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me
I'm considering buying a Prius. I'd like to know how much it would cost me to maintain the car, i.e. the cost to replace the fuel cell and anything else related to owning a hybrid car. Thank you.
If not a hybrid car, what Japanese car would be the best one to get that gets good mileage?
Answer
Hi,
the Prius actually costs less to own and less to operate than a non-hybrid vehicle. And I'll even total it up for you at the end. Get comfy...
Prius are the beginning of the automotive world removing mechanical parts and replacing them with electronic parts on a large scale.
Electric motors do not have the moving parts and wear and tear of gasoline or diesel engines. They do not require the maintenance of internal combustion engines (ICE's) and electric motors will outlast ICE's by many years. There are electric motors that have run continuously for 50, 60 or more years. If you doubt it, check with an electrical engineer or a factory that uses electric motors.
As far as the "higher cost for repairs" go, let's look at full hybrids because they have even more electrical works than a mild hybrid like the Saturn Vue Green Line or the Silverado Hybrid. We'll use the Prius, considering it is the biggest selling hybrid and the most visible.
- There is no steering belt or steering pump, the system is electronic and uses electric motors. There is no belt to wear and no pump to lose fluid out of (ever hear a car squeal when it goes around a corner? that's the belt or pump going bad) No cost there.
- There is no accelerator cable or cable linkage, once again, it is electronic. So there is no loss of acceleration over time from cable stretch and wear like on a standard vehicle. No cost there.
- The brake pads should never need to be replaced, they are hardly used due to the regenerative braking system. I just found another set of pictures on the net of a Prius with no appreciable wear on the brake pads. The wear was measured with calipers and the owner thought to take pictures of the pads when his Prius was new and at 80,000 miles. That's 80,000 miles with no wear. No cost there.
- You never touch the NiMH battery or the hybrid system, it is self regulating. No cost there.
- The ICE is not tuned up for 100,000 miles. At 15,000 miles per year, that's about seven years. And even then...
- four spark plugs run $12 each, four is $48
- coolant is $15.50 a gallon and you need two gallons, or $31.00
- air filters are $18 for the engine and $25 for the cabin
inspect the wiring, change the oil (might as well, since you're there) lube, inspect and flush the brake lines. It runs about $225, which includes parts
- the sealed, continuously variable transmission fluid is not changed until 90,000 miles. About $140.00.
- The OEM (Original Equipment from the Manufacturer) Goodyear Integrity's are about $113 each, installed. The originals are low-rolling resistance, specialty tires, just like a truck or sports car. They will last about 35,000 or so. Three sets of OEM over 105,000 miles will run $339 installed.
- Oil and filter changes every 3000 miles and tire rotations every 6000 miles, just like any other vehicle. oil changes are about $26.00 and tire rotations are about $18.00, or about $884 for oil changes and $306 for rotations over 100,000 miles
As far as the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery goes, the current record for a Prius is over 360,000 miles with the original NiMH battery and hybrid drive train. Prius are regularly used for taxis and government use (see New York and the state of Colorado). These are not typos and anything you may have seen to the contrary is an urban myth.
So, over 100,000 miles, for regular service, your Prius should run about $1973, rounded to $2000, or about .02 cents per mile.
Your gas should run you about $6,000 over 100,000 miles, or about .06 cents per mile (100,000 miles / 50 mpg (I get 51.7 mpg currently as an average, city and highway, auto temp w/air and stereo on) = 2000 gallons of gas X $3.00 a gallon = $6,000).
So your Prius will run you about $8000, or .08 cents per mile, to operate over 100,000 miles.
I used 100,000 miles because it is a easy, round number, and most people don't keep their vehicles more than 6 or 7 years. The Prius will last much, much longer than 100,000, and it will perform better at that amount than most vehicles on the road with 100,000 or 150,000 miles.
Any vehicle you are considering should be put to this kind of scrutiny. A vehicle is a major investment and it will cost you money to run properly. Please print this info out and use it to compare any vehicles you are considering by calling the local dealership and asking the parts and service departments what is involved in maintenance over 100,000 miles.
All of my service and parts amounts come from a local Toyota dealership, and do not figure in any kind of promotions, coupons, or discounts. I called today, 6/12/07. Please show me know if my math is off anywhere, and I'll be glad to make corrections.
And that's about it. No surprises and the maintenance is pretty simple.
Hi,
the Prius actually costs less to own and less to operate than a non-hybrid vehicle. And I'll even total it up for you at the end. Get comfy...
Prius are the beginning of the automotive world removing mechanical parts and replacing them with electronic parts on a large scale.
Electric motors do not have the moving parts and wear and tear of gasoline or diesel engines. They do not require the maintenance of internal combustion engines (ICE's) and electric motors will outlast ICE's by many years. There are electric motors that have run continuously for 50, 60 or more years. If you doubt it, check with an electrical engineer or a factory that uses electric motors.
