Steerpike

My g/f wants to buy a hybrid. She hates driving in general, and only drives about 4 miles a day in the local area - no freeway driving. I'm concerned that this type of driving is not going to be all that good for the car - the battery won't get a good charge from 'coasting', and so the engine will be on all the time - defeating the purpose of the hybrid.

Is this a fair analysis of the situation? I'm a techie-geek but have not really researched hybrids; my assumptions above are based on a limited understanding.

My guess is a hybrid will function best when you do plenty of freeway driving, where the coasting will charge the battery.

I suppose I have two issues - 1) will the type of driving she does be harmful to the car (specifically, the battery - an expensive component to replace) and 2) will she see any benefit from the hybrid in terms of gas mileage (makes little sense to pay a premium for a hybrid if you don't get any payback whatsoever in gas consumption).

I'd love to find a website that explains the trade-offs, optimal usage patterns, etc ...

Bill_S

My knee-jerk reaction is that you're over-analyzing. If she wants a hybrid, she buys a hybrid. Happy GF == win.

The hybrid cars are very wll made, and I doubt her driving pattern will hurt anything.

BritishGuy36

A roadside electric outlet every 30 miles?

Steerpike

Well, we've always been very conservative when it comes to cars; I've only had 4 cars in 27 years, taking each one to 150k miles or more (all Honda/Acura), and she kept her last car for about 15 years (a rock-solid Camry). She's now on the verge of retiring and this next car 'has to last' (we spend our money on travel, food, and housing; cars are a necessary evil). And while generally sensible, she has a blind-spot when it comes to auto-maintenance, assuming she never has to do anything since she 'hardly drives'.

I want her to buy a basic Camry, she wants the Camry Hybrid. I'll probably be the one to buy it, so it's my money not hers . I have to believe that the hybrids are going to be higher maintenance, due to the extra complexity, and that the technology will change drastically over the next 10 years such that maintaining a 2010 model in 2020 is not going to be much fun.

fatbrit

She'll be a lot better waiting for a PHEV -- the Pious should get it this year. Have you got a garage with an electrical outlet?

henryh

In terms of efficiency / fuel economy, hybrids actually do best in urban, stop-and-go driving. On the freeway they perform the same as any other car.

In your gf's situation the engine will be running some but not all of the time. The regenerative braking will recover energy that would otherwise be wasted stopping at traffic lights and stop signs.

Granted, a plug-in hybrid would be even better, but they're not really available yet.

Ray

buy her a golf cart

Bob

And they're shit on the environment unless the power supply is nuclear or from another clean source...just because you don't see the pollution, it's still being made.

Hybrids aren't bad, but I don't think they're at the point where you'd want to keep it over 6-8 years, you wouldn't get a second hand one that's a few years old after all. It'll come a long way in a few years time, but not right now and you probably won't be able to take it down to your local cheapo mechanic chap to repair anything but the basics, so factor in stealership rates for repairs.

Patrick Hasler

4 MILES A DAY ?

She can walk that and really save the enviroment

Kar98

Hybrids get better gas mileage in town than on the freeway, btw.

fatbrit

Not in July in Snottsdale -- it's 115!

Bob

so wear a hat and pedal faster

Kar98

That's your answer to everything

Patrick Hasler

No wonder there are so many fat bastards in this country. Exercise will do them all good, I was in Scottsdale in 2007, it was f'kin hot but I walked about.

Steerpike

Yes we have a garage and an outlet (in CA, anyway, where this car will live); whether she'd be willing to 'plug it in' is another issue - but I'll look into this ...
I had assumed that the freeway driving would also be putting a charge into the batteries; I thus assumed 'mixed mode' driving was best. If stop/go is the best, then this could be a winner.

Today's hybrids generate their own power ... but even a plug-in is - I PRESUME - going to be using power generated much more efficiently than having a personal power plant under the hood!
Yep, this is one of my big concerns.
We live on a hill that is almost impossible to walk up - seriously. We were denied homeowners insurance by several companies because our 'slope' is too great. So we need to drive to get 'out', then we can walk.
She will never, repeat never, come to Scottsdale once the temperature gets above 95 ...