Increased fat content too. :lol:
  • mattybain
    mattybain Posts: 115
    nation wrote:
    brixtonbiker66 wrote:
    On the green subject , What does happen to a carbon fibre bike at the end of its life?

    Can it be recycled??

    Nope. It's usually burned or landfilled. There are a few companies that shred it to make filler material or re-process it for parts that don't need any significant structural strength, but that's not really "recycling" per se.

    The act of processing used or abandoned materials for use in creating new products, sounds like recycling to me!!

    So what is "recycling" per se?
    26km each way commute on a Decathlon Comp 1 2006 Road Bike

    2009 Communting Totals - Car 112 miles Bike 2,765 miles
  • Konan
    Konan Posts: 43
    mattybain wrote:
    So what is "recycling" per se?

    Have you heard the new U2 album? :lol:
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    Konan wrote:
    mattybain wrote:
    So what is "recycling" per se?

    Have you heard the new U2 album? :lol:

    A prime example of "filler material"
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    It reminds me of the new Take That stuff. Not U2's finest hour.
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    The new Take That stuff is great though!
    My Focus / My Bob Jackson
    Blog (incl. bikes)
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Yeah, maybe I'm being unfair to Barlow and co.
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    Meh, the phrase "green" car was something dreamt up by the marketing department, mainly so they can sell stupid Honda Prius' (Prii?) to stupid hollywood actors and ecomentalists who love a bit of "green" tokenism. It's all about image these days - that's why we have in creasing number of on-shore windfarms - pointless things that will never recoup the carbon cost of their construction.

    Rather than waste money on daft schemes, green cars, electric charging stations etc - I'd like to see more money thrown at hydrogen fuel cell research; we know it works, now we need to work on bringing the costs down.

    The most ridiculous green car is the G-Whiz. It's not even classed as a car so does not have to conform to the Euro NCAP test nor the 31 mph Dept of Transport UNECE Regulation 94 test. I wouldn't climb into one in a hurry.

    At least the green lobby are starting to accept the need for nuclear.
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    lost_in_thought wrote:
    Yeah, maybe I'm being unfair to Barlow and co.

    No you're not. It's sh1t of the highest order.
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Toyota Prius, daaaaahling.

    I can sort of understand the G-Whiz in London, where it's tiny enough to abandon in a postbox and free to park, but someone in the Essex town nearest where I live has one. Why, person, why?
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • Sea_Green_Incorruptible
    Sea_Green_Incorruptible Posts: 431
    Recycling is environmental bunkham in any case.

    The real issue is consumption (consumer not fuel). But nobody wants to grasp that nettle yet. Nosiree.

    Ain't no such thing as a green car either, though if there were, longevity would seem to be the most important criteria to me (i.e. it is a more environmentally friendly practice to run one gas guzzling car for 50 years than 20 Toyota Prius' over the same period). Consumption again see.
  • verloren
    verloren Posts: 337
    jashburnham wrote:
    Rather than waste money on daft schemes, green cars, electric charging stations etc - I'd like to see more money thrown at hydrogen fuel cell research; we know it works, now we need to work on bringing the costs down.

    I've nothing against hydrogen fuel cells, but hydrogen isn't a fuel, it's an energy storage system, so by itself it does little or nothing to make cars 'green', it just shifts where the pollution is created.
    '09 Enigma Eclipse with SRAM.
    '10 Tifosi CK7 Audax Classic with assorted bits for the wet weather
    '08 Boardman Hybrid Comp for the very wet weather.

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