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Hybrid FAQs

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Tideland Prius, Sep 19, 2006.

  1. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Recently, I took a Honda Civic Hybrid to a get-together at a friend's house. My friends are all gearheads, and they know gasoline cars inside-out-and-backwards. But to my surprise, the little Honda had them stumped, and they had numerous questions about it. If a car buff's mystified by a hybrid, I reasoned, many casual car buyers will be, too; here are some frequently-asked questions regarding this relatively new method of transportation.

    Full Article
     
    #1 Tideland Prius, Sep 19, 2006
  2. NuShrike

    NuShrike Active Member

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    Mostly right when you consider she's smearing at least two very different hybrid systems together.

    It's much like a write up to describe how a manual/automatic transmission, or a gasoline/disel engine, works without any specific details.
     
    #2 NuShrike, Sep 19, 2006
  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    It's the last FAQ that I'm raising an eyebrow.

    Wouldn't the lead-foot driver still get better mileage in a hybrid then in a regular vehicle? I know a friend of a friend of mine who has a Prius and gives no regard to fuel economy. He gets 8L/100km. That's better than the official Transport Canada rating for an automatic Corolla. Imagine if he was driving the Corolla instead?
     
    #3 Tideland Prius, Sep 19, 2006
  4. Jeannie

    Jeannie Proud Prius Granny

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    An article like this combined with something like the '10 myths' thread that appeared in Prius Chat recently would be a reasonable intro for a lot of people. If they get intrigued, then, there are LOTS of places to get more details, including some easy-to-read 'presentation-style' sets of information with attractive graphics that can teach them more before they start getting into the denser pieces of information available in lots of places.

    So I agree that the article is 'mostly right' and won't quibble - it serves a purpose and is far more accurate than many other newspaper and magazine artilces I've seen about hybrids!
     
    #4 Jeannie, Sep 19, 2006
  5. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    heavy foot driver hear... 40+mpg :) .. sure.. they can race me.. they can beat me.. but i'll still drive farther while doing it. :)
     
    #5 V8Cobrakid, Sep 20, 2006
  6. iaowings

    iaowings New Member

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    Most days I care about mpg. I used to have a Mini Cooper s rated at around 25 mpg city. Most days I was able to achieve that or better. On the days I felt like having some fun I was lucky to see 15 mpg. With my Prius and fun days I can still see numbers in th low to mid 40’s. so I am getting good mileage and having fun. I went out with friends late one night, my friend was driving his truck and I was driving my Prius. We drove (speeds of around 80- 95mph) for about 25 miles. My friends truck used a quarter of a tank, my little Prius (which kept up very well I might add, on occasion being the lead vehicle.) used maybe a half gallon at most.

    I love this car for that, it can be economical and fun when you need it. my only complaint is the handling in tight corners can get a bit squirrelly. Then again you really cant compare the Prius handling to that of a Mini.

    Now a Mini hybrid that would be something. A car that can handle and get up and move when it needs to that can get great gas mileage. I would trade in my prius in a heartbeat.
     
    #6 iaowings, Sep 20, 2006
  7. fshagan

    fshagan Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(V8Cobrakid @ Sep 19 2006, 09:15 PM) [snapback]322104[/snapback]</div>
    I drive like a maniac on the SoCal freeways (when I can) rarely going under 70 (when I'm not stopped) and leave my car on while I eat lunch every day so the AC can cycle on and off. "Pulse and glide" sounds like floor polish to me. And I'm getting between 46 and 48 MPG consistently.
     
    #7 fshagan, Sep 20, 2006
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