Do Hybrid cars lose power?
November 8, 2009 in Maintenance & Repairs
Did you know that you can save fuel and run your car on water
anonymous asked:
With all this talk about hybrids and better gas mileage – I was wondering do the hybrids come with any baggage? Are they not as reliable? Do they lose power? What exactly is the difference between hybrids and their regular counterparts besides gas mileage?
Did you know that you can save fuel and run your car on water
They work well, however there are some issues.
They don’t always give the fuel savings you expect. This is especially true if they are used more for highway use than city driving. You have to drive them different to get them to give good fuel mileage. Light on the gas, light on the brakes. Coast whenever possible as this is when the batteries recharge. However, if you are light on the gas, light on the brakes, and coast whenever possible with a gasoline only car, you will also get better fuel mileage.
They cost at least $4000 and up more than a gasoline only economy car. When buying a hybrid you must consider your break even point. The point where you saved enough in fuel to make up the additional cost of the hybrid option. Most times your break even point as well after 100,000 miles.
The battery packs eventually need to be replaced. This happens just about the time you reach your break even point, so you are behind again.
Many mechanics won’t work on them. Any repairs will have to be done by the dealer. In general, dealer repair work costs more than having the work done by an independent mechanic.
yes…when the temperature is below a certain degree (not sure maybe 40 degrees F) they are only 40% efficient.
A hybrid car can not lose efficiency until the battery packs need to be replaced. The fact is the packs are never really charged more than 60% full at any point in time. They’re not electric cars so they have an efficiency benefit at all times until the batter pack fails. The Prius has a 10 year 100k mile warranty on the batteries, not prorated. If it fails on the last day, last mile, they replace it for free. The motors and batteries have proven so reliable, that you will see the 3rd generation cars use battery power alone for much longer periods and at much higher speeds without the use of the gas engine compared to generation 1 and 2 cars. So there.