Comments on Mark Solheim's articles RSS Syndication from SeekingAlpha.com http://seekingalpha.com/author/mark-solheim/articles http://seekingalpha.com/article/94802-are-hybrid-vehicles-worth-the-price?source=feed#comment-630720 630720 2. Battery lifetime has not been proven by a long history, but for > all I have experienced with rechargeable batteries before, they get > stale quicker than advertised. You don't understand how the battery in a hybrid car works. They last VERY long because they are NOT deep-discharged like your rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable batteries wear out because of all the full-charge-then-full-discharge cycles. Hybrid car batteries DO NOT do that. The Prius hybrid computer is always trying to keep the charge state of its hybrid battery between 60%-80%, where it has a life span measured in decades. Even when you see the charge state in the Prius MFD display a low charge state of just 2 red bars, the battery is still 60% charged. Purely Battery-powered electric cars like the Tesla do go through full-charge-then-discharge cycles, which is why their battery life is problematic-- Tesla recommends replacing the battery pack in the Roadster after 5 years. Non-plug-in hybrids do not suffer from this problem because they don't deep-discharge their batteries.]]> Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:23:02 -0400

> 2. Battery lifetime has not been proven by a long history, but for
> all I have experienced with rechargeable batteries before, they get
> stale quicker than advertised.

You don't understand how the battery in a hybrid car works.

They last VERY long because they are NOT deep-discharged like your rechargeable batteries.

Rechargeable batteries wear out because of all the full-charge-then-full-... cycles. Hybrid car batteries DO NOT do that.

The Prius hybrid computer is always trying to keep the charge state of its hybrid battery between 60%-80%, where it has a life span measured in decades. Even when you see the charge state in the Prius MFD display a low charge state of just 2 red bars, the battery is still 60% charged.

Purely Battery-powered electric cars like the Tesla do go through full-charge-then-disch... cycles, which is why their battery life is problematic-- Tesla recommends replacing the battery pack in the Roadster after 5 years. Non-plug-in hybrids do not suffer from this problem because they don't deep-discharge their batteries.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/94802-are-hybrid-vehicles-worth-the-price?source=feed#comment-312647 312647 Since depreciation is the main expense and hybrids have minimal depreciation, > it makes sense to get one now if one can be found that isn't way > above MSRP. > ]]> Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:00:17 -0500 1. They are cutting edge on a fast moving technology front, so year to year the technical advances will be more drastic than on the traditional gascars
2. Battery lifetime has not been proven by a long history, but for all I have experienced with rechargeable batteries before, they get stale quicker than advertised.
3. As more people start to buy them, manufacturing costs will go down leveraging economics of scale.

All this means increased depreciation.

LeSciel

On Sep 10 05:31 PM MellowGuy wrote:

> Since depreciation is the main expense and hybrids have minimal depreciation,
> it makes sense to get one now if one can be found that isn't way
> above MSRP.
> ]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/94802-are-hybrid-vehicles-worth-the-price?source=feed#comment-270669 270669 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:48:50 -0400
For instance, the Ford Escape Hybrid has a combined output of 196hp from its I-4 engine and electrical motor. The regular I-4 Escape has 171hp.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/94802-are-hybrid-vehicles-worth-the-price?source=feed#comment-270661 270661 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:44:43 -0400
If it fails within the warranty period, the cost of replacement is FREE.

That is assuming you didn't do anything stupid to void the warranty, like crash the car, tamper with the hybrid system, etc.

Failure of the battery pack in the 2nd-generation Prius within warranty terms is virtually unheard-of.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/94802-are-hybrid-vehicles-worth-the-price?source=feed#comment-251627 251627 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:15:36 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/94802-are-hybrid-vehicles-worth-the-price?source=feed#comment-251559 251559 It would be interesting to have also noted whether there were any > performance differences between the hybrids and their counterparts. I believe the Lexus 450h has 50 hp more than its non-hybrid counterpart..]]> Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:35:17 -0400
> It would be interesting to have also noted whether there were any
> performance differences between the hybrids and their counterparts.

I believe the Lexus 450h has 50 hp more than its non-hybrid counterpart..]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/94802-are-hybrid-vehicles-worth-the-price?source=feed#comment-251474 251474 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:52:05 -0400 Everywhere but here, that is. ]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/94802-are-hybrid-vehicles-worth-the-price?source=feed#comment-250974 250974 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:31:12 -0400
]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/94802-are-hybrid-vehicles-worth-the-price?source=feed#comment-250970 250970 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:28:50 -0400
]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/94802-are-hybrid-vehicles-worth-the-price?source=feed#comment-250859 250859 What's the miles per year basis on which these calculations are based? The article says it's 15,000 miles per year.]]> Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:59:33 -0400 What's the miles per year basis on which these calculations are based?

The article says it's 15,000 miles per year.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/94802-are-hybrid-vehicles-worth-the-price?source=feed#comment-250626 250626 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:57:52 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/94802-are-hybrid-vehicles-worth-the-price?source=feed#comment-250622 250622 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:54:28 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/94802-are-hybrid-vehicles-worth-the-price?source=feed#comment-250617 250617 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:48:17 -0400
Click Here for Link to full article:

www.hybrid-car-show.co...]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/94802-are-hybrid-vehicles-worth-the-price?source=feed#comment-250284 250284 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:46:51 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/94802-are-hybrid-vehicles-worth-the-price?source=feed#comment-250207 250207 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:46:17 -0400