Rip Hybrids

I think the word “can” relates to when you use the motor to charge the battery. At which point fuel economy is absolutely horrific.

I don’t know anyone who does that.

I like my company car hybrid. It has F1 derived tech so it charges the battery when going down hill and when braking. So on a long journey of 200 miles, it does about 30 miles in the battery and another 10 miles on regenerated energy it’s picked up along the way. If I need to, it can be fast as feck and 4 wheel drive too. Much better than I thought.

range is rubbish below 7C though

 

Not good for the temperatures the North of Scotland and many high altitude places experiences in winter, or even for large parts of the year. Then again, they are unlikely to have infrastructure soon either.
Remember, some places are still waiting for fibre optic. 2030 is VERY optimistic. More than that, one size does not fit all. A lot would need to change for all electric to be viable in all remote areas.
But, 2030, plenty time to change minds, or for someone to find another clean alternative fuel for the internal combustion engine. Not long since modern diesel was the answer to everything, now public enemy number one.

I have a customer who has just been supplied with a Tesla company car. His journey down to Correze he used to manage on one tank of fuel with his BMW diesel from Holland.
Tesla. Two stops with a forty minute top up charge each time. That was with warmish weather.
His dogs get a few minutes extra exercise now. Without the top ups, the car would not get here. He likes the car, but says big trips certainly need some planning and thought.

Yes, talking full electric, not hybrid but seems relevant.

 

Had my hybrid since 5/11/20 when I filled it with petrol (£39.01 worth). Have done 725 miles since and still have 130 miles petrol range left. Get 34 miles battery range. Since December I have used £19 of electric according to my PodPoint. Petrol engine runs the heater function so is running at start up this time of year. Car says it is doing 130mpg. More like 70mpg.

 

Yes and No...
Drivers are buying combustion /PHEV /electric powered cars without properly considering what they are going to use the car for.
Diesels for example, best option if used for longer journeys, not suitable for short city drive. Most drivers would only look at mpg without considering that the engine will never get hot enough to clean the dpf/catalyst and then are puzzled that the egr and dpf is clogged up.
Now we are in the same scenario with the PHEV many buyers don't even bother to plug them in, or they are doing many more miles per day than the electric only range. These should buy diesel.
In my opinion
City use- electric
City and occasional weekend travel - "plain" petrol and PHEV (but only if someone can actually be bothered to plug it in overnight and use the petrol engine only on occasional long journeys)
Long commute to work - diesel

Just my 2p...

 

I had a Toyota Corolla hybrid, while my 320i was being repaired after some dozy sod reversed into it.
Average urban mileage 43mpg, my BMW 2 litre returns 36mpg.
Why would you want a hybrid, which will need its expensive battery replacing at some point.

 

Or, just buy a low low miles 330d coupe. 35 mpg. Torque and power and mpg. And comfort. Paid 16k for one with 16 k miles at three years old. All the kit. Flappy paddle auto. Dual climate. Leatherrr...heated seats.
Or just pay twice as much for a shit car. Your choice.
My mate is still running the car after buying from me 4 years ago. Loves it.

 

Here is my experience of 5 years ownership of a Nissan Leaf, bought new in 2016. It was bought after a drunk driver wrote off both my previous cars by running into one which smashed into the other one. It was bought as a shopping trolley and to take the kids to and from school (32 miles a day), we always knew we would have to buy an ICE car for longer trips. It has now done 45k miles and the plus points have been.
Servicing costs £100 pa still on original brake pads (only 30% worn due to regen braking) but it has consumed 6 tyres (it is quite a heavy car).
No road tax, saving over a diesel circa £1k
Fuel costs, charging overnight on cheap rate electricity I reckon it costs me about £4.00 per 100 miles compared to about 2 gallons of diesel at c£6+ so about a third of the price for fuel. Saving over a diesel over 45k miles circa £3.7k.
It is quiet and relaxing to drive
Downsides
Apart from being ugly and having a very space inefficient design of body shell the electric only issues are
It does not handle very well, it's heavy and the weight is carried too low to get frontward weight transfer on braking so that there is a tendency to go straight on or for the front wheels to lock or ABS to kick in, to the detriment of stopping distance.
It is un-driveable on ice or snow, the torque to the driven front wheels very soon overcomes the ability of the tyre to grip the road and it wheelspins on the slightest incline and becomes an unsteerable toboggan going downhill
When brand new the battery range when fully charged showed between 125 and 113 miles. At 5 years old the range when fully charged shows between 95 and 85 depending on temperature.
I think the depreciation is likely to be very high so I shall run it until it does not want to go any more by which time I am hoping that some entrepreneur has worked out a way to replace the batteries with and aftermarket battery pack at a much cheaper price than Nissan currently want. Probably would not buy another Leaf but would consider something a bit more engaging with better range.

 

It’s a shit show all of this.

It’s like diesel back in the day. The government are falling out of a tree and grabbing any branch they can on the way down. But they’ll swear blind what they’re saying now is the way forward (until it isn’t) and slam anyone who questions their direction.

I feel for those who have rushed out and purchased battery vehicles. Whether it is or isn’t the future. The ones that are about at the moment are in no way the future.

the ones that have purchased them cash or second hand who haven’t taken in to consideration battery life.. like my birds twatty mum (who also got a diesel previously to do 15 miles a day in) are in for a nasty shock when the battery needs replacement.

My mates got a Lexus hybrid that’s out of warranty. The batteries gone on it (surprise) and the replacement is vastly more than the cars worth. In the bin it goes.

 

Which of course is not particularly eco-friendly, or carbon-neutral...!

These transition periods from one technology to another are never easy, but does seem a bit of a pigs ear at the moment.

I’ve just bought my first ever brand new car (petrol) but I’m guessing it may be my last... especially if I keep it for 5 years+

 

Does't really help the environment though does it. Although I do agree with your statement to a degree from a potential liability POV.

 

I agree. However the pcp just adds potentially to the throw away society.

cars would become like Disposable cameras unless they have a lease refresh service and then re lease those vehicles again after a battery replacement.


Possibility. But there’s a whole lot wrong with nearly every ‘green’ direction at the minute. And whilst all the over sensitive helmets will say “you get problems with everything and they’ll go away with development” which Ofcourse is correct.. to a degree. if you know a thing or two .. it’s easy to see there’s some pretty big stumbling blocks at present. A lot of them. And again at present we are working through them with bloody mindedness / narrow mindedness which is not helping anything as the byproducts and associated issues are vast also. Thus not improving a thing!

 

I like it how Hybrid/electric cars are all dressed up like their saving the planet. They might be less harmful in one way,but electricity doesn't come out of the ground. Once we're all forced into having a "ECO" "Smart" "Blue" "David Attenborough" planet saving cars. They will build more power plants to meet the new demands and the price of electricity will shoot up making them not as cost efficient and we will still be harming the planet.

I personally only do about 50miles a week, I'll keep my little 1l petrol that until I have to

 

Remember that there was a time that diesels were marketed as the clean alternative.


Hilarious really