NOVA | Car of the Future | A Plug-In Solution | PBS

[Seattlecarnut]

Although I never liked how a Toyota Prius looks, I do like how the car operates. How about someone make a diesel-electric hybrid car, or even a truck or SUV?

[granskare]

we are forgetting CEO bonuses here if we shift from gas to electric..it is socalism and depriving CEOs of oil companies of their right to freedom and happiness !

LOL :)

[Sonyoooo3]

Who knows maybe the taxi driver can drive at night earning extra money by just driving around at night?

[Sonyoooo3]

The extra energy will be use for house street light etc.? Just think how many car people use today?

[Sonyoooo3]

Electric car without batery is nice just like city train i think it has no batery but a cable inted. So if car can also the same system and adding the car with wind turbined at the front this will also help to charge the main power to the system so the extra energy will be use for etc.

[firesoul453]

If cars used cables they would all get tangled VERY fast.

A wind turbine on a car would waste power. The power would come from the same place as before but you would get LESS of it.

[bodkin77]

Can you run this car on electric power only if you only want to go, say 20km? I want to add a small battery pack and motor to my ICE (internal combustion engine) car. Maybe I need to hook the electric motor to the axle that the ICE isn't powering? How do I do this? thanx

[yinyangnature]

It's now been 30 years since the oil crisis of the 1970's, and yet the Western world is still addicted to oil. Why do we continue to crave a product that is all too often the hidden agenda for war; supports brutal and corrupt regimes; pollutes the planet that sustains us; and is refined by some of the most deceitful corporations in the world? Now that the technology is available, isn't obvious the electric car is the answer?

[benscott182]

look were already having gas and petrol problems and prices are only going to get more expensive. This solution of Hybrid is only way forward after diseal and petrol I think

[Whuntmore]

Why not have a small gas/diesel generator in the car, that powers the electric motor? Have the motor as efficient as possible, and you wouldn't need as much batteries. Plus, if it's diesel, you could run it on old fat from burger joints.

I think oil companies don't is because purely because of money. Plus, the usa is buying up other countries oil so they will be the only ones left with with oil.

[firesoul453]

If you used the gas and/or diesel to charge the battery instead of the car directly then you would be wasting power and making the batteries wear out faster.

But ya so biodiesel is a good idea!

[Icebiken]

Love the idea... can't wait for the reality

[themountainviewguy]

The charging for pluggable hybrid electrics is too slow ... overnight. This needs to be able to be converted to 240V. What will make this acceptable is when people understand the numbers.

The electric society idea is good, because we will need huge increases in electricity in the future ... to do things like recycle and pump water which is going to run out.

[bbat59]

why not add small solar panels to the car

[NoOne3234]

Why carry around solar panels if you don't have to?

If you wanted your own panels(not sure if that's a good idea), they would be better utilized on a stationary platform. A stationary platform allows the panels to be angled towards the sun, generating more power per area of panel.

[Icebiken]

create a paint that can be a photo-receptor... or some layer that makes the entire body of the car a solar panel.

[tequila46]

Hybrid cars are efficient, because they convert braking energy into electricity.

But apart from that, the rest of this doco spreads bs. Plugging a car to a power point transfers pollution to a coal power plant instead.

The only place were this is effective is California, which has the majority of its power coming from natural resources such has wind, water, sun.

Its funny how more than 50% of the info is bs, but sounds knowledgeable because of the tone

[NoOne3234]

Not really BS. You have to spend a lot of energy to refine oil into a usable state. Plus, it's not the most available resource. This is reflected in the fact that gas is over twice as expensive as electricity per watt.

While much of the energy comes from dirty sources, the differences in price suggests that these are far more available than oil. The ability to use these sources should not be overlooked, considering the US's dependence on foreign oil.

[sxpacks]

This is great if you park your car close to an outlet every night. What about vanndals? What's to stop some kid from un-plugging your car at night. Or tossing the end of the outlet into a puddle and really screwing up your car? How many people leave their car while it's refueling? and how long do they leave it for?

[GammatronTriode]

sixpacks

guess you have never lived a place

like Fairbanks, Alaska

winter when its 25 below

everybody plugs in their car

engine block heater

or it won't start

vandals heck whats to stop vandals

from wrecking a regular car

siting on the street

[sxpacks]

California is a little differnt. Good point, Vandals can wreck my regular car sitting on the street. But it's slighty more difficult. They have to pry open the fuel cover to get into the gas tank. Which takes time and effort and prior planning. Pulling out a cord and tossing it into a puddle, very fast and discreet

[Icebiken]

Don't forget bike lock technology. What if the "cable" was made out of "it takes three hours to saw" kinda stuff. Not to mention locking the head into a box... really not that difficult.

[feherman86]

You make a good point. I live in Toronto and I probably would be OK, but what about people and business that are North of 60 degress. Diesel even gels.

[Rickdeckard2020]

This segment was good, but they completely dropped the ball by not shedding light on the EV1 and Rav4EVs from the 90s which were better over 10 years ago than most of what is showcased "for the future".

The Rav4EV have been driving around on highways with good range and speed without replacing the battery with over 66 000 miles under the hood and counting. One NiMH battery pattent was bought by Texaco/Chevron who prevent any similar design w litigation. Near total mainstream media black out

[runswithscissorsalot]

all these 'futuristic' cars at auto shows are just more of the same!! the only cars of the future are fully electric cars. this car is definitely a step in the right direction.

[SergioMomarsh]

I know that I've got enough personal wind energy that I could power a whole city block. Someday! Don't let GM buy your ideas.