EV are they worth it?

[flameport]

My grandfather bought the first Prius hybrid. For him at least, it was an unmitigated disaster. He only used the vehicle thrice weekly, and one of those outings was purely for the purpose of [trying to] recharge the battery. Every time I popped in he had the thing hooked up to a mains charger with a cable trailing from the bonnet to the garage.

There is no way to charge the traction battery in a Prius using an extension lead or any external power supply. It's charged when the engine is running, which is why that technology is now sold as 'self charging hybrid'.

If there really was something being charged in the vehicle regularly, then it was the 12V lead acid battery which powers the rest of the vehicle electronics. Just like in any other car, if that needs charging all the time either that 12V battery requires replacement or there is some problem with the charge circuitry. Both of which could be fixed easily and would have been covered under warranty if it was a new car.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

I think that's part of the point

No, wrong - it's not my point at all. Jimmy Hendrix? Haze? Purple Haze? Ring any bells?

Sorry, I forgot. Liberals don't do humour.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

The internal combustion engine is one of the most inefficient devices on the planet. 75% of the energy from the fuel is wasted as heat.
That won't be changing today, tomorrow, or ever.

Someone else who has completely missed the point. I was comparing engines of today to those from almost 150 years ago. They are far more efficient in every way compared to when they were invented.

 

[JohnD]

They are far more efficient in every way compared to when they were invented.

And are still of very low efficiency.

 

[JohnD]

If IC engines are not efficient then why are they still produced?

Your thinking about the pre 2000 cars which has no emissions control etc.

No I'm not.

I am thinking of energy in (fuel used) and energy out (useful traction).

 

[IT Minion]

If IC engines are not efficient then why are they still produced?

Your thinking about the pre 2000 cars which has no emissions control etc.

Effective and efficient can be different things. ICEs in cars have been refined a hell of a lot and are much more efficient than they used to be, but there's basic laws of physics and size that prevent them being very efficient. They've gone from awful to poor. In a big power plant you can capture much more of the energy in the petrol for useful activities.

Its so much better you can even transform the heat into Electricity, transmit that energy to an EV somewhere, charge it's batteries and then drive that car and you get more miles out of it.

 

[JohnD]

Engine efficiency - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Ollyfp]

There is no way to charge the traction battery in a Prius using an extension lead or any external power supply. It's charged when the engine is running, which is why that technology is now sold as 'self charging hybrid'.

If there really was something being charged in the vehicle regularly, then it was the 12V lead acid battery which powers the rest of the vehicle electronics. Just like in any other car, if that needs charging all the time either that 12V battery requires replacement or there is some problem with the charge circuitry. Both of which could be fixed easily and would have been covered under warranty if it was a new car.

You're correct in that he had the 12v battery connected to the charger. He purchased the Prius new from the local Toyota dealer in 2009 and the vehicle was taken in and checked multiple times. As he rarely exceeded 30 mph and covered less than 3k a year, the technology was just not fit for [his] purposes. However, after his passing, taxi drivers were very happy to pay top dollar for the car, of course.
Therefore, is there a general consensus here that EVs are not necessarily suitable for occasional drivers?

 

[Ollyfp]

You're correct in that he had the 12v battery connected to the charger. He purchased the Prius new from the local Toyota dealer in 2009 and the vehicle was taken in and checked multiple times. As he rarely exceeded 30 mph and covered less than 3k a year, the technology was just not fit for [his] purposes. However, after his passing, taxi drivers were very happy to pay top dollar for the car, of course.
Therefore, is there a general consensus here that EVs are not necessarily suitable for occasional drivers?

I just wanted to add that prior to the Prius, he ran Citroen Picassos for several years under the same circumstances and never once suffered a flat battery.
Perhaps the Prius was just too tech-laden?

 

[Ollyfp]

I think that's part of the point

It's such a nice blue though! Lol

 

[Ollyfp]

If there really was something being charged in the vehicle regularly,

Casting aspersions is rather out of character for this [usually] very respectful forum. Tell no lies!

 

[Ollyfp]

No I'm not.

I am thinking of energy in (fuel used) and energy out (useful traction).

Horses were expensive to keep too, remember! Hay v EV v ICE? Well, perhaps we're not that old! LOL

 

[IT Minion]

You're correct in that he had the 12v battery connected to the charger. He purchased the Prius new from the local Toyota dealer in 2009 and the vehicle was taken in and checked multiple times. As he rarely exceeded 30 mph and covered less than 3k a year, the technology was just not fit for [his] purposes. However, after his passing, taxi drivers were very happy to pay top dollar for the car, of course.
Therefore, is there a general consensus here that EVs are not necessarily suitable for occasional drivers?

If you're doing 3,000 miles a year then go secondhand or hire a taxi. Or walk.

An EV would be fine for it, but it won't save you money. If you're doing lots of miles and can charge at home then an EV will save thousands.

 

[flameport]

Perhaps the Prius was just too tech-laden?

No, either the 12V battery was busted, or it wasn't being charged by the car properly, or there was some load on it all the time with the car off, such as an interior light which had got stuck on.
The same problems and solutions as any other car.

 

[Ollyfp]

No, either the 12V battery was busted, or it wasn't being charged by the car properly, or there was some load on it all the time with the car off, such as an interior light which had got stuck on.
The same problems and solutions as any other car.

Yes, but unless I'm ill-informed, the large, high-tech display panel and interior lights don't run on the same battery that drives the motor, which means that the Prius needed the alternator to work harder than the one on his Picasso, which effectively only had to power the courtesy lights and starter motor. Isn't it the case that the more 'gizmos' you have, the quicker your battery will deplete? Apparently, the Prius's battery was fine, but because he didn't use the car enough, the charge was never replenished sufficiently for him to initiate the startup procedure.
To recap, he had three consecutive Picassos from new and never once had a flat battery, sooo... he should never have bought the Prius, or any other EV or hybrid for that matter.
I'm not against EVs; I'm just an advocate of each and every one of us having the freedom to choose the type of vehicle that suits our circumstances. I would never presume to know what's best for someone else... except my grandfather, bless him, and RIP.
I know we can all agree on that at least!