Hybrid cars- anyone have one?

[Grant Lamontagne]

That is pretty sweet.

There is an F-150 Lighting for sale at my local Ford dealership that I am strongly tempted by, but it wasn't long ago that you could buy a house here for what's on the sticker.

I guess I will have to keep buying dinosaur juice for my Jeep for another couple of years.

Def

[Farmer X]

It wasn't long ago that you could buy a house here for what's on the sticker.

If you don't mind going small, you could probably still get a house for less than some brand-new trucks. (That price excludes the land, of course.) Prices of new trucks have gotten absolutely insane. I'll never own one.

[dks]

With the EU Net Zero policy targets for 2050 and related incentives (carrot and stick method) there is, at least here, widespread adoption/installation of photovoltaic cells in homes, for electricity production. That is a fact.

Now, tosimplify/summarise the whole process/programme, when houses are producing more electricity than they consume it should be / is possible to charge your car for free (using that excess electricity you are supplying to the grid), giving a strong incentive for having an electric vehicle, as the fuel cost will be zero.

Well, unless you are not producing that much more, or the money you get back for the excess electricity you supply are more than what you could save by using it to charge/own/buy a new car, so it may be better to sell it and keep your old car.

This is intentionally oversimplified, by me, as the electricity you can produce, the money you save or make and so on can vary, but it shows the current way forward, for many people, at least in their minds.

[nate j]

https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/man-forced-ditch-115k-ford-ev-truck-family-road-trip-chicago-biggest-scam-modern-times.amp

I’m afraid “biggest scam of modern times” pretty much sums up my opinion of EVs as well.

[Vidar]

I guess the experiences vary. We've had an EV for some time now, and the experience is quite good. It was more car for the money when we bought it, the running expenses is a fraction of the gasoline cars, and it drives great both summer and winter. No regrets whatsoever for our use - quite the opposite.

We didn't buy it from an environmentalist perspective but from a need, car characteristics and economy viewpoint. Gasoline and diesel cars were considered too. We'd make the same choice again for our use.

[Don Pablo]

What's a real scam is the Irish government subsidising petrol (gasoline) to the point that it's cheaper than the electricity now. 
That makes zero sense, homes need electricity too!
Electricity is 40 euro cents per kWh, if anyone's interested. That's 43 US cents per kWh.

[Don Pablo]

With the EU Net Zero policy targets for 2050 and related incentives (carrot and stick method) there is, at least here, widespread adoption/installation of photovoltaic cells in homes, for electricity production. That is a fact.

Now, tosimplify/summarise the whole process/programme, when houses are producing more electricity than they consume it should be / is possible to charge your car for free (using that excess electricity you are supplying to the grid), giving a strong incentive for having an electric vehicle, as the fuel cost will be zero.

Well, unless you are not producing that much more, or the money you get back for the excess electricity you supply are more than what you could save by using it to charge/own/buy a new car, so it may be better to sell it and keep your old car.

This is intentionally oversimplified, by me, as the electricity you can produce, the money you save or make and so on can vary, but it shows the current way forward, for many people, at least in their minds.

The main issue here is the energy output of the panels not coinciding when you need the energy...

But that's what the grid is useful for, you give energy when you don't need it and receive energy when you do need it.
Europe is in an interesting position where we have the incentive and ability to upgrade individual countries grids to make a "supergrid" which carries electricity across countries according to regional demand and weather-induced supply. That would be cool. America with its individual widespread states are also in a position to do this.

What's also cool is that with an EV future comes a means to store energy on a national scale with a decentralised system. Draw electricity out of the car when there is a deficit or demand spike and recharge it when there is a surplus or slump. The Nissan Leaf and Ford EV truck already support bidirectional charging, it's feasible and just needs appropriate incentives... It's expensive to keep power plants on idle 24/7 waiting for 5pm when there's a spike in usage as everyone comes home, this could alleviate that.

[Aloha]

I was at the gas station filling up when a EV pulls into the stall next to me.   .  I was confused as to why since air and water are in a different area.  He gets out his car and a long pause.   He then gets back into his car and drives off  . 

