A dark day

[O'Dell]

It was indeed a dark day today. Evidently my C-Max Energi is not the perpetual motion machine it seemed to be. After 2264 miles and four and a half months since I left the dealer, the low fuel light came on today. It took 12 1/2 gallons to fill up so I still had 1 1/2 gallons left. I suppose I could have made it another week or two, but I didn't want to chance it. I guess all good things eventually come to an end. At least I won't have to go through the trauma again until next spring.

[89grand]

I feel your pain, my TJ Wrangler and Hemi Dodge Magnum R/T have both made me forget what it's like to get gas.

[O'Dell]

I do understand. Besides the Energi, I also have a 400 HP SSR and a 475 HP Corvette.

[CJB]

Love it!~

Not in that stratopheric league of efficiency... but hell, I can't complain. The ol' 99 Ranger is still goin good at 200k miles, and still gets 26mpg on its 3.0 engine, which has no horsepower to speak of, but is a rather torquey little plant. Fill up every three weeks or so. depending on EVAs.

[AJBert]

And here I was complaining on getting an astonishing 8 mpg's with my 2000 Chevy Blazer while towing a small enclosed trailer back from Texas while heading into a rather strong headwind just this week. I now feel so ashamed of myself after reading the total failure of your Enerqi. To be honest, I don't even know what an Enerqi is but I am still redfaced with shame over your ordeal.

Truth be told, my Blazer has been lifted with 33's on it for offroad capability and for some reason that I can't fathom that kind of stuff hurts its road manners.

[b4uqzme]

^^^ lots of trade offs in life.....

[muggsy]

I was interested in getting one of those highly fuel efficient mini cars until the day that I saw the results of one that had run head on into a full sized Oldsmobile. That kinda changed my mind. There's trauma and then there's trauma. Still drivin' my Grand Marquis. :)

[marshal kane]

I was interested in getting one of those highly fuel efficient mini cars until the day that I saw the results of one that had run head on into a full sized Oldsmobile. That kinda changed my mind. There's trauma and then there's trauma. Still drivin' my Grand Marquis. :)
While those little fuel efficient cars are cute (so my wife says) they don't do well when bashed by any of the full sized cars. Until they come with a titanium bucket to sit in like the A10 Warthog, I'll keep my full sized cars. YMMV

[TheTman]

I was a bit surprised at how much difference the ethanol blend makes in MPG. I took my Merc to Missouri and Oklahoma, where I was able to find real gasoline, and was getting 27-28 MPG. On a trip to Denver and back, using ethanol, I only got around 22-23 MPG. That was only checking it on the Interstate and highways.

[O'Dell]

I was interested in getting one of those highly fuel efficient mini cars until the day that I saw the results of one that had run head on into a full sized Oldsmobile. That kinda changed my mind. There's trauma and then there's trauma. Still drivin' my Grand Marquis. :)

I understand your concern, but the Ford Energi weighs 3800 pounds which in more than most other midsized cars. It's not all that small compared with today's compacts either and has a five star safety rating, something that Honda and Toyota have been struggling with. Remember I drove a 2800 pound Prius [actually two] for ten years.

[Bawanna]

I'll have to google this Energi? They must run mostly on batteries which would contribute considerably to the vehicle weight I would assume?

Sure be nice not to fill this gas guzzling van every week and a half or so. Course not many cars are convenient for a wheelchair transporter.

If I'm ever able to buy another rig my # 1 desire is something 4x4 too. Want to get back in the hills even if it's just driving the logging roads and I live on a nasty hill when the snow hit which right about now.

[O'Dell]

Bawanna, it'll run about 35 miles on battery only [EV] in the summer and about 30 in the cold weather. Ford only says 21 and the EPA rates it at 108 MPG, but I'm doing a lot better. When the traction battery is exhausted, it becomes a regular hybrid like the Prius so it's still running on the battery much of the time. It'll go up to 85 MPH on battery only so freeways are no problem. Mine is reporting that the engine has only run 22% if the time since I've been driving it. It's fast for a hybrid with 195 total HP [electric motor 118 and engine 141] and 0-60 in 7.5 seconds if you want to push it which I don't. The Prius has 134 HP and does 0-60 in 10+ seconds.

[DavidS]

I was a bit surprised at how much difference the ethanol blend makes in MPG. I took my Merc to Missouri and Oklahoma, where I was able to find real gasoline, and was getting 27-28 MPG. On a trip to Denver and back, using ethanol, I only got around 22-23 MPG. That was only checking it on the Interstate and highways.
Thus the reason that ethanol blend is so much cheaper than gasoline. (Well, maybe there are some government subsides involved also.)
Ethanol has approximately 1/2 the BTU content (basically energy) as does pure gasoline.

[jeepster09]

Gas mileage or safety?........you be the judge.

[marshal kane]

Gas mileage or safety?........you be the judge.
D**n! That's gotta hurt!

[jocko]

Thus the reason that ethanol blend is so much cheaper than gasoline. (Well, maybe there are some government subsides involved also.)
Ethanol has approximately 1/2 the BTU content (basically energy) as does pure gasoline.

government subsudizes the farmers on ethanol to a tune of 45 cents a gallon, this was told to me by our local gas dealer in my agea who owns 6 gas stations. Take away the subsidies on corn to thse farmers and the subsidy to the wind power companies, and they would be history. My local gas dealer siad he was noever crazy about selling ethanol but heis in big farm cuntry and services alot of farms with propane nd fuel and just got pressured by the farmers to put a pump at each island at each station.

Trust me when we can run o hydrogan, we will pay some kind of road tax for owing a vehicle like that, or how in the hell would we take care of our raods etc. We aint gonna get around this costly sh!t. Be it in gas, oil or coal. when sumpin replaces it, there will be a tax put to it that eens out the loss of oil or coal etc. Mayb eit willbe cleaner, maybe it will not, our POTUS doesn't care about jobs lost. they will ust toot their horn ande say that the wind industry is emloying x number of people and not telling us about the number of people who have lost their jobs due to wind power. I can drive 40 miles north and there are literally hundreds of wind mills, , u can hear the hum when u drive through that aea, let alone the euglieness of seeing all those wind mills, and the land owner is laughing all teh way tothe bank with rental income..

[DavidS]

Sorta like the 911 fees on phones to provide 911 service. Problem is they want to upgrade the 911 services so they can better handle locating cell phone emergency calls. However, cell phones users don't pay the 911 service fee so the burden is placed upon the land line users and their fees go up. And as more people convert to cell phone only household, the number of land line users drop which also adds to the problem of increasing 911 fees.