4 ms·

"... and a big part of the advantage with electric cars is that they use less energy in every step of the process except initial manufacturing." The most impor

by esbonsa 12y ago

"... and a big part of the advantage with electric cars is that they use less energy in every step of the process except initial manufacturing." The most important part for me for electric cars is the simpler power-train system which is less likely to break... which is why i would never buy an hybrid that has both systems.

mikeash 12y ago
Oddly, hybrids seem to be really reliable, despite the additional stuff to break. Priuses get top marks for reliability. I'm not sure why, but I imagine it comes down to the electric stuff being extremely reliable due to the nature of the beast, and the gasoline end being treated more nicely (more consistent RPMs and throttle settings, no idling, not being used at all for a substantial fraction of your miles) more than compensates for the tiny increase in potential failures from adding the electric system. Also consider that there is essentially no transmission in the more advanced hybrids, which removes a potentially expensive breakage that regular gas cars are subject to.
- esbonsa 12y ago
  top marks where? I don't see it... here is one source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/02/12/used-cars-less-dependable-jdpower/5403139/ http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/02/12/used-car...
  - mikeash 12y ago
    I didn't have any specific source in mind when I made that comment, it's just something I've seen in general. To double-check, I did a Google search for "most reliable used cars", then clicked on the first five links that didn't involve a price ceiling. Four out of five listed the Prius as being among the most reliable. For reference, here are the links I found: https://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/car-dealer-scientific-guide-10-best-used-vehicles-181842236.html https://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/car-dealer-scientifi... http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehmk45iidj/toyota-prius-2/ http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehmk45iidj/toyota-prius-2/ http://editorial.autos.msn.com/18-most-dependable-cars-on-the-road-1#2 http://editorial.autos.msn.com/18-most-dependable-cars-on-th... http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/best-used-cars-2013.html http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/best-used-cars-2013.html http://wallstcheatsheet.com/automobiles/10-most-dependable-cars-on-the-road.html/?a=viewall http://wallstcheatsheet.com/automobiles/10-most-dependable-c... (This is the one without a Prius, but even this one has a hybrid on the list in the form of the Volt.) Anecdotally, I seem to see a disproportionate number of the original Prius on the road still, despite only selling 54,000 of them in the US, and being over a decade old at this point. That could, of course, just be confirmation bias or local demographics.
ZoFreX 12y ago
A hybrid is still a lot simpler than a regular IC vehicle, even when running on the ICE.

by esbonsa 12y ago

mikeash 12y ago

Oddly, hybrids seem to be really reliable, despite the additional stuff to break. Priuses get top marks for reliability. I'm not sure why, but I imagine it comes down to the electric stuff being extremely reliable due to the nature of the beast, and the gasoline end being treated more nicely (more consistent RPMs and throttle settings, no idling, not being used at all for a substantial fraction of your miles) more than compensates for the tiny increase in potential failures from adding the electric system. Also consider that there is essentially no transmission in the more advanced hybrids, which removes a potentially expensive breakage that regular gas cars are subject to.

esbonsa 12y ago
top marks where? I don't see it... here is one source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/02/12/used-cars-less-dependable-jdpower/5403139/ http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/02/12/used-car...
- mikeash 12y ago
  I didn't have any specific source in mind when I made that comment, it's just something I've seen in general. To double-check, I did a Google search for "most reliable used cars", then clicked on the first five links that didn't involve a price ceiling. Four out of five listed the Prius as being among the most reliable. For reference, here are the links I found: https://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/car-dealer-scientific-guide-10-best-used-vehicles-181842236.html https://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/car-dealer-scientifi... http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehmk45iidj/toyota-prius-2/ http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehmk45iidj/toyota-prius-2/ http://editorial.autos.msn.com/18-most-dependable-cars-on-the-road-1#2 http://editorial.autos.msn.com/18-most-dependable-cars-on-th... http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/best-used-cars-2013.html http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/best-used-cars-2013.html http://wallstcheatsheet.com/automobiles/10-most-dependable-cars-on-the-road.html/?a=viewall http://wallstcheatsheet.com/automobiles/10-most-dependable-c... (This is the one without a Prius, but even this one has a hybrid on the list in the form of the Volt.) Anecdotally, I seem to see a disproportionate number of the original Prius on the road still, despite only selling 54,000 of them in the US, and being over a decade old at this point. That could, of course, just be confirmation bias or local demographics.

ZoFreX 12y ago

A hybrid is still a lot simpler than a regular IC vehicle, even when running on the ICE.