Posted on 02/13/2006 10:36:24 AM PST by voletti
With more of the gas-electric cars on the road, it's time to dispel some of the misinformation surrounding these alternative vehicles
Five years ago hybrid cars were an unknown commodity. Today vehicles powered by a combination of gasoline and electricity are all the rage. Like any new technology, until you get your hands on it -- in this case, on the steering wheel -- it's hard to get your mind around it.
If you are having a tough time separating hybrid truth from reality, you're not alone. The warp-speed adoption of hybrids into popular culture -- and into hundreds of thousands of American driveways -- has produced more than a little confusion and misinformation. Most industry analysts predict the continued growth of gas-electric vehicles, with estimates ranging from 600,000 to 1,000,000 hybrid sales in the U.S. by 2010, so this is a good time to debunk the 10 most prevalent myths about hybrid cars.
1. You need to plug in a hybrid car. As soon as the word "electricity" is spoken, you think of plugs, cords, and wall sockets. But today's hybrid cars don't need to be plugged in. Auto engineers have developed an ingenious system known as regenerative braking. (Actually, they borrowed the concept from locomotive technology.) Energy usually lost when a vehicle is slowing down or stopping is reclaimed and routed to the hybrid's rechargeable batteries. The process is automatic, so no special requirements are placed on the driver.
Car companies explain that drivers don't have to plug in their vehicles, but a growing number of them wish they had a plug-in hybrid. The ability to connect a hybrid into the electric grid overnight to charge a larger set of batteries means that most of your city driving could be done without burning a single drop of gasoline.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessweek.com ...
If someone was savvy with cars, they could buy one to re-fit a gas powered car to make their own hybrid.
LOL!
Good ones there.
So therefore, (by rigorous figgering of the gazintas), even if everyone had a hybrid, that still wouldn't solve the oil problems.
Maybe not in the US, but they have been in use in Japan for many years. Toyota has a Hybrid mini van called the Estima that is slightly smaller than the Siena that's sold here, so I'm hoping they'll do a Hybrid Siena here in the US in the next few years. I guess if they think there's a market for it, they will.
Toyota may have rights to that specific technology, but that doesn't preclude engineers from continuing to create better batteries.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
I have had the Prius for a little over a year. I put a lot of miles on a car. This one has over 40K on it since November 05. I am averaging 48.9 mpg over the life of the car. My only issue is people mistaking me for a lib, which some do. I correct them promptly. I paid about 25K for mine, which was more than if it were not a hybrid, but then, there are substantial savings with this car. Gas costs are less of course, but the regenerative braking saves on brake pads also. Maintenance costs are the same as previous cars. I have only had oil, filter and fluid changes every 5K miles.
The tax break is a DEDUCTION, not a credit. And I, too, have not heard of any warranty claims on the battery.
My favorite feature of the car, though, is the smart key system, which allows me to unlock the doors and start the car without having to take the key out of my pocket.
All in all, a good choice.
That is correct, however, you have the same losses at the power plant that is powered by hydrocarbons. Electric cars are good if the source of power for the turbines that generate the electricity is nuclear or renewable source. Otherwise to get a unit of electricity to the motor powering the car will require more hydrocarbon fuel than that in a gasoline powered car. Question? What is the conversion efficiency in a modern power plant as to turning 1 unit of energy into 1 unit of electricity. What is the power loss in the transmission lines. What is loss in charging the battery? What is the loss when we turn the stored chemical energy of the battery into electrical power for the motor. The motor itself I think you stated is 85% efficient.
I think Prius has had cars out since around 2000, although the new generation was started in 2004.
You said: When you run the air conditioner the battery pack doesn't charge, so that blows alot of the fuel improvement in the summer.
***
That is not correct. The a/c is not belt-driven as in gas only vehicles. It runs from a separate electric motor. Use of the a/c requires the gas engine to come on more frequently to recharge the battery, but the battery still is charged when coasting and braking, as always.
"This was very interesting--thanks for providing it. I plan to replace my current car in about five years, and will be willing to consider a hybrid. Performance, reliability, and cost are the important factors to me, though I'd also love it if we could tell the world "No thanks, we don't need your oil any more." I realize we're nowhere near that point now."
Don't waste your money yet.
Eagles Talon is right. Not only is the mileage overrated, the Toyota Prius gets worse mileage than my Nissan Sentra did back in 1982. Yes, in 1982 my first new car got 41 mpg in the city and 49-50 mpg on the highway, with a peppy 1.6 liter engine.
I don't know if it's the engineering, or another factor, but paying an extra $5,000 for something that does no better than 1982 non-hybrid engines is a waste of money.
If you want to get "free" of imported oil, and not sacrifice performance, purchase a natural gas-powered car. The world is not short of CH4 and the changes to traditional internal combustion engines are virtually nil.
These trends in vehicles are compelling but that's what they are -- just trends. [Remember the words of George Santayana -- those who do not remember history are condemned to repeat it.] Back in the early 1980s, diesel engines were all the rage . The fuel was much cheaper, and the mileage seemed to be better. [The VW Rabbit got over 50 mpg with diesel fuel.] Everyone started wanting diesel engines. Even Chrysler, for gosh sakes, started developing diesel luxury cars.
Well, that fad ended. Who builds luxury Lincolns or Chryslers with diesel engines anymore? And most of the diesels were dogs, too -- I remember Chrysler having to recall most of their models multiple times.
So, AG, don't fall for the hype. Do your homework. Let others -- the crunchy granola types from Seattle or San Francisco -- be the gineau pigs buying the hybrids.
Do you know how the heating works (an electic element)?
The heat works like traditional cars, from the heated coolant, so in winter the car has to warm up some....BUT, the car has a thermos like container that stores some coolant when you turn the car off, so that the next time you start it, it will be warmed up already, or at least partly so. There are lots of cool things about the car other than it being a hybrid. Continuous variable transmission, for example, which means no changing gears, amazing how it works... no low gear, just drive.....
You might want to run those figures through the calculator one more time. A fuel cost of $4,200 per year is more like it.
There are plenty of ways to incent consumer behavior. But it begs the question as to the underlying rationale. If it's the purported reduction in oil dependence, then it ain't it.
Honda or Toyota, can't remember which, said that it was best not to run the A/C because it would seriously affect the fuel economy.
Have you found that to be true?
Maybe then I can get some frickin' sleep without the drag racing every Saturday night.
Running the A/C does affect the mileage, but not THAT seriously. I live in NC, and mid 90s are common in summer. The forums I read in say that putting the windows down affects mileage even more. I average 48.9 over the life of the car, since November 2005. Interestingly, my highway mileage is often around 53 to 56 mpg, although the car is supposed to be better in city driving. Short trips are the worst on the mileage. My last car, a VW Passat, got 24 mpg, so, even running the A/C, I do much better.
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