Posted on 06/30/2004 12:18:44 PM PDT by xzins
Hybrid fizzle So pumped was Cincinnati resident Pete Blackshaw about getting his Civic hybrid, he gave the car a "MO MILES" vanity license plate. Blackshaw got the opposite. Instead of the advertised 47 mpg, Blackshaw gets about 32. The hybrid enthusiast turned critic blogged away his frustration with his underperforming gas-electric car. But it could be worse. Consumer Reports found most Civic hybrids get only about 26 mpg on average. Regular Civics usually score above 30 mpg.
According to a J.D. Power survey, hybrid car owners may not all be as discouraged as Blackshaw. The study revealed that more than wanting to save money at the pump, hybrid drivers want to save the world with their hands on the steering wheel.
The attitudes and opinions about economics, technology, and the environment held by owners of hybrid-electric cars distinguish them from the other groups. Issues on which the owners of hybrid-electric cars hold extreme positions are: interest in helping reduce vehicle pollution, willingness to pay extra for "green" products, and thinking of oneself as an avid recycler. Owners of hybrid-electric cars also have the most extreme expectations that fuel prices will be higher in the future.
I hadn't thought about it before, but I think you're right--energy is energy and there's no free lunch. If you're using the electric motor then you're draining the battery faster, which requires the gas engine to work harder to recharge the battery, which really means you're burning gas to run the electric motor.
Am I missing something here?
Excellent...and FUNNY! :>)
I think at least part of that potential waste is made up by the fact that you can have a much smaller motor running at its most efficient RPM, and can turn off the motor entirely in certain situations.
There's also a regenerative braking system on hybrid cars, reclaiming energy that is otherwise lost as heat on normal vehicles.
There's also a regenerative braking system on hybrid cars, reclaiming energy that is otherwise lost as heat on normal vehicles.
I have yet to have someone explain to me if a hybrid uses that same heating cooling circuits as a normal car. An "optimized" engine will take that much longer to reach a point of having excess heat before it can start heating the passenger compartment. Using electric heater bands would be a fire hazard and drain the battery that much faster.
One major point. The efficiency of a gasoline engine varies greatly with changing speed and load. An engine with a wide rpm band has many compromises that reduce the peak efficiency. A hybrid engine can be tuned to run one speed at maximum efficiency.
I read a review at CNN where they determined running two power plans simultaneously degrades the mileage performance. Depending on driving conditions this can be common in a driving environment like NYC, a location hybrids were supposed to excel in.
The hybrid idea is one thing....but Eghad!!! do they really need to make the things look so HIDEOUS?????
I think people buys these things and then do more driving around town just so they can show off their new toy and get all warm and fuzzy thinking of sunshine, lollipops and happy woodland creatures.
Of course what are they really doing ends up using more gas than a standard vehicle, but hey looky here at my new wizz bang green machine...ooh it feels so good saving the world...
/BARF
Every car should have a vacuum gauge installed on the dash. It not only helps keep you informed of engine problems, but teaches you to find that sweet spot on the gas pedal so you don't burn as much gas, while going just as fast!
http://www.ih8mud.com/tech/vacuum.php
I used to have a regular '99 Civic and I got about 25 mpg on the free way. I don't know why it was always so much lower than advertised. Perhaps the newest regular model actually does get 30? I've also read that driving style affects the hybrid cars' milage a lot.
Let's all ride bikes! That will solve the "fat people crisis", too.
We have a Prius, and my husband gets 50-60 mpg. He doesn't run the A/C much and he is usually alone, so the mpgs go up. He also drives it on the highway too and from work.
When I drive it, I get around 45 mpg. I crank the A/C and I usually have 3 kids with me. I'm also in stop and go traffic.
Both are good mpgs, but it just varies based on driving conditions. I figure mine is a better estimate than his.
That's fine, just don't dictate to me what I can and cannot buy or WANT to buy. That will be up to my good judgement and bank account and no one else's.
I was one of those goofy people that went through several VW bugs in the 60s (no, I was a strong conservative then as well, not a hippie!), raising children no less and then I finally learned that there were more comfortable vehicles that could do more and more efficiently. Those constant valve adjustments and "specialized" service negated any savings realized in fuel costs and that with gas only in the 28 cents a gallon range!
RB
He should have changed his vanity plate from "Mo Miles" to "YMMV."
my first car was an 82 or 83 civic.
got mid 30s in the city, 45+ on the highway - plain 'ol 4 cyl engine, 5 speed.
what has happened to engine technology?
The other part of the equation is the tiny engine they put in these vehicles. The old compact cars had low acceleration, the new cars have the electric motor to boost acceleration so they give the stop and go performance we have come to expect from cars. Gas mileage would be better without the electric gadgets. Of course you'll lose every race at the traffic control signal.
The "advertised" mileage is set by the EPA. The manufacturer is not allowed - by law - to tell the customers anything different, even if they are aware that the mileage advertised by the EPA is overly optimistic.
After I got my '99 Civic I parked it next to my friend's '91 Accord. They were almost the same size. They keep increasing the size of the "small" cars because nobody wants to drive around in a chiclet.
The '87 Caprice with 4.3 six gets 26 highway, and accelerates from 50 to 100 about as quick as compact cars accelerate from 0 to 50. You have to cruise at 94 to get the best gas mileage.
"Why not Hydrogen?"
1 Producing hydrogen consumes more energy than it produces.
2 Producing hydrogen creates polution.
3 The technology to store hydrogen in a vehicle is immature.
4 The technology to distribute high volumes of hydrogen does not exist.
5 Hydrogen is very expensive.
6 Burning hydrogen produces the highest volume green house in existence - water.
Other that that, it's great.
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