A Look at Hybrid Cars
So I have a 2008 Toyota Prius. It is a gadget-geek car that’s an immediate conversation starter with anyone I met. Yes, I get 52 MPG average. Yes, the performance is fine with characteristics similar to most 4 cylinder compact cars. Yes, the batteries are more or less covered by Totoya for the life of the vehicle. The list goes on.
Some people think it is ugly. I say that the car’s form is just like a wing. It’s a beautiful shape. In fact, the car is the most aerodynamic vehicle out there (besides the Insight which has to skirt it’s back wheels to achieve .01% better drag coefficient). The Prius is around $26k fully loaded out the door and is one of only two real choices out there for efficient hybrids, the other choice being the Honda Civic.
So if I’m looking at a hybrid, what is next? What should you wait for? Well, here is a quick list of some interesting real cars that are here or have been confirmed to hit production that might fit the bill. Some information is speculative and with all future cars, they are vaporware until they are actually in a dealership.
2008 Toyota Prius
- Compact
- 48/45 MPG
- 1.5L 76BHP/67BHP (143 HP)
- NiMH
- $26K
2008 Honda Civic
- Compact
- 45/40 MPG
- 1.3L 95BHP/20BHP (115 HP)
- NiMH
- $24K
2010 Honda Insight
- Subcompact
- 50?/46? MPG
- ?L ?BHP/?BHP (? HP)
- NiMH
- $23K
2010 Toyota Prius
- Compact
- 55/50 MPG
- 1.8L 91BHP?/67BHP? (158 HP)
- NiMH
- $27k
2011 Chevy Volt
- Compact
- 120/113? MPG
- 1.0L 71BHP/134BHP x 2 (268 HP) (previously reported as 1.4L)
- NiMH
- $35K
2012 Honda CR-Z
- Subcompact coupe
- ?/? MPG
- ?L ?BHP/?BHP (? HP)
- NiMH
- $30K?
2015 Honda Fit
- Subcompact
- ?/? MPG
- ?L ?BHP/?BHP (? HP)
- NiMH
- $25K?
2015 Volvo C30 ReCharge
- Compact
- 100?/93? MPG
- 1.6L 140BHP/70BHP? x 4 (280 HP)
- Lithium-polymer
- $28K?
Want to see more hybrid? Check this out:
Batteries
All batteries for use in vehicles are an interesting subject. Batteries are complex things. Think about any laptops or cell phones that you may have had. You are probably not fond of those memories. They are just a bunch of chemicals in a cell that are controlled by a computer. They have to perform within strict tolerances so as not to overheat, charge fully or deplete fully, or charge too quickly or deplete too quickly. All these thing will eventually kill the battery. The computer is the key to maximizing the life of the battery.
Consumers should forget about the idea of “fully charging up” the car. The challenge for Chevy and others will be, how to fill up to 60-80% charge for a plugin hybrid or PHEV and still have the vehicle be able to go 40 miles on electric before dropping down to 30-50% battery capacity. At that time, the gas ICE kicks in and starts charging the battery back up. These engineering feats are required to strike that balance between reliability and performance.
Batteries are made mainly of two completing types, the tested and adopted Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) and the obvious candidate, Lithium-ion (Li-ion) / Lithium-Polymer.
NiMH can be controlled well and kept under operating thresholds better than Li-ion. Because of this, NiMH has a better lifespan. Li-ion has a better weight-to-energy ratio but overheats more easily and is also more expensive to manufacture for now. It also has a shelf life based on it’s production date, so even having the car parked, the battery will eventually die.
This trade off will keep hybrids using NiMH for quite awhile until the heat issues (and subsequent explosions) are handled as well as the dropping the cost. This may happen quicker than manufacturers hope, especially since the recent incredible price hike of NiMH and advancing in Lithium research. Perhaps it may be another 8 years until manufactures feel comfortable enough to move towards a Lithium solution.
