Hybrid Vs Non-Hybrid

[bycap]

Hi,

I've seen many people buy hybrid cars claiming they are ECONOMICAL to drive. ( then they go on streets/traffics in a way to charge the battery to get the maximum fuel economy making others crazy) AFAIK hybrids are not made as economical vehicles but rather a green car.

I had an argument with Prius owner( and non-hybrid owner too), both were claiming its economical to drive. What do you think ?

Im sure there should be people who drive hybrid car a long time.

Do you really get that benefit of fuel economy ?

P.S.

I did a rough calculation. If you buy a hybrid car paying, say 500,000 more and get the fuel economy 20 kmpl in traffic where as a non hybrid car (ex. 2,3 years old axio or Honda FD1 etc. ) which has 10 kmpl in traffic. Both run 30 km per day. Comfort level of both cars can be more or less same. Then what you do is take the non-hybrid car which is 500,000 lesser than hybrid, spend that money to achieve same fuel figure in hybrid since it consumes more fuel. Roughly you can run 5 years with that extra 500,000 keeping the fuel figures equally.

Eventually hybrid cars are not economical as they appear. Regardless the fact that they are pretty lazy.

[Watchman]

You're not the first person to have thought of this, and it was discussed many times before...

[abcjayasinghe]

IMO you already have the answer to your question. If hybrids are not as efficient as they claim to be, then you can live happily with your non-hybrid.

Why would you ever bother about Hybrids?

[GayanR]

Lot of people just like the fact that their cars are economical than other cars on the road on day to day basis.They don't think so much far into the future.I know some of my friends who own hybrids have no idea about the complexity of their machines and some just simply don't care,and don't care about the economy at all,They just like the fact that it just looks modern and nice.Down the lane when these cars get old then it might be not so economical to drive with the repairs.It's just in the mind set of the owner.Some simply don't care about the repairs and all and some have no clue about their machines.

[bycap]

IMO you already have the answer to your question. If hybrids are not as efficient as they claim to be, then you can live happily with your non-hybrid.

Why would you ever bother about Hybrids?

Yes of course I'm quite happy with my non-hybrid. On some certain times I get more economical fuel figures than Prius. But I'm just wondering why people buy so many hybrid cars. What I asked was from experienced owners of hybrid, do you actually get the benefit ? People who use hybrid cars for several years might have an answer.

It's said that battery needs to be changed every 5 years. what are the comments on that those who had to change it ?

[asrock]

A typical hybrid owner will never say that it’s not economical, it’s pointless arguing with them. They just do not accept the bitter truth.

[Phill]

Simple answer is that the hybrid is cheaper due to the low tax rate, if you are looking to import a vehicle.

So you can buy a relatively new car, a hybrid for the price of 5 or 6 years or more old normal car.

Fuel Economy is more dependant on the way you drive than the type of the car you drive.

[sathyajithj99]

There are no hybrid users in Sri Lanka who bought them to 'save the world'. They just buy it because they are said to be 'economical' and look modern. Some buy it as a trend. They are not that economical after all. One of my friend prius 2011 owner said averagely it does about 18km/l on long runs. Even 2008 axio does somewhat around 17km/l on long runs(without A/c). The most frightening part is that they have to change the battery in 5-7 years depending on the condition of it. It also costs about 500k-600k. And during accidents there is a high risk of electric leaks and get the vehicles burnt.(few incidents happened already). If they really want to save the planet they should go for electric vehicles such as Nissan leaf.

[sathyajithj99]

[bycap]

Fuel figures are pretty much correct. One of my friend too own a Prius. On a long run it was 18+

Is there anybody who actually happened to change the battery ?

[Supra_Natural]

There are no hybrid users in Sri Lanka who bought them to 'save the world'. They just buy it because they are said to be 'economical' and look modern. Some buy it as a trend. They are not that economical after all. One of my friend prius 2011 owner said averagely it does about 18km/l on long runs. Even 2008 axio does somewhat around 17km/l on long runs(without A/c). The most frightening part is that they have to change the battery in 5-7 years depending on the condition of it. It also costs about 500k-600k. And during accidents there is a high risk of electric leaks and get the vehicles burnt.(few incidents happened already). If they really want to save the planet they should go for electric vehicles such as Nissan leaf.

The difference is that Hybrids are just as economical in town as they are on long runs and since most sri lankans spend more time at low speed, they will always have an economy advantage. The "high risk of electric leaks" in accidents is bullshit, that's a tale created by people like yourself who bought Allions and Axios and were faced with the new concept of depreciation, to ensure that their car's maintain some resale value in the face of the hybrid invasion.

[Schiffer]

The "high risk of electric leaks" in accidents is bullshit, that's a tale created by people like yourself who bought Allions and Axios and were faced with the new concept of depreciation, to ensure that their car's maintain some resale value in the face of the hybrid invasion.

oh i wish i could rep you for that supra

[iRage]

And during accidents there is a high risk of electric leaks and get the vehicles burnt.(few incidents happened already). If they really want to save the planet they should go for electric vehicles such as Nissan leaf.

I would say the probability is the same as a gasoline car catching fire after the fuel tank leaks and a spark ignites it (a lot which has happened over the last few decades).

If they go with Leafs ? (Leaves?) then the electricity should be solar generated for it to be completely saving the planet....

[The Don]

Sathyajith, please either trim your signature picture to a smaller size, or I'm removing your signature. That actually goes to everybody. Screen real estate is at a premium so don't waste it. Some people read the site on mobile devices.

