Hybrid Vehicle Thread

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Jiggy

I live in a Townhouse, and a neighbor mentioned they had no luck getting a EV fast charger installed. I'll have to look into that a bit more on my end.

There are options for the EV charger, and it's not as large an issue as some suggest. If you think you'll go this route, Emporia makes a wall charger to which you can add a monitor, which will ensure that you're not overdrawing the electricity. For example, you have a 100A service and want to add a charger. Some people will tell you that you need to upgrade to 200A, which will cost you about $15k. You don't need to do that, with this. You could put a 40A breaker in, and the monitor will track how power the whole house uses, and limit the EV charger to what's available. You could also set a timer and have it charge overnight, when there is no draw, so that you can charge at the full 40A.

I suggest that it is entirely unnecessary. Just charging at 16A is fine; you don't need the absolute fastest charge. You generally charge to 80% anyway, and it depends on how regularly you need to drive, say, 500 km a day. I would suggest that the overall range anxiety and issues like that are way overblown.

[Jiggy]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

If you're essentially never taking the car beyond its electric range an electric can make sense, but IMO a gas-based engine is way more convenient because it's just... a car. It just uses less gas. If you want to drive to the interior, or Montana, or wherever, you don't have to think about it.

I do go on road trips a throughout the year. So that's another reason I'm thinking of a Hybrid.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Slava

There are options for the EV charger, and it's not as large an issue as some suggest. If you think you'll go this route, Emporia makes a wall charger to which you can add a monitor, which will ensure that you're not overdrawing the electricity. For example, you have a 100A service and want to add a charger. Some people will tell you that you need to upgrade to 200A, which will cost you about $15k. You don't need to do that, with this. You could put a 40A breaker in, and the monitor will track how power the whole house uses, and limit the EV charger to what's available. You could also set a timer and have it charge overnight, when there is no draw, so that you can charge at the full 40A.

I suggest that it is entirely unnecessary. Just charging at 16A is fine; you don't need the absolute fastest charge. You generally charge to 80% anyway, and it depends on how regularly you need to drive, say, 500 km a day. I would suggest that the overall range anxiety and issues like that are way overblown.

These are good points, but a few things to be aware of. One issue with low amp charging is that it isn't all that efficient. Higher amperage means more percentage going to charging. It gets much worse if you try to do it outside in the winter, as the batteries typically need to be conditioned(warmed or cooled) to accept charge. So you end up with a lot of that power going to heating, not charging.


For a PHEV in a heated garage, I agree, a 20A outlet is totally fine. For a full BEV parked outside? Not gonna be great.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

These are good points, but a few things to be aware of. One issue with low amp charging is that it isn't all that efficient. Higher amperage means more percentage going to charging. It gets much worse if you try to do it outside in the winter, as the batteries typically need to be conditioned(warmed or cooled) to accept charge. So you end up with a lot of that power going to heating, not charging.


For a PHEV in a heated garage, I agree, a 20A outlet is totally fine. For a full BEV parked outside? Not gonna be great.

Yeah, there are a few factors. The wall charger is more efficient than the 240V plug overall, so that would help. But parking outside at -30 and trying to charge will likely not be great.

[Titan2]

Originally Posted by edslunch

Very happy with out RAV4 hybrid, but have not looked at the numbers.

If you go Toyota check out Edmonton North dealer. Bought it over the phone for $2000 less than any Calgary dealership. Apparently they have the second highest volume in North America.

He is actually a Calgarian that moved there to buy the dealership. Good friends with my buddy. Gave us a good deal on a highlander for my Dad. Good dude. Bad city.

[jwslam]

Originally Posted by lucky1

My wife has a new Hyundai Tucson PHEV - she can eke out 55km on a charge, more than enough to cover her day to day driving. I like the vehicle, Hyundai has come a long long way in putting out a good product. I would take this vehicle over any of the 'Big 3' offerings any day of the week....the PHEV's are only made in Korea, so I suspect that they have better build quality than the ones made south of the border.

