Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

Im thinking of getting them for my service techs, not worried about the gas mileage, making an enviromental statement.

Will they hold up, or be in the shop all the time ? Im talking 50k miles a year.

Curtis

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

My neighbor has the new Toyota Prius... he loves it... I've ridden in it a few times... it's weird... you get in... stick in the key... drop the transmission into drive and the thing goes.... I keep expecting him to pump the gas pedal and turn the ignition key to start... but the motor doesn't start up until later when the battery drops down in power. Great mileage.. 48 in town 43 on the highway.

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

I'm actually looking to add one to my personal fleet.

2004.5 Dodge Cummins 2500 ( I'd like to try the bio-diesel in it ) 16-19 mpg
2001 BMW 540i - 19 mpg
2000 BMW 323ci - 22 mpg
1988 Cadillac Stretch Limo - like 12 mpg

Just for driving back and forth to work. I like that Honda Insight from a couple years ago - like 50 mpg

No better way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil than alternative energy. God knows I burn plenty of Arab effin' oil in my boat. . .

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

Hybribs??? Sure I think I can pull the boat my son uses in his tub everynight, only if we go downhill both ways.
$30k for one of those burned out hippy-mobile that slows down 10 MPH when you start the heater if your lucky enough to have that disaster start in the winter.
No thanks.

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

Hybrids - Isn't that the pot that really gets you high?

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

I rode in one. Felt like being in a sailboat, your moving, sort of, but theres no sound. Wierd.

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

Anybody check out the Ford Escape ?

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

When I started my 120 mile round trip commute to work last year I pick up a VW Jetta Turbo Diesel. Get's just about 50 mpg and at 95 to 100 mph on the highway it handles better than the little hybirds. Off the line it's a real pig although once the warranty is up I'm going to chip it and install bigger injectors. I go just about 650 miles between fuel ups, diesel is also $1.69 here.

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

Most of our stuff is in town, Im under the impression that the engine does not start till 25mph, or when the battery gets low.

That would mean awesome mileage for us.

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

I kind of wonder what cold weather does to the batterys. Speaking of batterys what is the expected life and replacement cost? I like the vw tdi, I can count on 44 mpg. These new diesels have more power,cleaner and much quieter than earily models. Doug

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

if I recall some if not all the manufacturers are warrantying the batteries for like 10 years... I heard htis second hand so don shot me if im wrong....

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

Check out the new report on them by Consumer Reports. In "real life" driving they neted less than half the quoted milage, not much more than normal compacts. A short summary was in the local paper last night that many owners are quite disappointed.

-Greg

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

The quoted milages are pretty much bull****. You're better off getting a small gas-burning car or like someone else said a TDI.

Also, look for a diesel-powered Ford Focus to hit the American market soon. ;)

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

Read more here.
http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0...w=wn_tophead_1

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

I test drove the Honda Insight yesterday.
Kinda eerie the way it shuts off when stopped. But as soon as you want to go, it just goes. Not exactly neck-snapping performance, but it will run 90+.
This is the KING of MPG.
There is a forum for Insight owners that contains more information than you would EVER want to know about 'em. These guys are all techno-geeks.
Hybrid Forum

Around $21,000 new.

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

I'd go with the TDI Jetta as well. Gets 45-50 mpg all day. Should have no problems getting 250K-300K miles out of the motor. My friend has one and loves it.

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

On the Insight Forum, owners are reporting real-life mileage ( the car displays 'Lifetime MPG' on the dash ) in the area of anywhere between 54 and 90 mpg.
It's actually much better than the Toyota Prius or the Civic Hybrid or the VW TDI.

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

54 to 90 is a pretty wide range, but some people go crazy trying to drive the car to get every last little bit of mpg out of it. See the same thing with TDI owners. I looked at all the options when I started this long commute. I pretty much average 44 mpg with my tdi, but I'm usually travelling at 85 mph or more on my commute. Did have the car over 120mph on a few occasions. One thing nice about the VW vs the honda is the options, sun roof, heated seats, awsome stereo, huge trunk, heated mirrors, leather. After market performance parts are readily available too. On a pure mpg comparison the hybird will win, but for a more all round driver I like the tdi. Although with the cost of diesel much lower than gas the running cost is probably in favor of the tdi. My only complaint is accelleration, it's a pig.

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

the nickle metal hydride battery pack for the Prius is around 3 grand, the honda around 2800. Been through a few service training courses on them both. The honda is an aluminum car with a body expectancy of 20 years. The Prius is being sold at a huge loss by Toyota just to get some market share. The top dogs at Honda and Toyota really hate each other on a personal level so Toyota dropped the Prius on the market cheaper to bite into Hondas market. Both have good points and bad points about them. The Honda uses a series type system where as the electric motor's rotor is connected directly to the end of the crankshaft. Both turn no matter what.It utilizes only one electric motor/generator device. The Toyota on the other hand uses a series/ parallel power system. The crankshaft output is applied to a power splitter box. The electric motor also drives the power splitter box. The electric motor can drive the vehicle up to approx 30mph without the gasoline engine turning at all.Under low battery or high torque demand, the gasoline engine engages and supplies power to the splitter box as well as battery regeneration power. It is a series/parallel drive system utilizing 2 electric motor/generator devices. The Honda uses a 144 volt battery pack, the Prius a 276 volt pack...BOTH CAN AND WILL KILL YOU!!!!!!!!!!.

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

Alternative fuels are the answer. A Diesel engine likes biodiesel a lot as it burns cleaner and more efficiently than dino diesel and has about the same BTU ratings. It can easilly be made form vegetable oil and animal fat. I would buy an SUV/truck or car with a Cummins or Detroit Diesel 500 hp engine and run biodiesel but the Hybrids are a bit too impractical right now for the "masses". We can make boat loads of this product and WILL when gas and diesel hit around $ 5 bucks a gallon. Capitalism will kick right on in. Then of course the Arabs will lower the price of oil to kill our project. So as much as it will hurt the gov't will have to control import and export of crude to keep us on the path to alternatives to foreign dependence. I could live with a 38' Gun with twin 800 HP diesels if the price of biodiesel were to eventually become around $1.00/gallon and gas was $ 5.00/gallon. We can do this today with the stoke of the President's pen. Phase out foreign oil dependency in 10 years. Then worry about going to Mars for some "red dust".

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

Also new synthetic fuels derived from natural gas are getting closer and closer to profitable. According to companies in the feild they become competative alternatives above $20 a barrel and now with nearly doublt that it will become a more likely solution. The technology is getting better and better for this field too. I think the "doomsday" crowd is just plain silly, there is much to be excited about with the new technologies, synthetics, biofuels, hydrogen tech. and also electric tech. This is only the beginning.

Re: Don't Bash, anybody know about Hybrids ?
 

They say the price point is $ 5.00/gallon gasoline and syn fuels will be here bigtime; but then the President has to curtail foreign oil from coming in at a temporary deflated price which would be intended to to kill these projects. It's a game and I say we look to eliminating foreign oil demands significantly. Cutting it in half in 5 years is an easy target. Biodiesel and ethanol/methanol is the way to go with a small percent of gasoline mixed in to fire it up easier in colder temps. IN the 70's we had corvettes struggling to hit 180 hp CAFE' etc and look where we are at today. We could have 500 hp biodiesel engines almost immediately and car engines too. If we cut demand 50% and then added more nuclear power plants with the safer tech. we have now we would be out of the woods completely in 10 years. People would buy olives from the Mid-east and that's about it.