Tell me everything you know about hybrid automobiles.

[Dees]

Ups, downs and experiences. My first step in getting off of the oil nipple.

[Botany]

1. The Japanese own the patent rights .......

..... got 'em in the 70s & 80s. Ford, GM, and Chrysler all thought that
big was the way to go.

A family member got a Prius 6 months ago and loves it.
You have to take the time to read the owners manuel though.

[Coastie for Truth]

9. But GM "bought" and "muscled"

patent rights to Ni-MH batteries (long, messy story) --- and used them to get very favorable terms from Toyota, Honda, and Toshiba.

[AndyTiedye]

37. Then Why Isn't GM Building Any Hybrids?

(I don't know if the Silverado really counts as a hybrid.
Does it do anything more than shut off the engine at a stop?)

and why did they send all the EV1's to the crusher?
Stupid gits.

[AllyCat]

2. Want one...but no dough yet

From what I have heard, the waiting list to obtain one is 6-18 months depending on what you want and where you are.

I've stopped many people in the street and parking lots to ask them about their hybrid cars. Every single one of them sang their praises. One lady had had hers since they first came out and had never had a problem with it. The other folks were newer owners.

I think they are brilliant and would like to get the Ford Escape hybrid so I can pull my horse around the countryside. If not for that, I'd get an Insight.

Getting off the oil nipple means living close to where you work, using mass transit where possible, biking, walking, and consolidating trips too. All things you can do while you are waiting for your hybrid car to arrive!

I wish American car manufacturers would stop whining and make these cars. Ford is the only one of which I'm aware and it took them 2 years longer than promised to bring it to market.

[trogdor]

3. OK.

There's an electric motor, and a gasoline engine. Both are connected to the transmission. There are a bunch of batteries under the back seat somewhere next to the gas tank. The batteries are there to capture some of the otherwise wasted energy that goes out the tailpipe in ordinary cars, and gets used by the electric motor to help the gas engine. Since all of this is brand new, it costs more.

Bush is promising to offset this part with tax credits. 6:5 says it will never materialize. Why? Because it's actually a pretty good idea. Think about it. Who benefits? Toyota and Honda, in that order. The Big Three won't be able to give their gas hogs away. Detroit will, instead of putting their armies of engineers to work, cry and scream to the government that they're giving unfair treatment to Japanese car makers.

[Coastie for Truth]

16. Sort of

1) The gasoline engine runs at its "sweet spot" - a range of about 150 rpm where it gets the best mileage, the cleanest emissions, the maximum power at the flywheel per gallon of gasoline.

2) If all of that power is not needed to move the car, the extra power runs a generator to charge the battery. If more power is needed (acceleration getting onto the highway) - an electric motor - drawing power from the battery - kicks in to "help" the gasoline engine.

3) The energy that is usually "wasted" in braking (brakes heat up and "fade") is also recaptured and stored in the battery.

4) The transmission - and the "transmission computer" (about as sophisticated as a first generation Pentium) - balance when the electric motor runs the car, and when the gasoline engine runs the car, and when they both run the car. Every manufacturer does this a little bit differently - and describes it a little bit differently, and handles the "details" a little bit differently.

They are all just a little bit different on how they have the computer programmed - and why they do it that way -- all of them are 99.99999% right -- and all of them give you very good mileage "over all." But the "little difference" are all in the fine points of that little computer.

I put "transmission computer" in quotes because that's the way GM describes it.

For "techies" - the gasoline engines (or diesel engines in the European prototype hybrids), the electric motors, and the electric generators are pretty straight forward. The real techie stuff is in the transmission and the computer that integrates the internal combustion engine, the generator, the electric motor, and the transmission so that "the whole really is greater then the sum of its parts."

[SCDem]

4. I love mine

I have a Honda Civic Hybrid. Great car and Honda dealership has the cars on the lot vs Toyota having to wait a week to get in Prius that I "might" be able to buy. But whichever Hybrid you get I think it is a wise investment.

