Hybrid Cars

[BFG]

'My' Citroen C3 can do 58 MPG  ... now that equals one very wallet its a 1.4 litre and as for acceleration, well considering it has me for a lumbering oaf of a driver it does very well indeed 

In fact, the one in the Escape is a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), which never shifts gears...it continuously selects the optimum power setting and adjusts the transmission output accordingly.  Pretty neat technology.

A technology that has been around for a long time i believe - the first using a couple of cone type cillenders connected by fundamentally a elastic band - (my memory fades completely i just remember somthing about it years and years ago... i think it was in a french car) it was a bloody neat system but didn't take off... this new stuff looks great though.

[BTs_GhostSniper]

'My' Citroen C3 can do 58 MPG  ... now that equals one very wallet its a 1.4 litre and as for acceleration, well considering it has me for a lumbering oaf of a driver it does very well indeed 

Yes, but we are talking about vehicles you can actually load 5 full-size adults in with comfort for a 1,000 mile trip and still have room for all their luggage.  Americans would never settle for the itty bitty cars you guys drive in Europe. 

In fact, the one in the Escape is a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), which never shifts gears...it continuously selects the optimum power setting and adjusts the transmission output accordingly.  Pretty neat technology.

A technology that has been around for a long time i believe - the first using a couple of cone type cillenders connected by fundamentally a elastic band - (my memory fades completely i just remember somthing about it years and years ago... i think it was in a french car) it was a bloody neat system but didn't take off... this new stuff looks great though.

Yes, CVT's have been around for many years...Subaru was using them 20 years ago.  The technology isn't all that new, but the mass-production of that technology is very new.  Never before has a major automaker put CVT's into its best-selling vehicles.  Quite a leap of faith.

[~Po~ TiroFino]

Why buy a hybrid, when the reg. gas car of the same brand and model is on avg. $3000 cheaper? To make-up for the price difference, it would take nearly 7 yrs of usage at around 12.000 miles per year. By then, I'm well ready to get a new car. Only thing I can think of is the "environmental friendly" part ? pocket friendly though.

[BTs_GhostSniper]

Why buy a hybrid, when the reg. gas car of the same brand and model is on avg. $3000 cheaper? To make-up for the price difference, it would take nearly 7 yrs of usage at around 12.000 miles per year. By then, I'm well ready to get a new car. Only thing I can think of is the "environmental friendly" part ? pocket friendly though.

Yes, but also remember the following:

1. Around a $2,000 Tax Credit, making the actual cost of the vehicle only $1,000 more than the regular.

2. Environmentally friendly...yep, that should make all the tree-huggers happy. 

3. You will normally be financing the extra $3,000 that the Hybrid costs over the regular vehicle...but you will be forking out for fuel all the time.  So the actual cost to own per month is actually LESS than the comparably equipped non-Hybrid vehicle.

Ooooooooh....gotta hate talking to a car salesman who has a come-back for EVERYTHING!  lol

[~Po~ TiroFino]

So the actual cost to own per month is actually LESS than the comparably equipped non-Hybrid vehicle.

Ok, I get the tax credit part, but let's see an example:

Let's say I  go to the pump on my reg. gas car on avg. once a week = $35  or around $140 a month
or $1680 yearly.

On the other hand, let's say I go to the pump on a hybrid every 2 weeks = half of all the above (being generous) = $840 yearly.

So it would take 1.5 yrs to come even from that $1000 extra I paid. 

I had no clue of the tax break, that's a very important incentive that definetly could shift the scale!

[BTs_GhostSniper]

So the actual cost to own per month is actually LESS than the comparably equipped non-Hybrid vehicle.

Ok, I get the tax credit part, but let's see an example:
Let's say I  go to the pump on my reg. gas car on avg. once a week = $35  or around $140 a month
or $1680 yearly.
On the other hand, let's say I go to the pump on a hybrid every 2 weeks = half of all the above (being generous) = $840 yearly.
So it would take 1.5 yrs to come even from that $1000 extra I paid. 
I had no clue of the tax break, that's a very important incentive that definetly could shift the scale!

You are still forgetting that the extra $3,000 you paid would be financed, more than likely.  So every month your fuel bill would be much, much less...but you would probably only be paying an extra $40 a month on your car note.  So, $40 more on your car note in order to save $70 to $100 or more, if you drive in the city, per month.  Sounds like the way to go to me.

[bronto]

fuck hybrid, just wait for hydrogen.

[crypt]

So what the hell will that be like in the future, going to the 'Hydro'station instead of the 'Gas'station to put a new fuel cell in?

[BTs_GhostSniper]

So what the hell will that be like in the future, going to the 'Hydro'station instead of the 'Gas'station to put a new fuel cell in?

Hydrogen power would seem to be the perfect solution to everything.  Just don't forget, it's one of the most combustable substances in the universe.  You know, it's what the sun is made out of to create that bright pretty star 93 million miles away.

But yeah, if they can harness the energy safely, it's a tremendous source of power.
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