So there's this guy...

daniel · 02-14-2009, 03:08 PM

So there's this guy here who "informed" us at supper the other night that there's a company that, for $30,000, will convert a Prius into a pure EV that will go a thousand miles on a single charge. I told him this is not the case. The batteries alone for a thousand-mile EV would cost close to three hundred thousand dollars, and would probably be too heavy and too bulky to fit into a Prius even if you used the entire cargo space. He said he had read about it in a "reliable" magazine (but he could not remember which one!!!) so it was true.

I'd have said more but he was getting this "won't this jerk shut up" look and starting to talk about something else to the person next to him.

I mention this to draw attention to the truly phenominal level of ignorance of the general public as regards transportation options. Someone else asked, wasn't there a car that runs on oxygen?

Where to begin with a question like that? Explain that all fuels need oxygen to burn, so oxygen is a part of the equation in any fuel-burning car, but the atmosphere is 21% oxygen, so it's not an issue? Or just hang your head in despair that there are people who don't even understand the basic chemistry of fire? With people like this, no wonder the public thinks that hydrogen fuel cells are a practical possibility, or that water-for-gas schemes are real.

The world is populated by idiots.

Time for lunch... The food here is fabulous!

qbee42 · 02-14-2009, 03:14 PM

You have realized something sad but true. I am guessing that this is not the first time you have realized this, and I know it won't be the last.

Tom

tripp · 02-14-2009, 06:15 PM

People are thick everywhere. It's always been that way and always will be that way. Sure, the "thickness threshold" will change over time, but the amount of thickness in the universe is a constant. It's a lot like energy in that respect.

There's probably a second law of dumb arse dynamics somewhere that proves this to be true.

dogfriend · 02-14-2009, 06:22 PM

Did you know that you can convert a car to get 100 mpg by using battery power to make HHO? Its free energy! I read about it on the internet, so it must be true. All you need is Stainless Steel and a mason jar.

Ignorance + Poor Reasoning Skill = Gullibility

FL_Prius_Driver · 02-14-2009, 07:05 PM

I have a good friend who instantly recognizes opportunities like this as a way of keeping his fridge stocked with beer. Rather than directly oppose a goofy statement, he starts working the conversation to where the uneducated* makes a claim that can be subject to a beer bet.

*Since I contributed to the beer fund a long time ago, I have to refrain from calling myself names.

Daniel - Giving up a beer seem to educate 1000 times faster than any other method I have seen.

patsparks · 02-14-2009, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FL_Prius_Driver

I have a good friend who instantly recognizes opportunities like this as a way of keeping his fridge stocked with beer. Rather than directly oppose a goofy statement, he starts working the conversation to where the uneducated* makes a claim that can be subject to a beer bet.

*Since I contributed to the beer fund a long time ago, I have to refrain from calling myself names.

Daniel - Giving up a beer seem to educate 1000 times faster than any other method I have seen.

What you describe sounds something like my "Fees Based Education System".
Part of my job is educating people about road laws (kind of like laws of physics) and to do this I may warn a person that they are doing the wrong thing according to the laws made by our democratically ellected parliament for the common good of all. Often I'll come across this same person breaking the same law within a few weeks. This is when fees based education comes into play. When you tell a person what the law is and hand them a bill for several hundred dollars it seems they listen much more intently, because it is much rarer to have to tell them again for a very long time.

Daniel and all, it is posible to run an engine on water, I have done it.
Prius with an engine that runs on WATER

daniel · 02-14-2009, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tripp

People are thick everywhere. It's always been that way and always will be that way. Sure, the "thickness threshold" will change over time, but the amount of thickness in the universe is a constant. It's a lot like energy in that respect.

There's probably a second law of dumb arse dynamics somewhere that proves this to be true.

While I cannot absolutely prove this, I suspect that, just as the universe seems to be expanding at an accelerating rate due to "dark energy," so too the amount of stupidity in the world is also expanding at an accelerating rate. Of course, it's also possible that stupidity, like meteorites, is attracted to the Earth and merely collecting here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by patsparks

Daniel and all, it is posible to run an engine on water, I have done it.

My Xebra runs on water. In a manner of speaking. Water falls out of the sky, runs downhill, turns the generators at the Bonneville dam to make electricity, which they deliver to my home in wires. I connect my Xebra to those wires and each time I do, it's good for another 40 miles. Less if I run the heater, but not an awful lot less.

My three-legged clown car really is powered by water.

**TonyPSchaefer** · 02-14-2009, 09:42 PM

So I've got this car - A Prius!, that's the ticket - and I've had it converted - runs entirely on batteries! - and it'll go really far on a single charge - a thousand miles! I was driving in my car with my wife - Morgan Fairchild! - when an animal ran in front of me. A unicorn, that's the ticket!

dogfriend · 02-14-2009, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyPSchaefer

So I've got this car - A Prius!, that's the ticket - and I've had it converted - runs entirely on batteries! - and it'll go really far on a single charge - a thousand miles! I was driving in my car with my wife - Morgan Fairchild! whom I've seen naked- when an animal ran in front of me. A unicorn, that's the ticket!

Fixed it for ya.

RobH · 02-15-2009, 04:24 AM

I run into this problem occasionally when I tell one medical doctor about what another medical doctor told me. Each of them tells me that the other one is sadly mistaken, and that research proves their case. One particular case of parallel realities is between oncologists and immunologists. They both seem to regard the other as dangerous quacks. It's not easy to chose who is more correct, and who is just selling their product. Or if they're both off the mark. I try to probe the depth of their knowledge - is it direct or just reiteration of standard talking points.