I drive for MPGs (miles per gallon) now rather than MPH. The first tank you might be disappointed that it isn't EPA standards but then you can go online to places like greenhybrid.com and see how you can maximize your fuel efficiency.

I traded in my Jeep 4X4 that by EPA estimates got 18mpg for the HCH that gets by EPA estimates 48mpg. Saying that however not until you have a car that continuously tells you what your mpg is and what your average trip mpg is that you see that I was driving 80mph in my Jeep and so I probably got around 10-12mpg. In the HCH if I drive 80 mph I can get 40mpg but if I drive 60mph I can get 51mpg. I drive a lot slower these days and it's not because of safety it because of fuel efficiency!!

I love it! and could go on and on but i will spare you unless you wanna know more.

on Edit: Prius MSRP was 21k and they were asking 27k. Honda MSRP was 21k and I got it for below invoice (plus the extra 100,000 mile warranty on the battery)vand no wait.

[silverlib]

5. I have a friend that just purchased a hybrid Civic

right off the lot in Austin. Says they get two for the lot every so often. Paid 21,000 - no extras, but it comes with the standard air conditioning, power windows, etc.

The only difference she is having to get used to is, when the engine stops at stop signs and red lights, the car has a pull like a standard transmission when on inclines when she hits the accelerator.

She loves it.

[Ernesto]

6. I'm also interested in learning anything I can on the subject

Mrs. Ernesto has laid down the law (her time for a new ride is now!)

[KlatooBNikto]

14. There are two types of hybrids.True hybrids are those that have sufficient

battery power to drive the car on its own.Partial hybrids always need the gasoline power to drive the auto. The Toyota and Lexus Hybrids are true hybrids while the Hondas are partial hybrids. The advantage of the Toyota system is that in city driving, the true hybrids can completely take over and boost your efficiency a great deal.The entire premise of the hybrid is based on improving the efficiency at low speeds which is where most of the penalty we pay in gasoline engines resides. By boosting the efficiency at low speeds, that is in stop and start city driving, the hybrid improves our overall fuel economy.It will not be significantly better than gasoline only cars on highway driving.

On Edit: My family now owns two hybrids, one a RX 400h and the other a Toyota Prius. We really like them.They are trouble free and eerily quiet. The Lexus gets us about 36 miles per gallon in the city.The Prius is slightly more.

[CabalPowered]

7. We have a Prius. Love it...one small problem..

It doesn't like cold weather. Electronics don't respond immediately.

[Bigmack]

8. Wife got 58.6 mpg...

..yesterday in the new Prius when she drove to town. (She was driving really carefully.) We regularly get over 50 mpg.

Drives well, big enough for my large ass, looks good, smarter then I am....

We went on the waiting list last fall, and picked it up 15 April.

We drove a couple of Prius' before we ordered ours, and asked three friends about theirs... all gave rave reviews.

One downside is cost. This ain't no cheap car. On the other hand, it is a good quality car with a great warranty. Rumors going around say Toyota is losing money on them because they haven't paid off the tech and engineering costs yet.

The salesperson was the lowest key guy I've ever seen. He's got a great product and doesn't really need you to buy it... people are waiting in line.

Check out the neat user guide for the Prius....
http://john1701a.com/prius/prius-userguide.htm

[TlalocW]

10. Buying one will get you put

On a list of possible terrorists maintained by Dick Cheney himself.

TlalocW

[kansasblue]

11. the Honda

the Honda is really cool as it starts out on electric power. They say it's very impressive to drive away from some one silently. It's different enough that my friend said I wouldn't be able to just jump in and drive if I hadn't been briefed on how it works. He really likes it.

[SCDem]

12. You could jump in and drive it

It's still just a car and you drive it like any other car. Wear hybrid owners get quirky (like me!) and say it's not like driving any other car is that you start trying to drive it as to maximize your fuel efficiency. But it is driven just like any other car.

