hybrid vehicles

[avorancher]

Not sure about gas engine size... and the new ones are larger. I know it has 70hp and the electric has about 44hp. Most of the time, the gas engine runs the car and the electric provides boost whenever needed.

It drives nice due to its extra torque. Pulling out to pass a car at 55mph is no problem, as the electric gives you a kick in the butt to get you around. It is easy to be the first one away from a light and the CVT transmission has no shift points so you just keep getting faster until you raise you foot. Only when you mash the pedal to the floor do you feel the need for a few more horses. Hey... it's not a V6 under there.

After it warms up and the battery is fully charged, it will use more battery, especially at speeds less than 22mph. Sometimes driving through parking lots, I need to be careful because people will step in front of me as I glide around in "stealth" mode. It is also weird at traffic lights when the engine stops and you can hear neighboring car engines and conversations.

It is fun to park it and get out while it is running. It shuts down, then starts and stops as need to keep the air conditioning running... sort of a ghost car. I guess it would be great if you had a dog and needed to run in a store for a short time (not recommended for children because they could drive off).

The net has lots of articles on it if you do a search. It's not for everyone, but was a good fit for us at this time in life.

 

[RobertN]

They look like a nice car, and the low emissions are a plus, especially here in Calif. A couple years ago, there was grumbling about Dodge making a diesel electric hybrid for the military, with additional applications for civilians. One was the ability to use it as a generator, for construction, ect...

My only beef with hybrids, and even plain combustion cars/trucks, is 50mpg the best they can do? My wife used to have a Suzuki Sprint that got 50mpg.

With all the technology we have now, for electronic fuel injection, valve control, ect, they should be able to do better. The only reason I can think that they do not is big business with oil and auto manufacturers. And, there has not been enough public pressure to do better.

 

[livincountry]

That reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer was at an energy convention and a nerdy guy was exibiting a cheap, renewable alternative to oil... suddenly these guys in dark suits and dark glasses pull him behind the curtain, dispose of his exibit and stand then pose as if nothing had ever happened /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I will seriously look at a hybrid just because they need support to move forward.

 

[TractorLuvr]

The Houston city inspectors drive prius's and i asked him and he said he loves the car. So buy one of those.

 

[NoTrespassing]

How do these cars do in COLD climates?

I sure wish diesel was more popular here. It is my understanding that our diesel isn't up to the clean standards of Europe yet and it will probably be more expensive when we make the change. When rating the Volkswagen diesels they get a "dirty" rating even though they get 47mpg. Some owners claim they've gotten 55mpg.

What I'd really like to see is a 1/2 ton pickup with a diesel engine.

New 2004 numbers: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/best/bestworstNF.shtml

Kevin