Thread: Hybrid Vehicles

Great thread to read, and I’ll chime in as I have a fair bit of metal halide and lipo battery experience.
Electric, fully battery powered is not a winter friendly means of energy as well.
Specially lipo batteries hate the cold. Tesla has large heaters in the battery banks that use energy just keeping the cell banks from freezing, but they don’t have ac to keep them cool, yet.
Their range is significantly different in sub zero conditions..

Hybrids are a bridge design that are weaker than either technology as Glen pointed out.

Turbo technology is a fantastic way to get maximum ooomph and mileage out of a gasoline engine without constant heavy consumption. Only when you ‘step on it’ do you really suck the fuel. When light throttle is used, very efficient.
2 biggest things I’ve seen people do that kills turbos and gives the tech a bad rap are low grade fuel use, and shutting down hot.
Gas turbocharged cars must be fed 91 octane minimum due to the enhanced compression. I personally only run 94 in mine. They will run on 87 but not well, and there will be damage over time. People don’t believe that and are cheap so put in regular gas.

And turbos spin at over 10000 rpm so their axial bearing must be lubricated well. When people come to a stop, they shut right off, stopping the oil pump from pumping so oil flow stops and the turbo bearing spins down in stagnant oil which gets hot and breaks down. So always let your car idle, for just a minute when you park and you will double, or triple the life of your engine.

Hope this helps some. My personal choice in today’s technology is a turbo charged engine for the best balance of economy, environment, and personal enjoyment. You cannot beat forced aspiration for maximum response.
Cheers.