Review Hybrid Cars

add "why?" at the end of the question
this is for a class…

i would buy an vauxhall - opel ecospeedster. diesels are part of the future

118 mpg and 160 mph.

hybrids are complicated, expensive,…and too much solid waste in the landfills from all of the batteries and there is also the concerns over the high EMF fields that they have, especially if people have children (leukemia, etc., if you believe that).

Lexus has recently launched the GS450h. A hybrid electric vehicle that delivers 339bhp, will shoot from 0 to 60 mph in 5 seconds and still achieve 25 city and 28 freeway mpg. Priced at $56,000, its a serious attempt at market. That cannot come with significant investment and a bet from Lexus. Also, a group in nothern California has launched the first ever all electric serious sports car. The Tesla Roadster electrifies from 0 to 60mph in 4 seconds! At $100,000 its is more of a statement to the world and a toy for the rich.

Will it work? Is the future already here? If not, what could cause things not to turn out this way ?

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Practical electric cars are arriving now. We can't wait for the big car companies to build them - they don't want to do it. But there are many small entrepreneurs doing it.
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Why doesn't anybody know these cars exist? Because small companies don't have the ad budgets to get their message out. But if you buy one, and spread the word, more people will buy them - the EVs will get better and better - and the rest will take care of itself. Below are just a few of many exciting electric vehicles we will be seeing.
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Here's one company making an EV that charges in only 10 minutes:
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http://phoenixmotorcars.com
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Here's a Chinese import that gets 200 miles per charge:
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http://milesautomotive.com/products_xs200.html
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Read this page to discover how you can buy an EV conversion for as little as $5000 that does freeway speeds, and saves hundreds in fuel costs every month:
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http://www.squidoo.com/cheap-electric-car
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Here's a very cute little car (this one only does 40mph) that only costs $10,000:
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http://www.zapworld.com/ZAPWorld.aspx?id=188
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Don't believe the disinfo about electric cars polluting. Electric motors are several times more efficient than gas engines. Power plants burn fuel at much higher efficiency than your gas car does. And distributing electricity by wire is far, far more efficient than trucking fuel around the country.
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The efficiency argument is easy to prove by looking at fuel prices. A typical electric car gets about 4 miles per kilowatt-hour. Using off-peak electricity prices, this translates into about a penny per mile in most places. What does gasoline cost? Closer to ten times that amount! The lower price of driving electric is mainly attributable to the higher energy efficiency of those vehicles.
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All these efficiency improvements mean that the EV can travel further on less energy. That means much less pollution per mile, no matter what the power plants burn. Plus, a significant, and growing percentage of electricity is now made from non-polluting sources.
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would you buy it if it retailed for 12,000 dollars? Also wouldn’t it be cool if it had gull wing doors?

Is anyone else disappointed with the way cars look now? Aren’t we supposed to have futuristic looking cars? not large safety boxes that resemble economy cars of the late 70s and 80s.

A lot of if’s but man if I had the money and they were available like that I’d be in like Flynn,’scuse the expression,my bad girl : )

The lexus RX400h but it is expensive. For less money I like the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. It's powerful but it gets exceptional fuel economy.

For a list of all hybrid SUV's check out http://www.all-about-car-selection.com/hybrid-suv.html

If they do, where can I get one?

not yet, but in 2 or 3 years keep your eyes open.

Now tell me, is it radical or what?

Wow..That pretty insane, it doesn't have the Hybrid look at all and its a HONDA!! wouldn't mind owning one myself,and i don't even like hybrids…

as it could be if we provide petrol or Diesel to it?

Yes. Adding another power source to an engine certainly helps vehicles gain more power. For a good example, take a look at the Honda Accord Hybrid. It was built for performance, so the 3 litre, V-6 engine gets 253 hp and 232-foot pounds of torque.

There's also this vehicle kids from Philly built:
http://evteam.gambitdesign.com/gallery/attack_build
It goes 0-60 in four seconds and gets 50 mpg.

I'll get a Hybrid someday, but I've heard the "green" conclusion above, just no supporting facts.

It's not. The argument is based on the principle that it takes a certain amount of raw materials and energy to construct a new car.

However, this argument neglects the fact that studies have shown that 80-90% of a car's lifetime energy use comes during the operational stage (while driving), and just 5-10% during construction. Thus the better your fuel efficiency, the lower your total carbon footprint is. See pages 4-5 here:

http://www.pacinst.org/topics/integrity_of_science/case_studies/hummer_vs_prius.pdf

Although 2010 is being touted as 'the year to buy a new car' because some even more efficient technologies will be coming out around then, so it might be worth waiting a couple years (see link below).

If a 400 hp Hybrid is even remotely possible why would companies even bother with a standard engine just think who many Challangers Dodge could potentally sell if it came out as a say 500 hp hybrid old school gear heads and eco-hippies alike would be out street race'in on friday nights , now thats bringing americans closer .

Then extra powerfull electric drives and plug in battery chargers to extend range extra batterys and higher voltage. THE WORLD IS COMMING TO AN END……ZAP! SPARK!

The FT-HS is a concept and has not received a green light for production. Toyota normally releases pricing of their vehicles the week before sales start. The last I heard is that Toyota is waiting for lithium battery technology to come before even seeing the possibility for the car to exist. Therefore, since the next-generation Prius will not receive lithium batteries until 2010, I doubt you'll see the FT-HS until 2012, at the earliest.