[danniexi]

my view:

1. "global warming" does not exist. HOWEVER, climate change does, and the human population is having an effect (big or small) on it. All the developed countries have already reduced the amount of emissions throughout all of its industries which is highly commendable (hell, evidence of the ozone layer replenishing already exist). we are definitely on the right track (efficient combustion engines with wide adoption of direct injection, turbocharging, light-weight materials) as well as utilizing solar and wind energy for much larger industries. both EU and US has pushed manufacturers to create much more efficient vehicles, and although those rules were a PITA, the auto industry responded with some amazing technology that really benefits everyone. the biggest challenge is to get the rest of the developing countries on track to be more environmentally friendly (China and India). all they really need is money and time.

2. personally, i'm all for hybrid technology, but not in terms of the environment. without going into too much detail, i believe hydrogen fuel + fuel cell tech is the future. there is no charging of batteries whatsoever, "fill-ups" take just as short of a time as regular petroleum, and it does NOT change the way we live today. there are no emissions, they produce an immense amount of energy (kilowatts!), and all that comes out of it is water. obviously, the technology for storing hydrogen is the biggest issue, but if we can work out the infrastructure of hydrogen filling stations, we will be golden.

3. hybrid technology for saving gas? no. batteries are a stop-gap for true free-emission transportation. batteries need to be charged (which takes forever), they go bad (need to be replaced every 5+ years), and cause immense environmental damage to create them (mining, acid rain, blah blah). not convinced.

4. hybrid technology for motorsport? hell yes. regenerative energy that provide an instantaneous 100+ horsepower in cars is where it's at. hybrid tech provides all the benefits of force induction without the drawbacks. the only big one would be weight, but extensive use of light-weight materials help offset that problem in the first place.

going back to the i8, I'm personally interested not in the car itself, but the technology it provides. Look at the Mclaren P1, Porsche 918, and the Ferrari theFerrari. all are performing the same engineering exercise, but BMW is making that technology a bit more accessible. it just shows the future of what BMW is capable of doing, which is a good thing IMO.

think about it: with all the tech that the i8 provides, BMW can go back to using NA engines while still providing that forced induction torque without the need for turbos, keeping the cars super-light for better track performance, all the while being emissions friendly and fuel efficient.

cars are getting better and better by the day. the i8 itself? meh. don't care for the car. but the technology is provides? bring it on. i'm all for it.