Did you know that most cars slow down by rubbing friction materials together, grinding them and making them hot??! Talk about your stone age technology! Now that I have a Prius, everything else seems well out of date.

But it does make you hungry for a MORE electric car. Electric traction is a really sweet thing. The Prius has limited electric-only capability. Such a pity you can’t get a 100 kWhr battery in 40 litres volume and under 100 kg weight.

Others have commented that the body is ugly. I think the rear is unappealing, and the Honda hybrid-lite is better looking, but I’m getting used to it, and as the shape contributes to its low drag coefficient, then I’m officially pleased with the way it looks!

I think you’ll find it does, for two reasons.

Firstly a hybrid is a statement, so it’s design has to match it’s message. If it had bonnet scoops and big wings it would lose credability.

Secondly, a hybrid isn’t actually half as good as people would have you believe. If you took away the aerodynamic design it would end up using more fuel than many cars of a similar size.

The greater the load on the motor, the faster the batteries discharge. The faster the rate of discharge the less efficient the batteries become. Because the car is already carrying around the added weight of a secondary propulsion system it can’t afford to waste even the smallest percentage of energy on something like an attractive design.

I think you’ll find they have done a lot more than that. I’ve heard of some exceeding 500,000 km which is over 310,000 miles.

But be realistic when trying to talk it up, if you are a greenie you wont have driven anywhere near that far in the time prius’ have been on the market. If you are driving that much then you’re not taking the environment seriously.

Also the fuel economy isn’t that great. A survey of hybid owners said 88% of them were dissappointed with their cars fuel consumption. Figures in a pamphlet and the real world are completely different.

It has a minor improvement over a normal car, and most of the difference comes from the stupidly ugly aerodynamics and regenerative braking, not the engine system. Aerodynamic principles can be applied to any car and different foms of regenerative braking are now making their way into other non-hybrid vehicles.

If you want to talk about efficiency and the environment the main thing you have to look at is the engine. About 80% of the energy in the fuel is lost as heat. Saving a few percent on aerodynamics, or recovering a few percent on regenerative braking is quite pointless when considering an 80% loss before you even start.

If Toyota plan to go 100% hybrid then they will go 100% broke, or they will have to make 100% of their sales to very stupid people. Luckily for Toyota stupid people make up the majority of the population, so they may just survive.

Either that or they are just saying they will go 100% hybrid to talk themselves up. Now, I’ve never heard of anyone in advertising or political campaigns lying, have you?

The Prius is supposed to be friendlier for the environment due to its very low fuel consumption. You can achieve better fuel consumption in a Honda Insight or a push bike but the Prius is a practical mid-sized car whereas the Insight and push bike may be hard to live with.

Any initial high energy costs from making the Prius is compensated for in the long run by the fuel economy when you drive the car. Peer reviewed scientific studies has confirmed the Prius’s green credentials.

Batteries in a Prius are expected to last the life of a car and chances are they will last longer than the transmission would on most cars. There are Priuses in existence that have clocked up over 250,000 miles.

The Prius also has five-star crash test rating from Euro NCAP.

Chris Judd isn’t the only guy who drives one. So does Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd. In America, Harrison Ford drives one. Prince Charles apparently has one as well. Of course, you shouldn’t drive it just because the rich and famous are.

The Prius is designed in such a way that it maximizes aerodynamic efficiency. The teardrop shape resembles a plane’s wing and allows the car to slice through the air.

The normal sedan shape seen on the Camry creates turbulence and drag.

The only thing I never hear talked about is how the engine handles being constantly started up and stopped all the time. And the battery used to start it, along with running the car. The heating up of the cat-converter. During a trip does the engine even hit operating temperature? Wouldn’t this mean the engine oil getting moisture and becoming mayonnaise? The engine running rich because it’s cold and needs the more fuel and air to idle?

I’m sure Honda and Toyota have it right. But I tend to think about these things. And they’re not readily documented… not that I’ve spent a great deal of time looking.

Steve

New sporty hybrids should be here soon such as the flagship Lexus IS 600H which goes from 0-100kph in around 5 secs (No doubt in full petrol mode). Normal driving will consume 10L per 100kms which is amazing for a large decked out luxury sedan with excellent engine performance.

In summary there’s no excuse for everyone in the western world to drive anything but a hybrid (or similar) in the next few years.

As for issues raised, well I just think that reducing emmission substantially and increasing fuel efficiency outweighs any issues… hypothetically if everyone drove one the air would be alot cleaner! And anyway its a stepping stone towards better technology, maybe eventually have cars running 100% on battery rather then on and off… with 0 emmission. Although I must say I like the direction Honda are taking, not sure if Toyota has any research into it, but hydrogen cell from what Ive seen looks promising. Supposedly Honda are releasing a production version in the U.S by 2010!