Duane was dead wrong!Hybrid Cars cheaper to maintain!

[PariaMan]

Duane I was disappointed in your contribution. All the research indicates maintenance and battery life is not a real world issue.

The Car Connection

Hybrids like the 2011 Toyota Prius cost more to repair and maintain, right?
It would seem, given all the additional technical complexity and computational wizardry in hybrids, that they would. And it's a myth that's certainly made the rounds among backyard mechanics. But it hasn't proven true. With the oldest Toyota Prius models now more than ten years old, and hundreds and thousands of Prius models on U.S. roads (and about 900,000 sold), there's no rush on replacement batteries, no rash of Priuses needing costly powertrain components replaced. They've proven surprisingly...bulletproof.

Edmonds

And there doesn't seem much reason to worry. All the hybrid-specific components in every hybrid vehicle currently on the market are covered under warranty for eight years/100,000 miles or 10 years/150,000 miles, depending on the state, but these components have been shown to have a much longer lifespan in testing and in real-world conditions.

Toyota, for example, reports that its battery packs have lasted for more than 180,000 miles in testing. A large number of Ford Escape Hybrid and Toyota Prius taxicabs in New York and San Francisco have logged well over 200,000 miles on their original battery packs and are still running well.

Driverside.com

Small disparities aside, hybrid-specific maintenance isn't much more expensive than a regular car's, and hybrids even have advanced technology that reduces costs in some areas, like the regenerative braking. And of course, gas savings should balance out some of the extra maintenance fees. As long as you know that there will be some areas of difference between maintaining it versus a regular car, there's no reason to avoid buying a hybrid.

CNN.com

1. Worry: Hybrids have complicated technology that is difficult or expensive to fix
To be fair, every car today has complicated technology that's difficult to fix. The old days of listening for a funny noise then taking a wrench to the problem are long gone. Today's cars are packed with complicated electronics and computer chips.
Still, working on a hybrid car will require some special training that your corner mechanic probably won't have. For the time being, you'll be taking it to the dealership for any needed repairs. And even the dealership may only have one or two mechanics trained on hybrids.
As far as expense goes, the hybrid-specific components of most hybrid vehicles have extremely long warrantees, so cost shouldn't be an issue.
Simple maintenance, like changing the oil or brake pads or rotating tires, can be done by your neighborhood mechanic, pointed out Tony Mossa, a spokesman for the Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, a group that certifies professional mechanics. As far as those sorts of things go, a hybrid vehicle presents no special challenges. Just make sure to keep careful records for warranty purposes.
Conclusion: It's a slight concern for now.
2. Worry: Hybrids have limited battery pack life
Unlike cell phone or laptop batteries, hybrid batteries go through their entire functional lives without ever being fully charged or discharged. Hybrid vehicles run on a regular gasoline-powered engine assisted by an electric motor. The electric motor's battery is charged by the gas engine during braking and idling.
So, hybrid car batteries are designed to move energy in and out quickly and efficiently, said Tom Watson, Hybrid Propulsion Systems Manager for Ford Motor Co.
Both Toyota and Ford claim to have hybrid vehicles in fleet use that have lasted well over 100,000 miles -- Toyota claims a few vehicles with over 200,000 miles.
Besides, typically there are extremely long warranties on hybrid components, including batteries. Toyota guarantees all hybrid-specific components on their vehicles for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Ford guarantees them for 8 years or 100,000 miles and Honda for 8 years or 80,000 miles.
Conclusion: Not a major concern.

[A172]

scn

[kjaglal76v2]

k

[16 cycles]

OP - where the stats in trinidad?

[Spitfir3]

is cawl out yuh cawl out the Duane?

[tr1ad]

moreso.... which one of the 52 states are we in

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

Duane I was disappointed in your contribution. All the research indicates maintenance and battery life is not a real world issue.

well thanks for totally misunderstanding what I said.

I said OLDER hybrids brought into the country can pose problems, namely availability of parts in the bamboo etc. Also a 2008 hybrid would be less efficient than a modern hybrid.
The article said "OLD hybrids" as the author asked me what I thought of extending hybrid imports to vehicles up to 6 years old.

