A Comprehensive Guide to Plug-in Hybrids

I have been looking for the safety information. Where can I find crash test results for both hybrid and plug-ins. I hope this isn't a stupid question but where I live it gets below -30 will the batteries freeze or is there a heater core for them and how is there driving in the cold.

I have a Vectrix electric maxi-scooter and a Hymotion Prius Plug-In.

My electric bill rose about 15% to 20% when I started using both this summer. You could offset most of that by switching all of your lightbulbs to CFLs and a few other energy efficiency tips around the house.

My next project is a solar system on the roof.

I have a 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid and would like to know if there are any plug in add ons I can use to get my Ford out of the garage running on electric instead of starting with the gas and switching over after some drive time?

Thank you for any help or suggestions.

Plug-in cars getting power from a coal plant seems to defeat the reason for a clean-air vehicle. If the power plants get the majority of their output from wind, solar,water etc... then there is a greater reason to purchase plug-ins. However, not everyone can afford these "new" technologies so the government could offer more incentive packaging or help manufactures meet cost reduction goals to ensure that everyone can move into the cleaner future. For those that like the plug-in but hate the mileage range they will need to offer some more competitive products. I drive 43 miles one way to work and there is no place to plug in at work. The problem I would have is 43 miles one way and I have to begin worrying about if I can make a stop and the store on the way home. That's not convenient so I have chosen the next best alternative, a Civic hybrid. Still dependent on gas and not a clean as I would like, but I can take it anywhere and I don't have to buy 2 vehicles (one for work and one for pleasure trips). I think that there are great minds out there that have the answers or are on the verge of something better (the water car), but the government is not helping to "fuel" those ideas. I hope this next 4 yrs proves otherwise.

I hear a lot about how expensive the batteries for these plug-in auto's are. All you have to do is look at the history of any emerging technology and you'll see that initial cost means nothing. As these products become more popular, we as a human race, will find ways to make the technology more economically viable. Computers were originally 10's of thousands of dollars and the size of a desk or larger. Now you can get handheld computers for a couple hundred dollars (iPhone). I paid $6,000 for a 46" rear projection TV back in the early 90's, now you can get a 52" or larger flatscreen TV that hangs on your wall for right around $1,000.00. So as inflation has gone up, the prices of electronics have gone down. We need to stop trying to find reasons why it won't work, and make the decision to move forward with these technologies. The rest will take care of themselves. It's common sense that we will invent batteries that run 500+ miles on a single chanrge and are significantly less expensive as the technology is more widely accepted.

Recently I read about a couple of guys in England who adapted a Capstone Turbine C30 to a Ford vehicle with lithium batteries on a "charge as you go" system. They got some very nice mileage results, I believe it was 100 plus mpg. Might be worth checking out.

Dear Melanie,
I sell the Ford products and I think you should take a look at the Ford Fusion and the Ford Escape Hybrids.
I think when you do your research on them, you will see that these two are the best for your money, and cars you will keep forever ...

Good Luck !

Ray

A standard electrical outlet puts out enough power to run a 1 horsepower motor maximum. With losses of about half in the battery and speed controller it would take 2 hours of charge for each hour of 1 horsepower output. I think most cars would need more.

Why not just become a vegetarian, run a tube to your ass and burn methane?

I have had the Prius III since late august.
Everything is better than in the II-model except that the Joy-stick has been replaced by a traditional gear shift. And this takes up room. Why?

the obvious answer for detractors is DON'T GET YOUR ELECTRICITY FOR COAL...the solution seems simple enough...if you don't live in a state which offers 100% renewable energy solution or has a renewable energy portfolio...ie. MS, AL, or states with major coal cos, such as southern co. in GA where in Atlanta the commuter lane where you only need two people is always deserted as EVERYBODY in Atlanta cannot stand each other and have to drive their own bloatmobiles and why there is 24 hr. traffic jam...what a great quality of life...you will face a major headwind....since their money is paying off state legislatures to NOT change....however, the fed. govt. will force these laggards to join the rest of us in the 21st century...therefore, your energy will be 100% green..we also need to end mountaintop removal for coal and stop allowing lies such as "clean coal" to even be allowed to be advertised since this is a lie....you could, at one point, find some elec. charging stations in a few places in the south, i.e. two discreet chargers in birmingham in the galleria mall....but the elec car market never took off...and politicians weren't getting enough kickbacks to support it....if we didn't support sprawl so much in this country, then 50 mile elec car would be adequate...since job situation sucks and people have to commute fifty miles, we need bigger cars...it is unsustainable cycle....which has now come to abrupt halt.....Obama needs to actually do something "progressive" for once...stop this nonsense about needing 60 votes to pass a bill, etc without threat of filibuster...it is not in the constitution...according to another article, since Obama took office, GOP filibuster 70% of time just to stop things from gettin done, compared to 27% after dems won majority of congress...GOP party of do nothing.....Obama: just get something done...for once....you were voted in by a broad coalition of people trying to do something good for once...not the GOP...not centrists...not blue dog dems putting a bunch of CR*( in the current health care incarnation just to favor a tiny group of their constituents....not by insurance companies....not by defense contractors....I have to agree now w/repubs and everyone else, the current bill is a farce, the copenhagen non binding handshake "agreement" is an atrocity....Obama is now approaching being lumped in with bushies as another two faced liar.....

