[The Thong]

Originally Posted by Tannaton

The big issue with self charging hybrids is the run entirely on fossil fuel burned in an engine....

My Crosstrek grabs every opportunity to grab sparks. Apart from braking regen, it charges on over run and at certain speeds charges direct off the engine. My motor switches over to running on the motor on urban roads at low speeds unless there’s either need to accelerate a bit sharpish or I hit a small climb. Alternatively it’ll switch to battery in a 50 mph road if the conditions are right and it’s down hill. The battery has a three mile range on it at the most but it’s surprisingly quick to recharge again etc etc again. I usually pootle up and down my street in battery mode. I’d happily have a Half Fat EV but I’ve got no where to charge it.
A friend of mine has an MG HS Hybrid who’s taken full advantage of the cheap electric incentives and it’s saving him a decent amount of money. He gets cheap electric between 00.30am to 04.30am so they run the washing machine and other things at the same time as well as changing the motor. He’s had the motor for three months and is still running on the petrol that came with the car. He reckons he’s getting 40 miles on the battery inc regen charging which is pretty respectable. With the right usage, chargeable hybrids are a good choice. My brother does the same with his Kia except his wife has a dedicated parking space at work with a free charger. She does 12 miles a day and recharges at work…. Quids in.

TT