Hybrid Vs. Gasoline Vehicle Comparison – Are Hybrid Vehicles Worth It?

charitha19 · May 25, 2011

not sure what is not practical about the tesla, except the price. but anyway I thought we were talking about the future ("the day Subaru produces a Hybrid B6"; btw seems they had a concept of a hybrid B5)

the different inherent characteristics of electric motors compared to ICE; which is exactly why the Tesla can go upto it's speed-limited 200kmph on a single-speed gearbox, while managing 0-60 in 3.7s

also, some hybrid implementations (not Toyota) allow you to select AWD (ICE to front, motor to rear; maybe also the other way around) when you need it (other times it selects FWD/RWD/AWD automatically)

Sri Lanka's current hybrid craze is driven by fuel economy and tax cuts; but that's not a fault of the technology.

chill dude; I don't care about hybrid econoboxes like prius and insight one way or another; however I am interested in electric propulsion and what it means for the future of transport. IMHO eventually all but the cheapest cars will feature some kind of electric motor on board (with or without the ICE); some of them will be econoboxes, some will be performance cars. e.g. the car in the link by jerryda is a hybrid sports car, and has a (marginally) faster 0-60 time for hybrid version than for petrol.

point taken bro.. i see you are a die hard electric motor fan... my worries are the wearing of part inside the motors.. since i am not famileer with the mechanics of car electric motors i cannot comment on this though., are they brushless motors..

Sifaan · May 25, 2011

point taken bro.. i see you are a die hard electric motor fan... my worries are the wearing of part inside the motors.. since i am not famileer with the mechanics of car electric motors i cannot comment on this though., are they brushless motors..

not sure if I'm a diehard, but I am drooling about the roadster

in the case of the roadster, it's an AC Induction motor (afaik "brushless" term is used in relation to DC motors)

anytime something moves there will be wear, but in this case it's only at the bearings which are supposedly made from some fancy ceramics; even with other consumer car level electric motors I think wear is likely to be much less of an issue than wear in a ICE.

charitha19 · May 25, 2011

Ok you need to calm down and not try to accuse Sifaan of being a hybrid pusher. I can tell you right now that it isn't true and he does have a point here.

yeah man.. i know..

sanjeev · May 25, 2011

My 2010 Toyota prius 3rd generation Hybrid Car really worth and good investment ,in the colombo traffic during peak hours(morning and evening office traffic) with ac and everything on it doing 22 KM/L , last week i went to kandy and again to kithulgala ... it doing with ac 34Km/L it's a wonderful car.

Californikan · May 25, 2011

tesler and others are not practial yet for use... so right now NO... hybrid is ecnomony.. what else is there to be desired in it.. now dont tell me u are one of thoese hybrid pushers.. because i dont wanna get mad today..

Supra_Natural · May 26, 2011

My 2010 Toyota prius 3rd generation Hybrid Car really worth and good investment ,in the colombo traffic during peak hours(morning and evening office traffic) with ac and everything on it doing 22 KM/L , last week i went to kandy and again to kithulgala ... it doing with ac 34Km/L it's a wonderful car.

Wait until you have a battery or better yet an inverter assembly issue and then get back to us on how good an "investment" it turned out to be...

Californikan · May 26, 2011

Wait until you have a battery or better yet an inverter assembly issue and then get back to us on how good an "investment" it turned out to be...

He saved so much money in taxes that even if he had do do some major work on the car he'd still be well ahead on his investment.

Pericles · May 26, 2011

He saved so much money in taxes that even if he had do do some major work on the car he'd still be well ahead on his investment.

IF he had an option to do that work.

The Don · May 26, 2011

He saved so much money in taxes that even if he had do do some major work on the car he'd still be well ahead on his investment.

Californikan, at the height of the Hybrid boom in SL, the new Corolla 141 X package was being sold at nearly the same price as the Prius Hybrid (now the prices have changed). So I'm not sure how he can be ahead of his investment. The reason for this anomaly is the higher initial purchase cost in Japan.

charitha19 · May 27, 2011

well i do belive they must have saved a lot in taxes buying the leaf savers... however, my question is resale.. usually the normal corrollas and other makes actually appricaite in this country.. it happned to me too when selling the astina after 8 years i still managed to sell it for more than i bought it for.. so for the prius i really do know how this will pan out and its a real worry me thinks...

--GeNeX-- · May 27, 2011

i bought a 08 civic hybrid with 36k on the clock. I'm quite surprised and disappointed in equal measure to find that the best fuel consumption figure I've managed to reach is around 9 k.m/l. Yet to take it out station so the above figure is in city limits. Which they say that a hybrid is ideal for. The people who sold me the car said it could do 14-15 and that's what research and reviews show as well. From a few people I've spoken to face a similar problem. I know driving style may affect the figures but how hard can a person drive within col city limits. With the exception of wanna be boy racers. Do any of you guys know what the problem might be? If so, some feedback would be much appreciated. Cheers.