As far as the "higher cost for repairs" go, let's look at full hybrids because they have even more electrical works than a mild hybrid like the Saturn Vue Green Line or the Silverado Hybrid. We'll use the Prius, considering it is the biggest selling hybrid and the most visible.
- There is no steering belt or steering pump, the system is electronic and uses electric motors. There is no belt to wear and no pump to lose fluid out of (ever hear a car squeal when it goes around a corner? that's the belt or pump going bad) No cost there.
- There is no accelerator cable or cable linkage, once again, it is electronic. So there is no loss of acceleration over time from cable stretch and wear like on a standard vehicle. No cost there.
- The brake pads should never need to be replaced, they are hardly used due to the regenerative braking system. I just found another set of pictures on the net of a Prius with no appreciable wear on the brake pads. The wear was measured with calipers and the owner thought to take pictures of the pads when his Prius was new and at 80,000 miles. That's 80,000 miles with no wear. No cost there.
- You never touch the NiMH battery or the hybrid system, it is self regulating. No cost there.
- The ICE is not tuned up for 100,000 miles. At 15,000 miles per year, that's about seven years. And even then...
- four spark plugs run $12 each, four is $48
- coolant is $15.50 a gallon and you need two gallons, or $31.00
- air filters are $18 for the engine and $25 for the cabin
inspect the wiring, change the oil (might as well, since you're there) lube, inspect and flush the brake lines. It runs about $225, which includes parts
- the sealed, continuously variable transmission fluid is not changed until 90,000 miles. About $140.00.
- The OEM (Original Equipment from the Manufacturer) Goodyear Integrity's are about $113 each, installed. The originals are low-rolling resistance, specialty tires, just like a truck or sports car. They will last about 35,000 or so. Three sets of OEM over 105,000 miles will run $339 installed.
- Oil and filter changes every 3000 miles and tire rotations every 6000 miles, just like any other vehicle. oil changes are about $26.00 and tire rotations are about $18.00, or about $884 for oil changes and $306 for rotations over 100,000 miles
As far as the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery goes, the current record for a Prius is over 360,000 miles with the original NiMH battery and hybrid drive train. Prius are regularly used for taxis and government use (see New York and the state of Colorado). These are not typos and anything you may have seen to the contrary is an urban myth.
So, over 100,000 miles, for regular service, your Prius should run about $1973, rounded to $2000, or about .02 cents per mile.
Your gas should run you about $6,000 over 100,000 miles, or about .06 cents per mile (100,000 miles / 50 mpg (I get 51.7 mpg currently as an average, city and highway, auto temp w/air and stereo on) = 2000 gallons of gas X $3.00 a gallon = $6,000).
So your Prius will run you about $8000, or .08 cents per mile, to operate over 100,000 miles.
I used 100,000 miles because it is a easy, round number, and most people don't keep their vehicles more than 6 or 7 years. The Prius will last much, much longer than 100,000, and it will perform better at that amount than most vehicles on the road with 100,000 or 150,000 miles.
Any vehicle you are considering should be put to this kind of scrutiny. A vehicle is a major investment and it will cost you money to run properly. Please print this info out and use it to compare any vehicles you are considering by calling the local dealership and asking the parts and service departments what is involved in maintenance over 100,000 miles.
All of my service and parts amounts come from a local Toyota dealership, and do not figure in any kind of promotions, coupons, or discounts. I called today, 6/12/07. Please show me know if my math is off anywhere, and I'll be glad to make corrections.
And that's about it. No surprises and the maintenance is pretty simple.
Suddenly Switching from gasoline based automobiles to electric powered. How would it affect our economy>?
Kevin
I was chosen to pick a topic for debate for an English class, and I decided on whether or not switching to electricity based automobiles would be a smart thing to do if we had the option. I have to include such factors as economy, jobs that could be lost with the loss of oil companies, impact on the environment, etc. Any online sources would be greatly appreciated.
Also definitely gonna give a best answer to someone who answers, so please help!
Answer
The electric car was among the earliest automobiles â small electric vehicles predate the Otto cycle upon which Diesel (diesel engine) and Benz (gasoline engine) based the automobile. Between 1832 and 1839 (the exact year is uncertain), Scottish businessman Robert Anderson invented the first crude electric carriage. Professor Sibrandus Stratingh of Groningen, the Netherlands, designed the small-scale electric car, built by his assistant Christopher Becker in 1835.[4]
Practical and more successful electric road vehicles were invented by both American Thomas Davenport and Scotsmen Robert Davidson around 1842. Both inventors were the first to use non-rechargeable electric cells.
