RV's Going Green?

[Waynem]

Hybrid RV's See Green

[HamRad]

Wow! Wouldn't that be great! If they can get something like that to work it would be fantastic. We bought a Prius earlier this year and have really enjoyed the increased fuel mileage. We get just under 50 mpg. I would not expect the RVs to get that kind of increase but would expect a substantial improvement.

Think Green!

HamRad

[bsmeaton]

hahahaha - that's pretty ostentatious! That's as ridiculous as the guy driving a V-8 hybrid Lexus with 340hp. He won't give up his speed or performance, but he's willing to spend the extra to be able to wear the "hybrid" badge on the back so he can call himself green.

If we are trying to go green, we sure as heck aren't going to get there with a motor home! Why pretend! We are a gullible lot! Too funny. I guess we won't really get the message until we are freezing to death in the dark.

My next car will be a hybrid or electric, but I won't insult the movement towards green by having environmentally insulting lithium batteries installed in my motor home to save 3 mpg of fossil fuel anymore than I would replace my incandescent lighting in my home with environmentally hazardous mercury containing compact flourescent lights! At some point we are going to have to pay dearly for these chemicals we are creating to avoid use of fossil fuel.

[HamRad]

Brad,

I thought the percentage of improvement of fuel mileage was substantial. 40% for gas and about 20% for diesel. Certainly it's not as good as an auto but it seems to be a major step in the right direction. I did not see how much it would cost for this process so can't speak to that issue. Other than to say we need to start somewhere and if the technology is there then we should look forward to seeing such vehicles.

It is amazing to see how resistant people are to change.... change of any sort. We need to do something..... almost anything.... to get on the road to recovery and improved environmental and economical action.

I can imagine the first people to propose producing electricity directly from the sun being laughed at! And while solar power is not yet a mainstream process it is definitely making an impact.

Reading your post would seem to dissuade anyone from trying to help in the "green" movement. And any company that was thinking of producing any type of "green" process as well. Given this type of thinking we'd never make any progress!

With your stated philosophy re: the "green" process I'm totally surprised you'd even consider buying a hybrid of any sort! But I totally support that action. You will enjoy those "environmentally insulting lithium batteries". But then you, too, will have that "green" badge of environmentalism.

Dennis

[bsmeaton]

Dennis,

You missed my point entirely! People that are serious about green don't drive motorhomes! Simple enough. A motorhome is a selfish mode of transportation for those that can afford the luxury, yet the same chassis would haul over 80 passengers if it were a bus. (a much better use of a hybrid drive)

Its a reactionist design that is no more green than Al Gores private jet! I support the implementation of hybrid drives, but only when the gains far outweighs the hazardous waste it generates! Your Prius is a good example of where the gain will most likely outweigh the eventual cost to our environment it will cause manufacturing and disposing of those batteries. But a motorhome would require a power cell that would power a dozen of your Prius's and for what real gain? Imagine how far that couple could go in that motorhome if it were powered with a nuclear fission reactor! But would you be willing to accept the environmental impact their reactor causes at the end of it's life cycle? Probably not.

I'm not opposed to change, but we need to think first! The US doesn't even manufacture these batteries yet, let alone have provisions to recycle them or dispose of the chemicals. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in CO is in a panic and ready to spend over 1-billion dollars to figure out what the heck to do with all of these batteries if they actually catch on as a viable alternative to fossil fuel, but the lab won't even be completed for another 5 years. In the meantime we just dig a hole like we did with our spent nuclear fuels for the last 50 years.

A smarter alternative to a hybrid motorhome would be standard motorhome towing a Prius on a towbar for use once the couple gets where they are going.

[HamRad]

Brad,

Thanks for the clarification. Now I understand your reasoning a bit better. It is a complicated issue.

Unfortunately the Prius is not approved for towing 4 down. Guess we could put it on a trailer and haul it that way.

Dennis

[bsmeaton]

Uh-oh, maybe a dolly trailer?

I was actually hoping the Toyota FJ Cruiser or Rav will come out in a hybrid by the time I'm ready to try a motorhome. It would be nice to retain the 4WD so DW and I can still venture into the high country.

[Waynem]

Does that mean I should give up my MH????

[bsmeaton]

Yes - to me! hahahahaha

[Waynem]

You would not want it.

It has been Sun Damaged

[PowellsMonty]

Nice A!!

[bsmeaton]

quote:Originally posted by PowellsMonty

Nice A!!

Last time I said that my wife backhanded me - I guess she doesn't like Class A motorhomes.

[VanMan]

At the Branson Rally a fellow MOCer pulled in with a Smart Car on the back of his Volvo tow vehicle. It was quite a show watching him get it down. Wwhenever we saw it parked in town, there was ak=lways a crowd peeking in the windows.