Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Nobody understands the point of hybrid cars [video]

youtube.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

181–190 of 230 posts

Re: Nobody understands the point of hybrid cars [video]

#181

Post by mosquitobiten »

KPGv2 wrote: post #85
graemep wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many kids do you have that you need two SUVs to carry them all? its not common.

I'm willing to bet they didn't mean to carry kids that don't fit in two SUVs. Probably meant that logistically, they need two SUVs available. If you aren't American—or are, but don't have kids—you might not be aware that even two kids past 10yo and a sedan is a pretty bad experience. And I'm saying this as someone who loves his sedan, hates large cars, passionately hates SUVs, and definitely never wanted one. I have…

Ok, you hate SUVs and big cars and the sedan is too small. You know there is one other option, the station wagon.

Re: Nobody understands the point of hybrid cars [video]

#182

Post by AtlasBarfed »

tedggh wrote: post #50

I have all three ICE, EV and hybrid at home. I was hesitant at first when getting the EV because we already had the hybrid, but we needed a second SUV to carry kids. After two years with the EV it became evident to me the hybrid doesn’t make sense. It has some of the gas savings of an EV but you still deal with the inconvenience of maintaining a ICE. My EV has received zero maintenance other than cleaning the cameras…

I can tell you live in a city.

I live in the boonies and routinely do multiple hundred mile trips, in bad winter weather.

Also, the hybrid shown, Toyota's Sienna, maddeningly doesn't come with a plugin. WHY.

Re: Nobody understands the point of hybrid cars [video]

#183

Post by hdgvhicv »

bluesquared wrote: post #128
MegaDeKay wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another consideration is your local climate. It can get down to -40C here. Both ICE and EVs pay a range penalty in those conditions, but it compounds the problem with charging station density that EVs have + the time it takes to charge. And at least with an ICE, all that engine heat can be put to good use trying to keep the interior warm.

The cold problems are not as overblown as most people who live outside of these environments think. Yes, for most commutes the reduction in winter (sub-freezing temperature) range when home-based charging is available is not significant. For my anecdote, my (occasional) commute distance is enough that I need to change my driving habits to have enough range/safety margin to make it back home during this cold period. I…

https://youtu.be/ebGLFVzvdfM?si=kJNHWJ5zuF3s9JIb

Turns out it’s not a major thing

Re: Nobody understands the point of hybrid cars [video]

#184

Post by lmm »

pjmlp wrote: post #156
jghn wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not rent a car for those 4-5x/year?

I used to do that, however depends on where you live. In Germany the amount you have to pay not to worry about every little scratch from a few mm, means I rather have my own scratches. Then on the Mediterranean islands usually rental is the only option, unless one likes to pay taxis all the time, and most rentals take advantage of non locals as much as they can get away with. Yes some do have buses, if you want to be…

> on the Mediterranean islands usually rental is the only option

It's not like buying an ICE or hybrid instead of an EV helps with this scenario at all.

Re: Nobody understands the point of hybrid cars [video]

#185

Post by lmm »

mosquitobiten wrote: post #181
KPGv2 wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm willing to bet they didn't mean to carry kids that don't fit in two SUVs. Probably meant that logistically, they need two SUVs available. If you aren't American—or are, but don't have kids—you might not be aware that even two kids past 10yo and a sedan is a pretty bad experience. And I'm saying this as someone who loves his sedan, hates large cars, passionately hates SUVs, and definitely never wanted one. I have…

Ok, you hate SUVs and big cars and the sedan is too small. You know there is one other option, the station wagon.

Is anyone even selling those in the US these days? Obviously there's a (dwindling) supply of used ones, but I can understand wanting to put your kid in a new car for safety reasons.

Re: Nobody understands the point of hybrid cars [video]

#186

Post by Ekaros »

wat10000 wrote: post #59
bluGill wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Called a series hybrid, and it has been done. However gears are more efficient than a generator -> motor, and charging a battery adds even more losses. Thus if the engine is running anyway you are better off just mechanically connecting it to the wheels. Trains don't do the above in large parts because the gears needed either wouldn't fit in the allowed space. (we may not be able to make them large enough either - th…

I wonder if fuel efficiency just doesn't matter enough for trains, since they're already so efficient at turning motive energy into motion. Other costs may dominate.

I have understood that idea as with some ships using similar systems is that this allows generators to run at optimal speed for efficiency which is rather tight band when you are looking for few of the last percentage.

With cars the speed range is much larger.

Re: Nobody understands the point of hybrid cars [video]

#187

Post by pjmlp »

lmm wrote: post #184
pjmlp wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to do that, however depends on where you live. In Germany the amount you have to pay not to worry about every little scratch from a few mm, means I rather have my own scratches. Then on the Mediterranean islands usually rental is the only option, unless one likes to pay taxis all the time, and most rentals take advantage of non locals as much as they can get away with. Yes some do have buses, if you want to be…

> on the Mediterranean islands usually rental is the only option It's not like buying an ICE or hybrid instead of an EV helps with this scenario at all.

Ferries exist.

Re: Nobody understands the point of hybrid cars [video]

#188

Post by schnitzelstoat »

justin66 wrote: post #16
schnitzelstoat wrote: post #9

I have a conventional (not plug-in) hybrid Toyota Corolla as otherwise I'd have to pay loads to drive it in the city. It does get crazy mileage and drives well so I can't complain. They are more expensive than standard cars though and you can't leave it in neutral which is a problem in some car washes.

I don't get it. I put my Toyota hybrid in neutral while going through a car wash all the time. I just googled this. I had no idea this was a thing some people worry about. I guess it's a problem if the hybrid battery runs out while the car is in neutral, but there's a meter right there to tell you how much charge it's got if you're really worried about it.

I did that and an alarm went off after a while - apparently the battery was depleting to levels where it can cause damage to the battery. I only had it in neutral for like a minute too.

I just go to the car washes where the car stays still now.

Re: Nobody understands the point of hybrid cars [video]

#189

Post by schnitzelstoat »

globular-toast wrote: post #154
schnitzelstoat wrote: post #9

I have a conventional (not plug-in) hybrid Toyota Corolla as otherwise I'd have to pay loads to drive it in the city. It does get crazy mileage and drives well so I can't complain. They are more expensive than standard cars though and you can't leave it in neutral which is a problem in some car washes.

Why do you need to put it in neutral in a car wash? Does it push the car forwards? You can put the Toyotas in neutral, but you need to lift a special hatch and manually unlock the shifter. You need to do that if you're being towed. It's all in the manual, of course. I saw the hatch immediately. It's crazy to me that other geeks haven't checked every knob and hatch in their car or at least skimmed the manual.

Yeah, some car washes put the car on a track thing that moves it forwards.

I can put it in neutral, but the battery depletes and eventually an alarm sounds. I had AC on as I live in an extremely hot climate so I suppose it is a bigger problem here.

Re: Nobody understands the point of hybrid cars [video]

#190

Post by justin66 »

schnitzelstoat wrote: post #188
justin66 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't get it. I put my Toyota hybrid in neutral while going through a car wash all the time. I just googled this. I had no idea this was a thing some people worry about. I guess it's a problem if the hybrid battery runs out while the car is in neutral, but there's a meter right there to tell you how much charge it's got if you're really worried about it.

I did that and an alarm went off after a while - apparently the battery was depleting to levels where it can cause damage to the battery. I only had it in neutral for like a minute too. I just go to the car washes where the car stays still now.

I doubt there’s any permanent damage to the battery. It’s just that the car is bricked and you need a tow truck (and a trip to the dealership to get the battery recharged) if the battery is depleted completely, hence the warning.
Post reply on HN