[Ecky]

It's possible to build a grid charger from scratch for about $50, you can see how in my Insight and HCH threads in my signature. The HCH2 is notorious for battery failures. I don't know why, specifically, but the failure rates are much higher than in the older Civic hybrid and Insight. A grid charger will usually get you a few more years out of it if the cause is imbalance, but it's not a fix for a battery with failing cells.


If you do end up getting a new car, the two that really stand out to me that aren't all electric are the Chevy Volt and the new Accord Hybrid.

The Volt uses an orbital gear system like the Prius, and can run entirely on gasoline or entirely on electric, or in hybrid mode. On electricity, a careful driver can extract more than 50 miles from it, and I want to say that if you shop around, you can probably find one without too many miles and in good shape for under $8,000. I want to say it's good for about 40mpg in gasoline-only mode with your typical American driver, but you'd have to ask someone who owns one what a hypermiler can expect.

The Accord hybrid is a different sort of beast - it's a series hybrid, rather than a parallel hybrid. The Accord uses a 2L lean burn Atkinson engine which Honda claims is the most efficient in the world, and it has no transmission. It's connected to a generator, which powers a 166HP electric motor, so it's basically all-electric to the wheels - with a twist. At highway speeds, there's a clutch which connects the engine directly to the wheels, no gearbox in between. For comparison, the HCH2's electric motor is 20HP, so it's not a slow car. There's also a plug-in version which is probably good for 15-20 miles on electric alone. I believe the EPA rating is 49 city, 45 highway.