What's Your Opinion on Hybrid Vehicles?

  • Thread starter Thread starter cardude2004
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What do you think about hybrid vehicles?

  • Total voters
    24
  • Poll closed .
C

cardude2004

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What do you think of hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius or Honda Insight. Personally I don't really like them. I think they don't look very good. I heard that you can't let these hybrid vehicles sit long because they lose their charge. Is this true?
 
I don't know if thats true or not, but I respect them, They are trying to help our environment, and apparantly whoever buys one gets some kind of extra money from the governemt for less pollution. If only they could make them look decent, they all look really ugly.
 
Hybrid vehicles are a good concept, but not perfectly executed, yet.

Here's an example of the problems:

My mom's Prius crashed a few weeks ago. I don't mean it hit something. I mean the computer crashed, and the car had to be towed to the dealer to have the OS rebooted and patched.
 
One one hand, they protect the environment and have good gas milage. On the other hand, they look and sound like crap with no performance once so ever.
 
Actually, the performance isn't too bad. The Prius is significantly better than, for example, the Chrystler Sebring Convertible my dad had as a rental car briefly when his 328 was in the shop. The Prius has ample power for freeway passing, etc.
 
A Honda Jazz aparently has better fuel efficiency. There should be a few other cars that are comparable that have better fuel efficiency too.

But i like them. The new Prius doesn't look bad at all IMO.
 
I voted for "I like them." That doesnt exactly equate into "I would buy one of the current ones." They are a step towards the future and an excellent way of using our technology to help preserve our environment. Until they can provide one that handles like a sports car and has the acceleration of one, I probably won't be considering one. However, for cars like the civic, they're perfect. Not everyone needs a car as a tool for fun - for many, it's just an appliance. Nothing wrong with that at all.
 
Yeah, that's exactly how I feel. If someone would make an affordable AWD hybrid, I would defenitely consider one as a daily driver. (In a few years, when I have the money to be buying a new car, that is) That way, it would be possible to still have a "fun" car, while having an economical and comfortable car for day-to-day use.
 
Electric sports cars can become a reality. I would imagine the torque curve on an electric powered car would be incredibly flat. But then on the x-axis of a torque curve what would replace revs?
 
Apparently, the performance version of the next Lexus GS will have a hybrid V6; supposedly it has V8 performance with V6 economy. Also, don't forget that Ford designed and built a hybrid Escape.

Personally, I think cylinder deactivation on a big V8 is a smater move than a V6 + electric motor. I mean, there are no batteries to run out. But the fact that hybrids are moving into the luxury segment indicates that they are hear to stay. It is nice to see the automakers tring something different, although I myself would not buy one until the reliability wrinkles in these thing have been ironed out.
 
Ideally, I think an electric motor should have a completely flat torque curve. More interesting would be a plot of torque vs. battery charge.
 
I don't think looks or power are the purpose of hybirds, and I think they are necessary technology for farther in the future.
 
cardude2004
I heard that you can't let these hybrid vehicles sit long because they lose their charge. Is this true?
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If you let any car sit for a while its battery will die :) I wouldn't think a hybrid would be any worse than any other car, I suppose it could be though.
 
Firebird
What the hell are you talking about? Since when do electric motors not revolve?
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Not in the same way as a combustion engine. For all you know it could use transformers instead of gears with an induction motor at the wheels. Which is logical since a transformer is more reliable and efficient than a set of gears. Do you have extensive knowledge of what electric cars of the futures may look like?

Don't be such an arse about it thanks. Maybe you didn't intend for me to take your comment the way i did, but it sure sounded like it.
 
In any case, no matter how the drivetrain is oriented and/or constructed, the motor itself still revolves around an axis perpendicular to the plane in which the rotation occurs. The exact point at which the rotation "begins" and "ends" is completely arbitrary. Pick a spot and put timing marks on it if it makes it easier to comprehend.

And yes, I know I'm an obnoxious ********. Still doesn't change that fact that what you said makes no sense whatsoever.
 
Firebird
In any case, no matter how the drivetrain is oriented and/or constructed, the motor itself still revolves around an axis perpendicular to the plane in which the rotation occurs. The exact point at which the rotation "begins" and "ends" is completely arbitrary. Pick a spot and put timing marks on it if it makes it easier to comprehend.

