Hybrids and EV owners, what are you driving?

[Arcadian]

My lease is going to be up on my car soon. Why lease you ask? Why not!!! Yes I'm horribly spoiled and love getting a new car every 36 months. The last few times I've been in the EV/Hybrid market which I like... I for sure want to continue getting my cars in this sector.. I'm done with ICE!

In the meantime I'm doing lots of research. I got about 6 months but that goes by pretty quick..... h

I seriously doubt the Tesla Model 3 will be out when its time for me to get a car and I'd have to sell the dog and the husband to afford a model S The X is out too darn big and expensive.

I looked at the Chevy Bolt but its rear wheel drive (ew...shudders) There's a lot of cars out there in EV land in the last few years so thought I'd get a leg up on what to test drive.

I currently have the plugin Ford Cmax, which I love but hate Ford for taking away the cool colors.... and left a billion shades of grey.... but it its been a great car but I do want something different. Going whole hog EV is a bit scary as there's not a lot of infrastructure here...and there's the few times I've driven half across country (1500 miles one direction) so having a reserve tank for that is pretty much a must.

So what are you driving? how do you like it? what the charge range of your car time to full (on charge?), and have you had to deal with repairs?

Any info you want to share is great!

 

[kenny]

I was an early adopter in 2004 and have owned 3 hybrids.
Two Honda Civics and one Honda Insight.
We still own two of the hybrids.
IIRC, today the only hybrid Honda makes is the Accord.

Loved !!! my Honda Hybrids and had zero problems whatsoever.
I always got higher than EPA estimate because of how I drive.
Now I need higher cargo capacity & high MPG so I recently bought a Honda Fit (non-hybrid non-electric).
I get 35 MPG around the city in it on short trips. Not bad.
for the same driving my hybrids got around 39.
Not much difference for the added cost of the hybrid.

On a previous job I commuted on the freeway and averaged 62 MPG.
IIRC my best tank was just over 70 MPG since I was a hypermiler.
I even won a "drag" race once.
We didn't race for time, but for gas ... running the course on less gas than my competitors.

After driving a hybrid for 13 years I got used to the engine stopping at red lights.
Now it seems so stupid to sit, stopped, wasting gas with the engine running.

 

[jordyonbass]

I'm really hoping someone here says they have a Porsche 918 Spyder, McLaren P1 or a Ferrari LaFerrari...

 

[Arcadian]

lol Jordy I got a feeling those folks wouldn't be hanging out here. I did however get offered the BMW i8 for a weekend to test it out. Not that I need to (where would the dog go?) I watched an episode of How Its Made: Dream cars and they did a tour of some crazy super car that had about 10 minutes of electric engine.....lol I forget what car it was, but that was a little ridiculous.

Kenny I know what you mean, I love how quiet my car is (most of the time) and I do like that get more consistent range here than I did in Massachusetts (the cold cut my range pretty bad) Down here the ICE comes on mostly because of A/C. I can handle it off or at about 75 degrees. If the dog is with me, its another story, I just freeze a little and deal with the ICE coming on. For the most part, I can go 2-3 days without plugging in. My car is a 2015 so there are cars out now that can go longer than that (and I'm not a regular commuter by any stretch.... home is where the office is.

My first hybrid was a prius. The newest isn't..to my taste...(understatement...lol) They're kind of crunchy granola type cars. Nothing wrong with them, just...not my thing, and frankly I like leather seats... and they're easier upkeep with a dog. I wasn't in love with the Nissan Leaf either but I heard rumor that they did a complete retooling on style. will be interesting to see what they come out with.

 

[VRBeauty]

I currently have a 2013 CMax plug-in hybrid too (in the seafoam color ). I really like it overall, especially the body style, mileage and energy features. Oh, and the super-fast on-demand acceleration! The things I don't like are mostly fit and finish type issues, visibility (those A-pillars) and the somewhat clunky nav/entertainment system. Still, I'm bummed that Ford is discontinuing this model. I'm not sure what I'll move on to next either... I tried quite a few "true" hybrids before buying this car 2 years ago, and this was the only one I really liked. I'd love to get back to a MINI though - hoping MINI will jump on the hybrid bandwagon soon.

Have you looked into the Kia Niro? It's just being introduced now and looks promising. I haven't compared numbers, but it looks like it might be similar to the CMax in both style and size.

 

[PintoBean]

I had a 2007 Prius and currently own a 2013. The 2013 definitely handles the road significantly better than the 2007 and gets better mpg.

