Toyota Prius, NOW WITH SOLAR.
Sure, sure, if you’re up on the latest in Prius add-ons you know that you can retrofit your Prius with a solar panel for the roof for around 4-6k, but now Toyota is planning on selling this alternative power source as an option. I’m very excited about this trend. Now if they would just sell it to me with a plug-in option, I would definitely line up to buy one. In the meanwhile I’ve pre-registered for this cool trike from Venture One that is backed by BMW and is supposed to 33x safer in a crash than normal motorcycles. Plus it gets 100mpg and the body of the trike rotates while the vehicle is in a turn. Yeah, it’s a two seater but I don’t plan on adding munchkins to my lifestyle any time soon.
Here’s a new report on the VentureOne, but it’s for the one-seater. I’m looking at the two-seater. I think it’s supposed to sell for $20k:
The important thing to me is that it has a range of a 300 miles and can do up to 120MPH.
Serving your Solaris, Linux & HPUX needs in Kansas City and Overland Park,Daniel J. Doughty
July 7th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Nice! I read an article a year or two ago about some Electrical Engineer that modded his Prius with a Plug-in for about $2k, and can get something like 150 mpg, since the first 50 miles or so, it runs completely on electrical.
It makes sense to me. Of course I’m a big believer in the fact that we can put a man on the moon, we should be able to produce an engine that gets at least 100 mpg.
July 7th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Yeah, I’ve read about a few people who have individually modified their systems to support being a plug-in hybrid but I keep hoping that a complete package will come out soon. I don’t mind hacking into some things myself, but I have a hard time buying a $25k car and then modifying it without some warranty coverage of some sort.
My basic stance at this point is that I refuse to purchase a vehicle until they sell one that gets a 100MPG. My corolla gets around 32 already, so unless they can triple it, I don’t see any reason to pay another $20k+ for a new vehicle. Gas is expensive, but so is another car with subpar efficiency.
Honestly, it shouldn’t be that hard. Remember the CRX and the Geo Metro? They both got around 45MPG. And those vehicles were out 20 years ago. Why hasn’t technology progressed since then?
July 8th, 2008 at 10:34 am
I agree!
Ever watch car ads on TV, and whatever car manufacturer says “Highesst MPG in it’s class!” Ever read the fine print at the bottom? It cracks me up when it reads “14 mpg City/ 20 mpg Highway” Like that is at all efficient, or good!
It still amazes me the amount of large trucks, and SUVs being sold around my area. No need for it at all.
July 8th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Yeah, I realized I didn’t need a truck anymore when Lowes and Home Depot started renting them for $20 an hour. $20 an hour a few times a year is a hell of a lot cheaper than purchasing, maintaining, insuring and fueling up a vehicle that is 3x larger than anything I usually need.
And as for road trips, I don’t know why more people don’t just rent Suburbans when they decide to go for a road trip.