Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Some of the statements here leave me wondering. The electric motor shines here because it develops maximum torque at a stalled rotor. All wheel drive makes a perfect match with an electric motor for getting off the line.
Our company 3rd gen Prius got a battery installed for $1,700 with a same as factory guarantee, not $6,000 as stated above, and it's now past 400K total mileage. Because of the gas mileage, it's still a good deal. Since the transmission is a planetary and not a CVT with belts and never shifts gears and has no reverse (it backs up on one of the 2 electric motors) gear it's going to last a lot longer. The Prius is only a "good deal" for high mileage drivers and in driving one you're still not saving the planet.
And we have several people that drive an electric car to work, plug it in and then drive home. Even before their electrics they followed this pattern and the electric car works for them and is a good deal. They have always had 2 or 3 cars even before this and they use their "real" cars for anything longer.
If my cancer does not kill me and I get to retire an electric car might be worth considering. I can use the 4Runner for real driving and the electric for around town. The 4Runner would benefit from not doing short run driving and I won't have to change the oil on the electric. What's not to like?
I bought a used 2014 Volt in January. It has about 40 mile range, my driving yields closer to 50. So far this year I haven't put gas in it. The Chev dealer filled it up, I haven't had the gas cap off yet. The gallon I have used so far this year was just to run the engine to maintain it. Soon I will make a road trip of 270 miles and that will burn up the gas. So in that regard I like it a lot. I also haven't paid a cent to charge it, various places have free charging, some are businesses. It is also very quick up steep hills and off the line. I only tried it a couple times. Electric motors are full torque at zero rpm. When seeing long lines of freight cars winding through mountains, they are being pulled by electric motors. The electric car is almost as old as the gas car. Older maybe?
My 07 Prius went to daughter, she loves it. Lot of false myths about the Prius, for some reason some people can't accept other ideas.
I like the Volt engineering even better than the Prius, didn't thing that would be the case. I have electric drive for most of my use and can still drive anywhere I want anytime I want and as fast as I want. The new Volts are even better I hear.
As far as government money, none of us would be posting here on the internet if not for "wasted", at the time, government research spending. Radar would not have been invented. No victory over Japan that fast. No modern military. On and on the list goes. Research or subsidy money spent today that seems wasteful may not be at all. If it turns out wasteful so what that's what getting breakthroughs takes.