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Featured These Hybrid Cars Get Double The US Average MPG

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by bwilson4web, Jul 26, 2017.

  1. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Source: These Hybrid Cars Get Double The US Average MPG

    Did you know you can spend the average low-30s price for a new car with average 26 mpg, or – if you care to save where it counts – you can buy a hybrid for less than the U.S. average price with double the U.S. average fuel economy?

    Hybrid cars are meant to be thought of in that way, and with around 40 models now available, they are seen as a lower barrier to entry for those just wanting to save at the pump.

    True, conventional cars’ mpg is inching upwards, and plenty get in the high 20s, into the 30s, but hybrids tend to blow these numbers away.

    Numerous hybrids get upwards of 40 mpg, and as of this year, there will be three that get over 52 mpg.
    . . .

    Now if we can just get new car buyers to 'get a clue.'

    Bob Wilson
     
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  2. telmo744

    telmo744 HSD fanatic

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    People get a clue if they pay a lot for each fuel gallon...
     
  3. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    I can't believe there are people who still think "high 20's" is a good number to have on any passenger vehicle made in 2017.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it must be frustrating to write articles intended for non hybrid drivers, for a website only read by hybrid drivers.
     
  5. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    I think this means those of us who do have a challenge, to introduce non-hybrid drivers to our rides. We can not have any expectation except to increase the number of those who understand the anti-hybrid propaganda are lies.

    Bob Wilson
     
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  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it's definitely a challenge in the circles i travel in. i have found that those who say they believe the fud just find it a good excuse to drive their land cruisers.
     
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  7. pilotgrrl

    pilotgrrl Senior Member

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    Not as many hybrid drivers in D/FW. But it does take evangelism. People have such misconceptions, especially about Prius. I get pretty geeky, waxing rhapsodic about how my 4G is lightyears beyond my 2G, and I dearly loved my late, lamented 2G.
     
  8. srellim234

    srellim234 Senior Member

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    I was surprised at how many of my relatives around the country hadn't even seen the interior of a Prius and still have unfounded misconceptions about hybrids in general and the Prius specifically. When we arrived at their homes in our Gen II last month they were asking the same questions that were rampant about the car over a decade ago (Where do you plug it in, what happens when the battery runs out, why would you buy something that requires $6k to replace the battery, etc.,etc., etc.) I had to get them in the car to even start to appreciate it. I made sure to rub in that my 9 year old Prius needed no repairs, caused us no anxiety and averaged 44.2 mpg over our 6,500 mile trip. And in California the $2,600 battery still had a year left on the warranty.

    I'd love to go electric but as long as we are visiting relatives in 9 states from coast to coast we're forced to go with something that uses gas. Maybe we'll be able to replace this one eventually with a plug-in hybrid but that's about it.
     
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  9. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    I can recommend:
    • Prius Prime - excellent cross-country
    • BMW i3-REx - good enough cross-country
    Bob Wilson
     
  10. srellim234

    srellim234 Senior Member

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    We'll definitely be looking at the used Prime market when we're ready to replace our current red Prius since the vast majority of our Mon-Fri driving is within the electric range.Only having four seats won't be too big of a factor since we won't be transporting three in the back seat by then.

    Doesn't the BMW only have a range around 200 miles? It seems that would be a real inconvenience or source of stress running through the mountains of Colorado and Utah or out on the open highway between here and North Carolina. I do really like the car; please tell me I'm wrong about the range.

    The added bonus is that we're planning on a solar energy house in the next 5 or 6 years so charges will be free.

    We may also see some other viable cars coming soon to the marketplace. I'd love to see a plug-in Kia Niro.
     
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  11. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    The i3-REx has a small gasoline (motorcycle?) engine that can recharge the battery. I think it only adds about 65 miles of range though. Long trips mean frequent fill ups.
     
  12. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    I have the following trips:
    • 463 miles - pickup in Charlotte NC and drive over the I-35 pass, 600 ft -> 2800 ft, May 2016
    • 700 miles each way - Huntsville AL to and from Stillwater OK, Sept 2016
    The Charlotte trip was at night so I did not have to use the air conditioner. The Oklahoma trip had significant time in ~90F heat so A/C was used. We also had my wife's wheel chair carried on the back the BMW i3-REx. Rather than copy-paste, here is my log: Why the BMW i3-REx | Page 10 | PriusChat

    Oklahoma and to the East, the Interstates have 24 hr, truck stops, about every 30-40 miles. As a caution, I carried a 1 gallon spare can and only in western Arkansas at 2AM did we find a shutdown, truck stop. I still had 50 miles of EV range but in an abundance of caution, I added the 1 gallon spare gas. The other case was the Indian Nation Turnpike that has a single, expensive gas station midway. We reached the end just as the last of the gas ran out so I used part of the 50 miles of EV to go the last 3 miles to truck stop.

    The BMW i3-REx means planning to make sure 24 hr gas stations are well populated on the route. I recommend carry a spare gas can like the 2.5 gallon, Briggs and Stratton, but I would have no problem driving coast-to-coast with the spare can.

    I am experimenting with coding to increase the usable fuel tank capacity to 2.4 gallons from the default 1.9 in the used, smaller battery REx. Some of the preliminary data is promising.

    Bob Wilson
     
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  13. srellim234

    srellim234 Senior Member

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    For future trips you might find what I did useful. Pilot/Flying J has a travel planner on their website.

    Travel Center and Convenience Store Locations | Pilot Flying J

    Under "Plan a trip" you can put in start/finish locations just like Google Maps. It will not only provide the route it will list every Pilot and Flying J Truck Stop along the way, complete with exit #s on the interstates and street addresses. Hit the print key and stick the results in a folder to carry with you in the car. If you check distances before you go you can try the TravelCenters of America (T/A) and Love's Truck Stops websites to fill in any gaps. They don't have travel planners but they do have location finders and maps. It makes the drive totally stress free since all three companies' locations are open 24 hrs.
     
  14. methuselah

    methuselah Junior Member

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    I had a friend who made fun of my Prius. Then I drove the 90 miles to his house and filled up...with one and one half gallons of gas. When he heard that, he stopped making fun!
     
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    my friends don't think twice about the cost of fuel, pocket change in todays economy.
     
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  16. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    Must be fun to have rich friends. :LOL:
     
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  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    not as much as you'd think. more aggravating than anything else. they live without thought to anyone but themselves. i really should have characterized them as acquaintances.

    and most of them aren't close to rich, but when you live in the boston area, the cost of living dwarfs gasoline costs, and income levels are astronomical.
     
  18. pilotgrrl

    pilotgrrl Senior Member

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    With all of the gas panic here in D/FW, I'm feeling smug with 500+ miles left in my tank.
     
  19. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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    One of the guys at work was grumbling about how much it cost to fill up his Tahoe for the holiday weekend, I gave him an "oh,well". When he asked me what I paid, I told him that I don't know since I haven't gotten any gas since July 8th. I got a priceless look and then he left.
     
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  20. Data Daedalus

    Data Daedalus Senior Member

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    Nice! My last tank of fuel (42 litres) took me 573 miles before I chickened out and pulled into a refuelling station. And that's on a relatively ancient 2nd Gen Prius. Yup.....I'm the one commuting every day of the week in London, with the insanely smug grin on my face! (And laughing all the way to the Bank)....


    iPhone ?
     
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