 MattAll noise, no signal.Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
kudos:12 | reply to DaveDude
Re: i dont see how it will sell said by DaveDude:said by Matt:said by DaveDude:I dont see how this car will sell, 40 mile range isnt enough, nevermind being stuck in traffic? What if you run out of power, its not like gas, where you pour it in. This will be the next smug mobile. 40 miles is plenty for me. The Chevy Volt also has a 40 mile range and several studies have shown that a huge percentage of the populations doesn't commute more than 20 miles each way. and several studies show that people get stuck in traffic, snow, etc. So you cant tell me, that 20 miles in the 'tank' is enough for all these situations. No one is foolish enough to ride on 5 miles of gas daily. You only use the power to drive your accessories when you're stuck in traffic. It's not like a gasoline engine where you use your fuel when you're stopped. |
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cghh
join:2001-01-15
Milpitas, CA | said by Matt:You only use the power to drive your accessories when you're stuck in traffic. It's not like a gasoline engine where you use your fuel when you're stopped. +1 The same is true for current hybrids like the Prius. One gets great mileage in traffic jams in a hybrid. Every once in a while, the gasoline engine turns on to recharge the battery. |
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 DaveDudeNo Fear
join:1999-09-01
New Jersey
kudos:1
 ·Vonage
·ViaTalk
| said by cghh:said by Matt:You only use the power to drive your accessories when you're stuck in traffic. It's not like a gasoline engine where you use your fuel when you're stopped. +1 The same is true for current hybrids like the Prius. One gets great mileage in traffic jams in a hybrid. Every once in a while, the gasoline engine turns on to recharge the battery. There has to be some power drain, i mean the car has to keep itself in a forward mode, even on flat pavement, i am sure its low, but definitely a loss of some kind.
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 Morac
join:2001-08-30
Riverside, NJ
kudos:1
 ·Comcast
| reply to cghh
said by cghh:+1 The same is true for current hybrids like the Prius. One gets great mileage in traffic jams in a hybrid. Every once in a while, the gasoline engine turns on to recharge the battery. That's the problem with the Leaf, it doesn't have a backup gasoline engine so if you get into one of these situations, you're going to need a tow to the nearest power outlet.
The leaf isn't designed for long distance/country driving though.
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| The majority of Prius' battery packs and motors aren't designed for more than 2-4 miles of travel without the engine kicking on. If you got stuck in traffic it'd have to be for hours before it got to be an issue. |
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Morac
join:2001-08-30
Riverside, NJ
kudos:1 Reviews:
·Comcast
| said by bogey780:The majority of Prius' battery packs and motors aren't designed for more than 2-4 miles of travel without the engine kicking on. If you got stuck in traffic it'd have to be for hours before it got to be an issue. I thought with the Prius, it isn't how far you've gone, but how fast you are going? In other words the Prius' gas engine only kicks in when you're going fast enough, so if you aren't moving it wouldn't kick in.
In any case, this is about the Leaf which has no gas engine.
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The Comcast Disney Avatar has been retired. |
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| The Prius has a parallel hybrid drivetrain where the gas an electric work in tandem but the electric is the primary source of propulsion at low speeds and the gas at high speeds. The gas does kick in at low speeds though to maintain he electric system. The Prius if in traffic for long stretches at slow speeds will kick on the gas motor to maintain the batteries and provide propulsion while charging.
The Leaf has a much much larger battery system which can handle traffic conditions without a gas engine. So unless it's stuck crawling for hour in traffic it shouldn't cause an issue.
If the Prius loses its gas engine you have at most a few miles of driving before it dies. |
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Sahrin
join:2004-05-15
Houston, TX | reply to DaveDude
This isn't true actually; the Prius (I own one) will turn the electric motors off (there are two) if the car is idling in drive with the brake depressed for more than a few seconds. If you take your foot off the brake, the electric motors engage - put your foot on the accelerator beyond a certain point, and the gas engine engages.
The brake functions like a stop-switch for the engine - it *always* disengages the transmission, regardless of whether you are trying to stop or trying to idle.
This is actually used on many gas cars, too, but there is no functionality to turn off a gas engine when the car is not moving (without losing all power) - whereas, in a hybrid, this is possible. |
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