Hybrid cars - is it worth the switch now?

[Friendstar]

btw emils,

 

hybrid is supposed to be excellent for start-go (city) conditions.

 

in fact, traveling on high way increases fuel consumption cos the petrol engine is being used while the electric engine stays dormant.

[Ultramega]

i will wait for fully electric car to be introduced to the market. i don't believe in being half here half there...in the end you're neither here nor there.

[Emils]

That was what it was meant to be designed for but in reality, it is not the case - unless you are willing to do without the aircon in such conditions. It's amazing how fast the aircon can suck the battery dry on a hot day because the petrol engine switches off when the car comes to a stop and only the battery reserves are used to keep the aircon running (+ your radio/sound system).

[Jamjammer]

Buona Vista got CNG refueling station meh? I'm staying nearby there but didnt see it le. If near my house, I'll convert to CNG.

All petrol station should have CNG and petrol topup so everyone can just topup these fuels. Feel it's very troublesome to go all the way to Jaybee and Mandai to top CNG

Edited July 30, 2007 by Jamjammer

[Friendstar]

agreed

i stay in bedok. worse!

[Friendstar]

u brought up a very good point indeed.

 

thanks for informing bros here.

 

 

now we know how hard our petrol engine work to keep aircon on =)

[Zakuii]

I've been driving the civic hybrid for close to 3 months and traveled around 40K km and I'm getting 14.7km/l based on the in-car mileage meter. Think it will be hard to hit the claimed 17 - 18 km/l mark for me,perhaps cos I'm doing almost 90% city driving. I'm quite a lightfooter too, at least most of the time.

 

If you do hit 17km/l when you get your car in future, do share with me how you achieved it!!

 

Hybrid is supposed to be give better fc during city driving.

[Vit4wd]

Just bear in mind that outside workshops may not have the expertise to service and repair hybrid cars, so you have to send it back to the agent, which will definitely cost you more.

 

You should also be travelling at least 25,000km or more annually over 10 yrs to justify the higher purchase & maintenance costs.

 

It's a pity diesel vehicles carry a road tax surcharge 7 times over the normal rd tax for petrol cars. Euro 4 diesel engines are as quiet and pollution free as petrol cars, and their fuel economy are very close to hybrid car levels. Diesel is much cheaper than 95 RON petrol by approx 50 cents per litre too.

Edited July 30, 2007 by Vit4wd

[Silver_blade]

i will wait for fully electric car to be introduced to the market. i don't believe in being half here half there...in the end you're neither here nor there.

Elect cars are almost unless for most people. Only good for people who make short trips to the supermarket. The distance an elect car can travel on a full charge is around 20km or so. Takes about 8hrs to charge.

[Toyo]

diesel are subsidize here, hence our govt will not encourage diesel engined passenger cars

[Arowana1]

will update you on the fc. u did 4,000km or 40,000km in 3 months?

 

when driving hybrid, driving style must suit hybrid else fc wont be realised to its full potential.

[Arowana1]

no issue for me cos i dun trust outside workshops. nothing but ad for me. when purchase car, i kinda cost that in liao.

[Arowana1]

u will end up with golf buggy. distance covered will never be sufficient, even with large batteries cos more batteries, the heavier the car... need more power. end up, a car on battery alone is not suitable to be built big.

[Toyo]

Hybrid cars are not all abt FC, its also environment friendly

[Arowana1]

think u missed the point. if fc is primary concern, then get a manual kancil.

 

hybrid will suit people with the following profile:

1. light footed driver

2. travel a lot, min 20,000km/year

3. bean counter (sort of, else why we bother to save on fuel)

4. want a decent ride in a good car

5. want to do our part for the env > tis one probably least applicable for me

 

if i were to get normal civic, it cost the same as 1.8l. power is similar so lets use this as comparison. 1.8l gets around 11km/l? compared to 17km/l, over 32,000km. savings of $150/month. why not?

[Genie47]

This is due to the fact that you got to "learn" to drive a hybrid to tap it's efficiency. You can't just drive it like any slush box car. Darklord can point you to the finer points of driving a slush box to the point you can get 20km/L with conventional petrol technology.

 

Also a hybrid in the city with stop-start traffic conditions will bring about massive fuel savings. It is only on the highway that it runs equal with a monofuel petrol engine.

[Ultramega]

i will wait for fully electric car to be introduced to the market. i don't believe in being half here half there...in the end you're neither here nor there.

Elect cars are almost unless for most people. Only good for people who make short trips to the supermarket. The distance an elect car can travel on a full charge is around 20km or so. Takes about 8hrs to charge.

 

the world is not that backward. see this: http://www.teslamotors.com/

[Ultramega]

pls read up on battery technologies, thanks.