[Ernesto]

13. Sounds like they should be theft free for a while! n-t

[hatrack]

15. Prius owner for going on four years now

Here's what I've had to deal with:

1. Power steering rack replacement - happened at not quite one year, repairs free of charge, and this problem was particular to the 2001 model.

2. One accelerator sensor replacement - this happened after about three years, again free except for labor (past warranty, but the dealer worked with me).

Other than that (and one flat tire) it's been a GREAT car. I average about 45 mixed driving in winter and about 50 during the summer. Cold weather hasn't been much of an obstacle, and it handles pretty well on ice and snow - nice low center of gravity.

I would like about two inches more legroom, but it hasn't been a big deal, even on long (2,000 miles round-trip) across the country. If you're thinking about the new Prius, this won't be much of an issue.

[NV Whino]

17. My experience:

Hybrids are great for city driving. They were designed for stop and go driving. When you stop, the gas engine essentially shuts off and the electric kicks in. You start up and the gas engine starts and recharges the electric.

I, however, live in the country with few stop and go situations, plus I live up a significant hill... some might call it a small mountain. The hybrid is not so great for that kind of driving because you are still using the gas engine most of the time, plus, because, it's automatic shift, punching the gas to get it up the hill.

I drive a Toyota Celica, 4-cylinder, 5-speed manual and get 35-40 mpg. I rented the Prius for three days and was averaging 42 mpg. A little better than the Celica, but with my kind of driving, probably not worth changing at this time.

If you have mainly city driving, go for it!

[trekbiker]

18. here's another option...

Smart Car. Not a hybrid but as good or better gas mileage. Will be available in the US later this summer

http://www.mcuniverse.com/The_Smart_Car_Comes_to_Canada.1325.0.html

[Hamlette]

22. hate to go off topic, but if you're a form as well as function type,

the smart car is the cutest/coolest thing around. Like the old VW bug, I'd LOVE to drive one. (Live on a hill/mtn need 4 wheel)

[kwassa]

24. I'd hate to crash in one .... they are tiny.

[Hamlette]

25. according to crash tests...apparently they are very safe n/t

[kwassa]

27. They would be destroyed by the average SUV

Much of the crash protection of vehicles is also a function of mass, aside from various safety mechanisms in the car. Regular cars suffer badly when hit by SUVs and trucks.

The bigger the vehicle, the more body mass to crush and the more protection given.

[Coastie for Truth]

28. That is another good reason to "limit" SUV's

by an annual registration fee based on "weight" and "gas mileage."

That is also a reason to impose TORT LIABILITY on the manufacturers for designs that inflict unnecessary harm in an accident.

That is also "probably" a very good reason to impose TORT LIABILITY on the SUV owners and drivers for buying a vehicle that inflicts unnecessary harm in an accident.


Maybe, just maybe -- SUV's should be treated like fire arms in a "fire arm related crimes" criminal case - you drive drunk, you drive with an expired license, you run a red light, you hit another car, whatever, and you do it in an SUV - double the fine and jail time.

[Nobody]

35. My CRX two-seater won in a SUV/CRX duel

Winter a couple years ago. Icy road. I had the right of way, the SUV had a stop sign. This was just a neighborhood road and I was entering the intersection at 5 mph. The SUV was coming a little faster than that but not much. The SUV hit my car and I went spinning on the icy road.

I got out and looked for damage. Not even a scratch. Nothing.

The SUV had a crumpled front bumper and a 19 year old kid having "my dad's gonna kill me!" hysterics.

You just breathe on an SUV bumper and they crumple.

By the way, a Honda Insight has a 4 star rating on crash tests. Priuses have a 5 star rating. Insurance companies say these two are very safe vehicles.

[American Tragedy]

19. I always used to hear that hybrid automobiles were painfully slow

but my dad has informed me that contemporary models like the Prius have largely resolved that problem.

Anyway, they're nearly impossible to find at the moment, so you may be stuck for quite a while yet sucking the oil titty, unless you happen to live in one of the few areas with decent public transportation.

