Posted on 12/05/2016 8:48:34 AM PST by GonzoII
Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ruled that existing emissions limits for passenger cars for 2022 through 2025 should remain in place.
It's a decision that is already opposed by lobbyists representing the auto industry, and possibly by the incoming Trump Administration.
Sure enough, one automaker says it has already begun talks with President-elect Donald Trump that include a request for lower emissions targets.
(Excerpt) Read more at greencarreports.com ...
I rented a Prius a couple of years ago when i was visiting Seattle. I couldn’t believe the acceleration that thing had. It reminded me of watching youtube videos of the guy that drag raced a little Russian economy car body from like the 60’s with a super high torque electric motor. He would beat some pretty monster gas powered cars with that little thing. It was comical. Of course, it only got about one quarter mile per charge. :-)
I agree with your assessment.
Electric cars are silliness.
Excited by the Tesla’s acceleration? Next time you drive your normal car to a gas station, time how long it takes the fill the tank. Probably 2 mins.
Want to fully recharge the Tesla’s tank? Overnight. They have a supercharge mode they say “can get you to 80% charge in 40 minutes”, and you can get that supercharge at what looks like exactly 3 places along the entire west coast of Florida. So plan to drive 50 miles out of your way and then sit for 40 mins to get refueled.
It’s all crap. And it’s $70,000 crap that will get more expensive when Trump kills their subsidies.
Get rid of the EPA.
:)
You are missing WHY it's only used "1/4 of the time".
The whole idea behind a hybrid is to use the electric motor in two cases:
Obviously, the engine is shut off in the first case. But, most people don't realize that small bursts of acceleration occur all the time in normal city driving, and the electric motor can be engaged while the gasoline engine remains running at a constant (and efficient) speed.
So, where does the charging torque come from? There are three sources:
There is certainly a weight penalty imposed by the motor/generator and battery. But, the efficiency gained by the above more than makes up for it.
At current gasoline prices, it's difficult to make up the additional cost of a hybrid over the lifetime of the car. But, that hasn't always been true. And, it's difficult to predict how long it will remain true.
Yes, it's not as bad as some people believe. And, there are performance hybrids that will blow your socks off.
It's due to an interesting "phenomena": electric motors develop maximum torque at 0 RPM.
If you plot the power curves so the electric is mostly used at the lowest speeds and the engine picks up the slack as its RPM gets climbs into its maximum torque range, you end up with a combined system that is greater than the sum of its parts.
At what mileage point do you have to replace the batteries on a Prius? What do they cost to replace? That may be why the used Prius are so cheap. (I don’t know).
Also, will the second set of batteries last as long as the first?
I drive a Miata, so a Prius is not a realistic choice for me.
If progressives had their way cars would be replaced with bicycles.
The short story is that the company is obligated to sell a certain number of fuel-efficient cars in order to meet these stupid EPA mandates based on average miles per gallon across all of the vehicles they sell. The problem is that if the build the small cars here in the U.S., they are so expensive that their customers end up opting for a larger mid-sized model. Ford can probably sell plenty of $15,000-$18,000 Focus models, but if domestic production pushes the price up over $20,000 then a lot of their customers figure out that they might as well pay a few thousand dollars more for a mid-sized Fusion ... in which case Ford doesn't meet its EPA fuel efficiency standards because they aren't selling enough small cars.
Is that in "ludicrous mode"? Yes, it's a real thing -- a $10,000 option on the Model X.
Yep. Back in the mid-70’s I bought one of the first high power electric remote control cars designed to compete with the gas cars. The amazing thing about it was the lack of maintenance - and the torque.
There is a youtube video of a tesla wiping the floor with that 700+ horsepower Dodge Challenger. But the Challenger was in it more to burn rubber than actually accelerate.
If we could figure out how to get the same amount of BTU’s in 15 gallons of gas into batteries in a car, and refill them in just a couple of minutes, electrics would be a big deal.
I suspect we are a ways off.
They are warranteed for 100,000 miles or 8 years. In California, it's 150,000 miles or 10 years.
In 2014, the cost was between $2,300 and $2,500 to replace the full pack, depending on the model. So, that's a maximum of 2.6 cents/mile. But, it doesn't include labor.
However, a full battery pack doesn't necessarily need to be replaced. It's made up of 28 modules, and each can be tested individually and replaced as necessary.
http://www.thehybridshop.com/media/blogs/toyota-prius-hybrid-car-battery-prices-replacement-costs/
Last week, I drove a Fusion Sport V6 2.7 Ecoboost AWD that has 325hp......really quick and handles well.
My “fake car” hybrid SUV is the best car I have ever owned.
I’ve gotten as high as 34.34 mpg on trips.
It’s nice looking. It’s comfortable. I can haul stuff around in it. It has enough power to get up to speed quickly.
It was new technology when I bought it. I’ve never been sorry for a moment that I opted for it.
It is approaching eleven years old. I haven’t had a single problem with it. It looks like new.
My original tires have lasted me 45,580 miles. I’ll get 50,000 out of them. Just had my brakes serviced. It was the first time it was needed in 45,000 miles.
I drive around partially on the original battery pack each time I go out. They have not lost power. Reports on cabs in New York seem to indicate I have at least 300,000 miles to go on them.
My choice was to purchase this or a gas powered SUV getting half to three quarters the mileage. I opted for this.
The give away is that I can’t pull a heavy trailer behind me. If a person needs to do that, they need a heavier duty vehicle.
This one works perfectly for me, and I am very happy it was available in March of 2006.
And, there are performance hybrids that will blow your socks off.
*************
My Lexus hybrid isn’t a “performance” hybrid it’s basically an “all arounder” and the V6+3 electric motors (one front and one at each rear wheel) give it a stronger 0-60 than a Cayenne V8.
Thanks for the reply and information.
They are warrantied for 100,000 miles but how long do they typically last? It would be good to know what is a typical battery replacement cost to drive a Prius 225,000 to 250,000 miles to better compare to the gas counterpart.
All liberals who don’t want one should be encouraged to buy one, or be constantly berated for their hypocrisy in not doing so.
Price list at bottom of article:
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1078138_toyota-hybrid-battery-replacement-cost-guide
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