Gen2 Prius, Gen3 Prius, Prius C or ???

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

I wonder if this is a common feature on newer cars. My parents' new car stays warm for hours after shutting down.

As far as I know, the 2 systems I mentioned are only used on the Prius.

A car will normally be somewhat warm, even several hours after shutting it off. Part of that warmth is the coolant giving up heat and warming the engine bay. I imagine a Prius with vacuum coolant bottle would cool the engine bay quicker than normal cars. This is because the vacuum bottle would keep the heat instead of giving it up warming everything under the hood.

[aerohead]

You may be past the point of interest in EVs but I wanted to to toss out something with respect to the Leaf's range.
I've been messin' around with range extender trailers since the 90s.
Right now,BamZipPow's T-100 Toyota,with 1-wheel teardrop trailer is picking up 2-mpg by pulling the wake reducing trailer.He's one of the few in history to do this.
It seems that a perfectly integrated,gap-filled, boat-tailed trailer could be used as a Battery E V range extender.
Here's Alan Coconni's t-zero modified:


Between now,and when Elon Musk comes out with an entry-level Tesla,a range extender trailer would be a way to reduce the drag of the EV,thereby extending the range of the EV's battery pack,and with a second pack inside the trailer,more that double the range,say, 170-miles or so with the LEAF.

[radiantthought]

I don't think that the economics of that work out in my favor. The residual amount after the lease ends will be ~$19k, which is already more than I want to pay for a car. Additionally I'd have to add in the price of wiring up a mobile detachable generator, and I just can't see it working for me. Thanks for the suggestion though, I've certainly considered it before, I just can't figure an economical way to make it work for me.

[serialk11r]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

As far as I know, the 2 systems I mentioned are only used on the Prius.

A car will normally be somewhat warm, even several hours after shutting it off. Part of that warmth is the coolant giving up heat and warming the engine bay. I imagine a Prius with vacuum coolant bottle would cool the engine bay quicker than normal cars. This is because the vacuum bottle would keep the heat instead of giving it up warming everything under the hood.

I dunno, we have a 2005 Honda Pilot and it goes cool very fast after turning it off, my MR2 cools down very fast as well. I only have to leave my car sitting for 1 hour before the coolant is close to room temperature. I'm talking about coolant, not the engine bay. Engine bay temperature doesn't matter lol.

[Ecky]

I bought into hybrids.

Honda's IMA packs will reliably last 8+ years, with some expected to last 20. Toyota's should last even longer because they use a smaller range of the battery's available capacity. I would be concerned about buying one that's 8+ years old without taking a close look at the battery, but many first-gen Insights are still under warranty for battery replacement. One plus for Honda's IMA system is that the car still works even if the battery dies, which as I understand it is not true of the Prius. You lose assist, but for years it'll still auto-stop with only a tiny fraction of the battery's capacity remaining, and when it goes completely you can still drive around with a very small, very efficient (but not very powerful) ICE equipped with electric power steering and a highly efficient DC-DC converter. A new battery can be purchased with more capacity than the original one for about $1500, and you can get one that's been refurbished for ~$500.

Due to the electric assist, the gearing on hybrids tends to be very favorable for us.

The main reason Honda's newer hybrids aren't as stellar as the 1st-Gen Insight, as I understand it, is that they're not selling them at a loss anymore. Due to the aluminum construction and attention to detail in weight reduction, I've seen estimates ranging between $40-60,000 to roll each of the original Insights off the assembly line. With those cars, the 5MT is preferable because the CVTs have a relatively high failure rate before 200,000 miles, so if it's on the table at all, look for one with low miles. I believe they addressed this with all later CVT-equipped hybrids, so don't be afraid of a CVT Civic or CR-Z.

The main downside to the hybrid systems, as I see it, are the losses involved with using a battery. The motor is not 100% efficient. You lose energy to heat both when charging and discharging the battery. The DC-DC converter is better than an alternator but it's still stacked on top of the other hybrid electronics.

That said, for a new car I'm not sure what I'd get. The Civic HF has a very attractive price and very little to fail. Ford has some ecoboost models that got my attention. My Insight was a no-brainer at $3900 off the lot with a brand new battery and zero mechanical issues, but I'm mechanically inclined enough to repair just about anything that goes wrong. Parts are not bad, and you can find anything you need. There's a 2006 CVT for sale nearby with 60k miles on it, but the owner is asking a very silly $11k for it.

[radiantthought]

Yeah, I might end up just getting an insight because I really want one. There are a few or the later models around (within 200 miles of me) with <100k miles around the 7000 price point. It's all just a matter of seeing what's available and what my money situation is like next fall. Thanks for the additional input though.

[Cobb]

The gen 2 insight ima system is like 60% efficient vs 65% for the prius. This is because of the cvt. In stop n go the prius has the edge, in highway its about even.