[Bracket]

[ramishkad]

I am a hybrid owner. The economy and benefits of owning a hybid varies greatly by your driving habits and the amount of miles you run on average in a month. If you are someone who runs high mileage (1500-2000km) per month like me, I think it will be beneficial even that though in the long run. But if you run less than that, might as well get a regular gasoline vehicle.

But contrary to popular belief, not everyone who buys a hybrid does it with the sole purpose of getting ridiculous fuel consumption figures like 35kmpl. At least I didnt. I get around 15-17kmpl fuel consumption on average and this is while running 5 days in Colombo heavy traffic and two Kandy-Colombo trips a week (with A/C always on). And I do not drive slow to save fuel or hog the roads.. My average speed would be 60-80kmph which is the same I maintained in my previous Diesel car.

The vehicle I bought had both hybrid and non-hybrid versions of the same model and one of the reasons that prompted me to go for the hybrid version is that the gasoline version would only do 6-8kmpl in regular colombo traffic. This was not something I could not afford esp with the amount of miles I run in a month. And I liked the look of the car, handling and driving experience so I went for it. So far I am happy with it.

So as I said, the value of having a hybrid varies by your requirements, use cases and your personal preferences.

Edited September 5, 2014 by ramishkad

[LR4]

I also have a hybrid. But I regret why I bought that. I have to pay luxury tax for 7 years which will cost around 550K for 7 years and the battery will have to replace in about 7 years which will cost around the same price. Total cost will be around 1.1 million without any expenses on maintaining. So I suggest to stick with non hybrid.

[sathyajithj99]

The difference is that Hybrids are just as economical in town as they are on long runs and since most sri lankans spend more time at low speed, they will always have an economy advantage. The "high risk of electric leaks" in accidents is bullshit, that's a tale created by people like yourself who bought Allions and Axios and were faced with the new concept of depreciation, to ensure that their car's maintain some resale value in the face of the hybrid invasion.

There is no need to maintain resale values by lying about hybrids. Allions and axios always have a good resale value because they are economical on fuel,low maintenance cost, availability of spare parts, ,etc. And if electric leaks are bullshit why are there reported incidents in last few years?

I would say the probability is the same as a gasoline car catching fire after the fuel tank leaks and a spark ignites it (a lot which has happened over the last few decades).

If they go with Leafs ? (Leaves?) then the electricity should be solar generated for it to be completely saving the planet....

Sure,that's a possibility. But the odds are very low comparing with hybrids having electric leaks. And I agree that solar generated electricity should be used, otherwise there is no point.

[ramishkad]

There is no need to maintain resale values by lying about hybrids. Allions and axios always have a good resale value because they are economical on fuel,low maintenance cost, availability of spare parts, ,etc. And if electric leaks are bullshit why are there reported incidents in last few years?

Sure,that's a possibility. But the odds are very low comparing with hybrids having electric leaks. And I agree that solar generated electricity should be used, otherwise there is no point.

Dude, on what figures are you basing these allegations on?

Recently, when a Tesla Model S (which has an all electric power-train) caught fire it was huge news and it made headlines even on tech blogs. But when you really dug into the details:

"Yet Musk was defensive when asked about Tesla’s safety record, noting the Model S is “about five times less likely to have a fire than the average car.” With their three fires, Tesla has had about one fire every 8,000 vehicles, compared to one in 1,300 for the industry average. There are 200,000 gasoline car fires every year, he told Sorkin, “how many times do you hear about this [in the news]?”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2013/11/12/elon-musk-on-the-tesla-fires-headlines-are-deceiving-model-s-is-safest-car-on-the-road-by-far/

Hybrids have their drawbacks. Spontaneously busting into flames is not one of them.

[bycap]

You're not the first person to have thought of this, and it was discussed many times before...

you are a real watchman

[bycap]

There are no hybrid users in Sri Lanka who bought them to 'save the world'. They just buy it because they are said to be 'economical' and look modern. Some buy it as a trend. They are not that economical after all. One of my friend prius 2011 owner said averagely it does about 18km/l on long runs. Even 2008 axio does somewhat around 17km/l on long runs(without A/c). The most frightening part is that they have to change the battery in 5-7 years depending on the condition of it. It also costs about 500k-600k. And during accidents there is a high risk of electric leaks and get the vehicles burnt.(few incidents happened already). If they really want to save the planet they should go for electric vehicles such as Nissan leaf.

I don't think there are plenty of similar cases. There might be some exceptional cases but based on that we cant make a proper decision. Besides one would claim there are plenty of incidents where vehicles burnt due to petrol leaks.

[abcjayasinghe]

Wondering why discussions on hybrids always end up in a negative note..! Probably Hybrid technology is still far from being perfect.

[knightowl]

I'll compare hybrid cars to people who dump their garbage somewhere on the road side. They are clean and the town & the environment is not. Mining for rare metals devastate vast areas of natural habitat. Users of electric cars do not realise where the electricity is coming from. Coal, Deisel etc. Simply the pollution is somewhere else.

[RViji]

I had a look at the trunk of a Prius(Limo) at a promotion event once,and it was quite small although it looked quite big on the outside.Not even 2 suitcases could fit in there.

Is it true that Prius hybrids are not even used for Taxis in Japan,because they are not comfortable and spacious enough?

May be thats why they introduced the Prius Shuttle.

[ramishkad]

I had a look at the trunk of a Prius(Limo) at a promotion event once,and it was quite small although it looked quite big on the outside.Not even 2 suitcases could fit in there.

Is it true that Prius hybrids are not even used for Taxis in Japan,because they are not comfortable and spacious enough?

May be thats why they introduced the Prius Shuttle.

What is the Prius Shuttle?