[Coastie for Truth]

26. The "hybrid" model is used in

1) some heavy duty earth moving equipment
2) "diesel" locomotives
3) some classes of Navy Destroyers and Coast Guard Cutters

with no problems of insufficient power or insufficient speed.

[Ernesto]

30. "nearly impossible to find"

I live in Sacramento & did about a 1/2 hour web search to find at least a dozen locally available Prius's just yesterday.

[kwassa]

36. when we looked last year it was a 6-month waiting period for Prius

There was an hours-long line waiting to test drive the one-and-only at the local dealership.

Things may have changed since then, but many more hybrids will also be coming on the market. There will by a hybrid Camry next year. Last year, our car had been totaled in an accident and we couldn't wait.

[Ian David]

20. I love my Toyota Prius

It stood-up very well in a rear-end collision.

The wiper-fluid reservoir holds a whole gallon- no more wasted fluid left-over in the jug. (This is especially important when you're driving in front of a convertible with a "W" sticker on it.)

I've managed to drive five miles on just batteries when I've run out of gas (don't ask) twice (don't laugh).

It accelerates fast enough not to be a problem unless you're racing someone.

My only complaints about my model:

1) The cup holders are too close together.
2) You can't jump-start a dead battery (the regular battery) using the Hybrid drive batteries.
3) I don't like the touch-screen buttons for the radio. It looks great and has better features than most radios, but you need to be able to FEEL the buttons to keep your eyes on the road better.
4) The back seats don't fold down to make the trunk bigger.

But I love my Prius and would recommend one to anyone!
3) It's a pain in

[Dees]

21. Thanks to everyone!!

[Bamboo]

23. What would Budda drive?

I have a first generation Prius and I drive it for extended periods on electric power only to get the best mpg,I did a 15 mile round trip and got 66mpg.Trip was entirely below 35mph and I took a route planned so I could coast to recharge battery.A/C was off but it was morning so Florida heat had not kicked in yet but otherwise it is on most of the time.When I hear people getting less than 50mpg I wonder about their driving style,swinging a credit card for a new golf club will not lower your score and you will not recoup your hybrid premium if you drive it like a regular car.I think you need to have the personality to yield to faster cars and travel in slow lane and let the compulsive A-types go by in a hurry to get nowhere.Tampa has purchased hybrid busses and they said batteries have a planned life of six years which may be applicable to hybrid cars too.I drive slower now in my other car and look ahead farther like in the hybrid which may help avoid an accident.It is funny when I see a Prius around town zooming past my Honda because I am in neutral and coasting.I get a 5 mpg improvement drafting trucks but a stone hit the window and left a mark,it came off so I learned that saving a little was not worth it if I had to buy a Priu$ window.I think that making the luxury hybrids with big engines will help increase hybrid sales the way porno helped sell VCRs.

[tammywammy]

29. Another option is biodiesel

Can be used in a diesel engine without and modifications and you'll get about the same mpg as you would using regular diesel.

Two sites to check out are:
www.biodiesel.org for information of where to get biodiesel and other fact about it
and
www.tdiclub.com for information on diesels, including using biodiesel. Also has a lot of info on maintenance and other aspects of the diesel engine.

[spanone]

31. I've had the Honda Hybrid almost 3 years

I haven't found a down side to this car. It works just like a regular car but I'm getting right now 49.2 average mileage. I know because it gives you a constant readout. Mine cost $21,000 and I got a two thousand dollar tax exemption for a 'green'car that bush* will be doing away with next year (we wouldn't want to encourage conservation, would we?)

[SeveneightyWhoa]

32. Larry David drives one!

If that isn't enough of a reason to get one, I don't know what is..

