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Most of the EV's and PHEV's I have seen in the US have two plugs, one for our standard 110v outlets and a second for the 220V outlets you see mostly for clothes dryers and the like. The former allows for convenient charging anywhere you can get to a plug; the second for a fast charge in the rare instance there's one of those big outlets available.
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Yes, I understand hybrids have the battery charge, and only with the hybrid system in use can the car achieve its 261mpg rating. The problem with hybrids is that they only recover electricity when they are braking. The regenerative charging is only good in a congested area (cities). Hybrids are only decent on the highway because of aerodynamics. My uncles Prius only gets 33mpg on the highway. If I drove slower, I could do that in my Honda Civic. Lugging the extra weight around in my mind will always make the car less efficient. Especially with a diesel. Those engines run best at a constant load, at low speed. And the lighter that load is, the more efficiently the car will be. Diesels work by modulating Air/fuel ratios and boost pressure. The boost can increase, and the air/fuel ratio decreases to get more power when more load is applied. So, in a light car, their is less load on the engine, so it can run more leaner, and thus more efficiently. So, while theoretically a diesel hybrid is an ideal car in fuel efficiency, a lightweight diesel motor only car, would be that much better. on the highway at least
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[quote=Magnum9987;992607]Yes, I understand hybrids have the battery charge, and only with the hybrid system in use can the car achieve its 261mpg rating. The problem with hybrids is that they only recover electricity when they are braking. The regenerative charging is only good in a congested area (cities). Hybrids are only decent on the highway because of aerodynamics. My uncles Prius only gets 33mpg on the highway. If I drove slower, I could do that in my Honda Civic. Lugging the extra weight around in my mind will always make the car less efficient. Especially with a diesel. Those engines run best at a constant load, at low speed. And the lighter that load is, the more efficiently the car will be. Diesels work by modulating Air/fuel ratios and boost pressure. The boost can increase, and the air/fuel ratio decreases to get more power when more load is applied. So, in a light car, their is less load on the engine, so it can run more leaner, and thus more efficiently. So, while theoretically a diesel hybrid is an ideal car in fuel efficiency, a lightweight diesel motor only car, would be that much better. on the highway at least[/quote]
This.
Except the last bit maybe, where the extra weight of the hybrid system could be offset by the fuel economy gains (cars aren't always driven in perfect conditions).
The thing is, a conventional diesel is much more frugal than a hybrid (let's assume there are only petrol-engined hybrids, since the PSA hybrids apparently are quite rubbish and this is an unknown quantity for the moment) out on the open road and especially in tough conditions. They are also faster and much cheaper.
I've driven a Prius. It felt good, comfy, spacious and quiet. It didn't handle and performance was adequate. If you forget about fuel economy and saving the world malarkey it's a good car to go from A to B. The problem is that it costs a lot more than a comparable diesel. So I guess that hybrids are still "work in progress" after all.
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Hybrids aren't for highways, they're for commuting in places with a lot of traffic. Therefore you'll get much better fuel economy by catching the bus.
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I can't wait for someone to make a good looking PHEV or total EV. They are all bulbous and many of them have ridiculous drag-reducing bits (come on, fender skirts in 2013). I understand the point but they are just ugly IMO.
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[quote=ScionDriver;992695]I can't wait for someone to make a good looking PHEV or total EV. They are all bulbous and many of them have ridiculous drag-reducing bits (come on, fender skirts in 2013). I understand the point but they are just ugly IMO.[/quote]
Well, this has the proportions (and the doors) of a supercar.
Put some big tyres and stick some exhausts out the back and it looks like one...
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[quote=Ferrer;992697]Put some big tyres and stick some exhausts out the back[/quote]
Nah. None of that is cool unless you put it on hydraulics.
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[quote=ScionDriver;992695]I can't wait for someone to make a good looking PHEV or total EV. They are all bulbous and many of them have ridiculous drag-reducing bits (come on, fender skirts in 2013). I understand the point but they are just ugly IMO.[/quote]
Have you seen the Tesla Model S?
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[quote=ScionDriver;992695]I can't wait for someone to make a good looking PHEV or total EV. They are all bulbous and many of them have ridiculous drag-reducing bits (come on, fender skirts in 2013). I understand the point but they are just ugly IMO.[/quote]
I think the styling of this car is a move in the right directions. I mean, its no 458 italia, yet it certainly looks better than say a Prius.
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[quote=NSXType-R;992717]Have you seen the Tesla Model S?[/quote]
Have you seen the price tag of a Model S?
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[quote=RacingManiac;992750]Have you seen the price tag of a Model S?[/quote]
Early adopters must suffer...
Isn't that the price of admission? :D
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[quote=NSXType-R;992751]Early adopters must suffer...
Isn't that the price of admission? :D[/quote]
^^ why I'm not an early adopter. I'm just now getting around to smartphones. My first exposure to a DVR was about a year and change ago. I still don't know how to use an automatic coffeemaker. I can still spend hours poring over paper maps of just about any kind. I do most math in my head. And I carry a nice pen because handwriting with that is still a cheaper alternative to a computer and a printer, plus I don't have to wrestle with getting the document formatting just as I like it LOL.
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Well, the Tesla notwithstanding. This is good looking but the fender skirts kill it for me.
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[quote=jcp123;992763]^^ why I'm not an early adopter. I'm just now getting around to smartphones. My first exposure to a DVR was about a year and change ago. I still don't know how to use an automatic coffeemaker. I can still spend hours poring over paper maps of just about any kind. I do most math in my head. And I carry a nice pen because handwriting with that is still a cheaper alternative to a computer and a printer, plus I don't have to wrestle with getting the document formatting just as I like it LOL.[/quote]
That sound a lot like me... except for the coffee, that's a survival thing. :p
The Tesla Model S looks superb though. I'd like to have it with a conventional powertrain.
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I make coffee with whole beans, a grinder, a kettle, a coffee filter, and a carafe. I am also still trying to perfect a Turkish coffee technique...but I'm giving up as you really can't get the right grind for that in this stupid town I live in.
Oh, yeah, and I still listen to records. I love the 33-1/3 snap crackle and pop.
I think if it's gonna be a hybrid, it might as well be a plug-in. How hard can it be to...put a cord on the damn thing?!