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Build Your Own Hybrid-Electric Car?

BlueJay465 writes "On almost every news outlet, everyone is talking about the price of oil, both foreign and domestic. This sent me to do some research on what it would take to keep the investment in my current vehicle, while getting the added benefits of hybrid-electric technology at the lowest price. One company, Sigma Automotive, has already jumped on that bandwagon, and will soon be offering a kit for your car engine that will boost performance and increase fuel-economy by adding all the extra electronics, hardware and capacity (avail. Q3-Q4 2004). My question is, how much would it cost to really 'Do It Yourself' using off-the-shelf parts?"

6 of 328 comments (clear)

  1. Gore did it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Blah

  2. and i ask you... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    why do we bother?

    there is a better solution..

    -Anonymous Gay Fag

  3. Linux: This Man's Experience by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I have been reading all the Linux hype here and I decided to give it a go. I am a long time Windows user and have only played with Linux on rare occassion. Here is my apples-to-apples, new user, experience and comparison with Windows. Mod this down if you can't handle some fair, constructive criticism of your OS. But if you find it interesting, well there ya go- interesting.

    Install time : Win XP - 1 CD; Approx 37 minutes. Linux - 4 CDs; Approx 2hr 10min (some time wasted while it was waiting for me to swap CDs).

    Boot time : Win XP - Approx 18 seconds from POST to login. Linux - Approx 1min 25sec from POST to login. Lots of debug text scrolling by, not sure if this is normal or was slowing me down.

    Hardware Compatability : Win XP - All hardware detected and installed. Linux - No driver for sound card (onboard audio) or network card (also onboard). Not sure about digital camera and scanner; where's the device manager? Couldn't download drivers without a net card. Used the XP box to download what seemed to be appropriate and attempted to compile. Got network card working after a few hours troubleshooting. Couldn't get audio working, error "*** depmod: Unresolved symbol in (something something) pci-scan.o". Decided I did not need sound anyway.

    Fonts: Win XP - Nice fonts using ClearType on my 19" LCD. Linux - Awful looking fonts. The italic font on Slashdot looks like complete dogshit. Tried Konqueror and Firefox, no luck.

    Verdict: Linux seems to have done little to catch up in the past few years. I will try again in another few years.

  4. News outlets by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    On almost every news outlet, everyone is talking about the price of oil, both foreign and domestic.

    Do they mention that the US setting the middle-east ablaze causes this? I can understand the US economy going into recession as a result of oil price hikes due to *our* war, but it's causing nice recession episodes in many other countries as well. I bet those countries, supposedly our allies, must love the heck out of us too.

    Oh well, if this is what it takes to finally entice the country to switch to something more ecological than SUVs and full-size 8-cylinder sedans, then I guess we'll have gotten a little something good out of all this mess...

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  5. Re:Build Your Own Rectum Fister by nbert · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    extemely insightful - I used to have doubts about the mod system, but you just proved (to me) that it perfectly makes sense after all.

  6. OT: sig by pavon · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    NO THANK YOU. I DO NOT WANT A FREE IPOD!

    Would you like one in your house?
    Would you like it with a one button mouse?