Plug-In Hybrids Disappoint
As I show in my article about the Great Alternative Energy Scam, I am a fan of the mild hybrids we have today that are working to increase mileage for consumers (I own a 2006 Prius that I drive daily). But I am also highly critical of the claims some are making about “pure” electric cars and very expensive “extended range” (or, “plug in”) hybrids.
Much has been made of increasing the battery size in the Prius so it can run longer in “electric only” mode, but it simply isn’t panning out, as AutoBlogGreen notes:
Nearly a year ago the city of Seattle started a field test of 14 Toyota Priuses converted to plug-in hybrid capability. At the time, the expectation was that the cars would top 100 mpg overall and 150 mpg in urban driving. The problem is that these PHEVs, like all other hybrids, are particularly sensitive to driving style. If you try to accelerate at any rate above the bare minimum the system won’t stay in EV mode and the mileage improvement is slashed. After 17,636 miles, the 14 cars in the city motor pool are averaging only 51 mpg. That is certainly excellent mileage by any standard, but not that much better than a regular Prius.
Uh, folks, that’s the mileage I get out of my 90 mile daily commute; between 50.1 and 50.4 MPG over the last year. And I’m driving between 65 and 75 MPH. I’ll bet if I had the plug in style Prius I could drive at the same speed and get between 60 and 70 MPG (there is an art to driving the cars, something a city employee won’t bother to learn).
The $10,000 charge for extra batteries … and the extra weight they add … isn’t worth it for most people. Without minor changes in driving style … backing off the gas a bit while going downhill, for instance … the drivers will not see added mileage.
Technology may provide us with a breakthrough in battery design that yields more “energy density” than our current choices. I recognize the need to continue development. But that development must not come at the expense of the consumer. Having unsuspecting consumers incur $10,000 of extra debt is not the way to finance the expansion of alternative energy.
