Post subject: Hybrid and alternative cars (split topic)
Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 6:54 pm
Force of Nature
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:08 pm Posts: 740 Location: Seattle, WA Gender: Female
Id expect that hybrid to get better gas milage than what Buggy posted, The VW TDI gets close to that, its not a hybrid...and VW has been that way for years...45MPG...
What I want to know what is the Horsepower with that Hybrid. I mean its great to have good gas mileage, but if your pushing 98HP....you might as well walk..
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 7:44 pm Posts: 8910 Location: Santa Cruz Gender: Male
Seatown Girl wrote:
Id expect that hybrid to get better gas milage than what Buggy posted, The VW TDI gets close to that, its not a hybrid...and VW has been that way for years...45MPG...
45 MPG would be on the low end of what most people get on the Prius. If you are talking about the VW Jetta (I'm assuming) TDI, it's not even allowed to be sold in some states (including the one I live in). Diesel engines are not available for sale in Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York or California.
"California has declared diesel exhaust to be a toxic air contaminant, although other studies dispute this conclusion. The situation in New York is the same."
Who knows for sure though. The technology sounds really interesting. We'll have to see what happens with it.
From what I found the 2004 Jetta TDI gets 38 mpg city and 46 mpg highway. The Prius claims 51/60. It stands to reason in both cases that the actual stats are a bit lower in real life for both cars.
Seatown Girl wrote:
What I want to know what is the Horsepower with that Hybrid. I mean its great to have good gas mileage, but if your pushing 98HP....you might as well walk..
The prius gets 110 HP which is the best of any of the hybrids. The VW TDI gets 100 HP. Also, the Prius is made to run on the cheap grade gas. People have said that it even seems to run better in some cases when the lowest grade gas is used.
What I want to know what is the Horsepower with that Hybrid. I mean its great to have good gas mileage, but if your pushing 98HP....you might as well walk..
The prius gets 110 HP which is the best of any of the hybrids. The VW TDI gets 100 HP. Also, the Prius is made to run on the cheap grade gas. People have said that it even seems to run better in some cases when the lowest grade gas is used.
plus unless you're towing or racing, what the shit do you need mega HP for anyway?
congrats on the new ride, buggy
_________________ i was dreaming through the howzlife yawning car black when she told me "mad and meaningless as ever" and a song came on my radio like a cemetery rhyme for a million crying corpses in their tragedy of respectable existence
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 4:50 pm Posts: 3955 Location: Leaving Here
I wanted to get a Corbin moters electric car, but they are just as much as a regular one, and just can't decide if I want to commit to 100% electric. The Prius looks terrible (body style). I don't understand why Toyota (and Honda) can't just offer the same body style of car and let a person choose the engine (hybrid or regular). If they would make the body style be no different than a regular one, I bet more people would buy them.
I wanted to get a Corbin moters electric car, but they are just as much as a regular one, and just can't decide if I want to commit to 100% electric. The Prius looks terrible (body style). I don't understand why Toyota (and Honda) can't just offer the same body style of car and let a person choose the engine (hybrid or regular). If they would make the body style be no different than a regular one, I bet more people would buy them.
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 12:47 pm Posts: 9282 Location: Atlanta Gender: Male
The new Honda Accord Hybrid is your car Seatown Girl
250+ HP when needed due to the Honda V6.
It turns on and off cylinders when necessary and has a 19hp electric motor to assist.
MPG is 27-37 I believe but that's not bad at all for a 250 hp car.
The excess weight of the batteries can actually be detrimental to the mileage of the hybrid gas/electric cars.
Diesels are incredibly effencient as it is and adding more powerful turbos/ propane boosts etc, can make Turbo Diesels adequately powered very efficient and reliable as there are less moving parts and less to go wrong in the Diesel Engine.
Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel Fuel is right around the corner (Feburary) and the bans of Diesel Fueled vehicles could be lessened or removed in those states due to the lessened environmental impact.
These Diesels can also be modified to run as Greasecars (r) and run on used cooking oil. It's fairly interesting really.
These Diesels can also be modified to run as Greasecars (r) and run on used cooking oil. It's fairly interesting really.
i've heard of that as well. it's certainly an awesome way to monkeywrench your way around the system if you're inclined to try it.
_________________ i was dreaming through the howzlife yawning car black when she told me "mad and meaningless as ever" and a song came on my radio like a cemetery rhyme for a million crying corpses in their tragedy of respectable existence
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 7:44 pm Posts: 8910 Location: Santa Cruz Gender: Male
cltaylor12 wrote:
The Prius looks terrible (body style). I don't understand why Toyota (and Honda) can't just offer the same body style of car and let a person choose the engine (hybrid or regular). If they would make the body style be no different than a regular one, I bet more people would buy them.
You have to consider that the reason most people buy the car is to be fuel efficient and environmentally friendly. A pretty big factor in determining that is aerodynamics, which is why the Prius looks the way it does. It's design is to allow the least resistance while driving, providing better efficiancy. I have to admit that I'm not in awe of the design, but I wasnt buying the car for looks either. If you put another (normal) car body around the engine you would lose some of the efficiancy because of a lack of good aerodynamics.
And you cant just sink the hybrid engine into any old car, it's not that easy. It has to be specially designed. Although when the technology gets better, who knows? They might offer something like that.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:39 am Posts: 1200 Location: Boston Gender: Female
cltaylor12 wrote:
I wanted to get a Corbin moters electric car, but they are just as much as a regular one, and just can't decide if I want to commit to 100% electric. The Prius looks terrible (body style). I don't understand why Toyota (and Honda) can't just offer the same body style of car and let a person choose the engine (hybrid or regular). If they would make the body style be no different than a regular one, I bet more people would buy them.
