Having taken to cycling more recently, I’ve come to further appreciate PHEVs/BEVs in a new way. Runners and cyclists probably know the feeling of winding along one’s route, breathing fresh air, only to then be passed by vehicles and discover the noxious effects of their near field pollution (pollution most heavily concentrated within close proximity to the source). It’s worst when ICE vehicles get going for the first time of the day, but even among those warmed up, the effect is easily noticeable. So it is refreshing to be passed by a PHEV or BEV and know one can keep breathing easier.
I am a regular cycle commuter, and every time I breathe the exhaust of a particularly bad passing vehicle, I am thankful for my Leaf and my PiP not contributing to that...
Problem is cyclists don't hear me coming in EV mode and sit in the middle of the lane so I can't pass them It's probably the biggest drawback of EV mode that people are always stepping out in front of or standing in front/behind me while I am trying to drive. No noise? No drive! I can just step out without looking
When my windows are down, I can hear the proximity warning. People just seem to pay as much attention to it as to car alarms.
You're Welcome ! I'm with you as a cyclist myself. I try to use my 'Pedestrian Alert' when I think it is needed. It's annoying though, very fast pulses of the normal horn. But it does not penetrate ear buds.
It isn't just when it is noticeable, the pollution, from ICE vehicles, is always there. This is one of the reasons the American Lung Association is such a proponent of EVs.
if you think all motorist on the road are breathing the same air too; it is not like you have a charcoal scrubber on air intake
I know hydrogen is controversial in this forum, but how about fuel cell hydrogen trucks and buses in the future? France Begins Divorce Proceedings Against Diesel - The Truth ...
There probably would not be a noticeable difference from an air quality perspective if hydrogen FC trucks and buses were used in place of current diesel technology trucks and buses. http://www.healtheffects.org/Pubs/ACES-Phase2-Final-Press-Release-120413.pdf
maybe not, but it sure would be a lot nicer, when you're out for a walk or bike ride, and they blow by you spewing the worst smelling belch on the road!
"STUDY FINDS FEW HEALTH EFFECTS FROM NEW TECHNOLOGY DIESEL ENGINES" http://pubs.healtheffects.org/getfile.php?u=708 Can "low tar cigarettes" make the same claim?
Philip Morris et al did make claims with a familiar ring for as long as they could. Interesting that “healtheffects.org” is half-funded by car companies, I’d not seen the outfit before. I’d like to hear what Naomi Oreskes thinks of them...
perhaps i haven't been belched on by a clean diesel, but the school buses, fedex and ups trucks around here are putrid. along with all the private contractors and their 10 wheelers and tractor trailers.