I absolutely think newer hybrids are the way to go!

[PariaMan]

Most of the maintenance is just normal car maintenance. The electric drive train do not require 5000k maintenance so routine maintenance is cheaper!

[PariaMan]

When I bought my B14 in 1999. I had problems troubleshooting the EFI. Bought a book and did it myself . Now that is not a problem mechanics have learned . The same will happen with hybrid cars.

Are we saying Trini mechanics are stupid ?

Come nah man

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

Most of the maintenance is just normal car maintenance. The electric drive train do not require 5000k maintenance so routine maintenance is cheaper!

I never said it isn't!

I agree. Please re-read the article.

[PariaMan]

Duane I was disappointed in your contribution. All the research indicates maintenance and battery life is not a real world issue.

well thanks for totally misunderstanding what I said.

I said OLDER hybrids brought into the country can pose problems, namely availability of parts in the bamboo etc. Also a 2008 hybrid would be less efficient than a modern hybrid.
The article said "OLD hybrids" as the author asked me what I thought of extending hybrid imports to vehicles up to 6 years old.

I absolutely think newer hybrids are the way to go!

What data do you have that older hybrids are less efficient?\\

I have found no data to back that up.

Have you?

If there are no Hybrid cars in Trinidad why pray tell will the bamboo have parts for them?

As soon as hybrid cars are brought i in any numbers we will have parts

Come nah man!!

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

Are we saying Trini mechanics are stupid .

Come nah man

what? no!
I'm saying availability of parts will be an issue in T&T on a 6 year old hybrid.

[PariaMan]

We have B14 parts which came out in 1996.

If there are many Hybrids say prius be assured that soon you will have all the parts. Nosecut . Front cut batteries everything.

Come nah man!

[pete]

Duane you supplied that picture to go with that article?

[Anotrin]

[PariaMan]

Nothing wrong with saying after I considered all information I was dead wrong.

Flood the market with prius .
Parts and Service technicians will follow.
That is how the real world operates.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

Duane I was disappointed in your contribution. All the research indicates maintenance and battery life is not a real world issue.

well thanks for totally misunderstanding what I said.

I said OLDER hybrids brought into the country can pose problems, namely availability of parts in the bamboo etc. Also a 2008 hybrid would be less efficient than a modern hybrid.
The article said "OLD hybrids" as the author asked me what I thought of extending hybrid imports to vehicles up to 6 years old.

I absolutely think newer hybrids are the way to go!

What data do you have that older hybrids are less efficient?\\

I have found no data to back that up.

Have you?

If there are no Hybrid cars in Trinidad why pray tell will the bamboo have parts for them?

As soon as hybrid cars are brought i in any numbers we will have parts

Come nah man!!

OMG

I have no problem in bringing in used hybrids - I will buy one if I could afford it!

the author asked me what I thought of bringing in 6 year old hybrids.

Hybrid and electric car technology has advanced quickly in a short space of time compared to internal combustion. Obviously there have been advancements in efficiency of hybrid and electric cars over the past 5 years.

Just google "hybrid car, hybrid electric car or electric car". Earlier models did not have the range (how far they could travel without needing a recharge etc) that recent models have. and these things keep improving.

[RapToR]

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

Duane you supplied that picture to go with that article?

no I think they got that on facebook

[pete]

Hybrid hater driving gas guzzler

[PariaMan]

Come better than that Duane look at and old Prius compared to a new one.

You even more wrong . OMG!

Hybrids like the Toyota Prius may save money on fuel, but car shoppers have long wondered how those batteries hold up over the long run. In fact, we’re often asked, “When do the batteries need to be replaced, and how much will they cost?” These questions are even more important now that the Prius has been on the market for 10 years--there are many used models on the market. But is it risky to buy a used hybrid?

Early adopters of the hybrids took a risk with the new technology. The lifetime of the batteries and the cost to replace them wasn’t clear. After all, when it comes to standard car batteries, most don’t last more than a few years. And anyone who has a laptop that is a few years old is most likely aware how significantly battery life can degrade with age.

