Let's talk Hybrids

[tvguy]

Where are you finding free charge points?

My son and DIL both work for companies that offer free charging at work. Not a great perk now since they both have been on remote for two years and not going into work.

 

[kdonnel]

Where are you finding free charge points?

You can use plugshare.com and filter by plug type and turn off the show locations that require payment filter.




Green are free level 2 chargers, orange are free DCFC.

Many of the free level 2 will be hotel destination chargers meant to be used only by those staying at the hotel but the majority shown are open to anyone as I have turned the filter on so that restricted locations are not shown. Most of the free DCFC are dealerships but there are networks like Volta that are starting to offer free DCFC at shopping centers. Charging is limited to free for the first 30 mins to 1 hour and then fees are incurred.

 

[abdmom]

I am on my second RAV4 hybrid. I had a 2016 and had to sell it because I was moving and didn't want the hassle of shipping it. I now have a 2021. The 2021 gets fantastic mileage. I can run it 50+ mpg if I stay in the range of 35-50 mph.

 

[sam_gordon]

So here's another question... should I be looking at a hybrid? I have ~50 mile commute RT M-F. ~40 miles of that is highway. That does not include running errands, going to kids' (HS) games, and the occasional road trip (usually a couple hours highway).

ETA: While on the highway, I usually set the cruise 7-9mph over the limit, so much of my driving is ~78-79mph.

 

[daisy2013]

What I meant was, our charging stations around us are often free to use and with no intermediary parties, it may as well be free to us

We have several free to use ones as well. They are paid by advertising dollars on the kiosk. There are several at the entrances to our local mall. A few in the middle of my town. A few more in a community parking lot by work outside of the trader joes entrance. They have a time limit on the spot of 2 hours. I have yet to be there that long so I don't know what happens if you are.

To answer the original question, we had a prius for years. It was husbands commuting car and he loved it. He now has an electric Bolt which he loves more. I have a phev Volvo that is fantastic. When I am just doing my normal commuting etc, I mainly use electric. I usually get about 800 miles per fill up on gas, but if I don't take any long trips I have gotten 1200 miles per tank.

 

[kdonnel]

So here's another question... should I be looking at a hybrid? I have ~50 mile commute RT M-F. ~40 miles of that is highway. That does not include running errands, going to kids' (HS) games, and the occasional road trip (usually a couple hours highway).

I would look at a plug in hybrid. Your commute could be all electric.

 

[robinb]

I have a 2018 Honda Clarity electric hybrid and I LOVE it. I charge overnight at home and can get around town on electric alone for 30-40 miles depending on the temperature. It has a 7 gallon tank that fuels the engine and when we go longer distances we run it in "hybrid" mode. I can get 300 miles on a full tank and full charge. It is a comfortable and roomy car with a full size trunk and is the size of a Honda Accord. We can also drive it long distances because of the hybrid engine. It's made a WI-CT round trip twice. Yes, we have to stop for gas every 5 hours but I can't drive longer that without a break anyway. We get about 45-50 miles to the gallon on long trips but rarely have to gas up if we're just driving around town. On a normal month I will maybe fill up the the 7 gallon tank 1-2 times per month.

 

[Lumpy1106]

So here's another question... should I be looking at a hybrid? I have ~50 mile commute RT M-F. ~40 miles of that is highway. That does not include running errands, going to kids' (HS) games, and the occasional road trip (usually a couple hours highway).

ETA: While on the highway, I usually set the cruise 7-9mph over the limit, so much of my driving is ~78-79mph.

I love my Volt. Don't know where you are, but in CA the resale value on those was really high when they were new-ish because they also had carpool stickers. The value dropped when the stickers expired, but it's my understanding it shot back up when the price of gas got out of hand. If you can find one with decent miles and at a decent price I would absolutely recommend.

