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  1. Join Date
    Mar 2005
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    8,837
    #221
    hindi naman talaga nakakabilib ang hybrid. kasi bale parang 2 technologies in 1 (hybrid) instead of the usual common engine. logic dictates na mas magastos nga yan

    purely electric cars vs. gasoline cars baka dyan maniwala pa ako na nakakatulong or nakakatipid nga

  2. Join Date
    Oct 2002
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    1,842
    #222
    12km per liter or above vehicles


    is the best for now.

  3. Join Date
    Aug 2004
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    22,705
    #223
    This article is pure bull.

    I've read it long before, and I believed it, then. Unfortunately, a friend on another board has pointed out some logical flaws in the research. And James Deakin has refuted this letter, himself. Although I don't share Deakin's views on the Prius, after much deliberation, I'm sad to say he's right about this article.

    For one, the effects of pollution in Sudbury are from over 100 years of nickel mining in that area, and currently, nickel producers are producing lower sulfur dioxide levels than ever before, with promises to lower emissions further still in the coming years.

    For another, Toyota only constitutes 1% of Sudbury's output. The rest? Nickel is used in chrome, stainless steel, and in alloys for engine parts. In other words, almost all car manufacturers use nickel in something. Last I looked, the Hummer2 seemed to be 90% chrome.

    Shipping costs... this applies to almost any globally produced vehicle today. Think the rubber for the Hummer's tires is grown in North American weather? ;)

    And lastly, they've arbitrarily placed the lifespan of the Prius at 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometers). There are already a number of taxi owners who've logged over 250,000 kilometers, and a couple over the magic 300,000 km mark. The highest odometer reading recorded for a Prius so far is 400,000 kms, or 260,000 miles.

    These are taxi operators, so they log many more kilometers per year than the average owner. So, truthfully, it doesn't give a fair view of the vehicle's lifespan, but 100,000 miles only, is, quite frankly... bullsh*t. Some private owners have passed the "magic mark" already.

    The Hummer? While the heavy block and engine bores on that hulking V8 might conceivably last over 300,000 kilometers, what do you want to bet the rest of it will, given GM quality? Also, note that large SUVs tend to warp their brake discs quickly. If you do a lot of highway driving, you can chew up a brake disc irrecoverably in less than 100,000 kms on a two-ton or more SUV. The Prius? The brake pads will often last over 100,000 kms, and you will almost never need to replace the discs.

    -----thus ends pro-Prius portion of post-----

    I still believe, firmly, that the Prius is a questionable value. The actual city mileage of the Prius, as reported by Consumer Reports, is about spot on for diesels, and the highway mileage is comparable, too. When the EPA was forced to adjust its testing to reflect real world conditions, the Prius lost twice as much fuel efficiency as anything else. Given that Prius mileage info comes mostly from the US, where weather is less of a factor, its mileage here should be much lower in traffic, where the airconditioner works much harder.

    A Prius has about the same size and utility as an Elantra Diesel or a Focus Diesel (well, maybe the Focus has a wee bit less headroom... but the Prius is also tight when you're sitting three across...), but both cars get similar city economy and highway economy, and while the Elantra costs about 100,000 pesos more than a comparable 1.6 liter gasoline vehicle, the Focus costs only about 50,000 pesos more than a similarly equipped 2.0 (based on package deletions from the 2.0 Sport). Toyota is still wringing its hands on the Prius, because, as it stands, the Prius still costs anywhere from 800,000 to over 1,000,000 pesos more than comparable 1.6 or 1.8 gasoline powered vehicles. Knowing Toyota's reputation in the Philippines, the Prius should sell here, and sell relatively well, but the cost of stocking up parts, doing marketing and equipping dealerships to maintain them would mean that the Prius would still be a loss-leader... a sort of "halo car". And to make it more practical, they would need government tax breaks, or to soak up the loss themselves, to get it under the magic 1.5 million peso mark. Maybe, hopefully, Toyota will base the next Prius on the Corolla, instead, which would make it much cheaper to produce. Unfortunately, the reason the Prius sells so well is the fact that it's identifiably not a regular car, but shouts "hybrid" at anyone who looks at it. Hybrid Civics, though relatively efficient and cheaper, don't sell as well.