I have the non-plugin, only due to wait times. No complaints.

https://www.fuelly.com/car/hyundai/t...amster/1108409

[TopChed]

Originally Posted by Slava

There are options for the EV charger, and it's not as large an issue as some suggest. If you think you'll go this route, Emporia makes a wall charger to which you can add a monitor, which will ensure that you're not overdrawing the electricity. For example, you have a 100A service and want to add a charger. Some people will tell you that you need to upgrade to 200A, which will cost you about $15k. You don't need to do that, with this. You could put a 40A breaker in, and the monitor will track how power the whole house uses, and limit the EV charger to what's available. You could also set a timer and have it charge overnight, when there is no draw, so that you can charge at the full 40A.

I suggest that it is entirely unnecessary. Just charging at 16A is fine; you don't need the absolute fastest charge. You generally charge to 80% anyway, and it depends on how regularly you need to drive, say, 500 km a day. I would suggest that the overall range anxiety and issues like that are way overblown.

Very much agree with this. My wife and I have 2 EVs that we charge on standard level 1 plugs without issue.

In the future, we'll likely add a level 2 charger just to ensure we have no issues topping up after heavy driving days when needed, but it hasn't been required at all for our regular driving.

With regards to energy usage, we found that both EVs cost about 10% of what it would take to fill their ICE equivalents with gas.

[EldrickOnIce]

Also depends where you live or typically drive, probably.
Currently live in IL. They're is no infrastructure for charging.
Moving over the course of to MD. Ev charging is everywhere.
But yeah, if it's -25 and I unfortunately have to go Edmonton for the day, I've got enough #### to worry about without wondering if I might need to top up on the way

[MegaErtz]

I'm looking at a 2025 Corolla Hybrid, non plug in. Anyone have something similar? I'm not sure what the actual price the Toyota dealers are asking, but is it worth it to pay more and get the hybrid version? I keep my vehicles for a long time, ten plus years.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by fotze2

How do you guys calculate the electricity costs. ITs the one thing I never figured out. When I add a 3,500 HP compressor in a field the power is massive.

Is it even noticeable on your bills? I know its HP x .744 = kW * $50 MWhr. I know with my phone or every other thing with a battery I start losing my mind when the battery starts getting crappy. Does that ever get annoying,

1) easier to figure out kWh per day. I have a plug in hybrid van and an electric truck and charge both at home. It added about 20 kWh a day depending on what I'm doing. That's at $0.14 per kWh all in here as electricity is cheap. So about $30 a month increase but almost zero fuel costs now
2) the batteries in these things last much, much longer than the batteries in most consumer electronics for two main reasons. A) it's actually a different chemistry designed for longer cycle life, and B) they "lock" the top 5-10% and bottom 5-10% of the capacity as that's what is hardest on all lithium ion batteries

[Fuzz]

Temperature management during charging and use is one of the more important factors in prolonging longevity that most consumer devices don't do. Nissan discovered that with the Leaf.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Jiggy

I live in a Townhouse, and a neighbor mentioned they had no luck getting a EV fast charger installed. I'll have to look into that a bit more on my end.

Depending on your vehicle and driving habits, a fast charger isn't really a necessity.

Think of it this way, a regular 15A 120V outlet will provide about 1kW of charging, which adds 4-7 kms of range per hour. If you're plugged in for 12 hours every day that's right around the average daily commute (50-80km). If you really need, you could visit a fast charger once in a while

[the-rasta-masta]

Originally Posted by Slava

There are options for the EV charger, and it's not as large an issue as some suggest. If you think you'll go this route, Emporia makes a wall charger to which you can add a monitor, which will ensure that you're not overdrawing the electricity. For example, you have a 100A service and want to add a charger. Some people will tell you that you need to upgrade to 200A, which will cost you about $15k. You don't need to do that, with this. You could put a 40A breaker in, and the monitor will track how power the whole house uses, and limit the EV charger to what's available. You could also set a timer and have it charge overnight, when there is no draw, so that you can charge at the full 40A.

I suggest that it is entirely unnecessary. Just charging at 16A is fine; you don't need the absolute fastest charge. You generally charge to 80% anyway, and it depends on how regularly you need to drive, say, 500 km a day. I would suggest that the overall range anxiety and issues like that are way overblown.

Most service upgrades (100A to 200A) are going to cost much more than $15k with underground service to the home. With overhead wires in an alley it can be a $5-10k job, but most service upgrades with underground wires are over $30k minimum.

