Nissan Altima Hybrid – inside the trunk

Across the back of the trunk the battery has huge air flow

closeup of hybrid battery

In April I drove to the capital of Hybrids – Ottawa to pick-up my new Nissan. Pretty cool to get a new car anytime, but with all the gas saving hype and relatively new model, I was the local hybrid rock star for a few weeks.

The official story is 5.9 litres per 100km which converts to about 1,200kms per tank of gas. The best we have been able to achieve is 1,100 which in retrospect is great compared to our van that gets 350km in the city. Both vehicles have 76L tanks which at $1.40 puts a serious bite in your wallet when you fill up.

You hear a lot about the battery and until last week I had not seen it myself. I was rear-ended at a stop sign causing significant damage to the back end. The result is, I got to see the battery and it is not nearly as big as I imagined. Come to think of it, neither is the electric motor which is tucked in beside the 2.5L gas engine.

Interestingly, the rental car I picked up at the body shop is a regular Altima 2.5L model (same engine as the Hybrid). It has a huge trunk but the engine noise makes it a lot louder than the Hybrid. Still as zippy, but consumption in the 9L – 9.5L per 100km range.

Bruce Trail safety challenge

I am a frequent user of the Bruce Trail and consider it “my trail” so yesterday when I saw the “closed” sign I was somewhat disturbed. Someone died on the tracks and the Bruce Trail in Dundas has been closed.

On July 13th the Spectator reported “a 40-year-old man is dead after being struck by a westbound Via Rail passenger train near King Street this afternoon.” The following week the Dundas Star News wrote “Witnesses reported the man was throwing stones at a freight train heading eastbound, when VIA Rail train 73 westbound for Windsor struck him. Police believe the man couldn’t hear the approaching train.” The incident occurred near where the Bruce Trail crosses the train tracks at the location of the old Dundas VIA Rail station (“a few hundred meters east of the CN Rail overpass at King Street, off Woodley Lane”). As a result, the Bruce Trail is now “officially” closed between King Street West/Woodley Lane to Webster’s Falls and from Tews Falls to the Sydenham Street bridge ostensibly because “CN Rail could close access to the Bruce Trail on its private property”. 

The train tracks are very well used and gleam in the sunlight, as opposed to the normal rust you often see on unused spur lines. Anyone crossing or walking along these tracks can tell they are active. And they are busy carrying passengers and goods between Toronto and London all day long. As far as anyone can remember, no one, Bruce Trail hiker or other, has ever been injured crossing the tracks. But would a “Beware – trains use the tracks” sign have prevented this tragedy?

The challenge facing the Bruce Trail is how to cross the tracks. In my opinion there are three possible options; status quo over the tracks, down under the King St bridge or build an pedestrian overpass over the tracks. I dislike option two the most as King St W is very busy at this point, the bridge is narrow even for cars, and the curve in the road offers allsorts of blind spots. The overpass is the only real resolution, but who has that kind of money?

The Bruce Trail is correct to review safety and take action as a result of this train incident. But, with limited options can they re-open the trail with warning signs with a longer term plan for something more concrete down the road? It is a shame to close a very well used trail while we save up for a better option or hope for a better resolution.  

Duncan Macintosh lives in Dundas and enjoys walking his dogs on the trails; the Conservation Authority bits, the RBG bits and the CN rail bits. www.duncanmacintosh.com