Must have still been sleepy and thought he was in another car of his? 

[powernoodle]

  Aloha.

Okay, the guy in the story below is an idiot, but it does point out the obvious problems with pure EVs.


https://tinyurl.com/bdhssf24

[Vidar]

We have experienced the opposite variation of Aloha - non-EV cars parked in front of the chargers, and of course not charging either. I can only assume they consider it free parking until the day they get towed away.

Okay, the guy in the story below is an idiot, but it does point out the obvious problems with pure EVs.

I believe that should be qualified as a regional/ country problem with charging infrastructure. The longest trip we have driven so far was roughly 1200 miles and that wasn't an issue at all. We charged while eating or sleeping.

As for the bumper it seems to me that isn't an EV related issue at all as a bumper fix hardly has anything to do with the cars drivetrain? Our car got bumped while parked and the insurance company treated it like any other bump at a normal car repair facility. The week after it spent a day getting fixed and that was it.

The bumper issue reminds me of a relative that has been in an EV once and he thought it had horrible suspension. From there he made the generalization that all EVs have horrible suspensions, and he will surely never ride one again. Again not really an EV issue as such, but more likely an issue with that specific car, model or brand.

[Grant Lamontagne]

(Image removed from quote.) (Image removed from quote.) (Image removed from quote.) (Image removed from quote.)  Aloha.

Okay, the guy in the story below is an idiot, but it does point out the obvious problems with pure EVs.


https://tinyurl.com/bdhssf24

I am familiar with that guy's story.  He actually didn't have a problem until he crossed into the US, which is an important distinction.

The Federal Government of Canada has invested heavily in electric infrastructure and you see them 8n a lot of places, interestingly not only at gas stations, but also at businesses and even in parks.  There are charging stations almost everywhere, and the rates to tend to be (more or less) regulated.

In the US charging points are all privately owned, and service providers can put them wherever they want and charge as much as they like.  Because of this, the quality and condition of the chargers are a little more haphazard as they are dependant on companies or individuals to maintain and put up.  With relatively small incentives, providers tend to charge higher prices to recoup the greater investment they have in the units.

I also think Bala is a bit of a prima donna, looking for media attention to make himself feel special.  This is probably why the dealer took so long to fix the truck- they likely didn't want to deal with him.

Youtube Channel The Fast Lane put a Camper on the back of a Ford Lightning and drove from Colorado to Alaska without so many problems that they had to rent an ICE vehicle.



Great series if you are up for it.

Def

[Vidar]

By now I've tried dragging modest hangers after the EV car a few times. The main issue is the added air resistance, so high closed hangers are more difficult. A hanger does make a significant impact - by now I would expect 25% to 40% reduction in range with a hanger. Likely even worse in winter.

[gregozedobe]

By now I've tried dragging modest hangers after the EV car a few times. The main issue is the added air resistance, so high closed hangers are more difficult. A hanger does make a significant impact - by now I would expect 25% to 40% reduction in range with a hanger. Likely even worse in winter.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is a "hanger" ?   
From the context it sounds like some kind of trailer, but I honestly have never heard of a trailer being called a hanger.

[tinker gnome]

Greg, you guessed right  Different countries, different names - in germany it would be an "anhänger".   

And a trailer is a short movie clip teaser ... 

[Vidar]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is a "hanger" ?   
From the context it sounds like some kind of trailer, but I honestly have never heard of a trailer being called a hanger.

Well, pardon my english I guess?  The combination of English and Norwegian, the infamous Noenglish, sometimes gets the better of me. (A trailer around here would be considered something the size of a 20" shipping container and upwards).

(If you're male and get invited to a Norwegian party which says you should wear a dress then you likely want to check for Noenglish too... ).

[Grant Lamontagne]

Greg, you guessed right  Different countries, different names - in germany it would be an "anhänger".   

And a trailer is a short movie clip teaser ... 

Here in Canada a movie trailer is called a trailer as well- but then so is the motor less vehicle pulled behind a car, at least depending on what kind of anhänger it is.

