hybrid car

grizzly1911

sebastianj wrote: »

In hybrid cars, there are two engines and you can turn one of them off and run the other, so in my opinion it is twice as reliable than a conventional car, am i wrong?
sebastian

What do you mean by two engines?

There is an engine that burns fuel to produce motive power and via an alternator, electricity to charge the battery pack.

The second is an electric motor effectively powered off the battery pack.

If the battery pack doesn't get charged by the engine then that will slowly "die".

Some have brake re circulatory "generators" to put some charge back into the battery under braking but that is supplemental to the main charging source.

Strider590

sebastianj wrote: »

In hybrid cars, there are two engines and you can turn one of them off and run the other, so in my opinion it is twice as reliable than a conventional car, am i wrong?
sebastian

No, unfortunately that's not how it works

The electric motor needs the petrol motor to charge it's battery, but I suspect if either gave up, you'd find the car giving up completely, as it'd detect a fault, shut down and start flashing all sorts of warning lights at you.

Additionally, as far as im aware, if the battery dies you won't be able to tow the vehicle without a flatbed tow truck, as power is required to get the thing into neutral.

sebastianj

thanks grizzly1911 and strider590,
Petrol engine works using the petrol, if that fails then you have Battery power that should take you a bit further.
An automatic car cannot be push started but that is no reason not to buy an automatic car.
I don't think any of us here are an expert in predicting the durability of a Hybrid car compared to a conventional one. I just want something to take me from A-B without hasstle, I am so confused now.
sebastian

worried_jim

sebastianj

Thanks Worried jim,
You have realy confused me now.
sebastian

VfM4meplse

Re: Prius - I found this to be a really lovely smooth and effortless automatic drive, just like the Nissan Bluebird or Almeira. Unlike the Golf Bluemotion which I test drove around the same time, which seems to have lots of fans and rave reviews by "What Car?".

withabix wrote: »

Peugeot 3008 and Citroen DS5 for a start.

Any opinions on the 3008? The diesel is supposed to give good fuel economy.

UncleZen

I think the newspaper artical is misleading. It doesnt take into account the warranty. e.g. for the Prius the drivetrain has a 10yr warranty. So when the focus is falling apart, the Toyota will be fixed for free by the dealer, thats if its gone wrong in the first place.
There are a lot of Prius taxis around here, so that says a a lot for reliability & running costs.

Also to compare a Prius with a Focus is wrong - they're not the same class of car - an Auris Hybrid comparison would make more sense in this article.

Strider590

UncleZen wrote: »

There are a lot of Prius taxis around here, so that says a a lot for reliability & running costs.

These days with "Eco" being fashionable enough to stick on the back of a car that uses an engine that was designed 25yrs ago (sorry Vauxhall, but it is cringe worthy), when "Eco fashionistas" see a Taxi firm that uses Prius's, they're gonna go for that taxi firm over and above all others.....

I don't believe that the owner of a successful Taxi firm would be stupid enough to purchase a fleet based only on hype. So IMO it's a selling point, nothing more.

johnnyreggae

sebastianj wrote: »

I just want to get through my few days on this earth, going to work and earning a living without causing any major impacts.

Then spend your eight grand on a new or nearly new very low pollution regular car

Over its entire life cycle it will have far less environmental impact than any hybrid

What is so confusing about that ?

Strider590

johnnyreggae wrote: »

Then spend your eight grand on a new or nearly new very low pollution regular car

Over its entire life cycle it will have far less environmental impact than any hybrid

What is so confusing about that ?

AND

Prius does a real world 50mpg
My Vectra does a real world 32mpg

If you pay £5k more because it's a Hybrid you need to be doing in the region of 15k miles a year AND keep the car for at least 5 years, before you could break even on fuel alone. That's without considering your stuck paying dealership servicing/repair costs..... Where I service my own car for less than £80 a year.