How's that Hybrid, Veggie Oil or Biodiesel car working for you??

[HeyKim]

I am interested in finding out how the new hybrids, veggie oil and Biodiesel cars are actually working out for people?

I am going to be in the market for a car in the next year and want to make an informed choice on the subject. Reading a lot of material from manufacturers, sales info, articles is all well and good AND the actual experience of driving, maintaining and enjoying one's alternative vehicle can be a different thing all together (I have heard).

Please, what is your experience? How does your vehicle run on alternative fuel? Does your hybrid have any ummph at all or is it like driving a tin can (my personal experience of an early version of the Toyota hybrid). What are the challeges you have encountered around finding fuel, maintaining your vehicle, etc..

Thank you for your contribution to me trying to have a smaller footprint!!

Kim

[Zeno Swijtink]

I have had, for a year now, a hybrid gas/electric. It's a Honda Insight, a small car that seats two. It gets on average 63mpg, with a max of 74mpg when I drove it in Nevada behind big rigs.

At this mileage you start noticing different qualities of gasoline: the more ethanol is added the lower the mileage.

It has some muscle in the electric assist but if you use that too much your mileage goes way down, esp. in 0 - 60 racing from a traffic light stop. Looking for ummph and minimizing your carbon footprint don't go togther.

I started thinking about my car as a bird, like a seagull, rather than a tiger. You get a better feel for gravity and the wind to get the best mileage. You could call it gravity fed driving.

But. also with this car, every mile not travelled reduces your carbon footprint even more.

Zeno

I am interested in finding out how the new hybrids, veggie oil and Biodiesel cars are actually working out for people?

[Starr]

Kim,
My husband and I both have hybrids...I have the Prius and he, the Honda Insight. Mine get 45-60 mpg depending on driving conditions and definitely has lots of get up and go. His gets 63-80 mpg depending, is build for efficency, is 1000 lbs lighter, does not have great get up and go, but check out that mileage! His is a 2 seater, mine is a 5 seater. I love the Prius! I am waiting for the electric conversion as we are totally solar here at our home. Good luck with your car hunt. I think the ideal car would be a diesel hybrid that could be run on veggie oil! but that doesn't exist yet...but that would be super cool!
Starr

I am interested in finding out how the new hybrids, veggie oil and Biodiesel cars are actually working out for people?

I am going to be in the market for a car in the next year and want to make an informed choice on the subject. Reading a lot of material from manufacturers, sales info, articles is all well and good AND the actual experience of driving, maintaining and enjoying one's alternative vehicle can be a different thing all together (I have heard).

Please, what is your experience? How does your vehicle run on alternative fuel? Does your hybrid have any ummph at all or is it like driving a tin can (my personal experience of an early version of the Toyota hybrid). What are the challeges you have encountered around finding fuel, maintaining your vehicle, etc..

Thank you for your contribution to me trying to have a smaller footprint!!

Kim

[ThePhiant]

Zeno and Starr,

besides the obvious feel/good experience from reducing your personal carbon footprint, what are these cars REALLY like to drive.
what do you like and not like?
what works and what doesn't?
just wondering

I have had, for a year now, a hybrid gas/electric. It's a Honda Insight, a small car that seats two. It gets on average 63mpg, with a max of 74mpg when I drove it in Nevada behind big rigs.

At this mileage you start noticing different qualities of gasoline: the more ethanol is added the lower the mileage.

It has some muscle in the electric assist but if you use that too much your mileage goes way down, esp. in 0 - 60 racing from a traffic light stop. Looking for ummph and minimizing your carbon footprint don't go togther.

I started thinking about my car as a bird, like a seagull, rather than a tiger. You get a better feel for gravity and the wind to get the best mileage. You could call it gravity fed driving.

But. also with this car, every mile not travelled reduces your carbon footprint even more.

Zeno

[gandalf]

Perhaps this is off topic, but seeing how most of those are really expensive and how I missed the wind in my face real life effect, I bought a 1971 Honda SuperCub for $400 over the winter. My last reading was 93mpg and I drive it to work daily. It tops out around 50mph. I'm thinking of buying a Honda Rebel for freeway usage (70+ freeway mpg), there's one in Santa Rosa for $850. Yes their bikes, but my emissions footprint beats the hybrids and veggies by quite a bit.

[mykil]

Hey does anyone have any ideas for a truck? I have been looking and the best I can come up with is around 26 mpg. I really would like a truck in the 35 - 50 mpg range. I would love any suggestions.

[handy]

Hi,
Not up on the moderns, currently drive a '94 T100, but used to have a '81VW pickup, small, on a Rabbit chassis, probably. It got a true 50 - 54 mpg on diesel.
Used to mix half diesel/ half de-glycerined soy oil from Cytoculture in Pt. Richmond. Their research showed that a 50/50 mix of diesel/veg oil burned cleaner than either alone.

Diesel is hard to beat. In terms of grade school physics, it has the highest energy density at around 130,500 Btu/gallon. Gasoline is (I think) around 115-119,000 Btu/gallon, ethanol's around 84,000 Btu/gallon. Propane is a little below that, and natural gas, get that ""natural"" gas, methane, CH4, ...is down right sad at about 7,000 btu/gallon, and that's when it seriously compressed.

No matter what you drive, or how you power it, it all comes down to this:

1 hp = 550 foot-pounds/second = 2545 Btu / hour = 745.7 watts = 0.746 kW

Hey does anyone have any ideas for a truck? I have been looking and the best I can come up with is around 26 mpg. I really would like a truck in the 35 - 50 mpg range. I would love any suggestions.

[wellnesshelp]

Hi Kim,

If you need the car to load it at Home Depot or have more than 2 passengers the hybrid/Biodiesel cars would do it. If you don't mind to have only 3 seats, 70 miles per gallon, max. speed 120 mph, and no more gas stations (you fill up your tank at home with a compressor that comes with the car) you should check this Green Car

I am interested in finding out how the new hybrids, veggie oil and Biodiesel cars are actually working out for people?

I am going to be in the market for a car in the next year and want to make an informed choice on the subject. Reading a lot of material from manufacturers, sales info, articles is all well and good AND the actual experience of driving, maintaining and enjoying one's alternative vehicle can be a different thing all together (I have heard).

Please, what is your experience? How does your vehicle run on alternative fuel? Does your hybrid have any ummph at all or is it like driving a tin can (my personal experience of an early version of the Toyota hybrid). What are the challeges you have encountered around finding fuel, maintaining your vehicle, etc..

Thank you for your contribution to me trying to have a smaller footprint!!

Kim