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PHEVs were such a misconceived idea. So many more parts to wear out for such little benefit.
by gok 8y ago
PHEVs were such a misconceived idea. So many more parts to wear out for such little benefit.
- tjohns 8y agoFor what it's worth, my Volt has been absolutely reliable. And I hear the same from other Volt owners too. Aside from oil changes and tires, the only real maintenance needed was to top off the battery coolant once. (And that was due to a known manufacturing defect in my batch - fixed under warranty, flawless since.)
- ip26 8y agoThink of phev as replacing two cars. Before you had to have one gas car and one electric, for long distance and local trips, respectively. Now with phev you can have only one car that's a bit more complex. That's the dream, anyway
- masonic 8y agoThink of phev as replacing two cars Or as an ICE towing an EV, or vice-versa. You're lugging around both motors at all times.
- sharpneli 8y agoBit more than that. It’s just a hybrid car (like prius) with all the benefits of that like regenerative braking, but with larger batteries. Not as large as full ev.
- masonic 8y agoAnd in both cases, you're carrying the full weight of two motors at all times. It's sort of like a Tesla carrying a gasoline can and a generator just for range anxiety. (In fact, that combination would weigh less than an ICE motor and fuel tank.)
- sharpneli 8y agoIt is true that hybrid cars are geneally bit heavier. Mostly due to the battery though, partly offseted by not having to lug a traditional gearbox around. However, if you look at the mpg figures of, as an example, Toyota Prius with similarly sized traditional car you will notice that it indeed is worth the extra weight.
- hanging 8y agonot having to lug a traditional gearbox around You mention the Prius. Are you unaware of the complexity of its complex, heavy drivetrain?[1] Much heavier than even a traditional gearbox. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_Synergy_Drive#Transmission https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_Synergy_Drive#Transmiss...
- sharpneli 8y agoI am aware of it. I have a hybrid version of Auris myself. And it does indeed get better l/100km than the non hybrid variants of the same car. I track my consumption when filling and using odometer. The drivertrain in the hsg is pretty much tje electrical motors. I did not say it is lighter. I said some of the weight is offseted by the fact that the ice part doesnt have to lug all the traditional components. Not completely offseted, just helped a bit.
- frosted-flakes 8y agoWith typical use, the gas engine probably runs 20% of the time, meaning the rest of the time it's idle (stopped) and cool. So it won't wear out very fast. But I have to say that it's a cramped affair under the Volt's hood, and I'd hate to ever have to work on it.
- hn_throwaway_99 8y agoCompletely disagree. I have a Volt, and having a gas engine is not a "little benefit" to me. It's a huge benefit, despite the fact that one tank of gas lasts me about 6 months on average. I never have to worry about running out of electric charge and trying to find a charger, and I can go on long trips without having to worry about whether or not I have the range.
- gok 8y agoSo why bother with an electric at all?
- lallysingh 8y agogas is expensive
- FraaJad 8y agoonly in california. i paid 2.19/gallon last time I filled gas in midwest.
- lallysingh 8y agoThat's still a whole lot more than the equivalent cost in electric for the same miles.
- syphilis2 8y agoWhen I do the math I find the cost per mile for electric is 80% the cost of gas. That's based off 35 mpg car, $2.20 gas, 60kWh electric battery with 238 miles of range, 10% loss in the charger, and $0.19 per kWh. All in all about $100-$200 saved a year. Cost of electric is higher than typical, but that's where I'm at.
- eMSF 8y agoYeah, only in California. (Anything below 6 USD/gal is quite cheap here.)
- evv 8y agoAn electric car "engine" is vastly simpler than an ICE, and has far fewer moving parts, which should result in better reliability in the long term. The fixed gearing also means transmission failure is less likely. As an EV driver it can feel funny to think about the maintenance that people need in order to handle the small explosions inside their car.. oil changes, coolant, smog checks.. In a PHEV, if the generator breaks, you still have a working car.
- cobookman 8y agoI'm fairly sure that the volt is more reliable and requires less maitenance than teslas & many other gas cars. Its a very reliable car.