Hybrid Vehicles - When Will you purchase one

[chinaco]

I was wondering when you think you may purchase a Hybrid vehicle. A real Hybrid with a combination of electric motor/batteries and internal combustion engine combo (not the so called mild hybrid)

It seems that the auto manufacturers have about 15 of them available and are planning to deliver more models as hybrids


Please comment.

[Clarification 1]
The Poll is not about your current dissatisfaction with the technology or state of things today as it is about your views of when you think things will be in a shape or economically viable for you to make the move. Vote in the poll with this POV

Obviously if you do not own one today (you are not an early adopter) you have a reason. Comment about this.

 

[Rambler]

In two or three years when the Prius becomes a brand instead of a model, and when they come out with a two-banger plug-in Hybrid that gets over 100 mpg that can be charged from my solar system without adding extra panels. This will be for city/local driving only, not cross country.

R

 

[mathjak107]

never! until they are priced the same as conventional models so i stand a chance of recuping the premium

never until resale value stabilizes and they stop dropping in value sooooo much faster than conventional cars as technology moves fast in hybrids and old technology drops value like a rock


never with those batteries costing 3,000 bucks, imagine buying a car you know will need a tranny for sure.

never until insurance companies stop charging more to cover the fact if you are hit in the back and the batteries are hit its big bucks.

never

 

[chinaco]

never! until they are priced the same as conventional models so i stand a chance of recuping the premium

never until resale value stabilizes and they stop dropping in value sooooo much faster than conventional cars as technology moves fast in hybrids and old technology drops value like a rock


never with those batteries costing 3,000 bucks, imagine buying a car you know will need a tranny for sure.

never until insurance companies stop charging more to cover the fact if you are hit in the back and the batteries are hit its big bucks.

never

Ok.

But the poll was more about you predicting when you think things will shape up to be acceptable. I assume you think it will take more than 10 years?

 

[mathjak107]

Ill buy one when i see some real savings and value

 

[Maurice]

I've read analysts who say that by around 2015 virtually all production car models sold will be hybrids. That may be optimistic, but at some point (long before 'never') they'll solve the problems mentioned by mathjak.

 

[RetiredGypsy]

Who's responsible for the batteries when it needs changed, or you get into an accident and the car's totaled? Are they considered hazardous waste and require costs to get rid of or anything?

 

[mathjak107]

you have to pay to dispose of them, they are hazadous waste. its a few hundred bucks in shipping and recycling fees. oh did the dealer forget to mention that!

 

[boots]

Prius Hybrid warranty

price about $22,500
warranty one of the best in the industry.
Battery coverage is 8 years 100,000 miles or more. Click on link below look at the last line.

Toyota Warranty and Coverage

 

[mathjak107]

so throw the car away after 8 yeaers

 

[boots]

Warranty

As the post said read the last line. This would mean 8 years or longer

The HV battery may have longer coverage under emissions warranty. Refer to applicable Owner's Warranty Information booklet for details.

 

[Dawg52]

I hope they do get things worked out over the next few years. If so, I would buy one.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Since I dont drive very long distances often, an electric would work well for me. But the electricity would be made by burning natural gas...

The Hybrid in the meanwhile seems to be twice the complexity, a lot of extra weight, a lot of hazardous waste to dispose of, and while you can warranty the heck out of it I still need to go sit in the waiting room at the dealership for it to get fixed.

I dont see people with a lot of problems with theirs, but I dont see a lot of people with 6-10 year old hybrids of any kind.

I'd probably be more inclined to buy a more efficient gas engine car with perhaps a simple regenerative system for capturing braking and downhill coasting or just go with a pure electric.

I have this feeling that hybrids are another one of those things that seems like a good idea, but a few years later creates a whole second set of problems.

 

[Ronstar]

i voted 6-10 years, but only if hybrids are at the same or better value than conventional vehicles, and also having all of their issues worked out

 

[boots]

Hubrid

Since I dont drive very long distances often, an electric would work well for me. But the electricity would be made by burning natural gas...

The Hybrid in the meanwhile seems to be twice the complexity, a lot of extra weight, a lot of hazardous waste to dispose of, and while you can warranty the heck out of it I still need to go sit in the waiting room at the dealership for it to get fixed.

I dont see people with a lot of problems with theirs, but I dont see a lot of people with 6-10 year old hybrids of any kind.

I'd probably be more inclined to buy a more efficient gas engine car with perhaps a simple regenerative system for capturing braking and downhill coasting or just go with a pure electric.

I have this feeling that hybrids are another one of those things that seems like a good idea, but a few years later creates a whole second set of problems.

Weight under 3,000 lb with full gas tank

December 10, 1997 - Prius goes on sale to the public in Japan, fully two years ahead of any other manufacturer. First-year sales are nearly 18,000.

About 11 years in production

Weight distribution is 50% over front 50% over back because of the battery placement. Makes this vehicle track very well in the winter months

 

[Texas Proud]

I saw some show where they said Hybrids were not the solution and that they would not be in production in 10 or so years... some new technology will takes its place...

Now, if you say fuel cell is a hybrid... then maybe when they are good... I will buy one... but I voted 'never'

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Weight under 3,000 lb with full gas tank

December 10, 1997 - Prius goes on sale to the public in Japan, fully two years ahead of any other manufacturer. First-year sales are nearly 18,000.

