Difficulties getting an e-car, Part 2

[flecc]

Over the last 12 months, between mot's, I averaged 62.4 mpg.

I could do worse if I really tried but being lazy...

That's very good and not too far from Toyota's 68 mpg claim. But a large number of Prius drivers are down into the 40s and could do just as well or better with a diesel. The ex-Top Gear motormouths got 37 mpg. Even my 1600 cc petrol car does around 47 mpg with careful driving, though I don't usually take that much care.

I've always maintained that the original Prius is not a true hybrid, since it only has one fuel, petrol. Any electricity used to drive it is derived from petrol input in the first place.

Today's Prius model should do better now that it's chargeable from the mains.
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[Croxden]

Anyone who gets such a low mpg in a Prius or similar ought to have their licence removed.

One hears the boasting of the idiot things they do whilst driving them.

You do need to modify your driving style to get the best mpg but then it has always been recommended to drive smoothly. With the instruments in the Prius the actual mpg can easily be seen and just easing the pressure on the throttle an improvement can be seen without reducing the speed.

It's running engines cold that ruins the mpg, some folks only do short hops to the shops, if they knew their true mpg they would have a fit.

 

[Cyclezee]

Trouble is I'm running out of time. It's a race between the improvements in e-car economics and the undertaker!
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I bet you outlast that old eZee NiMH unless you give it a new lease of life just like

 

[Kudoscycles]

That's what I really like about Tesla. Their aim is to make the world's best car. And as far as I can tell, they're very close if not already there. The Model S has enough range to avoid the usual anxieties, and a guaranteed price for replacement batteries. I think the only real problem is the price of a battery, and other than that the electric drive train is generally superior. In a luxury saloon you can absorb the cost of the battery but it's pretty much impossible to absorb a £10k cost in a £20k vehicle without making enormous sacrifices.

Tesla's therefore investing billions in the world's biggest battery factory, to attempt to bring down that cost. I personally think the Model 3 will be the first fully electric vehicle at normal (ish) prices that won't require big compromises.

Disclaimer I've got shares in Tesla, not doing well this week

Tesla is owned by a Chinese company that also produces 70% of the worlds auto bearings....their revenue is 52 billion US dollars,making them the second largest private company in China.
KudosDave

 

[Croxden]

I've always maintained that the original Prius is not a true hybrid, since it only has one fuel, petrol. Any electricity used to drive it is derived from petrol input in the first place.
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Not so flecc, it has kinetic energy that changes the battery. The brakes only work to stop the car in last few feet, the retardation is done electronically.

The last mile home fully charges the battery as its all down hill. Engine not running.

 

[flecc]

With the instruments in the Prius the actual mpg can easily be seen and just easing the pressure on the throttle an improvement can be seen without reducing the speed.

The same on my plain petrol car, but frankly I drive it as I need to to fit the circumstances and not by staring at the consumption bar. That's economical driving and as said, I can get 47 mpg that way, but I don't accept it's good driving. My overall average is a fraction below 30 mpg, the car a quite heavy 1600cc including 4wd.

It's running engines cold that ruins the mpg, some folks only do short hops to the shops, if they knew their true mpg they would have a fit.

In the periods I use mine that way it's between 26 and 27 mpg, not as bad as it can be on some similar size cars.
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[flecc]

Not so flecc, it has kinetic energy that changes the battery. The brakes only work to stop the car in last few feet, the retardation is done electronically.

The last mile home fully charges the battery as its all down hill. Engine not running.

Yes so, you are misunderstanding the position. It's the petrol energy that put the kinetic energy into storage, there is no other way it can get there. e.g.

To glide down the hill you have to climb it each time to get up there.

To get energy from braking you have to get up to speed first.

Both those are done by petrol.

That your car recovers that otherwise wasted energy doesn't make it a true hybrid, it just makes it a more efficient petrol car, since petrol is your only external energy source.

A true hybrid uses a second externally derived energy such as charging from the mains or using LPG etc. As I remarked, the new Prius has become a true hybrid since it can be additionally charged from the mains.
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