Austinist: Will Wynn Bigger in Vegas Than Wayne Newton

biker wannabe

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 22:27:43 -0600

Whoopee. Whatever. I'm so not into our civic leaders. Less pollution in Austin? How bout some bike and pedestrian paths that are both safe and practical? no..putting stripes on roads doesn't cut it. Seriously - how much would that really cost compared to these other giant projects - and the benefit would be so huge. but I guess talking about bike and pedestrian as viable ways of getting around town aren't too sexy when you're livin it up in VEGAS. speaking of vegas - I know our mayor is the coolest - I've seen him out partying at hip clubs and doing chic fashion shows - but it would be really cool to fix this d*?! place up a bit. that's all.

M1EK

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 18:39:25 -0600

The problem is that plug-in hybrids are years and years away. Here's why: You know how hybrid-haters like to trot out the old FUD that you have to replace your battery every few years at a cost of a few thousand dollars? That's not true, because the normal hybrid battery (like in a regular Prius) keeps its charge in a fairly small band (like 30-70% of theoretical capacity). Now, turn it into a plug-in hybrid (either by adding a separate battery, as the prototypes do, or by making a built-in plug-in). Oops. Now all of the sudden people are charging the thing overnight and then depleting it as they drive. Say hello to battery replacements a couple years down the road. Batteries are nowhere near where they need to be in order to work in that kind of environment. It works for AAs because they're pretty cheap anyways (doesn't matter that you can only charge 'em a few hundred times). Some days when I'm feeling charitable towards GM, I think this might be why they pulled the plug on the EV1 (electric car). The genius of the Prius and other similar hybrids is that you don't ever have to worry about this stuff - because of the range control on the charger, the battery will likely outlast the car.

eliz. s.

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 17:37:12 -0600

All the cool kids are in Vegas today. Oh wait, it's hard to stay cool when it is 108 degrees out!!!!!