What advantages do EVs offer? EVs produce zero emissions at the point of use. An electric motor is 400% to 600% more efficient than an internal combus tion engine. An EV, per mile, uses one-half the fossil-fuel resources an ICE consumes. An EV produces only 5% to 10% of the emissions of an ICE per mile traveled. All of the EV's emissions occur at a (oil- or coal-fueled) power plant, which runs 400% to 500% more efficiently than an ICE and scrubs its own exhaust. EVs can use electricity from anywhere including sustainable energy resources (wind and sun). EVs are simple, silent, and affordable to operate.
Zero-Emission or Emission-Elsewhere? It is a major step for an automobile to no longer emit exhaust gases. In fact, it is nearly inconceivable. That's why consumers will love zero-emission vehicles. They may not be driving a solar-powered car, but they will be helping the sun to once more shine through clear skies.
In the literal sense, of course, the EV is the "emission-elsewhere" car. The electricity to power the car has to be generated somewhere. And, though some energy is available from sustainable energy sources like wind, solar, and water power, the bulk comes from coal- and oil-fueled power plants. Isn't this just transplanting the problem somewhere else?
The answer is both yes and no. Yes, the pollution is transferred to another region. However, this matter has been scrutinized extensively by the U.S. Depart ment of Energy and several California agencies charged with air-quality manage ment. The bulleted list above reflects their findings.
EVs are very efficient. They have to be. A pound of battery has 1/100 of the energy of a pound of gasoline. On average, a 30 mpg ICE car uses only 5% to 10% of the energy of its fuel, whereas the EV converts 70% to 80% of the battery's pack into propulsion, for the same mile.
Running costs
Electric car operating costs can be directly compared to the equivalent operating costs of a gasoline-powered vehicle. A litre of gasoline contains about 8.9 kW·h of energy.[39] To calculate the cost of the electrical equivalent of a liter of gasoline, multiply the utility cost per kW·h by 8.9. Because automotive internal combustion engines are only about 20% efficient, then at most 20% of the total energy in that liter of gasoline is ever put to use.
Also Check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_car
The electric car was among the earliest automobiles â small electric vehicles predate the Otto cycle upon which Diesel (diesel engine) and Benz (gasoline engine) based the automobile. Between 1832 and 1839 (the exact year is uncertain), Scottish businessman Robert Anderson invented the first crude electric carriage. Professor Sibrandus Stratingh of Groningen, the Netherlands, designed the small-scale electric car, built by his assistant Christopher Becker in 1835.[4]
Practical and more successful electric road vehicles were invented by both American Thomas Davenport and Scotsmen Robert Davidson around 1842. Both inventors were the first to use non-rechargeable electric cells.
What advantages do EVs offer? EVs produce zero emissions at the point of use. An electric motor is 400% to 600% more efficient than an internal combus tion engine. An EV, per mile, uses one-half the fossil-fuel resources an ICE consumes. An EV produces only 5% to 10% of the emissions of an ICE per mile traveled. All of the EV's emissions occur at a (oil- or coal-fueled) power plant, which runs 400% to 500% more efficiently than an ICE and scrubs its own exhaust. EVs can use electricity from anywhere including sustainable energy resources (wind and sun). EVs are simple, silent, and affordable to operate.
Zero-Emission or Emission-Elsewhere? It is a major step for an automobile to no longer emit exhaust gases. In fact, it is nearly inconceivable. That's why consumers will love zero-emission vehicles. They may not be driving a solar-powered car, but they will be helping the sun to once more shine through clear skies.
In the literal sense, of course, the EV is the "emission-elsewhere" car. The electricity to power the car has to be generated somewhere. And, though some energy is available from sustainable energy sources like wind, solar, and water power, the bulk comes from coal- and oil-fueled power plants. Isn't this just transplanting the problem somewhere else?
The answer is both yes and no. Yes, the pollution is transferred to another region. However, this matter has been scrutinized extensively by the U.S. Depart ment of Energy and several California agencies charged with air-quality manage ment. The bulleted list above reflects their findings.
EVs are very efficient. They have to be. A pound of battery has 1/100 of the energy of a pound of gasoline. On average, a 30 mpg ICE car uses only 5% to 10% of the energy of its fuel, whereas the EV converts 70% to 80% of the battery's pack into propulsion, for the same mile.
Running costs
Electric car operating costs can be directly compared to the equivalent operating costs of a gasoline-powered vehicle. A litre of gasoline contains about 8.9 kW·h of energy.[39] To calculate the cost of the electrical equivalent of a liter of gasoline, multiply the utility cost per kW·h by 8.9. Because automotive internal combustion engines are only about 20% efficient, then at most 20% of the total energy in that liter of gasoline is ever put to use.
Also Check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_car
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Title Post: How much does it cost to maintain a Toyota Prius?
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Rating: 92% based on 925 ratings. 4 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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