As per usual, excellent posts from Ben, who IMO, has a marvelous gift for taking, then distilling complex mechanical issues down to easily understandable explanations.
I quote from Ben:
"The high MPG of hybrids are due to two things. Two sources of power,
the liquid fuel (gasoline or diesel....toss in propane and the other
forms of liquefied gaseous fuel) and the battery...which has a higher
power density than either gasoline or diesel
False MPG, as the day of reckoning is the day you have to replace the
worn out Li-Ion battery. Tens of thousands of bucks at todays current
cost structure
The same can be said for 100% electric too. Plus using the grid
to recharge skirts the various road taxes...for now"
In my opinion, many people are attracted to 'new' technology....such as hybrid or electric technology...assuming it will be all benefit, without any penalties.
As Ben says, the expense of replacing Li-on batteries is significant. I realize that manufacturers tout long battery lives....think around 8 years or so....for these batteries, but sometime they will need to be replaced at great cost.
I can only imagine what the resale value on a Toyota Prius will be , when the car is 7 or so years old and the battery replacement issue is coming near.
Ben also mentions that:
"....using the grid
to recharge skirts the various road taxes...for now"
I agree. IMO, once significant numbers of cars are made and sold on the market with either Hybrid or complete electric power....I can see the price of electricity going up. It's only a matter of time.
Also to me, the jury is still out on the longevity of turbos or superchargers, on engines.
I read about an interesting engine (Hot Rod Magazine ) that a Ford engineer mentioned in an interview. Apparently it's a 4 cylinder engine...very small...1.4 liters....with both a supercharger and a turbocharger .The supercharger provides non lag low end power, the turbo...high end power...the small displacement provides good MPG.
My preferences would be to have a larger displacement, non super or turbocharged, engine. My view....is that a fuel injected gas engine,is not working as hard as as a forced induction engine and less expensive parts replacement in the future. Also some mechanics see turbos as service items which will need to be replaced at certain time intervals. Ie;... cold/hot cycles, lubrication of bearings, high rpm of internal turbocharger components.
Maybe I'm just an old fogey ? Perhaps....or...maybe not.
In the end, there is no free lunch.
If there was...well I'd go for a corned beef on rye, with Swiss cheese and a regular coke.;)