I do remember stories about special carburetors that could deliver 25 mpg on cars that were currently delivering 15 mpg. The idea of a 50 mpg car was truly ridiculous. I have it on good authority that the 2010 Prius is impossible.

02-14-2009, 03:08 PM	#1
daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 11,278 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #6 Thanks: 59 Thanked 201 Times in 127 Posts Friends: 0	So there's this guy... So there's this guy here who "informed" us at supper the other night that there's a company that, for $30,000, will convert a Prius into a pure EV that will go a thousand miles on a single charge. I told him this is not the case. The batteries alone for a thousand-mile EV would cost close to three hundred thousand dollars, and would probably be too heavy and too bulky to fit into a Prius even if you used the entire cargo space. He said he had read about it in a "reliable" magazine (but he could not remember which one!!!) so it was true. I'd have said more but he was getting this "won't this jerk shut up" look and starting to talk about something else to the person next to him. I mention this to draw attention to the truly phenominal level of ignorance of the general public as regards transportation options. Someone else asked, wasn't there a car that runs on oxygen? Where to begin with a question like that? Explain that all fuels need oxygen to burn, so oxygen is a part of the equation in any fuel-burning car, but the atmosphere is 21% oxygen, so it's not an issue? Or just hang your head in despair that there are people who don't even understand the basic chemistry of fire? With people like this, no wonder the public thinks that hydrogen fuel cells are a practical possibility, or that water-for-gas schemes are real. The world is populated by idiots. Time for lunch... The food here is fabulous! __________________ Daniel Primary car: 100% Electric 2003 Porsche 911 Carrera. Estimated range at 55 mph: 81 miles total or 64 miles to 80% discharge. Top speed 70 mph. Secondary car: Zap Xebra SD, also 100% electric. 1.9 cents per mile. Range: 40 miles total, or 32 miles to 80% discharge. Top speed 35 mph. Faster downhill. Both EVs use electrons generated from water power. Gas guzzler for when I have to travel farther than 60 miles: 2004 Prius. "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." -- Emma Goldman "Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think long and hard before starting a war." -- Otto von Bismarck

02-14-2009, 03:14 PM	#2
qbee42 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 10,492 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #7 Thanks: 95 Thanked 392 Times in 290 Posts Friends: 10	Re: So there's this guy... You have realized something sad but true. I am guessing that this is not the first time you have realized this, and I know it won't be the last. Tom

02-14-2009, 06:15 PM	#3
tripp Which it's a 'ybrid, ain't it? Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 4,323 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: Package: #3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Friends: 6	Re: So there's this guy... People are thick everywhere. It's always been that way and always will be that way. Sure, the "thickness threshold" will change over time, but the amount of thickness in the universe is a constant. It's a lot like energy in that respect. There's probably a second law of dumb arse dynamics somewhere that proves this to be true.

02-14-2009, 06:22 PM	#4
dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Carmichael, CA Posts: 4,971 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #6 Thanks: 289 Thanked 175 Times in 147 Posts Friends: 11	Re: So there's this guy... Did you know that you can convert a car to get 100 mpg by using battery power to make HHO? Its free energy! I read about it on the internet, so it must be true. All you need is Stainless Steel and a mason jar. Ignorance + Poor Reasoning Skill = Gullibility

02-14-2009, 07:05 PM	#5
FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Tampa Bay Posts: 1,845 My Car: 2001 Prius Model: Package: N/A Thanks: 4 Thanked 17 Times in 16 Posts Friends: 2	Re: So there's this guy... I have a good friend who instantly recognizes opportunities like this as a way of keeping his fridge stocked with beer. Rather than directly oppose a goofy statement, he starts working the conversation to where the uneducated* makes a claim that can be subject to a beer bet. *Since I contributed to the beer fund a long time ago, I have to refrain from calling myself names. Daniel - Giving up a beer seem to educate 1000 times faster than any other method I have seen.

02-14-2009, 09:42 PM	#8
TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator Join Date: May 2004 Location: Far-North Chicagoland Posts: 10,512 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 39 Thanked 168 Times in 109 Posts Friends: 23	Re: So there's this guy... So I've got this car - A Prius!, that's the ticket - and I've had it converted - runs entirely on batteries! - and it'll go really far on a single charge - a thousand miles! I was driving in my car with my wife - Morgan Fairchild! - when an animal ran in front of me. A unicorn, that's the ticket!

02-15-2009, 04:24 AM	#10
RobH Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sunnyvale, California Posts: 676 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #8 Thanks: 23 Thanked 46 Times in 29 Posts Friends: 0	Re: So there's this guy... I run into this problem occasionally when I tell one medical doctor about what another medical doctor told me. Each of them tells me that the other one is sadly mistaken, and that research proves their case. One particular case of parallel realities is between oncologists and immunologists. They both seem to regard the other as dangerous quacks. It's not easy to chose who is more correct, and who is just selling their product. Or if they're both off the mark. I try to probe the depth of their knowledge - is it direct or just reiteration of standard talking points. I do remember stories about special carburetors that could deliver 25 mpg on cars that were currently delivering 15 mpg. The idea of a 50 mpg car was truly ridiculous. I have it on good authority that the 2010 Prius is impossible.