I agree, but the Civic Hybrid looks pretty much the same as the regular Civic, doesn't it? So does the Accord.
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 12:47 pm Posts: 9282 Location: Atlanta Gender: Male
kaesrya wrote:
cltaylor12 wrote:
I wanted to get a Corbin moters electric car, but they are just as much as a regular one, and just can't decide if I want to commit to 100% electric. The Prius looks terrible (body style). I don't understand why Toyota (and Honda) can't just offer the same body style of car and let a person choose the engine (hybrid or regular). If they would make the body style be no different than a regular one, I bet more people would buy them.
I agree, but the Civic Hybrid looks pretty much the same as the regular Civic, doesn't it? So does the Accord.
as does the Rav 4 Electric, The Rav 4 Hybrid, and the Ford Escape Hybrid all on the market this year.
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 5:52 pm Posts: 145 Location: New Yawk
Quote:
I agree, but the Civic Hybrid looks pretty much the same as the regular Civic, doesn't it? So does the Accord.
Actually I read in the New York Times that they took out the spare tire in the trunk to make room for the special hybrid stuff (or something like that).
Because I belong to http://www.zipcar.com I get to drive different kinds of cars all the time. I drove the 1st generation prius and found it a little um, poky if you will. But I also thought the gas needle was broken because it didnt move one click from Cape Cod to halfway through Connecticut! I recently drove the new 2nd gen. Prius and found that it was much faster but I felt like an idiot driving a car that looked that and I also went too fast almost crashed trying to make an exit (thanks stupid NJ Turnpike!)[/quote]
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:39 am Posts: 1200 Location: Boston Gender: Female
missdirected wrote:
Actually I read in the New York Times that they took out the spare tire in the trunk to make room for the special hybrid stuff (or something like that).
Because I belong to http://www.zipcar.com I get to drive different kinds of cars all the time. I drove the 1st generation prius and found it a little um, poky if you will. But I also thought the gas needle was broken because it didnt move one click from Cape Cod to halfway through Connecticut! I recently drove the new 2nd gen. Prius and found that it was much faster but I felt like an idiot driving a car that looked that and I also went too fast almost crashed trying to make an exit (thanks stupid NJ Turnpike!)
Oh, I just meant purely on appearance. I think the Prius is pretty weird looking (I much prefer the last-generation model styling), but the Civic looks nearly identical, minus a couple of minor things.
I was always confused why General Motors made the Suburban a gasoline engine. When the Suburban first came out, it was manufactured as a diesel engine, which got slightly over twenty miles to the gallon. I could never figure out why GM stopped this, and converted to gasoline powered engine, but since states have so many bans on deisel engines, it makes sense to me now.
Also, I was under the impression that deisel was far cleaner than gasoline. I've never, ever heard anyone say that gas was more efficient or cleaner. Diesel, in general burns far cleaner and more efficient than gasoline because it's combusted by pressure and not spark ignition.
Honda is considering developing a fourth hybrid vehicle, a gasoline-electric light truck, as rival Toyota prepares to launch two hybrid SUVs next year.
Such a vehicle would help Honda keep pace with its larger Japanese rival, which is ramping up production of hybrids and hopes to sell 300,000 hybrid vehicles in 2005.
Toyota will launch hybrid Lexus RX and Toyota Highlander sport utility vehicles in the first half of next year.
Honda was the first automaker to introduce a hybrid in the U.S. market, and launched the Insight hybrid compact in 1999 and a Civic hybrid in 2002. In November they will start selling a hybrid version of the popular Accord sedan powered by a V6 engine and an electric motor.
It is now considering expanding its hybrid lineup. “We haven’t defined yet which vehicle it will be, but it probably will be something in our light-truck line, probably on the SUV side,” said Tom Elliott, executive vice president of Honda Motor’s U.S. subsidiary.
Honda has several light trucks in its model range, including the Honda CR-V and Pilot SUVS, the boxy Element and the premium Acura MDX SUV.
With environmental concerns and high gas prices, hybrids have emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments.
Toyota capitalized on the hybrid rage with the Prius sedan, introduced for 2001 and updated for 2004. It was clearly designated as a hybrid to appeal to customers seeking to express their environmental consciousness, said Wes Brown, consultant at marketing consultants Iceology in Los Angeles.
Detroit’s automakers are working on hybrids now, while European automakers are touting their new, clean diesels as fuel-efficient alternatives to gasoline engines.
Ford is launching its first hybrid this fall, a gas-electric Escape SUV; General Motors also plans to develop hybrid SUVs; and DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group now plans to market hybrid models by the end of 2006.
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:53 pm Posts: 20537 Location: The City Of Trees
An old neighbor of mine is a mechanic, and he says that the amount of service that has to be done to a hybrid car is outrageous, largely because you have to take care of two engines (electric and combustion). Eli, bump this thread in the future to see if you have experiences like this.
Also, did California offer you any tax breaks? I'd be all for that kind of legistation.
Finally, I'd love to drive a hybrid, but since I'm partially a tall guy and that I've always ridden in spacious cars the grand majority of my life, I get a bit clasutrophobic driving small cars. Hopefully the market will expand soon into a wider variety.
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