We do really like our hybrid CR-V too - definitely saving money on gas and it's a nice step-up from our other now high-mileage cars. Still, would prefer to have another PIH - just couldn't find one that was on any lot, and Hyundai wanted a ridiculous mark-up if we were willing to wait.

 

[soccerdad72]

I would look at a plug in hybrid. Your commute could be all electric.

They can be difficult to find in certain areas in stock. I don't live too far from where the OP is and I've looked for awhile for a PHEV and there just aren't any available.

 

[kdonnel]

They can be difficult to find in certain areas in stock. I don't live too far from where the OP is and I've looked for awhile for a PHEV and there just aren't any available.

There just aren’t many cars available. No choice.

 

[_19disnA]

A large enough (usually lithium ion) battery to run the car totally electric for an extended period of time will usually be associated with a plug-in hybrid. Smaller batteries can't store enough power to run the car for very long. As I posted earlier, you have to look for the type of 'hybrid' that fits how you plan to use it.

 

[sam_gordon]

There just aren’t many cars available. No choice.

Yea, it's a crappy time to buy. I was hoping I'd get at least another 7-10 years out of my car. I like running them into the ground.

 

[bcla]

Are you going for plug-in or a traditional hybrid? A plug-in of course will have a bigger battery and be expected to operate solely off the battery more often. With a traditional hybrid the battery provides supplemental power and then recharges the battery partially using regenerative braking, and that's the sole way of getting any energy into the battery.

With a plug-in hybrid, if all one does is short trips and recharges often, it should almost always run off the battery. But the general idea is that the battery doesn't have to as big as an EV only, but there's the backup of the internal combustion engine.

 

[Deeleebaker]

I have a plug in hybrid Prius Prime. It’s sportier and peppier than my old 2nd Gen Prius but still has a gas engine for my sense of security. Range anxiety is real.
My mom had a hybrid Camry she loved.

 

[MICKIMINI]

So here's another question... should I be looking at a hybrid? I have ~50 mile commute RT M-F. ~40 miles of that is highway. That does not include running errands, going to kids' (HS) games, and the occasional road trip (usually a couple hours highway).

ETA: While on the highway, I usually set the cruise 7-9mph over the limit, so much of my driving is ~78-79mph.

You just have to relearn how to drive LOL! Take your foot off the gas when you can (you have to practice this technique) and coast. I'd consistently get 40+ on the highway and actually could get up to 65+ (not a typo) on the hilly backroads of New Hampshire.

I tend to go 6-7 over on the highway. I was also able to operate the a/c with the sunroof open which didn't make a dent in the mpg! It was a pleasure to drive.

 

[Deeleebaker]

I don't do a lot of highway driving, but even when I do it doesn't put a dent in my average 95+ mpg I get for my daily commute which is all electric. I fill my tank monthly if I wait for it to get empty.

 

[sam_gordon]

Back to the car hunt. There's a 2014 Avalon XLE Hybrid nearby me in my budget (which is not large and smaller than what I'd like) AND has less than 28K miles. Would anyone be concerned (assuming it passes a pre-purchase inspection)? Carfax is clean (yes, you only know what's reported to those).

 

[RamblingMad]

We've had Prius vehicles that lasted to about 160k miles before needing new batteries and more work. Fairly reliable. I'm waiting for a Tacoma Hybrid to come out. And I've heard good things of the RAV4 Hybrid, but I wasn't able to find one when I bought my last vehicle.

 

[RamblingMad]

Back to the car hunt. There's a 2014 Avalon XLE Hybrid nearby me in my budget (which is not large and smaller than what I'd like) AND has less than 28K miles. Would anyone be concerned (assuming it passes a pre-purchase inspection)? Carfax is clean (yes, you only know what's reported to those).

I know someone with that vehicle that had the transmission go out on them at 90k miles. It's in a shop for a $5k repair.

 

[slo]

I got my first Hybrid this year and I love it!

I have a RAV4 and I’m getting 41 miles per gallon.
I will never go back to a regular gas only vehicle