How are hybrid's efficienty in heavy traffic

[Byte]

I was looking forward to the Volt, but seeing they basically turned it into a $40k Malibu, i'm going to have to pass. The new Insite and Prius look pretty decent and would love a plug in version as you don't need anything special to take advantage of pure electricity with the many ways to make it (solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, nucular, ect). Right now i'm mostly driving in pretty heavy traffic. Since that means 5-10mph it would mean the electric motor will be doing most of the work, with the gas pretty much charging the batteries when it's needed. Is this a lot more efficient than just a compact car like a civic or camry?

 

[Paratus]

The hybrid is more efficient because the gas engine can be turned off while stopped in traffic, and at lower speeds, (or any speed for the Volt). It's also more efficient because a portion of the kinetic energy of the car can be recovered during braking which a gas only car cannot.

If you need to drive less than 10 miles in city driving then a plug in version of the Prius or Insight would allow all electric driving. If it's more than that only the Volt will let you do all electric driving.

 

[PingSpike]

I'm pretty sure this is the main area where a hybrid wins the most. And its due to regenerative braking and probably the more efficient torque properties of an electric motor? When a regular car is braking you're just burning up brake pads and maybe using a little less gas. With a hybrid, some of that energy is used to recharge the battery.

 

[cheesehead]

If you're driving less than 40 miles, you don't use any gas.

If you live in a small city, you're not likely to be driving more than 40 miles in a trip.

I think you can see where I'm getting with this.

 

[Nyati13]

Originally posted by: Byte
Is this a lot more efficient than just a compact car like a civic or camry?

Where hybrids really shine (compared to compact/economy cars) is in heavy stop and go traffic or areas with lots of stopsigns/stoplights, highway driving...not so much.

 

[Vetterin]

So would you say that getting stuck in rush hour traffic where it takes you 1 hour to go 10 miles in the middle of winter with the heater and stereo blasting is good for a hybird?

 

[Uhtrinity]

Originally posted by: Nyati13

Originally posted by: Byte
Is this a lot more efficient than just a compact car like a civic or camry?

Where hybrids really shine (compared to compact/economy cars) is in heavy stop and go traffic or areas with lots of stopsigns/stoplights, highway driving...not so much.

That actually varies depending on how the technology is implemented. The Honda's, especially the original (unmodded) Insight do better cruising than a Prius. The Prius wins out in stop and go driving.

 

[Uhtrinity]

Originally posted by: Vetterin
So would you say that getting stuck in rush hour traffic where it takes you 1 hour to go 10 miles in the middle of winter with the heater and stereo blasting is good for a hybird?

That won't be good with any car. The heater will either drain your battery if it is an electric heater, or the engine won't stay warm enough to keep autostop enabled. Again it depends upon how the technology is implemented.

Now a pure EV would do better than the others, other than the drain to keep a heater going (for your scenario)

 

[imported_Imp]

I'm not sure about efficiency, but I've driven a hybrid and I feel bad stopping too long in heavy traffic. Something about seeing the computer turn off the engine, then back on every 10 seconds as you creep forward that bothers me in terms of efficiency.

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: Imp
I'm not sure about efficiency, but I've driven a hybrid and I feel bad stopping too long in heavy traffic. Something about seeing the computer turn off the engine, then back on every 10 seconds as you creep forward that bothers me in terms of efficiency.

It's more efficient than leaving it on. In any modern fuel-injected car, it would be more efficient to turn off the engine every time it stops, but you'd wear out your starter in no time flat and it wouldn't be safe. For hybrids, the electric motor does the engine starting, so there is no extra wear.

The notion of starting an engine using lots of gas is a holdover from the carburetor days. It use lots of gas to run the engine cold, which is why hybrids sometimes run the gas motor full time until it is warm before using the auto-off feature, in order to get it up to temperature quickly.

 

[Vetterin]

Originally posted by: Uhtrinity

Originally posted by: Vetterin
So would you say that getting stuck in rush hour traffic where it takes you 1 hour to go 10 miles in the middle of winter with the heater and stereo blasting is good for a hybird?

That won't be good with any car. The heater will either drain your battery if it is an electric heater, or the engine won't stay warm enough to keep autostop enabled. Again it depends upon how the technology is implemented.

Now a pure EV would do better than the others, other than the drain to keep a heater going (for your scenario)

The reason I'm asking is that my scenario is a real one as I commute just over 30 miles one way from the subs into Chicago. While the first 20-25 miles might be okay, those last 5-10 (depending on conditions) are brutal! I was considering a hybird until I started thinking about the number on times I just sit in traffic. At those times the hybird didn't seems to me to be a good choice compared to a possible diesel.

 

[JTsyo]

My wife drives the Escape hybrid. While in stop and go traffic, you get great millage. For the first few miles (depending on how much charge there is in the batteries) you aren't using any gas. When it has to charge the batteries I would say you get 40-45 mpg.

 

[PowerEngineer]

I've been driving a Camry hybrid for two years now, and I have found that I don't get the best fuel efficiency in that kind of slow stop-and-go traffic. And I think that's the real problem -- too many stops and too many starts. I get my best mileage when doing in-city driving where I can cruise along at 35-40 mph with infrequent stops for stoplights.

Another key factor is the length of your trips. The first few miles are the least efficient because the engine and catalytic converter needs to be warmed up (I get better gas mileage on hot days). Once that's done, subsequent miles use much less gas. I can coax my tank average up toward 38-39 mpg for my 16 mile commute (each way). My wife jumps in the car to run a few short errands and the tank average plummets.

P.S. -- "pure electricity" as you describe it is only a small portion of what is currently generated. The vast majority of electrical energy is produced by fossil fueled power plants.

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: Byte
I was looking forward to the Volt, but seeing they basically turned it into a $40k Malibu,

I'm not sure what you mean by that. If you're talking about styling, I don't think anybody buys a Prius for its looks.

btw-We're not going to know the cost until we find out about the tax credits.