Is your car a UK import or Japanese import?

I don't mean to sound patronising, but you should verify if the odometer reading is in km (Kilometers) or M (Miles). If it reads M next to the odo reading, the trip computer will also read in miles. Resulting in your car doing 9 miles per litre. This works out to about 14 km/l. Then i'm sorry to say, your car has done about 60000km on the clock.

The Stig · May 27, 2011

He saved so much money in taxes that even if he had do do some major work on the car he'd still be well ahead on his investment.

If he could afford something more than a prius don't you think he would have bought something else ?

I.E if he could have afforded more than 3mil (2007 prius)

If his budget was 3 mil and if hybrids didnt exist he would most probably buy an axio (that has more taxes) for that price. It doesnt matter how much money he saves on taxes, its his final purchase price that matters and therefore if one buy a car for 3 million and spends an extra 600,000 he is not saving squat !

The Stig · May 27, 2011

tesler and others are not practial yet for use... so right now NO... hybrid is ecnomony.. what else is there to be desired in it.. now dont tell me u are one of thoese hybrid pushers.. because i dont wanna get mad today..

Guys guys chill

Anyway machan i think sifaan has a point, even the closest rival of the STi- the EVO is going to be discontinued because Mitsubishi is moving towards electric vehicles

not sure if I'm a diehard, but I am drooling about the roadster

Yes sifaan in the future they will be fast but the question is will they be enjoyable ? The most enjoyable part for me in driving a car would be the sound, but unfortunately we will be missing that aspect in the future

Anyway the major problem SL will face would be the generation of electricity, there is around 30% who dont even have electricity as of yet and we are struggling even now.

Imagine with the imports of electric vehicles the load that will be on the power grid :blink:

Nuclear power is out of the question so INDIA art thou our savior ?

Edited May 27, 2011 by The Stig

charitha19 · May 27, 2011

If he could afford something more than a prius don't you think he would have bought something else ?

I.E if he could have afforded more than 3mil (2007 prius)

If his budget was 3 mil and if hybrids didnt exist he would most probably buy an axio (that has more taxes) for that price. It doesnt matter how much money he saves on taxes, its his final purchase price that matters and therefore if one buy a car for 3 million and spends an extra 600,000 he is not saving squat !

i like this one.. which is true.. the only reason a guy with 3 mil to spare will go for the hybrid is to save money on gas... after that if any repaires come its a direct cash outflow...

Sifaan · May 27, 2011

Yes sifaan in the future they will be fast but the question is will they be enjoyable ? The most enjoyable part for me in driving a car would be the sound, but unfortunately we will be missing that aspect in the future

hmm.. tastes differ, I guess... I think I wouldn't have a problem with the lack of noise (hard to say for sure without first-hand experience of an EV)

Anyway the major problem SL will face would be the generation of electricity, there is around 30% who dont even have electricity as of yet and we are struggling even now.

Imagine with the imports of electric vehicles the load that will be on the power grid

certainly grid electricity production needs to increase, even without EVs on the road; however, considering how inefficient ICE engines are at converting chemical energy in fuel to kinetic energy, together with the rise in oil prices, the money we save as a country on our oil imports could be channelled towards more electricity generation - e.g. coal power, natural gas, wind, etc.

CyRaX · May 27, 2011

How I long for a time when no one cared aboug gas mileage and car engines were ridiculously large

rover · May 27, 2011

Wait until you have a battery or better yet an inverter assembly issue and then get back to us on how good an "investment" it turned out to be...

....and pray everyday until his inverter or battery get f****d up.

Edited May 27, 2011 by rover

Californikan · May 27, 2011

Californikan, at the height of the Hybrid boom in SL, the new Corolla 141 X package was being sold at nearly the same price as the Prius Hybrid (now the prices have changed). So I'm not sure how he can be ahead of his investment. The reason for this anomaly is the higher initial purchase cost in Japan.

Not sure that the Corolla and Prius are not really comparable since the Prius sits above the Corolla in the Toyota lineup, is bigger, is much more sophisticated, and retails for almost 50% more (even more than the Camry). The price differential is even greater when used because the Prius holds its value better than the Corolla.

Californikan · May 27, 2011

If he could afford something more than a prius don't you think he would have bought something else ?

I.E if he could have afforded more than 3mil (2007 prius)

If his budget was 3 mil and if hybrids didnt exist he would most probably buy an axio (that has more taxes) for that price. It doesnt matter how much money he saves on taxes, its his final purchase price that matters and therefore if one buy a car for 3 million and spends an extra 600,000 he is not saving squat !

No, not at all and not necessarily. Please understand that there are many people who don't think or wouldn't do things like the way you would. Just because someone can afford a certain item or certain car doesn't mean they will buy one, or need one or even want one. Many people can afford the more expensive car, but they buy the smaller, less expensive car with the lower tax rate. There are many differing motivations that people have for their purchase decisions including how much tax they will pay.

