Plug-in Hybrid Cars

Plug-in Hybrid Cars

First, let me say, I can't see owning an electric only car. They take too long to charge and there is insufficient infrastructure to use one effectively on a long trip.

But a plug-in hybrid could be used as I typically use my car. In town all week, short trips. I could generally avoid any gasoline use. Long trips on the weekends, hybrid mode, mostly on gasoline. This would give excellent efficiency during the week, using electric with no engine warmup issues. And it should give excellent efficiency on the weekends, acting as a hybrid.

For those of you concerned with recharging from a coal fired power plant - I have read and I believe that the efficiency of the electric mode results in less carbon dioxide emission than hybrid mode even when recharged from a coal fired power plant.

I have narrowed the choice to the most recent plug-in hybrids - Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius Prime, Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in.

CHEVROLET VOLT - it appears that they have optimized the Volt for electric mode and forgotten hybrid mode. 41 mpg in hybrid mode - that's about 10 or 15 mpg below where it should be. But in return, you get a 0-60 time of 7.5 seconds - pretty good.

9 gallon gas tank, with a one gallon reserve that's 320 miles - not enough. How about replacing the 50 mile battery with a 25 mile battery and increasing the gas tank to 12 or 15 gallons.

The Volt needs work on its aerodynamics. The drag coefficient is .29, 21% higher than the Prius Prime. That says styling counts more that efficiency. Drag coefficient helps predict gas mileage above the speeds that the EPA uses for testing. The Volt is a poor 41 mpg on the highway and when going 90 mph instead of 70 mph the aerodynamic drag is increased by 65%.

Ground clearance - not specified - grr. After an inquiry, Chevrolet says 3.5 inches. That's ridiculous unless they are referring to a rubber air dam under the front bumper. Sigh.

Chevrolet says that cloth seats are available, but their build a car web site won't let me select them - grr.

The TOYOTA PRIUS PRIME is ugly, not the shape, but the details. But the drag coefficient is .24, so I'll let that pass. It is much more efficient than the Volt in hybrid mode, 54 mpg. And the gas tank holds 11 gallons. With a one gallon reserve that's 540 miles. People think I'm crazy for wanting a long range between fuel stops, but I hate gas stations.

The battery is good for 25 miles - plenty for me.

But a 4.8 inch ground clearance - not enough. And 10.9 seconds 0 to 60? That will get you around town, but it's not good enough to compete on the highway.

The HYUNDAI IONIQ PLUG-IN specifications are pretty much the same as the Prius Prime, but it looks a lot better. And the ground clearance is 5.5 inches! Still, I can't see trying to go up some of the long hills that I drive, getting stuck behind big trucks or being a left lane nuisance.

Hyundai has much less experience with electric integration in cars than Toyota and Chevrolet. The Ioniq is a first generation, first year car. I don't know if I would trust it even if it met all of my preferences.

So that leaves nothing for now.

Maybe a new Camry Hybrid with new and improved ugly (marketed as "bold" by Toyota) and a shrunken gas tank. It has great specs and a solid history. But I prefer something smaller.

Mazda says they will introduce the 2019 3 with a compression ignition gasoline engine. No electric stuff, but 25% improvement in efficiency. Diesel-like fuel mileage on gasoline. Simpler than a hybrid, no battery manufacturing issues. Maybe I will wait and see if they produce.