What is your opinion on hybrids?

 

What high gas prices?

 

...what I want to know is what are they gonna do with the batteries that these things use when there is an accident or when they fail.... are we creating another hazard to just say we are saving gas...

plus, you can get a NON-hybrid that gets super good MPG for less money...

 

This should be in Car Talk.
But no, I think its going to take a lot more than hybrids to lower the price of gas.

 

You pay 3-5k more depending on the car for a hybrid. If you finance it that means its going to cost even more. Bottle of the line Camry is 19k and the hybrid starts at 26k. The MPG difference is 21/31 to 33/34. Your going to have to drive a lot to make up that money difference. Not to mention insurance rates will probably be higher.

 

im pretty sure u get some kind of tax breaks for going hybrid and why would the insurance be higher?

:ibtmove:

 

....there used to be a hybrid tax break, but I think Bush killed that about 2 years ago... check it out and see...

 

insurance might be higher due to higher expenses when it is repaired...and harder to find parts.... just throwing that around....

 

Make the gas engine more efficient is the way to go. Hybrids save gas but not saving money, so what is the point.

 

:ibtmtct:

hybrids are fine by me if you don't want to enjoy the ride.

 

When cars are more expensive normally the insurance is higher.

 

Seriously... although they will go back up eventually.

Anyway, no, hybrids are not the answer. They are just as bad for the environment (think of the production of the battery systems... plus disposal when they die) and, as others mentioned, the premium you pay for a Hybrid makes the slight increase you'll realize in MPG moot.

 

NO!

And with Junior....

http://clubs.ccsu.edu/recorder/edito...asp?NewsID=188

 

 

A stepping point - I think the popularity shows that viable alternatives need to be developed

 

They are by far the most common car in my town.

I liked my parking spot

 

wow only in SF

I don't think that hybrids are the answer at all, for the same reasons mentioned. I've always been against them. They're really quiet and good for a commuter but yeah there's a fun element missing with them most of the time. And those carpool access OK stickers.... at the same time if I wanted to buy a hybrid, I wish I could still get that, but at the same time I'm glad there are fewer dumbass Prius drivers clogging up the fast lane by going 55-60 mph

 

Hydrogen is better.

But hell, at least give us diesel hybrids.

 

Hybrids IMO are a waste:

1) Claim is the get better MPG, yes they do. You also could have gotten a non-hybrid model and put some low rolling resistance tires on it. Price difference? Enough that it would take hundreds of thousands of miles to break even. FAIL. (The Honda Insight makes for an interesting case, Prius is a fail still)

2) Claim is the "eco friendliness". Hybrids require nickel for their batteries. Nickel requires mining and smelting, a nasty industrial process. The batteries need to be properly disposed of at the end of a cars life. Overall nickel in batteries is a eco disaster. FAIL.

 

Hydrogen would be MUCH better. But in the meantime, moving towards diesel technology would help reduce consumption. The 4 cylinders are getting almost the same mileage that the Prius is getting.

 

My personal opinion? I like Hybrids. Many people think that hybrid technology is static and that it never changes. This is simply not true, as even battery technology is constantly evolving. I can see hybrids evolving to a point where the cost of technology and production is much less than it currently is now. At this point I think hybrids will be more attractive to the mainstream buyer. I would love to see a diesel hybrid eventually.

My mother has the first Accord Hybrid in Alberta. During the past four years she has put close to 160 000 kilometers on it. The majority of the fuel savings occur during city driving as opposed to highway. It's very odd to sit in it on a very hot day and have the air conditioning still working (secondary electrical unit) while the rest of the car is completely quiet. During the four plus years she's had it, it has only required oil changes and one software upgrade.

Terry

 

personally i think their a waste.
#1.in about 7-8 years the batteries will wear out. it's about 7-8 grand to replace the batteries with labor on a Prius. so therefore when it is 7-8 years old the car totalled. do you wanna dump that much into a car that's not worth it?
#2. when we go to junk the car what will the do with the junk batteries?
if you're looking for good mileage go diesel.
go with a BMW 335d, Benz E320 Bluetech or VW diesel. but just gas/electric just retarded imho.