Clearly the lower taxes have figured into the purchase equation. Why do you think so many people chose hybrids after the tax cut? It's not just fuel economy.

zerocool · May 27, 2011

Not sure that the Corolla and Prius are not really comparable since the Prius sits above the Corolla in the Toyota lineup, is bigger, is much more sophisticated, and retails for almost 50% more (even more than the Camry). The price differential is even greater when used because the Prius holds its value better than the Corolla.

Ah another good joke.

The Stig · May 27, 2011

No, not at all and not necessarily. Please understand that there are many people who don't think or wouldn't do things like the way you would. Just because someone can afford a certain item or certain car doesn't mean they will buy one, or need one or even want one. Many people can afford the more expensive car, but they buy the smaller, less expensive car with the lower tax rate. There are many differing motivations that people have for their purchase decisions including how much tax they will pay.

Not the point ! any one who spends more than a couple of thousands for a repair is not saving squat !

How exactly does tax come in to play here ? do people give a rats ass about tax when they buy other non FMCG products ?

Would you care about the tax of the laptop you are going to purchase or would you rather care about the final purchase price ?

Clearly the lower taxes have figured into the purchase equation. Why do you think so many people chose hybrids after the tax cut? It's not just fuel economy.

Really ? do tell.

What other benefits would one obtain buy buying a hybrid ?

Californikan · May 27, 2011

Not the point ! any one who spends more than a couple of thousands for a repair is not saving squat !

How exactly does tax come in to play here ? do people give a rats ass about tax when they buy other non FMCG products ?

Would you care about the tax of the laptop you are going to purchase or would you rather care about the final purchase price ?

If someone has the option to pay either 38% tax on a vehicle or 119% tax, then they have the option to make a choice where their total purchase price is much less than if they paid the 119% tax. It's like if someone has 5 million available for a car and they buy a car for 3 million, then they have 2 million in their pocket.

Stig, I'm not disputing what you are saying. I'm disputing your insistence that people should see it and do it like you see it and do it.

Some people will approach their vehicle purchase just the way you said. However, there are plenty of other people who will have different situations, thinking and priorities and will do their car purchase calculations very differently. Try and see things from other points of view and approaches to doing things. They may be different from yours, but are just as valid.

Really ? do tell.

What other benefits would one obtain buy buying a hybrid ?

A much lower tax rate. You yourself have previously said that many/most hybrid buyers are "cheapskates" because they bought their hybrid just because of the tax cut and fuel savings.

rover · May 28, 2011

If someone has the option to pay either 38% tax on a vehicle or 119% tax, then they have the option to make a choice where their total purchase price is much less than if they paid the 119% tax. It's like if someone has 5 million available for a car and they buy a car for 3 million, then they have 2 million in their pocket.

Stig, I'm not disputing what you are saying. I'm disputing your insistence that people should see it and do it like you see it and do it.

Some people will approach their vehicle purchase just the way you said. However, there are plenty of other people who will have different situations, thinking and priorities and will do their car purchase calculations very differently. Try and see things from other points of view and approaches to doing things. They may be different from yours, but are just as valid.

A much lower tax rate. You yourself have previously said that many/most hybrid buyers are "cheapskates" because they bought their hybrid just because of the tax cut and fuel savings.

Edited May 28, 2011 by rover

rover · May 28, 2011

If someone has the option to pay either 38% tax on a vehicle or 119% tax, then they have the option to make a choice where their total purchase price is much less than if they paid the 119% tax. It's like if someone has 5 million available for a car and they buy a car for 3 million, then they have 2 million in their pocket.

Stig, I'm not disputing what you are saying. I'm disputing your insistence that people should see it and do it like you see it and do it.

Some people will approach their vehicle purchase just the way you said. However, there are plenty of other people who will have different situations, thinking and priorities and will do their car purchase calculations very differently. Try and see things from other points of view and approaches to doing things. They may be different from yours, but are just as valid.

A much lower tax rate. You yourself have previously said that many/most hybrid buyers are "cheapskates" because they bought their hybrid just because of the tax cut and fuel savings.

Agree with you cali. But lot of people in this country overstretch financially when it comes to vehicle purchases. It seems rather stupid for me but someone else might think it's ok. I know one guy who pays almost 100k as leasing installement for his Allion but finding hard to pay the house rental. Just one example.

Edited May 28, 2011 by rover

Californikan · May 28, 2011

Agree with you cali. But lot of people in this country overstretch financially when it comes to vehicle purchases. It seems rather stupid for me but someone else might think it's ok. I know one guy who pays almost 100k as leasing installement for his Allion but finding hard to pay the house rental. Just one example.

Yup. I know people like that too.

They should read "The Millionaire Next Door" a book about the difference between cash-rich wealthy people and show-off wealthy people. It reports how the cash-rich wealthy tend to drive modest cars - Ford, Toyota, Honda etc even though they can afford much more expensive cars, and the show-off wealthy may drive the Mercs, Lexus, BMW's etc but they are struggling to make the car payments.