Based on data from over 36,000 Toyota Prius hybrids in our annual survey, we find that the Prius has outstanding reliability and low ownership costs. But we wanted to know if the effectiveness of the battery degraded over the long run. So we hooked up a 2002 Toyota Prius with nearly 208,000 miles on the clock to our testing instruments and compared the results to the nearly identical 2001 Prius we tested 10 years ago.

Conclusion: We found very little difference in performance when we tested fuel economy and acceleration.

2001 Prius 2002 Prius
Fuel Economy 2,000 miles 206,000 miles
Overall 40.6 40.4
Highway 48.6 46.3
City 30.5 32.1
Trip 48.5 46.3
Acceleration 2,000 miles 206,000 miles
0-30 mph (sec.) 4.3 4.4
0-60 mph 12.7 13.1
1/4 mile 19.3 19.4
1/4 mile mph 74.6 73.6
45-65 mph passing 7.0 7.3
Our testers were also amazed how much the car drove like the new one we tested 10 years ago. It certainly didn’t seem like a car that had traveled nearly the distance to the Moon. We were also surprised to learn that the engine, transmission, and even shocks were all original.

If the battery ever did need to be replaced, it would run between $2,200 and $2,600 from a Toyota dealer, but it’s doubtful that anyone would purchase a new battery for such an old car. Most will probably choose to buy a low-mileage unit from a salvage yard, just as they would with an engine or transmission. We found many units available for around $500.

So is an old Prius a still a good value? We think so.

[PariaMan]

Duane you wrong on this one sorry to say but you are dead wrong . And it is a pity that you will have influenced people who cannot do the research.

Thus we even less likely to see more Hybrids on the road!

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

I am not so sure what you think I am trying to say

Of course there has been advancement in tech and efficiency. The newer ones are better!
The first model Prius had a range of only 9 miles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug-in_hybrid#History
Today, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid has an EPA-rated driving range of 11 miles in EV Mode, and is capable of traveling up to 62 mph on electric power alone.
http://www.toyota.com/prius-plug-in/

You bring in an old Prius and the electrics fail, the newer prius uses a different system from the first set of Prius models, where do you get parts for the older one? Toyota won't have it. You are counting on the bamboo to have that exact model you bought because they have been changing tech as the years go by.

[16 cycles]

T&T has a policy for disposing of the batteries safely - or we dealing with that when the time come?

oh yeah - all hail the great Toyota

[PariaMan]

Watch my data a 2001 prius tested as a new brand vehicle compared to one with 206,000 miles

The performance was nearly identical.

Come nah man.

That is 320,000 KMs

The car runs the same.

There is no problem with old Hybrids.

Duane you wrong!

[PariaMan]

That is 13 years ago.

Come nah man bring in 6 years and newer Prius and all will be well.

Lets be open to change!

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

Watch my data a 2001 prius tested as a new brand vehicle compared to one with 206,000 miles

The performance was nearly identical.

Come nah man.

That is 320,000 KMs

The car runs the same.

There is no problem with old Hybrids.

Duane you wrong!

oh so that car is all cars?

I stand by what I said - you are misunderstanding what was written as you think I am saying hybrids are bad. That is not the cae I think hybrids are great, I just think bringing very old ones is a bad idea. I did not make up that headline, the author did.

[pete]

How much less will the 6 year old ones be without the MVT and VAT? Is the proposal ALL the VAT or just the VAT on the MVT?

[PariaMan]

Based on the data I can say there is no evidence that a six year old hybrid is a bad deal.

Very old of course but nothing wrong with 6 years.

What did you base your comment on?

What specific data?

I have done a lot of reserch and nothing points in that direction!

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

That is 13 years ago.

Come nah man bring in 6 years and newer Prius and all will be well.

Lets be open to change!

because hybrids and electric cars advance so quickly and have been selling better than before (even more so over the past 3 years) is the reason I said 6 years old is too much. i.e. newer, more efficient technology and better availability of parts