Hybrid cars...anybody got one?

[fjpod]

$40/$4.00 per gallon = 10 Gallons

500 miles / 10 Gallons = 50 Miles Per Gallon.

I wish!

That's about what I get. My mpg computer usually reads 53 mpg...city or highway.

[Robert Martellaro]

Battery Technology Breakthrough?

“What we have are not demonstrations, not experiments, but actual products. We could be in automotive production in a year and a half.”

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/02/28/433434/envia-gm-doe-lithium-ion-batteries-cut-costs-in-half-triple-energy-density/

[fjpod]

Interesting.

[MasterCrafter]

“What we have are not demonstrations, not experiments, but actual products. We could be in automotive production in a year and a half.”

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/02/28/433434/envia-gm-doe-lithium-ion-batteries-cut-costs-in-half-triple-energy-density/

What are poor people going to drive? They cannot afford these vehicles.

What is the resale value of these cars when people know they are going to have to replace the batteries in 4 to 5 years?

Where is all that electrical energy going to come from? Coal? no they are shutting down coal plants. Wind power? gimme a break on that. Nukes? hardly !!

Pipe dreams for now.

How bout natural gas ?

[Robert Martellaro]

What are poor people going to drive? They cannot afford these vehicles.

Like mittens said, "**** the poor"

What is the resale value of these cars when people know they are going to have to replace the batteries in 4 to 5 years?

Check your facts- the Nissan Leaf battery warranty is 96 months/100,000 miles.

http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/specs-features/index#/leaf-electric-car/faq/list/general

Other electric car manufacturers have similar waranties. Moreover, battery costs will be significantly lower in 8 years- look at how much the cost of led lights has decreased in just one year.

Where is all that electrical energy going to come from? Coal? no they are shutting down coal plants. Wind power? gimme a break on that. Nukes? hardly !!

Very little added capacity will be needed for at least 15 years due significant spare capacity when most cars will recharge (10pm through 6am). Keep in mind that the electric motor is two to three times more efficient than the internal combustion engine.

http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/v41_1_08/regional_phev_analysis.pdf

Pipe dreams for now.

Nothing wrong with being a holdout. What the hey, I don't own a cell phone (although I do walk to work).

[chip anderson]

I's still waitin for de govment ta give me one. I been tole they makes a good house fo' your dogs.
It's not too hard to make a gasoline car get 35+ miles per gallon (at least if you can find real gasoline)
and the batteries are cheaper.

Chip

Actually I think my grandmother had an electric car, an Essex, I think.

I do rememember my father who was a mechanic having to charge the damn batteries pretty frequently (and it had a lot of batteries.)

[MasterCrafter]

Like mittens said, "**** the poor"

Check your facts- the Nissan Leaf battery warranty is 96 months/100,000 miles.

http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/specs-features/index#/leaf-electric-car/faq/list/general

Other electric car manufacturers have similar waranties. Moreover, battery costs will be significantly lower in 8 years- look at how much the cost of led lights has decreased in just one year.

Very little added capacity will be needed for at least 15 years due significant spare capacity when most cars will recharge (10pm through 6am). Keep in mind that the electric motor is two to three times more efficient than the internal combustion engine.

http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/v41_1_08/regional_phev_analysis.pdf

Nothing wrong with being a holdout. What the hey, I don't own a cell phone (although I do walk to work).

First off your getting all your info from 3 crazy places.

1 - Thinkprogress? Really? These guys are so left they left the country

2 - Nissan? ah - I think they want you to buy these!! Besides the way I see it, they put a guarantee on them to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Because in the end they know all they sold you was a guaranteed piece of ****.

3 - The Feds? HAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[Robert Martellaro]

First off your getting all your info from 3 crazy places.

1 - Thinkprogress? Really? These guys are so left they left the country

Don't concentrate on the messenger, just the message, which might be premature, nonetheless worth keeping an eye on, considering the size of the transportation industry.

2 - Nissan? ah - I think they want you to buy these!! Besides the way I see it, they put a guarantee on them to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Because in the end they know all they sold you was a guaranteed piece of ****.

