Question abouthybrid cars?

Question

Im wondering something, in the past few years there's been a kind of an explosion around hybrid cars, supposedly because they are kind to the environment and they save gas which translate into "big" savings.

The thing is that i dont see where all that come from, i mean those cars got 2 engines one that runs on gas and the other on electricity, and then you see in comercial people claiming they save gas because they got that electric motor, but the fact of the matter is that the electric motor runs on the energy created by the gas engine so since energy cannot be created from thin air that means that the gas engine is capable by iteself of producing whatever they combined can do, if anything the electric motor is actually adding more weight to the car and causing more wasted fuel (not to mention the weight of the batteries,) not to mention that servicing it (as well as replacing the batteries when these stop working) makes it much more expensive in the long run than regular cars. in the other hand, the environment thing, even if they would burn fuel "more clean" still in the process of obtaining those matterias (such as lead for batteries) the environment is much more affected that from the gas a regular engine produce.

In top of all that i have recently seen some "pointless hybrid cars"

like

Hybrid Lexus SUV

Hybrid Tahoe

Hybrid Toyota Highlander

ETC

i mean SUVs and trucks are transport that by nature requires certain ammount of "available" power and which ever the case is, hybrid wont deliver it.

Anyone got any answer why is all that?

Answer 1

Why? Because they're in fashion. Every celebrity's got one to 'offset' the cost of flitting back and forth around the globe in their private jets.

I prefer a tried-and-true diesel, like yourself.

And to the apologists who hide behind the 'briliant technogy under development' scenario, let me know when they finish developing it. I don't buy unfinished products. And this is far from finished, and even further from 'briliant'.

Answer 2

Hybrids recharge batteries during braking, when the vehicle is stopped, the gas motor is not running, all these strategies help to increase gas mileage. Battery packs in hybrid Toyotas have proven to last the life of the vehicle, they are recycled at the end of their life cycle. The added weight of the batteries is partially offset by the need for a smaller engine.

Finally the point of hybrids is not what they are now but where this technology is heading, and clearly not wasting gas idling and crawling in rush hour traffic, regenerative braking, etc is a way forward to improving vehicle efficiency.

Answer 3

The other answers your question where the extra energy comes from.

As for the battery, the battery is expected t last seven years in Southern California, less in colder climates. The dealer cost of the battery, at this time is $1800 and is expected to be about $3,000 installed. It is likely that many older Prius's will become very sluggish gas only cars as they get old. And s lot will be junked at seven years of age, negating all the gasoline savings.

Consider that I have achieved over 40MPG in a Chevy Cobalt on the highway, by simply staying at the posted speed limit, it does make the hybrid look like a knee jerk reaction to a more fundamental problem.

Answer 4

i had to do a report on this for economics. hybrids charge two ways one buy power from the gas motor and two by whats called regenerative breaking which is the electric motor is used in addition to the breaks to slow the vehicle down and during that the energy is stored in the batteries. also yes the gas engine is used to create energy for the electric but the main thing is that the electric motors keeps the gas motor running in peak fuel range because in that peak range you get much better mileage. also the maintenance for the electric engine in actually close to nothing unless there are some manufactured defects. but in the end you don't save money by owning a hybrid. you have to drive it for 15 years before you get any return on the extra cost you pay upfront for the hybrid model and that batteries have never been tested that long because they have only been around since 1998 so if you have to replace the batteries you lose about 300 dollars to own a hybrid