For example, a trailer you can sleep in is called a Camper, one what folks in the UK call a caravan.  For us a caravan is how gypsies and traveling entertainers get around.

I've never heard of a trailer being called a hanger, but I think I like it and may start to use it to confuse people around here! 

Def

[Vidar]

I've never heard of a trailer being called a hanger, but I think I like it and may start to use it to confuse people around here! 

Def

I'm making an impact on the English language!  I also lay claim to "coinsequence" - a coincidental consequence. That confuses people too it seems. 

[dks]

Nice hangers Grant........


   

[Grant Lamontagne]

I put a lot of miles on my Jeep, and it's a bit of a gas hog, getting about 12L/100km (~23 mpg) on a good day.  That's on par with many full sized pickups these days.   

I'd like to be a bit greener, and, more importantly, save some money on longer trips, which I seem to do a lot of, so I have been thinking on and off about a hybrid, possibly as a next vehicle.  There's not much on the market (here in Canada at least) that appeals to me, but supposedly a hybrid power plant for Jeep is coming, likely based on the Fiat hybrid, which I know next to nothing about.  Either way, I can't see me getting one the year they come out, as I have enough problems in life. 

I looked at the Audi A3 E-Tron yesterday at the local Audi dealership, but it seems to have already been discontinued so I kind of counted it out.  Also, it was only FWD, not AWD, which seems kind of silly in an Audi.  What I liked is that it seems to have a similar range to my Jeep (about 645kms) on a single tank of gas, but it does it with a 40L tank, while my Jeep has an 80L tank.  It also had a reasonable price tag and enough cargo space for my large dogs and a roof rack for my kayaks.

I'm not 100% sold on a hybrid, and a full on electric car is pretty well useless to me because a large percentage of my driving is at or above the estimated 200km range, which I realize you are not likely to actually get.unless you are going downhill with a tail wind while not using the lights, stereo, heat or air conditioning and weigh less than 100 pounds.  The 1,000kkm trip I take to go to work each month (1000kms each way) would then take longer to get to than it would to do the job if I had to keep stopping for more electricity every hour or so.

Any hybrid I get is probably going to have to be a second (or perhaps third!) car though, as I enjoy playing in the woods, getting dirty, hauling trailers etc, and I don't see a hybrid managing any of that.

I'd love to hear thoughts and experiences others have had with hybrid vehicles.

Def

How things have changed since I started this thread.   

I am still driving my Jeep and I don't get anywhere near as good as 12L/100kms anymore.  I am getting about 14.4L/100kms on a good day now.   

At a current gas price of $1.89/L, that means I am paying about $.27/km to drive my Jeep. 

I've been drooling over the electric F-150 (called the Lightning) for some time now and with recent government discounts, they are quite reasonably priced. 

Given our current pricing of $.16/kwh, and the estimated range of the F-150, it would cost me about $.04/km to drive a full sized pickup, which is WAY better than the $.27/km it costs me to run my Jeep.   

Even assuming that the range estimates are somewhat generous, even a 50% reduction is a significant improvement over my Jeep.

For me and the mileage I do, that works out to somewhere around $500/mth in fuel savings, even after paying the power bill.  That's significant, and so I think once I get a few things sorted out, I may just have to sign up for a new truck.

Considering I brought my Jeep home in January 2013 with 4kms on the odometer and I am now sitting at just a hair under 300,000kms, I think it has done quite well.  And, there's still lots of life left in it, I just can't afford to feed it!   

Def

[powernoodle]

We bought a new Toyota Sienna hybrid several months ago.  Plenty of room for people and stuff, but its still small-ish on the outside.  Several years ago, we were on a trip in a Chevy Suburban carrying 5 people and stuff.  When the Suburban broke down, we rented it a mini van which surprisingly carried all of us and our stuff just fine.  This is what turned me on to mini vans.  Ours is all wheel drive, and gets 35 mpg in mixed driving.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Nice looking rig!

My parents used to drive Sienna's, although they were gas ones.  They had three in a row and loved them.

Unfortunately they didn't care much for the dealership and so they broke the streak with a Ford Edge, then a Honda Pilot and then another Honda Pilot.

Def