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Do hybrids meet their EPA fuel ratings?
The EPA's laboratory fuel mileage tests were initiated more than 25 years ago to provide a means for consumers to make valid fuel-mileage comparisons between vehicles. Posting of mileage numbers on the window sticker is required by law. Auto industry practice has consistently been to use the EPA-provided numbers to assure a level playing field.
However, many things have changed over the past 20 years - speed limits have increased, congestion has increased, and vehicles have more power-hungry accessory equipment, such as automatic climate control, to name a few. The EPA tests are conducted in controlled laboratory conditions, at average speeds of no more than 48 mph, without air conditioning and at moderate temperatures. Test values are then adjusted down using adjustment factors developed by the EPA in the mid-80s. While this provides consistent and valid comparison data, it is widely accepted that many drivers of all types of vehicles experience lower results than the labels.
Do hybrids need to be plugged in?
There is no need to plug in hybrid vehicles. They have electric motors and gasoline engines which work together to provide power. The batteries for the electric motor are re-charged by energy captured as the driver brakes or coasts in the car and also by a separate engine-driven generator.
Why doesn't Prius offer a plug-in option so it can run in electric-only mode?
Great efforts went into making hybrid cars so they DON'T have to be plugged in. If a car is converted, it will have a negative effect on the life of the batteries and the reality is that it's likely the grid electricity being used is derived from coal, so there's not much, if any, savings to the environment. Additionally, the electric-only mode would be good for less than a mile at low speed, so the practicality of it is very limited.
Aren't diesels just as fuel efficient as hybrids?
While some diesel vehicles get high fuel mileage, it's important to look at emissions when considering a vehicle's impact on the environment. The best diesels on US roads today are allowed more than 17 times more smog-forming emissions than Prius and they emit fine particulates identified by air quality regulators as cancer-causing. Diesel cars are not available for sale in California, New York, Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts because they do not comply with even the most lenient emissions requirements in those states. Hybrids can achieve outstanding mileage and have far less emissions at the same time.
Is Ford using the Toyota hybrid system?
Although the Ford hybrid system is very similar to Toyota's, Toyota is not directly supplying any components to Ford. Toyota and Ford have entered into a licensing agreement allowing Ford to use technology that had been patented by Toyota. Toyota welcomes the introduction of the Escape hybrid and Ford's effort to demonstrate and gain acceptance of this important environmental technology.
Can you get a Prius?
Toyota's initial production estimates for the Prius for the 2004 calendar year were 36,000 vehicles for the U.S. That number was increased to 47,000 vehicles shortly after the Prius went on sale. The current backorder remains about 22,000.
Do hybrids hold their resale value?
Prius resale values are as high if not higher than other Toyota sedans.
How long does the Prius battery last and what is the replacement cost?
According to Toyota, the Prius battery is kept at an optimum charge level - never fully draining it and never fully recharging it. They have lab data showing the equivalent of 180,000 miles with no deterioration and expect it to last the life of the vehicle. Toyota also expects battery technology to continue to improve: the second-generation model battery is 15% smaller, 25% lighter, and has 35% more specific power than the first. This is true of price as well. Between the 2003 and 2004 models, service battery costs came down 36%. Since the Prius went on sale in 2000, Toyota has not replaced a single battery for wear and tear.
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