Place this public . Hope the auto makers get there act together soon.
Just build the electric car and sell them . Geering the generators with
the electric motor will work. Placeing the wind electric produceing
generator in the front of the vehicle will help the battery along to run
the motor. "Bless them all" .

why hasn't someone thought about putting a small charger on each
wheel to help keep batteries charged while moving, or a small eng-
ine in the veh that uses less gasoline than the conventional engine.
several componets that i have read about could be installed to work
in conjuction with each other, & keep our cars running right on down the hwy. with out being limited on just how far we can drive
between, (charges). IF WE AS MANKIND CAN PUT A SELFSUFICENT
MARS MOBILE on the planet of mars ( where I'm sure there are no
plug in stations handy) why can't we do this little task here on earth
after all We don't need to bother with getting all them miles just to
perform it's duties. We are already here. I ALSO WORRY ABOUT WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THIS COUNTRY IF WE DON'T CUT
OUR OIL DEPENDANCE FROM THESE OTHER COUNTRIES. They have proved more than a few times of how much they can do to us
I also think just because the Elections are over, our elected leaders
should keep on pushing for all the promises they made to get elected. I remember the oil embargo 1973 or abouts that we were
prmised oil dependancy would be cut. BAAAAAAH, it's higher now
than then. If we would start kicking their butts out if they didn't do
as they promised, We could probaly have a lot of good things get
accomplished. That is up to us AMERICANS. Those people work for
us. They would fire us if we didn't our jobs right.

This website really like helped me with my school reasearch on like cars.

You all do realise that "hybrid cars" are a stalling measure, car componeys had imposed on you via oil componeys including moble and castrol solely to provent electric cars from killing there bussines? This measure started way back in 1993 Yes almost 20 years ago. If you don't know this, why? Do your own research, ask the right independent people, engineers, scientist, eletric car owners. :)
I do get alot of enjoyment seeing all the supleminal messages all over THIS website,.. the word "convenience", there is no car more convenient then an eletric-car, unless your driving 24 hours perday(taxi's driver searching cars?) You need 8 hours sleep?

This is a totally ridiculous white elephant.

A car that does not need to use London's over stretched charge point network.

I have an electric car. When it runs out of charge I am stranded. If I cannot plug my car in because a hybrid is using all the charge points then I am stuck.

If the hybrid's batteries are flat, just turn the key and off you go.

I think the London boroughs should stick to the 'ELECTRIC VEHICLES ONLY' policy for the charge points for which hybrids do not qualify.

Is there a gizmo that can send the power from PHEV into the house? This kind of vehicle is the solution for all the brown outs and blackouts in so many countries and would change completely the old overly centralised utility model that we rely upon. And obviaite the use of dirty oh so noisy diesel gensets costing $40+/-/kw installed and producing at $0.50/kwh that most homes in Asia and Africa rely on because the local power company is bad.. Think ever city in India or Nigeria.

Imagine this: car comes home in the evening with fully charged battery and is connected to the house via said gizmo The house circuit feeds off the battery that is re-charged by the engine kicking in automatically. Cuts off if and whn the grid power is available.

You then get the savings stream from home as awell as car use!

Suggestions please!

I saw a clearly factory plug-in Prius about a week ago in Henderson, Nevada. It had California plates. Is Toyota selling them?

You really need to read up on your basic laws. Start at the start...
Vaguely - The energy required to move forward and to turn the wheels ( now kinetic energy ) all comes from your power source( potential energy). If you then use this "energy" to recharge your batteries via either a wind generator ( thus also adding drag into the equation ) or direct off the wheels with friction losses , you are just cycling the energy back ( less the efficiency losses of >20% ) with no useful work being done ... Regenerative braking can be used to recover some of the kinetic energy that is otherwise lost to braking, but the saving are not big - mostly 10-20% .

Hello all.

I have a question that bothers me a lot. We are talking about hybrid being the medicine (band-aid) for our rediculously large oil consumption in this country. What ever happened to cars like the Honda Civic VX or the Geo Metro which were already getting 50+ miles per gallons more than 20 years ago? If these were getting that kind of gas mileage then, can you imagine what we would get out of them with better technology or maybe even an hybrid concept for these cars?

If the car companies are reading this page get to work on this kind of concept. You did it then with the VX and Metro so I imaging that you would be able to improve upon the concept. I am looking for a vehicle that can do better then 35 mpg without hybrid system or above 60 if you include hybrid. We can send guys on the moon, not once but 6 times, we can do better. Let's show the world what this country can do for them(remember JFK speech).

Thank you for your time.

Denis R. from Rochester NY.