New Chevy Volt plug in hybrid. 40 miles on one charge

[riceboy]

This plug in hybrid looks great. It should be out by 2010. They claim that on a 6 hour charge you should be able to go at least 40 miles. Hybrids now as the article mentions uses electric motors to supplement the car's gasoline engine

Business & Technology | General Motors recharges on future of electric car | Seattle Times Newspaper

[ojnihs]

i personally think the honda fcx clarity is more promising

[aardvark baguette]

The problem I have w/ any hybrid is its usually +$20,000.

I think I'll just pay for gas.

[grawk]

diesel ftw

[JBLoudG20]

The problem I have w/ any hybrid is its usually +$20,000.

I think I'll just pay for gas.

Bingo. I just read an article not too long ago comparing the prius and the corolla. With a similar feature set, one needed to drive the prius for 120k miles to break even on the initial cost. I believe this was computed at $4.00/gal.

Buy a bike

52MPG on the tank I filled yesterday

[Dusty Chalk]

Do you honestly think it'll stay at $4/gallon? With increasing prices, it'll only make the hybrid more cost effective sooner. Plus, fewer emissions.

diesel ftw

But that's only good for long distances. (Which, admittedly, you drive, but not everyone else does.)

Also, with its increased price, diesel is not as financially superior as it was just 9 months ago or so.

I'd love a hybrid-diesel-electric, though -- best of both worlds. (I'm also assuming the new clean diesel.)

Diesel Hybrids on the Fast Track

Revealed: Volkswagen's 69.9-MPG Diesel Hybrid | Autopia from Wired.com

...but then...

VW Changes Its Mind and Announces Hybrid Vehicles are In Its Future | Auto Newss | Automobile.com

[riceboy]

Bingo. I just read an article not too long ago comparing the prius and the corolla. With a similar feature set, one needed to drive the prius for 120k miles to break even on the initial cost. I believe this was computed at $4.00/gal.

Buy a bike

52MPG on the tank I filled yesterday

That's interesting and good to know JBLoudG20. I gotta look for more articles that do comparisons on how much money is saved in the long run when purchasing a hybrid opposed to getting a car that has pretty good mileage. Thanks

[JBLoudG20]

Diesel= biodiesel.. mmm french fries power my car.

[grawk]

my diesel got 45mpg in town or long distance. How is it specialized?

[tkam]

For these plug-in hybrids is there any data available on how much power they draw to do a full charge?

[n_maher]

Dusty, I love the beginning of one of those articles...

"With oil over $53 per barrel this week, and no end in sight for the much higher prices..." - bwaaaaaaaaaahahahahaha $53 a barrel, bwaaaaaaaaaaahahahahaha.

And Jay, hybrids are the way of the future not because they make immediate financial sense compared to their single fueled rivals but because they consume less resources. Or at least I hope that's the reasoning.

[Knuckledragger]

diesel ftw

My Stepfather's 1986 VW Golf Diesel got 50MPG, and would get you there ...eventually. It still got 50MPG in 2003 when it had to be driven to the junkyard. It would no longer pass safety regs in MA, and it would be prohibitively expensive to fix.

His 2002 Golf TDI gets 50MPG and produces 2x the HP and 3x the torque, or so it feels. The only downside I've observed thusfar is the turbos needing to be cleaned and/or replaced. I'd be in the market for a VW diesel myself, but idiot MasNoNoNoNoNoNosetts doesn't allow the sale of diesel passenger cars anymore.

[JBLoudG20]

Dusty, I love the beginning of one of those articles...

"With oil over $53 per barrel this week, and no end in sight for the much higher prices..." - bwaaaaaaaaaahahahahaha $53 a barrel, bwaaaaaaaaaaahahahahaha.

And Jay, hybrids are the way of the future not because they make immediate financial sense compared to their single fueled rivals but because they consume less resources. Or at least I hope that's the reasoning.

Heh, don't think I don't know this.. I'm a trained EE

Well, to be fair, hybrids are more of a rush to get better economy, not the way of the future.

My bike still consumes less resources than the typical car, and I only paid $3k for it

[ojnihs]

my scooter gets a little over 100 mpg. it's awesome.

[aardvark baguette]

Riceboy, you're in Hawaii, yeah?

If so, I'd get whatever hybrid it was that had the stored energy gizmo, which saves energy from braking and releases it at accelerating. I'd think it would be good for city driving.

[grawk]

hybrids aren't good for anything really except telling the world you're doing something for the environment. Except that they're less durable, have more toxic waste upon disposal (all those batteries), and cost a hell of a lot more. You're doing more for the environment using an older car longer than you are buying a hybrid. Even if you use more gas in the process.

[n_maher]

Well then someone needs to come up with a better option cause the current crop is full of pretty friggen pour choices. I'd like to see a graph of the average mpg of the various manufacturer's fleets over the last 25 years, I'd almost be willing to bet the average has gone down.

I swear that every US automaker has forgotten the word "innovate" over the last 2 decades.

[tkam]

I swear that every US automaker has forgotten the word "innovate" over the last 2 decades.

It's hard to expect any different though when they have bitchy shareholders screaming and hollering for record profits every quarter. The only feasible way to sustain that is do it by cutting costs and we're paying the price.

[tkam]

I tend to agree with Dan for the time being hybrids are more about showing other people that you care about the environment. Also the break even point on most hybrids right now is somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 years.

Unless they can bring hybrid costs down very soon, they aren't a viable solution IMO.