Putting a load manager (essentially what is in the Emporia charger) on a 100A panel is entirely sufficient and much much cheaper ($900ish plus labour). Allows you to charge your car but will shut off if load exceeds certain levels (i.e. you're running AC, washer/dryer and trying to charge at the same time). I work for a company that installs EV chargers and a service upgrade is never a recommendation unless its with overhead service to the home, and even then load management is the first choice.

[TorqueDog]

Problem with buying a RAV4 is you will — by association — join one of the largest groups of people who drive like they’re asleep.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

Problem with buying a RAV4 is you will — by association — join one of the largest groups of people who drive like they’re asleep.

When else can you enjoy a nice nap?

Speaking of trying to nap, anybody successfully disabled the pedestrian warning drone? I mean, it’s a little overkill. Even ICE engines aren’t that loud.

[Twitchy15]

we bought a honda crv hybrid and took delivery June 2023. we test drove many vehicles subaru forester my wife liked but was outdated refresh was coming. we test drove the rav4 which would of had long wait times coworker wait 12 months +. But as soon as we got in it my wife just straight up hated it not for any good reason just didn't like the feel of the inside. Driving the rav4 it was fine nothing spectacular my step dad has a rav4 hybrid now and it might be better for mileage but it feels pretty cheap on the inside.

when comparing the crv was more expensive for less features but in the end a lot of these little features are not super needed we have always had hondas so drawn towards them.

But it was a great decision the vehicle was for my wife and she at first didn't want a bigger suv but now with a kid it was the right choice, its based on the civic platform so even though it feels relatively large drives and parks super easily. Good room in front and back seats and truck and just simple and straight forward to use, touch points feel nice.

I see a lot of complaints about fuel economy so if your trying to be the absolute cheapest with gas probably not good for you. we came from a rdx turbo that was horrible on gas so any SUV getting 26 MPG or above is great. In the city in the summer we get 40 mpg + easily during the winter with heat on it is alot less but still probably 26 mpg + so for us it is great. We weren't looking for a hybrid but loved the crv package and the hybrid drives significantly better. Also driving up hills a lot will effect the MPG quite a bit, we got the sport touring and has been a joy to own like literally regret nothing. The way the car operates is very old school with buttons and knobs for everything very simple things you want in a vehicle. the touch screen is simple but coming from vehicles without one its great and you should be looking at the road so screens shouldn't matter that much. rear windshield washer cleans backup camera which is pretty great.

[Twitchy15]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

I'm not sure it's possible to get a more practical new vehicle for the price than a Civic hybrid hatch. Very good use of space, reasonably nice cabin, all the tech you'd want, most buttons and switches are still physical, and the fuel efficiency is bonkers.

If I wanted something a bit bigger / more luxurious I would get the Crown Signia.

I am wanting a new car at some point the smart sensible choice will probably be a civic hybrid but would love an integra type s.

[Twitchy15]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Yup... It's to a point where the Accord is essentially superfluous in their lineup. Like I don't understand why someone would buy one of those. Save your money.

The only downside I can see is the CVT (both from a longevity perspective and a "boooo CVT" perspective) but that's the tradeoff for getting a hybrid and it's kind of the same across the industry.

honda two motor hybrid systems dont have a cvt they actually dont have a transmission at all.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

ITS is I think the practical choice if you want a driver's car. It's just not practical from the perspective of "you're spending an extra $20,000 for a marginally better interior and significantly worse fuel economy".

Edit: well, they call it an eCVT and it behaves more or less exactly the same as a normal CVT in practice regardless of the engineering involved. I've driven the regular CVT, the eCVT and the manual in the sport touring trims, so I would know.

[Nyah]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

I'm looking at a 2025 Corolla Hybrid, non plug in. Anyone have something similar? I'm not sure what the actual price the Toyota dealers are asking, but is it worth it to pay more and get the hybrid version? I keep my vehicles for a long time, ten plus years.

I think it is. I traded in my 2017 SUV for a Lexus UX300h because I'm downtown 5 days a week and fuel was becoming a huge expense. Mine is a non-plug in Hybrid too, and the EV kicks on when the engine isn't revved too high. It's perfect for a commuter, because if I get stuck in traffic I'm in EV mode most of the time. I'm filling up way less than I needed to before, and that's with a much smaller gas tank.