Road Trip to L.A.
I spent so much time behind the wheel I’m not sure what day it is! The road trip is always the best part, can of NOS here, a Rockstar drink there, chocolate milk for protein, and an assortment of junk food complete the experience. I haven’t touched alcohol in a few years now, but I definitely remember this is exactly what being hung-over feels like!
Lithium-ion Reality
L.A. has never been my favorite place in the world to visit, and making the attempt to beat traffic by getting to the Staples convention Center early reminded me why. The gridlock in L.A. is a torture worse than water-boarding; I honestly don’t know how people live like this.
After the first day of the show I was, well, it wasn’t exactly ‘driving’, but more sitting in my car with what felt like 4.7 trillion others on I-10, I was reflecting on what I had seen and heard through the day, starting in the morning with the Lithium-ion drivel spewed out by Bob Lutz, and the others there that hailed lithium-ion battery technology as the future of the automotive industry, I couldn’t help but consider the range and functionality of battery equipped EV’s.
It took me an hour and a half to travel 13 miles, so I had time to explore my moot attitude towards this technology and as I sat there I had to wonder how the traffic hell I found myself stuck in would affect the claimed range of these vehicles. The fact Lutz had stated battery life would be approximately 10 years, 10 years at the most, and battery replacement would equal that of an engine replacement. It was a fair 60F last Tuesday in So Cal, but what about a mid-July afternoon in Phoenix when it can feel like volcanic lava is inches below the surface of the tarmac? Where you’d want, never mind need the air-conditioning. Basically how would normal year-round motoring affect my driving experience?
I determined as well as this technology being useless for my life, my defining impression is more that I don’t want it. It’s that simple, I do not want it. And we’re living in an age where my view is considered wrong or blinkered or close-minded, whatever, I don’t care.
The technology is not where it needs to be yet. It’s too expensive. It’s over-rated. It’s that simple, and I was glad when I thought back to the Audi press conference where Johan de Nysschen, president of Audi of America had stated just that. The lithium-ion technology is not where it needs to be, it’s not a practical alternative at this time. Instead they would consider the desires of the consumer public in a more practical way, with diesel.
Audi A3 TDI Green Car of the Year 2009
The 2010 Audi A3 TDI was named Green Car of the Year at the L.A. Auto Show, the four-door hatchback, which has a base sticker price of $29,950 offers an EPA highway fuel economy rating of 42 MPG — a 50% improvement over the gasoline-powered A3.
The Audi A3 TDI’s “quiet, clean diesel engine delivers loads of low-end torque and a fun-to-drive experience, all with the functionality of a five-passenger hatchback,” said Ron Cogan, publisher of Green Car Journal.
The other finalists for the award were the 2010 models of the Honda Insight hybrid, Toyota Prius hybrid, Volkswagen Golf TDI and Mercury Milan hybrid, the only nominee from an American automaker.
The Audi A3 TDI is powered by the exact same engine as last year’s Green Car of the Year, the VW Jetta TDI, and as we know Audi is owned by Volkswagen. The back to back diesel wins, for me, confirms my line of thinking. True ‘Green’ technology isn’t available in the form of battery science, it’s in the form of improving on what we already have. Diesel.
All that said and ranted, we’ll continue to see EV’s pushed, and the disappointing part is that it will be pushed by a group of TreeHugginHippies to fulfill their own personal agenda, no matter the cost or impact on the average American.
