Hybrid Cars

[allanctan]

Can somebody explain why we don't have hybrid cars here in Philippines? Sabi nila kasi mahal daw masyado? Not sure why would that be the case, e sa US, hybrids are not that expensive compared to gasoline-powered vehicles?

[actor21]

meron tayo dito toyota prius yata not sure about the exact model but toyota made yun and it cost 2.5M for a midsize o smallsized van, and thats vey expensive IMO, duing the lifetime of the car i dont think it would consume 1.5M of gasoline. and also the parts are not readily available...

[Picard]

Sa US, Hybrids are 10-25% more expensive than their gasoline counterparts. AFAIK, a top-of-the line V6 Gas Camry is cheaper than a 4-cylinder Hybrid Camry.

[ghosthunter]

Can somebody explain why we don't have hybrid cars here in Philippines? Sabi nila kasi mahal daw masyado? Not sure why would that be the case, e sa US, hybrids are not that expensive compared to gasoline-powered vehicles?

The technology used is still very expensive. This results in a car that cost much more than a similar sized vehicle. The Toyota Prius would sell for well over P1M yet it's only as big as a Vios. And to offset the higher purchase price with saved cost of fuel, you would need to drive the car for the next 6 to 10 years based on roughly 10,000-12,000 km annual mileage.

And then there is the problem with battery life which seems not to be living up to the claims for "lifetime". Problems has been encountered as early as under two years of normal use. Replacement batteries are expensive and disposal of the old battery pack required hazardous disposal methods (which we don't have facilities for).

You also have to consider that hybrid cars only save you fuel when driven in stop-go traffic. If you are driving highway conditions, soemthing like a Prius consumes fuel as fast as a typical 1.5L to 1.6L sedan.

A local web-magazine did a head to head test of a Toyota Prius vs Ford Focus diesel in terms of cost of fuel to drive for a full day in metro manila. At the end of the test drive, the cost is about the same, save for a few cents difference. This is on top of the fact that the Focus diesel is faster than some of the 2.0L petrol powered cars on the road today.

[niky]

The Prius was more economical, actually... but the difference is so slight versus a diesel-powered car, that it would take years to make up the difference.

Toyota says it hopes to sell the Prius for 1.5 million pesos. That's with tax breaks from the government. I've heard figures from 1.8 million pesos to 2 million pesos for the Prius if tax breaks aren't given.

Try to digest those numbers. The Prius is about the size of a Corolla (the Vios is narrower than either... though it seems the Prius doesn't have any more legrooom than the Vios). If you really wanted to save money, you'd buy the 1.6 Corolla... After ten years, you still won't have spent more than 500,000 pesos on gas more than the Prius (which still needs gasoline)... and you won't have to replace a battery pack that could cost hundreds of thousands of pesos.The Corolla will have saved you nearly a million pesos versus the Prius.

The Prius only makes sense as an alternative to a luxury car like a BMW 3-series or a Mercedes C-Class. It's certainly as quiet as a luxury car, and it's convenient, since you can go so long between fill-ups, but it's more for the elite class rather than us middle-class drivers.

It just makes no sense from a money-saving point of view. Environmental point-of-view? If you're really worried about the environment, take that 2 million pesos, buy a small car, like a Vios or a Jazz, and donate the other 1.3 million to organizations dedicated to replanting the rain-forest.

[ice15]

Understanding Hybrid Vehicles: The 4 Main Types | MotorLease

Mild Hybrids

a mild hybrid system typically isn’t going to propel the vehicle on electric power alone. Instead, the system is used to give a small boost to the vehicle’s gasoline engine, typically upon acceleration from a dead stop, and to assist in removing the burden of power-hungry systems, such as air conditioning, on the gasoline engine. Normally found in the form of 48 volt electric systems, mild hybrids do not need to be plugged in. Instead, the batteries are recharged through a combination of power from the gasoline engine, and energy recovered when the vehicle brakes (also known as regenerative braking).

Full Hybrids

the electrical component in a full hybrid vehicle is capable of handling far more of the workload than that of a mild hybrid. Most full hybrids can actually operate for some distance solely on electric power. This typically happens at lower city speeds, but is one reason why you may see a full hybrid’s City MPG rating higher than its Highway MPG rating (where in standard gasoline-powered vehicles, the opposite is true).

When it comes to full hybrid vehicles, there are two main types of powertrains; Parallel hybrids and Series hybrids.

With Parallel hybrids, the engine can be powered in one of 3 ways: directly by the engine, directly by the electrical motor, or by both systems working together.

In a Series hybrid, the wheels are powered solely via the electric motor, with the gasoline-engine providing power for the electric motor, sort of like a generator. The gasoline-engine never actually powers the wheels.

Plug-In Hybrids

All of the hybrid vehicles that we have discussed thus far charge their batteries solely through internal means. The main difference with plug-in hybrids is that these vehicles can charge their batteries via external chargers as well as internal. As a result, plug-in hybrids usually have greater electric-only ranges than full hybrids.

Electric Vehicles with Range Extender Hybrids

While all-electric vehicles technically don’t qualify as hybrids, there are some that come equipped with a small gasoline engine to provide a cushion when needed. When an electric vehicle runs out of power, the vehicle will need to be charged before it becomes operational again. These range extender hybrids utilize their gasoline engine to charge the battery or power the electric motor so that you’re not left stranded. Depending on the size of the gasoline engine, this can mean anywhere from a few dozen miles to hundreds.

[JohnM]

This guy is a Toyota master mechanic so he's a bit brand-biased but his insights are good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkRWnfsmUQA