Hybrid cars.?

Question

hii! i am turning 16 soon and i am thinking about getting a hybrid. i have a few questions.

1. usually solar powerd things arent near as good like a calculator, how do i know that hybrid will be just as good.

2. please explain to me there power source, and how i would use it.

3. what's a bigger one, or maybe just a cute one that you can drive.

4. are they batterery operated, or solar powered, or....(revert to number 4)

2 pts. go to best answer. thanks!

Answer 1

From my checking into them, I would go with a fuel efficient car over the hybrid!  A Toyota corolla with 5 speed and 4cyl or a Honda civic or Mazda3 or Ford focus etc..........  You will save $5,000 to $10,000 right up front and you will NEVER save that much on fuel.  NOW if you are just trying to be "green" and save the planet then that is your decision.  But for saving money hybrid will NOT do that for you.

Answer 2

1) Hybrids have been around in the USA since 1999.  Over the past 9 years there have been few complaints about hybrids being inferior to non-hybrids.  In fact, most hybrid owners are thrilled with their cars, and hybrid sales have been increasing every year.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/02/...

2) The power source for current hybrids is gasoline, just like any other car.  Hybrids just use the gasoline more efficiently.  They do this by having 2 engines - an internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric motor.  Usually the hybrid will run the ICE at the most efficient speed possible (basically acting as a generator) and store the energy in the batteries, which power the electric motor.  When the car needs more power, the ICE can supply it.

Hybrids also have regenerative braking systems which recharge the batteries as you hit the brakes.  Again more efficient than non-hybrids, which lose this energy in the form of heat to the surrounding environment.

You don't have to do anything differently with a hybrid than you would with a regular car.  It's just designed more efficiently.

3) There are hybrids of all sizes, from the most efficient Toyota Prius to massive SUVs like the Chevy Tahoe which only gets 21 mpg despite being a hybrid because it's so large and heavy.

4) Hybrids store energy in their batteries.  Currently hybrids do not use solar technology.

Answer 3

A 16 year old probably wants a car and wants it now. With that in mind, I probably would agree with the first answer, however I'd get a very used economical car since the chances of wrecking it as a 16 year old are pretty good. You do not want to damage or destroy a $30-40K or more car. I'd tell your car dealer that your next purchase will be a plug in hybrid or you will continue to drive your old junk heap until it no longer runs if they do not start getting plug in hybrids.

A plug in hybrid will combine the best parts of electric with the best part of the traditional car. That is, you can plug it into your home electrical outlet and charge it at night. The next day, you can drive it to school and back without using any gas at all. If that is your major driving, you may never have to put gas in it all week long. Of course, your parents electric bill will go up a bit. If you do not drive that car on a given day, you can actually sell the electricity that you charged during the night, back to the electrical power company.

So, your first 30-40 miles would be electric but if you drive further the gas would take over and you can use it just like any other car. Use your junk heap to drive to work at night and start saving for your plug in hybrid car or truck. Toyota seems to be ready to sell one again and has a nice reliable reputation.

Theoretically, you could charge it with solar panels but it would take a long time until technology improves and well ... as a 16 year old, you'll not likely be able to buy panels.

Answer 4

No car makers are using the newest battery tech yet.  I think they guarantee the battery for 7 years.  The battery tech they are using causes the battery to weaken in 3 years.  Battery replacement is $3,000 but I heard they won't replace them they just trade in the car some how.  I will wait for a plug-in hybrid using the LI-ION Titanium tech which is a 20 year battery.

JD BMW  has some points but 2 flaws he needs to research is:

1.  Every time I buy a new battery for my regular vehicles the store will give me money back if I trade in my old battery so that it will be recycled. Not thrown into a landfill

2. The newest battery tech out there is nLTO-Based Li-Ion Battery Read about it in the links below

Answer 5

I'd have to agree with several comments already given. At 16 years old, I'd certainly not spend the extra cash to get a hybrid or any costly car. A used Toyota, Honda, Nissan ... can give you many years of good performance while you learn from the many driving mistakes you'll make and can earn your own money to buy whatever car you wish.

I would do research into plug-in hybrids for the future though. It will be a few years before you can afford one and it will also be a few years before there are many available to choose from. However, as "energy dreamer"  stated they may offer significant benefits that no other type can provide. A regular hybrid is only marginally better than a regular car and costs much more. Still the hybrid owners that I know are very happy with them.

Check the Google company site and see what they are doing with plug in hybrids and solar energy. I don't have the actual http site but look for google green or google solar or something like that. They are using plug in hybrids very successfully.

You have years to study before spending your own money. Spend it wisely and help the Earth survive.

Answer 6

Hello! I can definitely  answer your questions, and afterwords allow me to share some facts with you. Also please let me know why you want to purchase a Hybrid. Because I am sure you and most others are not familiar with all the facts.

1. It will not be. The current technology and cost does not allow a mass production Solar Powered Vehicle. None are currently available in the U.S.