Why are you right?

3 - The Feds? HAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

My brother worked at Oak Ridge for about five years. The place is rock solid, with a ton of really smart folks doing some really interesting and good work for our country, including a few things that you'll never know about.

[MasterCrafter]

Don't concentrate on the messenger, just the message, which might be premature, nonetheless worth keeping an eye on, considering the size of the transportation industry.

While I agree we need to keep thinking about alternate solutions. I don't think we should kill jobs in this country and raise gas prices on everyday Americans for a technology thats not there yet.

Why are you right?

I am right 99% of the time... do not question it LOL

My brother worked at Oak Ridge for about five years. The place is rock solid, with a ton of really smart folks doing some really interesting and good work for our country, including a few things that you'll never know about.

You got me there.. but lets hope they are doing good things for real and not just for the money like in the "man made global warming" industry

[RIMLESS]

All's I know is that I can't even get my electric hedge trimmer to last more than one season.

[fjpod]

The technology for 50 mpg, city and highway, is here now. Hybrids recapture wasted energy from coasting and braking to charge the battery. Toyota has sold something like two million prius over about twelve years. They are tried and true.

The battery in a hybrid is fairly small and does not require recharging from the grid. It is guaranteed for eight to ten years, and you can buy one from a junkyard for five hundred. If you are looking to save gas it's a no brainer. But of course, if you can't let go of the past...c'est la vie.

[rbaker]

I am not a proponent of hybrid automobiles, wind turbines, solar power and wind generators or converting the power grid to run on pixie dust. I am retired, have two homes, no mortgages or other debts, ample resources and quite frankly don't care what the price of gas is.

When my wife passed away this past April I decided to live full-time in Southern Oregon and I therefore turn in our East Coast and West Coast leased vehicles and purchased new vehicles for the West Coast. As I have been very happy with Hyundai automobiles for the past eight years I bought a 2012 Hyundai Equus and a 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.

The Equus with its honkin big V8 has far more snot than any other car have owned in recent times and it is a delight to drive him and I get about15 mpg. It's my favorite car. I love it. 0 to 60 in less than 5 seconds and it is as much fun sitting in the rear as in the front driving.

However, even though I bought the hybrid as a second car particularly for family and friends to drive when they come out to visit I havedriven it about 1500 miles around town in the past two months. The salesman promised me 37 mpg and I told him that if I were to get that mileage I would come back to the dealership and kiss his butt giving him 15 minutes to draw crowd. I did keep actual records of fuel burned and I must admit publicly that the salesman was correct. My calculated fuel consumption is 39.2 mpg. I have notified the salesman and will purchase a lip condom and Chapstick.

I do have a few friends who have owned Toyota Prius’s and have driven loaners for a few days and in no way would I ever consider owning one, they just don't meet my needs. I understand that they are first-generation vehicles and for their purposereally have no major issues.

The Sonata Hybrid could be considered a second-generation vehicle. It utilizes a lithium polymer battery rather than a lithium ion battery. The lithium polymer battery has twice the power density and half the weight of the lithium-ion battery. In addition the combination of the high power density of the battery and the higher horsepower of the engine offers a substantial increase in power for the boy and us. Another nice feature of the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is that the battery is guaranteed forever.

I never thought I would say this but I really can't find anydown side to the Sonata Hybrid.

[fjpod]

Glad to hear you are coming around. Doesnt itmake you feel better that you are not sending quite as much American pixie dust to Saudi Arabia?

Ill keep my 50+ mpg thank you.

[fjpod]

So Toyota came out with the PiP this month. (Plug in Prius). Has an EV range of about 13 miles then switches over to hybrid mode of 50 mpg. Anybody thinking of getting one?

[rbaker]

Whereas the 2012 Prius engine has an output of less than 100HP you would naturally expect about 50MPG. With the exception of the Smart Car and assorted riding lawn mowers I believe the Prius has the least horsepower of any auto on the road today.