 

:thumbsdow

Check out the latest issue of C&D. They just reviewed the 335d. With the added price, more expensive fuel, and not much better then the regular 328/335 gas mileage, in order to realize any benefit you would have to drive 960,000 miles in the 335d to break even with the 328i or 193,333 miles to break even with the 335i.

So, at least in the particular case of the 335d, not worth it either. I would also guess that other comparisons of diesel verses standard models may yield similar results.

 

I'm wondering when that step will be taken. Surprised that it hasn't already.

 

+1

They are not THE answer, but a step towards a real solution. You have to start somewhere, and over time we should see costs come down and performance/savings numbers increase. Who knows, in 25 years, we might be looking back at gasoline like we currently look back at steam engines.

 

i honestly think that we need to diversify. I don't think there is a single answer just yet, and might never be.

hybrids are good right now, but if everyone drove hyrbids, I couldn't imagine how many batteries there would have to be. They are just a band-aid, and are convienient cause they require no additional infrastructure.

as far as hydrogen and electric cars, Hydrogen isn't easy to come by, or store, or transport. Not to mention what a large increase in H2 gas might do to our atmospheric chemistry. Electric cars still rely on a lot of coal/oil power plants, but they should be equipped with better air pollution control devices than you can fit on a car. Energy isn't free, and no matter what, using too much of it will cause problems.

 

I rented a Prius just for shits and giggles last February. Driving like I normally do, I averaged 42 mpg for the weekend and a fill with the gauge around half cost $14 (regular was around $2.89 then). It was cool but I suspect the novelty would wear off.

 

No, it's part of the answer to a shortage of fossil fuels and global warming. They don't pencil out as an answer for high gas prices.

 

Despite the general disapproval for hybrids, I do like the Lexus GS460h...I won't lie that it's in my list of cars to consider once I give up the CL when I'm married.

 

^ Why though? Why not just get a regular GS? Unless you're planning to keep it for 200k or more miles, it's not worth paying the extra premium for the hybrid...

 

I wonder if the price of gas-hybrids will ever come down or if the cost of the extra mechanisms will make it a social statement on wheels for as long as they exist, until something better comes along. It's one thing to be a pioneer who helps pave the road to a better future, it's another to be the guy with the huge HD-DVD collection.

 

^ I would think that over time the price to manufacturer these models will drop, thus the price will drop pretty much the way it does with all technology...

 

I'm a hybrid fan mainly because of its potential as a power adder which enhances fuel economy (i.e.: AV6H, GS460h, RX400h, etc,...).

That said, the best answer to high gas prices (although not that high at the present time) is the regular use of mass transit.

 

Wow...that is alot, hey? Good point, JB...

 

What all of the "greenies" are missing is the batteries that are used (Nickle-Metal Hydride) are not environmentally friendly, although you can recycle them, it's still not a great process to separate the cadmium from the rest of the battery. Just buy a new model diesel. Better mileage and fairly clean.

So eat tofu, drive your hybrid "Stupid Useless Vehicle" and feel good knowing you're harming the environment more than helping.

 

LINK*

*2005 article

 

Wrong. Not that I like the Prius, but there are some out there that are 7-8 years old and the battery seems to be doing just fine.

 

But what is the most abundant source of hydrogen that is also economically feasible to isolate hydrogen from?

Both of the economically viable sources pull it from the ground, at least last I read.

Electrolysis won't work, since most of the electricity used to get hydrogen off of oxygen is generated with coal or natural gas in this country. It would only become feasible, IMHO, if we moved to other fuel sources for our electrical power in this country.

Then you are using hydrogen in a fuel cell to make electricity, yes it easier to store, but every time that energy is "converted" or its storage state or method is changed, there are associated losses.

 

If you like a hybrid to give you more power then they're great otherwise not so much. Were hybrids allowed to stand on their own (no incentive money, no tax credits, etc.) they would fail. Under almost all circumstances they are feel good white liberal latte guilt assuagers but there are plenty of white liberal latte drinkers with guilt so they have found their market!

 

...and they now have their president in place as well.