[bush_is_wacko]

33. PRIUS.... That's all you need to know. It's still the best one out there!

Test drove one last spring! Get up and go like the dickens. Up a VERY steep grade in high altitude. Colorado. Saving my bucks for one as we speak! I was doing eighty up that grade. My backseat driver had to tell me to take my foot off the gas! Four passengers, NO detectable shift in gears (they don't have them from what I was told) It was amazing! The gas mileage is ALSO currently unbeatable. PROBLEM... not very many mechanics currently up to speed on technology, but they ARE being taught. I don't really even have that worry by the time I can afford one! Really NOT expensive. I'm just struggling to raise children, pay college debts and the like!

[Nobody]

34. I'm buying an Insight and will get it in about a month or so

I've been looking for a new car and I've been doing extensive research. I know more about Insights since I decided to get one. Forked over the first payment a month ago.

Here is a web site with stories, comparisons, tech stats, and other info.

http://www.insightcentral.net/

Some of the -ahem- insights I got was that there are hints on getting better gas mileage. There are some pretty simple ways to get better than 70 mpg out of it.

It's the absolute best in terms of mpg and one of the greenest vehicles in America. I can't wait to get mine.

There was one on the lot and I got to test drive it. It drives like any other car, and if you like small like I do, you'll love this. It corners very well, the turning radius is small, meaning you can do a u-ey in the middle of the road without having to stop and back up.

What surprises me is that the Insight isn't selling all that well. I blame this on the SUV craze. I went to an auto show about a month ago and it was half SUVs. Gas mileage has made zero progress in 15 years and you'll be hard pressed to find a two-seater as an economy car (though the Corvette suprised me by having automatic transmission and 30+ mpg!).

Check into some alternative fuels like E85. Some of the existing Fords are flexible fuel which means they can run on E85 and many cars are just fine running on 20/80 ethanol. Ethanol is made from alcohol that is dirtied up so that you can't drink it. Think of it as moonshine powered cars. Though they use corn, you can make it out of anything, even roadside weeds and corn stalks that normally would be thrown away. In Minnesota, there is a lot of discussion about how ethanol can help our economy as well as giving the Saudis and OPEC the finger.

By the way, E85 is a lot cheaper than regular unleaded. Now if I could get an Insight that could run on E85 as well as being a hybrid, I'd be in heaven. But I'll gladly drive my new Insight and thumb my nose at the Hummers I now see less and less of.

And in case you're wondering, at the car show, the Hummers didn't post gas mileage. My conservative Republican dad who came with me is even thinking about how much of a waste of gas Hummers are and asked me how much gallons to the mile. We had a great E85 discussion a while back and he's possibly going to look into flexible fuel for his new car if he doesn't get a hybrid.

According to the dealerships, both Toyota and Honda, cold weather starting is fine, you don't have to wait for the engine to warm up before the gas saving kicks in. And in any case, never start your car and let it idle for 30 minutes in cold weather, all cars warm up a lot better when you drive it around.

And something I learned from the Insight web page, if you get a stick shift, you'll want to get to the higher gears faster and use those as cruising gears to save on gas. There's some detailed info on shifting into neutral when coasting to a stop. You can really crank up the gas economy that way.

But then, if you get a Prius, you get Continuously Variable Transmission and manual isn't available. CVT is just like driving an automatic, but the Prius shines in heavy traffic and jammed freeways will use less gas not more.

[AndyTiedye]

38. We Have Been Curious about the Insight For A Couple of Years

but we could never get a test drive, and we refused to buy one otherwise.
It has a very small engine, and we were concerned about its performance
on steep mountain roads.

The fact that the Insight is available with a stick shift is a plus.

I understand that it will not do electric-only the way the Prius
and Escape Hybrid do.

The only other downside is no moon/removable roof.

My ideal would be a full hybrid version of the Civic Del Sol.

In my more fevered moments I wonder what it would take to do a retrofit.

you'll be hard pressed to find a two-seater as an economy car

The Civic Del Sol was the only one I can remember. Amost 10 years
out of production now :cry: but ours is still going strong at 125K
and gives us 38 mpg in the mountains.