People have already started changing their driving habits and I think it'll continue, year over year for the month of April the miles driven in the US went down by 1.4 billion miles.

We really need to focus on increasing the supply, we need to able to do off-shore drilling and do more drilling in Alaska. With the speculation going on in the Crude Oil futures and the increasing demand from China/India raising the supply is the only real way to stop the runaway pricing.

Edited June 19, 2008 by tkam

[Dusty Chalk]

I'd be in the market for a VW diesel myself, but idiot MasNoNoNoNoNoNosetts doesn't allow the sale of diesel passenger cars anymore.

That's just temporary. In a couple years, the next breed of clean diesels will be coming out from the likes of: VW, Audi, BMW, Honda, Mercedes, Cadillac, Saturn, Nissan are all rumoured to be putting out Diesels in the next couple years. I remember reading that because of the new lower emissions of these vehicles, they will be allowed to be sold in all states, but that may just be VW & Audi.

hybrids aren't good for anything really except telling the world you're doing something for the environment. Except that they're less durable, have more toxic waste upon disposal (all those batteries), and cost a hell of a lot more. You're doing more for the environment using an older car longer than you are buying a hybrid. Even if you use more gas in the process.

I disagree. This factoid you're pulling out of your ass about doing more for the environment (batteries vs. pollution? please) hardly has any statistical backup to it. And where do you get 'less durable'? The Prius has already established itself as being a dependable car.

i personally think the honda fcx clarity is more promising

Oh, and yes, I, too, am excited about the FCX (fuel cell technology). Although they're not entirely honest about that one -- you know how they work? You have to buy a fuel cell generator, and what it does is use electricity to compact the fuel portion of gas on your gas lines (assuming you have gas lines -- otherwise, you're going to have to install those, too) into a brick. It still might be worth it, considering the mileage they get.

my diesel got 45mpg in town or long distance. How is it specialized?

I don't know -- you're doing it wrong? Every car should get different mileage depending on whether or not you're doing city driving or long distance driving -- you probably never did enough long distance driving to make it worthwhile. You probably could have been getting even better gas mileage. My housemate has a diesel, and I'm not against the technology, I just happen to know that they run "happier" on long distances. Edited June 19, 2008 by Dusty Chalk

[JBLoudG20]

It's hard to expect any different though when they have bitchy shareholders screaming and hollering for record profits every quarter. The only feasible way to sustain that is do it by cutting costs and we're paying the price.

That is a big part of it.

I think another big role is the American attitude: bigger is better. For years we have had it great with very low gas prices. Shit, I remember when I started driving it used to cost me $17 to fill the tank of my G20. What was that $1.70/gal? Now it costs me $60 to fill that same tank.

Take a look at the roads nowadays. At least here the trend is finally starting to move toward smaller cars. There are a LOT more bikes and scooters out now too. It's going to take oil prices reaching record highs for the population to change its demand from big grocery getters with 5.8L hemis, to 1.8L efficient machines.

The big companies are just looking for profit, of course. When demand says put a hemi into everything, obviously the big companies will do just that. Its sad, but it's going to take gas prices like we are facing now to get the advances in technology.

I paid $4.70/gal yesterday. That's just crazy.

[Dusty Chalk]

I'd like to see a graph of the average mpg of the various manufacturer's fleets over the last 25 years, I'd almost be willing to bet the average has gone down.

I swear that every US automaker has forgotten the word "innovate" over the last 2 decades.

Although I agree that automakers could do better, it's not entirely their fault. Not finding the article right now, but I remember a story about the reason mileage is deteriorating -- and it is, no doubt -- is because of increasing safety regulations.:doghuh:I have to admit, I don't entirely understand that. What are they, heavier?

[n_maher]

Todd,

I don't think that there's much hope for increasing supply for a decreasing commodity. And from what I've read the potential supply available from offshore drilling would have zero effect on the situation until ~2030.

[grawk]

I drove around town (memphis, philadelphia, new york) and long distances (across country, repeatedly). My passat tdi got between 43 and 47 mpg no matter what.

[Dusty Chalk]

I drove around town (memphis, philadelphia, new york) and long distances (across country, repeatedly). My passat tdi got between 43 and 47 mpg no matter what.

Okay, I get your point -- so the car just plain gets better gas mileage. My point is, if you drive it like a normal car (some highway, some city), it will get mileage range A, whereas if you push it -- drive lots of long trips, like my housemate's sister does with hers (they 'go somewhere' every weekend) -- it'll get mileage range B, where B > A. It sounds like you were already doing B, if that was a typical profile (I'm not sure how frequently it 'needs' to be driven lengthily, I doubt it's once a week -- but I am by no means an expert). I'm just saying if you drive it like a normal car, you won't get as good gas mileage as you would if you drive it lengthily, although that still may be better than a regular gas car. My housemate gets 50 when she goes to Pennsylvania or whatnot, and usually gets 40-45 (we live close enough to DC that everything counts as city driving, even halfway around the beltway). I think.

I guess my point is, 43 is yes, still better than 27 (what I get), but not as much better as 48 would be, and certainly not better than 70 (what that theoretical diesel electric hybrid would get).

I'll have to ask what my cousin gets -- he has a hybrid. I'm pretty sure it's better than 43. He drives from Sterling to downtown DC 5 days a week, and allots $20 in his budget for gas every week. And it's emitting very little in the way of emissions when the engine is off.

Oh, and here...I'm sure it's biased...