Technobabble

Hybrid Gas Mileage: Has It Hit a Plateau?

Posted by on Jul 10, 2008 | 4 Comments

When you look at the historical chart of hybrid gas mileage, you just have to wonder … when are the auto manufacturers going to take things to the next level? The Honda Insight, the earliest hybrid, was rated at 70 miles per gallon on the highway. Granted it was a wee little two seater with a three cylinder engine, but still … where are the OEM advances?

The answer, in short, is that the advances have already been made, but they aren’t for sale by the OEM manufacturers (not yet, at least).

Many folks lack an understanding of how hybrids fit into the big picture going forward. With a million Prius on the road, much of the general (non-hybrid driving) population is still unsure whether hybrid technology is a good bet.

Now if you’re a betting man (or woman) and you like to place a wager or two on the horses, you look to the papers for your research. On your way to the paddock, you’d open up your Daily Racing Form and check the past performances of the ponies in the next race.

If you’re considering whether a hybrid car is a good bet, you’d head over to Kelly’s Blue Book to check used hybrid resale values. If you were new to the game, you might be stunned.

In my area, a 2004 Prius with 60,000 miles has a KBB suggested retail price just one thousand dollars less then the original MSRP sticker. What other car could you have bought in 2004 and driven for four years (with excellent gas mileage) that retained that much value?

It gets even more crazy then that. I searched on AutoTrader to see what the local dealers were asking for 2004 Prius. There were just three Prius available in a 50 mile radius, at $21,900, $21,990, and $21,995, with mileage ranging from 56K to 77.5K.

Does two thousand dollars over the original list price represent irrational exuberance, or something worse?

As the latest generation Prius come off lease, a fantastic opportunity presents itself. We have the chance to dramatically increase the gas mileage of the hybrid fleet by upgrading these vehicles to plug-in hybrids utilizing Lithium battery packs to achieve a remarkable 100 MPG. This technology is here today and quite simply, it works.

How much would you pay for a car that got 100 MPG? Would you be willing to spend $30,000?

What if that car was a completely refurbished and warrantied used car?

Reference: Hybrid Gas Mileage

  • http://www.markmyshots.com Mark

    the sad thing is that i do believe that once hybrid cars become mainstream, we’ll just be taxed another way…there’s no way that consumer will be allowed to actually save money…we’ll be taxed for our electricity, we’ll be taxed for owning a hybrid…there will be something…and it sucks

  • Kevin

    Adding batteries and making a plug-in hybrid doesn’t really make it get 100 mpg. It’s just running on electricity from charging it, which isn’t free. You are also adding weight, and the lifetime of the batteries may be an issue. I haven’t seen a laptop battery last more than a couple of years with any kind of charge time left.
    Hopefully these larger batteries you’d be adding have better lifetimes.

  • Ron S

    100% electric would be nice. But, the grid in the east is overloaded already. Putting the energy equivalent to millions of gallons of gasoline through the electric system would bring it to its knees.

    Also, electric might only be good as a second car. Imagine taking a 500 mile trip and having to stop overnight mid-way just to recharge!

    Whatever happened to fuel cells?

  • http://www.geekbooks.com/ Dan Gray

    @Mark – we’re already taxed for electricity … but we can always make it ourselves …

    @Kevin – It’s the equivalent of 100 MPG. Electricity costs a tiny fraction of gasoline. The weight with the plug-in conversion kits isn’t an issue and the batteries should last quite some time. It’s not accurate to compare laptop batteries with hybrid car batteries … there’s a big difference in the charging technology.

    @ Ron – The grid may be overloaded during the day, but at night there is a great deal of excess capacity … that’s when the plug-in cars will recharge.

    A pure electric isn’t the car to take on a 500 mile trip, absolutely agreed … not yet, at least.

    Hydrogen fuel cell technology works just fine, but there is no infrastructure to distribute the fuel. A fuel cell car is merely an electric vehicle. The fuel cell feeds electricity to an electric motor.

    Don’t expect the oil companies to develop a hydrogen distribution system any time in the near future. The biggest glimmer of hope for fuel cell vehicles is in home refueling …