    It's an evolutionary dead-end... or at least, a cul-de-sac. Having two powertrains in one vehicle is quite inefficient. If we find a better battery medium, that paves the way for pure electrics, or depleting charge hybrids, where the gasoline/LPG/diesel engine is only there to charge the batteries... a mobile charging source that doesn't need high horsepower would add less than $1000 to the cost of the vehicle.

    Currently, the Prius and some EVs are finally moving to Lithium Ion batteries. It took them this long because of difficulties with heat, safety, and cost. I'm still waiting for supercapacitors, or to find out whether the purported "Nanosafe" batteries are as quick charging and efficient as they claim to be.

    While I still feel the Prius is more showboat environmentalism and public relations strategy than anything else (Toyota's fleet fuel economy average is woeful compared to Honda's, simply because Toyota produces more gas-guzzling V8 SUVs than Honda and many other brands), I have to admit that it's provided a target for other "hybrid" or "alternative fuel" vehicles to beat. It's helped raise green-consciousness in other manufacturers.. who've had to try to beat Toyota at the "green" game.
    Last edited by niky; August 24th, 2007 at 11:35 AM.

    Ang pagbalik ng comeback...

  4. Join Date
    Jan 2006
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    #224
    I don't trust articles these days...

    maybe Mobil sponsored this article...

  5. Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    #225
    well, what about Prius vs. Vios? Im sure the Vios is more EARTH-FRIENDLY.
    iam3739.com

  6. Join Date
    Sep 2005
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    #226
    Sisihin ba naman ang prius sa pollution dahil sa nickel mining.

    Sa kanya na ang hummer along with the crappy GM quality and the petrol company that sponsored that article.

  7. Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    3,347
    #227
    Crappy man ang GM... Hindi crappy ang mundo. Ginamit lang ang Hummer as an example. Btw, we are not talking about quality. I think we are talking about which is more earth-friendly.

    Kung Prius man yan o MIEV ng Mitsubishi. I dont like it. Gusto ko ng better alternative.

    Sorry Toyota, I think your Prius will be dead soon. Prepare to be sued by your costumers. Mahilig pa naman yumaman ang mga kano.
    iam3739.com

  8. Join Date
    Jan 2006
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    2,105
    #228
    ang dami nga ng prius. I always see them in my favorite TV shows. 24, Kyle XY, Heroes etc... nakakatakot kung may biglang 'sue' frenzy sa Amerika...

  9. Join Date
    Sep 2005
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    #229
    Hummer is a good example then because it's drinks petrol like there's no tomorrow?! And blame prius for environmental disaster?

    Yah right!

    http://www.fuh2.com/
    Last edited by CoDer; August 25th, 2007 at 08:41 PM.

  10. Join Date
    Aug 2004
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    22,705
    #230
    Quote Originally Posted by drey View Post
    well, what about Prius vs. Vios? Im sure the Vios is more EARTH-FRIENDLY.
    Yup. That's what the article should have pointed out.

    The Prius is a hit mostly (actually, almost exclusively) in the US because it appeals to the sort of thinking where "more" is actually "better", where, in actuality, "less" means more economical.

    Another sore point I have with Toyota in America is that they had a hit car on their hands with the Scion xB. It was quirky, popular, and very economical, being a big box built on top of the Yaris platform.

    So, what do the do to upgrade it? Build a new one on the Camry platform, make it nearly half-a-car heavier, and give it a nice, big, fat 2.4 liter engine.

    Yup... that's green.

    It's an American obsession... "enough" power, "enough" space, "enough" size. If all of the USA rode in Honda Fits (Jazzes) and Toyota Yarises, they'd save billions of dollars a year in gas bills.

    Ang pagbalik ng comeback...

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TOYOTA PRIUS [merged threads]