this post was submitted on 28 Oct 2023
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Electric Vehicles
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Well a hybrid car is significantly more complicated than a petrol car (multiple power sources that have to be integrated through the drive train), however I'm sure they stretch the pricing well beyond reasonable proportions.
It really depend though, Toyota's HSD system replace the whole gearbox with a hybrid system that only has 2 planetary gear. It is not much bigger than a 7+ speed gearbox.
I have a friend who studied the Toyota Prius gearbox at university to try and figure out improvements, I can say for a fact that their drivetrain is trick as fuck. So in some sense it's reasonable for them to charge a higher price and profit from their R&D work.
Like I say though, I’m sure they stretch the pricing well beyond what is reasonable.
i mean in practical user terms. what theyve done is add a battery which adds a handful of miles and adds an enormous cost for no practical benefit. The only real advantage to a hybrid is the use of battery motor off the lights 0-30mph, which is the most carbon intense part of any driving and worse as you increase weight.
It's definitely something of a gimmick, like 3D TV, and especially in its early iterations. However you did just list a genuine benefit of hybrid technology. Also, I know someone with a Mercedes hybrid and that will go up to like 50 mph on battery only, and also delivers ridiculous acceleration like that I've only previously felt on motorbikes, all the while keeping fuel economy above 90 mpg and never bothering to plug it in. The only real downside is how much space the batteries take up in the boot.
the real downside is you cant drive for more than about 20 minutes!
Yeah, range in general is terrible with anything electric - and the UK isn't even that big. New battery tech can't come quickly enough.