And yes, I know I'm an obnoxious ********. Still doesn't change that fact that what you said makes no sense whatsoever.
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How are you going to measure revs when motion starts at the wheels? Measure the rotation of the wheels?
 
Firebird
What?!

Motion starts at the motor!
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Heres how it works. You have your battery, which is connected to a series of transformers which act like gears, which leads to induction motors at the wheels. If you read my post before you would know this is what i am saying.
 
Yeah, so put a timing mark on the housing encasing the transformers, another on the magnetic rotor, and there you go. If the timing marks coincide 3000 times in one minute the motor is turning at 3000rpm.

If the motor happens to be at the wheel then sure, you'll be measuring the wheel's revolutions too. But I seriously doubt the auto industry would abandon the transmission.
 
Firebird
Yeah, so put a timing mark on the housing encasing the transformers, another on the magnetic rotor, and there you go. If the timing marks coincide 3000 times in one minute the motor is turning at 3000rpm.
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A transformer is an electric device which converts from high-voltage/low-amperage to low-voltage/high-amperage and vica-versa, much like gears govern accel vs speed. I don't know what the timing mark is and i hardly see how attaching one to the housing for tranfsormers is going to achieve anything. I assume the timing mark is a mechanical device which can't be used on transformers.
 
Pistachio
A transformer is an electric device which converts from high-voltage/low-amperage to low-voltage/high-amperage and vica-versa, much like gears govern accel vs speed. I don't know what the timing mark is and i hardly see how attaching one to the housing for tranfsormers is going to achieve anything. I assume the timing mark is a mechanical device which can't be used on transformers.
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Now think about this, a transformer works on AC current, batteries always provide DC current, so no way is your scheme gonna work.

Also, you could measure rotation at the wheels if that is where the motor is.
 
skip0110
Now think about this, a transformer works on AC current, batteries always provide DC current, so no way is your scheme gonna work.

Also, you could measure rotation at the wheels if that is where the motor is.
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What an oversight. Actually you CAN get transformers to work with DC, but that would require motors in the transformer, which is stupid.

Such a shame, it would be soo much nicer to use transformers instead of a gearbox.


But as for measuring wheel rotation, wouldn't that just be speed? From my understanding you should measure revs BEFORE the gearbox/transformer. If you wanted to get revs out of the wheels wouldn't you need to divide it by gear/transformer ratios?
 
Okay, let's dumb this down for you.

First of all, forget the ****ing transformers. I don't even know why you've brought them up. To be honest I assumed you didn't know what the **** you were talking about (I still question it), and I figured you just meant a simple set of coils (which is really what a transformer is, just a differing amounts of wires in the coils, depending on whether it's a step-up or step-down transformer).

Take a look at my lovely little illustration. You see how the motor looks? The coils are held within a housing. Make a mark on the housing. Make another on the rotor. Every time the mark on the rotor passes the mark on the housing the motor itself has made a revolution. The total number of revolutions in a minute will give you revolutions per minute.

Okay?
 

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Firebird
Okay, let's dumb this down for you.

First of all, forget the ****ing transformers. I don't even know why you've brought them up. To be honest I assumed you didn't know what the **** you were talking about (I still question it), and I figured you just meant a simple set of coils (which is really what a transformer is, just a differing amounts of wires in the coils, depending on whether it's a step-up or step-down transformer).

Take a look at my lovely little illustration. You see how the motor looks? The coils are held within a housing. Make a mark on the housing. Make another on the rotor. Every time the mark on the rotor passes the mark on the housing the motor itself has made a revolution. The total number of revolutions in a minute will give you revolutions per minute.

Okay?
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Thank you i already figured soo much. It measures the rotation of a mechanical device. Refer to my post just above.
 
Firebird
I still fail to see what your comprehension problems stem from.

It doesn't matter how the damned motor is mounted.
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I just want to know. How do you measure engine revs from the speed of the wheels?
 
Actually, as long as there is gas in the tank, a hybrid's batteries will never run out. If there is a drain on the battery, the car will sense it. When the level falls below acceptable levels, the car will start and recharge the batteries. A co-worker of my father, who has a Prius (actually, he's on his second, he just traded in his first gen model), once left his lights on all night. in the morning, the car had used a bit of gas, but the battery was at full power, and the car started and ran flawlessly.
 

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