 

[jordyonbass]

lol Jordy I got a feeling those folks wouldn't be hanging out here. I did however get offered the BMW i8 for a weekend to test it out. Not that I need to (where would the dog go?) I watched an episode of How Its Made: Dream cars and they did a tour of some crazy super car that had about 10 minutes of electric engine.....lol I forget what car it was, but that was a little ridiculous

Wow I would love to have test driven an i8, you should have tried it! If I walk along the footpath of one of those dealerships then they lock the doors, if I were to walk in they would be calling the police
10 minutes may not seem like much but it is all about the charge time, if it alternates between electric for 10 minutes and then ICE for 10 it effectively doubles your economy, halves your emissions and doubles the life of the ICE.

The other thing about electric cars that people don't realize is how fast they are; they deliver 100% of their power instantly whereas the ICE has a peak output somewhere in the rev range. A car like the Rimac Concept One is all electric, $1.1 million and destroying some of the hybrid Hypercars literally worth twice as much. There's also the Koenigsegg Regera that has no gearbox and is assisted by electric motors for a peak output of 1500hp, that car is going to break the laws of physics.

I may be a bit slow on some modern technologies but I am very interested in the hypercar world

 

[Dee*Jay]

I'm planning on checking out Teslas when my Lexus dies... unless Fisker somehow manages to pull itself back from the brink of oblivion by then.

 

[Dee*Jay]

.

 

[jordyonbass]

I'm planning on checking out Teslas when my Lexus dies... unless Fisker somehow manages to pull itself back from the brink of oblivion by then.

They've been bought by Chinese conglomerate Wanxiang Group and have been relaunched as Karma Automotive. They have a model known as the Revero.

Stick with the Tesla...

 

[vc10um]

I'm planning on checking out Teslas when my Lexus dies... unless Fisker somehow manages to pull itself back from the brink of oblivion by then.

Fiskers are SO PRETTY, Dee*Jay...I wish them luck as well!

We are 4 years and 3 months into ownership of our Tesla Model S. We love her. We love Tesla and their customer service even more. She's got 84,000 miles on her and had very few issues. The main ones we've had have been taken care of under warranty with no questions asked. Her maintenance is a little on the pricey side (so are her tires) but that's what I expect on a luxury vehicle.

When she turns 5 should be about the time we're up for our Model 3. We haven't decided if we're going to downsize (it's only the 2 of us, no plans for kids, and the S is a LARGE sedan) or get a new Model S. Frankly, the only reason we're even bothering to look into a new vehicle is because our Model S is a very very early 2013 and predates the hardware needed for Autopilot. If we had that, I doubt we'd even be looking for a new car.

I recently saw a Chevy Bolt "in the wild"...the driver looked happy...but it's not a very good looking vehicle IMO.

 

[Austina]

We looked at the Kia Niro, but it wasn't big enough in the back for our dog. We got another Sportage instead, the new GT model.

 

[Arcadian]

OMG thanks you guys for all of the info. @VRBeauty I haven't looked at the Niro yet. But thanks for that idea! With a greyhound I have to pay attention to ceiling height because she's a tall leggy girl. The current car of course JUST makes it. And that girl loves her creature comforts, meaning her highness must have her driving pillow! She goes with me on test drives because mommy's car is her car too.

From what I had been reading Ford ousted their CEO because the electric platform continued to stagnate, which I can believe given whats going on over there. And perhaps the fact that 45 got in the mix between them and the Mexico plant caused some bad feelings too. Don't know but they need a shakeup over there.

Tomorrow I have a date at Audi. I wasn't terribly enthused by their etrons interior on my screen but might be different in person. I hate popup screens though. maybe that will also look better in person.

@Austina how big of a dog? We already have a full sized SUV which is my reluctance for yet another.

 

[Austina]

We have an Italian Spinone, (tall and weighs 42kgs) so I'd say a similar size to your greyhound. The Sportage is a small SUV, and she can sit up and lay out flat in the cargo area with no problem.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

My 2009 Altima hybrid is going strong! I've never had to do anything besides normal maintainence. I know a few people with Rav 4 hybrids who love them.

 

[blackprophet]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned it, but I have my sights firmly set on a Volt as my next car.

The i3 and i8 are rear wheel drive or else I would've gone for the i3. In Canada, rear wheel drive is a real pain.

The Bolt look interesting. I like the Shape.

Someone mentioned the Model 3 being expensive. I'm pretty sure its going to retail at $30,000 at debut.

In Ontario where I live, you get up to $14,000 to buy an electric vehicle (prorated for battery size) for cars under $70,000. (all figures CAD). $3000 for cars over $70,000. Do you guys have rebates in your areas?