About 11 years in production

Weight distribution is 50% over front 50% over back because of the battery placement. Makes this vehicle track very well in the winter months

So about 300-700lbs more than a comparably sized gas motor car.

What are the reliability and warranty claims filed on those 11 year old vehicles and what are the annual owner maintenance costs on them? That they've been around for 11 years isnt very informative.

Heck, I saw a 50 year old chevy yesterday. Bet its had some work done on it.

As for snow handling...I've found 50/50 cars do well on dry roads but can be a little tail heavy when taking turns (like entrance/exit ramps) in slippery conditions.

 

[W2R]

I have nothing "against" hybrids and will buy one when it is the most economical and reliable option (for me). Hybrids still aren't for me, though they are getting closer. I think we don't have the information necessary to predict when they will reach this point. Government and the automotive and insurance industries can all affect how good of a deal a hybrid would be for me.

I voted "never" because I will probably buy another Camry Solara in 2010 when I am 62, and drive it until sometime in my 70's when I will stop driving completely due to age.

 

[Marquette]

I'd prefer an all-electric car.... and some solar panels

If a hybrid, then I'd prefer a diesel pluggable.... and a bio-diesel distiller and some solar panels.

I'm hoping I have some good options in 2-3 years.

 

[Midpack]

Have always owned smallish cars, bought a hybrid last year and the mileage is stunning. Like most if not all hybrid owners, we understood the payback would be long (although getting shorter every day). But there are other reasons to own a hybrid, significantly lower emissions is but one. Everyone understands that hybrids are not ideal and an interim approach until all-electric, fuel cells or some other technology comes along. You can either do something to reduce consumpton and emissions (10% of the oldest cars on the road are putting out 50% of the emissions) in the meantime, or wait on electric, fuel cells or whatever you think is the answer. But those technologies have a long way to go, and the day they are the 'economic' best choice are likely decades away.

 

[UncleHoney]

I'd prefer an all-electric car.... and some solar panels

If a hybrid, then I'd prefer a diesel pluggable.... and a bio-diesel distiller and some solar panels.

I'm hoping I have some good options in 2-3 years.

How about one of these?

SUNN Solar Electric Kit Car Vehicle

 

[TromboneAl]

I'm guessing that in five years (2013) there will be a number of viable electric cars available for purchase. Many of these will have an on-board gas or diesel generator for recharging the electrical storage system, so those will technically be hybrids.

One or two breakthroughs, and hybrids will be obsolete. Let's say that someone develops a battery or other energy storage system that can be recharged in five minutes. Even if your range is only 60 miles, then, combined with home charging, you'll probably stop less often at a fueling station than you do today.

 

[Average Joe]

Currently available hybrids, like sports cars, are hobbyist toys and/or fashion statements.
Manufacturers build and market expensive, sporty, high performance cars and equip them with all manner of penis enhancement packages. This is not because these cars are practical, but because manufacturers want to profit from the demand for fashion accessories that give their owners the illusion of youth, virility, and power – and the notion that chicks dig them and guys think they’re cool. But they are also fun to drive; so enjoy – just don’t get too wrapped up in the notion that the sports car is terribly significant.

Manufacturers also build and market expensive, technologically advanced hybrid cars. This not because these cars are practical, but because manufacturers want to profit from the demand for fashion accessories that give their owners the illusion of green eco-conscious enviro-responsibility – to do so they sweep some of the emissions under the rug (or rather up the smokestack of a far away coal-fired power station), and it doesn’t register with many people that the higher price tag likely indicates more precious (or just more) resources required to produce transportation (unless the cars remain useful for a lot longer than other cars – and there is no evidence that they do). But they are probably also, in a way different from sports cars, fun to drive and the technology in them is interesting; so enjoy – just don’t get too wrapped up in the notion that the hybrid car is terribly significant.

When a technology becomes competitive with the internal combustion engine, it seems to me that there should be no need to complicate a vehicle employing that technology by adding an internal combustion engine to it. I could be wrong; maybe one day hybrids will become practical for my needs or maybe bizarre government regulations will make it advantageous for me to buy one.

A hybrid technology that does strike me as promising is the diesel/electric drive that been introduced in some modern yachts http://www.matternetwork.com/2006/12/diesel-electric-hybrid-yachts-set.cfm - the system uses the wind (indirectly – wind moves boat – motion through water spins generator propellers) for a lot recharging and a diesel generator to augment that – of course it’s only a savings if you mostly sail rather than motor – and it’s still more expensive up front than standard diesel engines and may (I don’ know) be more difficult to fix if some component other than the generator breaks down in some far off place.

 

[Average Joe]

hobbyist toys and/or fashion statements.

I'd just like to add that these are not necessarily bad things - the demand for them can and does fuel technological breakthroughs.

 

[travelover]

I bought one because I got a good deal on it (employee discount plus $3500 rebate when gas was "just" $2 a gallon and the $2600 federal tax credit).

Part of my thinking was that I wanted to encourage the technology and part of it was just enjoying a techno-toy.

Long term durability is a question, but I'm encouraged by the good durability of the taxi cab fleets in NY and SF.

So far, I haven't regretted the decision.