Would you Purchase an Alternative Fuel Vehicle
By dorannmwin
@dorannmwin (36392)
United States
September 6, 2009 2:05am CST
This is a discussion that my husband and I had earlier today. We are both very interested in the progress of alternative fuels. He's been studying hydrogen as a fuel source for a few years. When there was a local museum (it has since closed) about cars that ran on water, we both visited it frequently. That, in and of itself is a very interesting prospect. Now, in the age of the Smart Car and soon to be the Chevy Volt in addition to the gas/electric hybrid cars that are currently on the market, this question is more relevant than ever.
Would you purchase an alternative fuel vehicle?
We will. It is just a matter of when. We have two cars that are paid for right now and that both run very well. We plan on driving them until they won't run anymore and hopefully by that time the availablity of alternative fueled cars will be greater and thus, the price will have come down. We are probably 5-7 years away from buying a new car, so who knows what the fuel source by that time will be.
I can't wait to hear what others of you think on this subject.
1 person likes this
10 responses
@BlueGoblin (1829)
• United States
7 Sep 09
No. I drive a '67 Impala. I will drive this car until the day I die.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Sep 09
I can completely see why. I believe if I had a classic car I would be in the exact same boat that you're in.
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
7 Sep 09
i rather buy a car that ran on water if that will be available soon only. but it seems there is not much progress on it. i have been hearing about it before but now it does not seem to be made commercially yet , purely more of testing . anyways, i doubt if hydrogen is safe. but if it does i would want to purchase that also. but as you mentioned the price really set many people off. not unless they will make it very cheaply and affordable for most people.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Sep 09
I'm so glad to hear that there is another person out here that has heard something about water being used as a fuel. I almost wish I could get my husband to mylot just so he would be able to explain it better.
You are right it is the price that is the issue for most people. That and the fact that many of the new technologies are still in their infancy.
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
7 Sep 09
I would love to have a hybrid. I'd love to have a car that doesn't require buying gas that often. It would be great on my wallet and it would be great for the environment. I'd definitely feel better about driving so often if I had a car that was easier on the environment than other cars.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Sep 09
That is one of the main reasons that this prospect is so interesting to me. I've got two children and I'd like to be able to do whatever I can to insure that the world will not have deteriorated too much from our lifestyles for them to be able to enjoy their lives when they are older.
@CJscott (4187)
• Portage La Prairie, Manitoba
7 Sep 09
Yes, that is the plan. That is really all I have to say on the matter, I have not gone into great research on the matter. I know for a fact that my next vehicle will be a hybrid, or alternative fuel, preferably Hydrogen based, the water one would be fine as well, it is also going to be an AWD. Cheers.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Sep 09
Honestly, we considered getting a hybrid when we bought the car that we have now. Only, that was several years ago and hybrid technology was in its infancy. We simple decided on getting a car that was much more fuel efficient than the one that we had traded in. Our next car will be either a hybrid or a car that runs on alternative fuel. I really hope that either water to convert to hydrogen or hydrogen fuel cells are readily available when we are ready to buy.
@eyesighting (30)
• China
7 Sep 09
I won't do. IN my mind, i think the technology is not mature for using water and other things for fuel, but some years later, i think an alternative fuel will take the market, and more and more people will use it.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Sep 09
I'm not planning on doing it right now. I really wanted to know what other people think about some of the things that are on the horizon. As long as something is in the experimental stages, it is not for me.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Sep 09
You and us both. We really want to be able to transition over our entire lives as much as we can to alternative fueling. That doesn't just mean for our cars. We'd like to be able to make our house green as well, but we just can't do it yet.
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
6 Sep 09
Yes, if the price is reasonable and the infrastructure is in place to properly support the use of the vehicle!
If I get a hybrid and need to plug my car in for a charge where do I do that if I am not at home.
We are a long way from being an energy efficient country.
I know people that drive work vehicles powered with propane...I guess that is a possibility but I have never heard of that in POVs (Privately owned vehicles)
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Sep 09
That is a good point about where to charge your car when you aren't at home. One of the options that I've heard people ponder is battery trade-in stations. My guess would be that it would be similar to a gas station only instead of going in to buy gas, you go in to trade your battery for a fully charged one. Very interesting proposition in my opinion.
@rameshkumaar57 (5908)
• India
6 Sep 09
Yesterday, when I was taking my usual morning walk, there was a car which is run on battery/ current was being demonstrated.The car was so small that only two adults can sit in the car, the rear seat is nothing but a small bench. They informed me that it will run for 60kms on a single charge without the a/c. The battery will last for three years. The most unfortunate thing was the price, with the amount of price quoted, I would have been able to buy two to three small cars.
Unless and until, the car manufacturers reduce the price of the electric/battery cars, it will not sell. Nobody in his right mind will pay double the cost of the existing small car to buy a green car.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Sep 09
I agree with you on that. The new green cars that are coming out are far to expensive to even think about right now. Hopefully with time and the changes that are sure to come with technology, the affordability of these cars is going to become far better than it is right now. As it stands right now, several of the green cars that are coming onto the market cost nearly as much as our house.
@sacmom (14192)
• United States
8 Sep 09
Actually I have. One of my current vehicles (although not running at the moment), is a flexible-fuel vehicle (FFV). It can take either gasoline or ethanol (or is it methanol?) fuel. I also had another FFV a few years back as well. Both were Ford Taurus'.
Even though I never tried the alternative fuel for either of them, it apparently gets worse mpg than using gasoline. So, I don't really consider it like the newer vehicles that are out there on the market.
Maybe one day I'll get myself a Prius. But until I hit the lottery I'm stuck driving around my husband's old pickup. 
LOL
Happy mylotting!
LOL
Happy mylotting!
@jshekhar (1562)
• India
6 Sep 09
Hello friend,
Nice to know that you people have already started researching on alternate sources of fuel. The fuel prices are really skyrocketting and considering other options seems to be the wiser thing to do.
However, we have to keep a few things in mind. The servicing for the alternative fuel cars is something we need to check out. These are not so popular yet and hence, there are a fewer centers to sort out our problems. The price is really low so that is what attracts me towards them.
I have a car that runs on petrol and I'm not considering alternative fuel as yet.It's just about 9 months old now so it'll go on for years and years. I'll see the market situation then and then take a decision.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Sep 09
You are actually in a similar boat to the one that we are in. Our car is older than yours but still has a lot of years in it. I think the fact of just staying up to date on the research that is out there and what is coming down the pipeline is the most important thing for us to be doing right now. Hopefully, when we are in the situation that we have to buy a new car, the choice of alternative fuel will be a viable option.
