View Poll Results: Would you do a hybrid IS?
I would rather keep my IS250/350.
47
38.84%
I would change my IS250 to an "IS250h."
27
22.31%
I would change my IS350 to an "IS350h."
36
29.75%
I would rather get a different hybrid altogether...
11
9.09%
Voters: 121. You may not vote on this poll
Hybrid IS possibilities...
#31
Lead Lap
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Long Island, NY
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You're making a basic assumption that the cost of producing the hybrid compared to the cost of producing the conventional remains the same. It can't. The energy required to produce the semiconductors that control the power in the hybrid and the price of the battery in the hybrid will increase along with the price increases in raw materials due to higher fuel costs being passed on for mining, smelting, and using oil for polymer feedstocks. Yes, the price of producing the conventional vehicle will go up, but not nearly as fast as the hybrid's cost because of the electronic control systems and the batteries.
In all likelihood, gasoline price changes don't affect the time to ROI unless the margins on the hybrid are smaller and the manufacturers shrink their margins to absorb the increased cost of production with higher crude oil prices.
In all likelihood, gasoline price changes don't affect the time to ROI unless the margins on the hybrid are smaller and the manufacturers shrink their margins to absorb the increased cost of production with higher crude oil prices.
#33
OK as an ex-Prius owner I can say that Hybrid is bullt****.
The only reason the Prius is able to get such high MPG (45 average when I drove it) is because it's a piece of ****. Even without the battery I bet you can still get 40MPG out of it. So really, the battery that collects dissipated energy (from brakes and what not) is negligible. Maybe it's good for running the radio or something.
If you're really environmentally-awared, then get an electric car. Really, hybrids don't save you that much on gas and in the long run they're worst for the environment than non-hybrids what with the battery and crap. Not to mention they cost a lot more and weight a lot more.
What we really need is a true plug-in hybrid. Not one of those BS hybrids that collect energy from your brakes and stuff.
The only reason the Prius is able to get such high MPG (45 average when I drove it) is because it's a piece of ****. Even without the battery I bet you can still get 40MPG out of it. So really, the battery that collects dissipated energy (from brakes and what not) is negligible. Maybe it's good for running the radio or something.
If you're really environmentally-awared, then get an electric car. Really, hybrids don't save you that much on gas and in the long run they're worst for the environment than non-hybrids what with the battery and crap. Not to mention they cost a lot more and weight a lot more.
What we really need is a true plug-in hybrid. Not one of those BS hybrids that collect energy from your brakes and stuff.
#34
Lexus Champion
iTrader: (2)
I don't think so.
I have an IS350, and I get about 22.5 mpg combined. And that's great considering that I drive in a lot of L.A. traffic!
My driving style: I like to coast a lot. I don't accelerate too aggressively, and I don't use the brake unless if I really have to.
Also, I always use premium gas. And I rarely use the "Sport" mode.
I don't know if my air intake or exhaust helps at all, but it may aid mpg in general...
I have an IS350, and I get about 22.5 mpg combined. And that's great considering that I drive in a lot of L.A. traffic!
My driving style: I like to coast a lot. I don't accelerate too aggressively, and I don't use the brake unless if I really have to.
Also, I always use premium gas. And I rarely use the "Sport" mode.
I don't know if my air intake or exhaust helps at all, but it may aid mpg in general...
#35
If Toyota sells the Prius making no profit (or actually going into debt), it wouldn't matter to the consumer. The consumer just wants to buy what they believe is of "good value."
And in actuality, the Prius cost almost a billion dollars going through research and development prior to its second-generation release in 2004. Toyota actually is not making much money with hybrids, but is gaining a lot of publicity and market control because of it.
#36
Lead Lap
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Location: CA
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Don't think I can do much better with the 2IS chassis. I'd only trade if it were something optimized for efficiency (I'd feel less bad about my impending sports car purchase). At least then it would be interesting. The mpg would have to be past 40 on both cycles.
#37
I wouldn't go for a hybrid IS. Since the batteries are not that scalable, i.e. I assume the same battery goes into a GS as an IS, the proportional weight gain on the IS is horrible. It'd take off a few potential MPG just to handle the extra weight if you wanted to keep performance similar.
Several people choose the IS over the GS because it's more sporty, and/or is cheaper, in spite of the trunk space. A hybrid version of the IS would kill all those attributes.
#39
Tech Info Resource
iTrader: (2)
Here's what I really think about the whole electric bandwagon. It's a LONG way from primetime, and it's an even longer way from green.
#40
#42
Tech Info Resource
iTrader: (2)
Don't forget, the average coal fired plant annually produces:
- 170 pounds of mercury
- 225 pounds of arsenic
- 114 pounds of lead, 4 pounds of cadmium, other toxic heavy metals, and trace amounts of uranium.
How is this cleaner than hydrocarbon emissions from burning gasoline? I'm not seeing the advantage here.
#43
OK as an ex-Prius owner I can say that Hybrid is bullt****.
The only reason the Prius is able to get such high MPG (45 average when I drove it) is because it's a piece of ****. Even without the battery I bet you can still get 40MPG out of it. So really, the battery that collects dissipated energy (from brakes and what not) is negligible. Maybe it's good for running the radio or something.
If you're really environmentally-awared, then get an electric car. Really, hybrids don't save you that much on gas and in the long run they're worst for the environment than non-hybrids what with the battery and crap. Not to mention they cost a lot more and weight a lot more.
What we really need is a true plug-in hybrid. Not one of those BS hybrids that collect energy from your brakes and stuff.
The only reason the Prius is able to get such high MPG (45 average when I drove it) is because it's a piece of ****. Even without the battery I bet you can still get 40MPG out of it. So really, the battery that collects dissipated energy (from brakes and what not) is negligible. Maybe it's good for running the radio or something.
If you're really environmentally-awared, then get an electric car. Really, hybrids don't save you that much on gas and in the long run they're worst for the environment than non-hybrids what with the battery and crap. Not to mention they cost a lot more and weight a lot more.
What we really need is a true plug-in hybrid. Not one of those BS hybrids that collect energy from your brakes and stuff.
But YES overall, forget about the Hybrids now the especially the for the IS...This is "stopgap" battery technology and Prius has it's market. It works for Prius right now because numbers do not lie and awesome city mpg right now with soaring $4 gas...Plug-in technology will sure be the way and within just a few years now on the road in Prius like numbers. WAIT IT OUT!
But yeah there are a shiet load of Prius's on the the road in the the heavy city traffic of Atlanta right now.
#44
"stop gap" meaning that because the overall idea is like getting off of the fuel
Hybrid tech is like cutting back to Ultra light cigarettes...there is no doubt in cases like the the Prius there can be short term gains. But where does it stop...
for me IS is a daily driver until Plug is true. then IS still my guzzler
Hybrid tech is like cutting back to Ultra light cigarettes...there is no doubt in cases like the the Prius there can be short term gains. But where does it stop...
for me IS is a daily driver until Plug is true. then IS still my guzzler
#45
Super Moderator
With the cost of oil currently selling for over $115 a barrel, and Iran's President Ahmadinejad saying that price is too low, I'd think the advantage of harnessing domestic sources of energy would be obvious. Coal fired power plants are predominant because coal is abundant and cheap. Just as clean-air regulations have spurred the auto industry to develop technologies to clean up tailpipe emissions, similar regulations imposed on the power industry would likely result in the development of technology to utilize coal more cleanly. Depending on the costs of doing so, it might even shift new plant construction towards cleaner and more renewable energy sources.