2. and 4. They can both be answered at once. The definition of the word Hybrid when speaking of  automobile power plant is a combination of two motors. Currently the most prevelant is a Gas Engine/Electric Motor. The Gas Engine is normally dominent used 80% or more during the drive and the fuel used is primarly unleaded gas. Other combos, like those offered by General Motors, are also Gas Engine/Electric Motor, the difference is that they will run on Unleaded Gas or Ethenol. Ethenol is fuel derived from corn, wheat, grass, ect. The electric motor is run on batteries, which are charged by the gasoline engine and regenerative brakes. BMW since the early 90's has been working on a Hydrogen Hybrid, which would be able to operate completely on unleaded gas or by hydrogen.

3.???? The smallest mass produced hybrid passanger car is the Honda Insight. The Largest mass produced Hybrid is probabley the Lexus LS 600H or a couple of GM SUV/Truck models. BMW also has a 7 series Hydrogen Hybrid. The Honda Civic, Toyota Prius, Toyota Highlander suv, Chevy Malibu and some others will be some of the less expensive mass production cars available in the US at this time.

Now for the truth about Hybrids!!!!

To start things off, here is why consumers think they should buy a hybrid:

(list not neccesarly in order)

1. Fuel cost savings.

2. Foreign dependancy for fuel ect.

3. Enviroment (Pollution, Gobal Warming, ect.......).

4. Facinated by the technology.

5. Political reason (want to be perceived by certain people to be a caring individual).

6.And perhaps some other bad reasons (You tell me).

Below are the answers!

1. I don't care what hybrid you choose! Calculate; the price of a specific hybrid vs it non hybrid counter part (example Honda Civic vs Honda Civic Hybrid). This information was taken right from the Honda website.

Honda Civic Sedan base MSRP $15010, Hwy MPG 36 (EPA EST)

Honda Civic Hybrid base MSRP $22600, Hwy MPG 45 (EPA EST)

First because of the nature of the Hybrid, it is typically easier to obtain the EPA estimates on the non Hybrid vs the Hybrid version! To add to it, look at the difference in price!!!! $7000+ !!!! and if you calculate the average miles per year driven, divided by the MPGs, and then multiple by the cost per gallon of gas here are the figures;

12000 miles per year (average miles driven) /miles per gallon x cost of fuel ($3.00 gallon) the hybrid which costs in this case $7000 more saves you $200 a year in fuel over the non hybrid which costs you $200 more a year in fuel. To recover the $7000 spent it would take you 35 years to break even!!!! I could not believe it myself when I did the math!!!! Also hybrids are extremely dangerous in the event of a collision!

2. Regarding Foreign dependancy for oil. No single country will ever function completely without some exchange or "dependancy. If we were going to a new energy source and stop using oil, it would only be a matter of time before we were out of that source and going to foreign countries and vise versa for that new source. As far as I am concerned we should just take over those countries and their resources!!!!

3. Ah my favorite subject!!!! The Enviroment!!!! I personally do believe in gobal climate change. What I do not believe is that humans are 100% responsible!!!! In fact they are not!!!! Climate change has been occurring for millions of years not just on Earth, but also on other planets! Earth has had numerous drastic climate changes long before man was around and will continue to have drastic climate change after we are gone!!!! I know all these no offense "Tree Huggers" ect come up with these numbers of CO2 emissions and they may or may not be accurate. The issue is that they show the numbers in a very biased number. For example, if I told you that I raced around  track and had a lap time of 1 minute some might think it is a short time, some might think it is a long time! The key is when I specify my time verse other people time around the track, then the time of 1 minute means somthing. That being said, currently the C02 emission of all the cars in the world only account for .33% of the human impact of C02 on Earth. So even if we stopped driving vehicles all together we will only make a difference of .33%!!! That is the equivelant of the impact of taking $3300 from someone's account that has $1,000,000!!!! Pennies on the dollar! To top everything off, if the vehicle is a Gas/Electric or just Electric, it is going to have a NiCad battery. That means that the battery is made primarly from nickel. Nickel must be mined and nickel mining is extremely polluting and energy consuming. The machines and transport used  are oil powered. Then after 5-8 years the battery is thrown in a landfill!

4. Technology??? Yea! Someone told me that they purchased a Toyota Prius just because of their facination with technology! There are many devices, toys, gadgets, and of course cars that have far more technology!!!! Try a German car!

5. Politics. Well if everyone was properly informed regarding current available hybrids, they would never have to buy or endorse one. In fact it would not be a wise decision to do so.

6. Other reason?????

****Note**** I am an individual who tries not to speak unless I am well informed or am asking a question, maybe telling a joke.  Any subject where I have question, I will immediately search for the correct answer even if I am not happy with the answer I always want the truth! Also I have much more information on this subject, but I am out of time for today. If anyone has any questions, comments, or read anything that was factually incorrect, please let me know. Also I am not a grammar nor spelling expert! I do love information!

Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks