Question by : How lond dose it take to charge a Toyota Prius hybrid battery?
Im thinking about buying a toyota prius hybrid, but im also thinking about the Honda civic Hybrid so im woundering wich one is the bether one, wich one is cheaper to maintain and wich one is ¨saveyer¨ and how long dose the batteryes need to be charged? and how much power dose the chargeing take?
-Thanks
Best answer:
Answer by JerryJ
In both cars the batteries are continually charged by the engine so there is no "charge time". A question like this indicates that you don't really understand how the Prius works. The Prius is primarily a gas powered car. The electric motors and battery are there so that the gas engine can be sized for steady-state driving--this is where most of the gas savings comes from. When additional power is needed for acceleration the motors and battery provide it. In addition, the motors and battery allow the engine to shut off during periods of very low power demand where even the very efficient Atkinson cycle engine of the Prius would be inefficient.
When choosing between the Prius and the Insight:
The Prius and the Insight are somewhat different cars, so the answer depends on what you want.
The Prius is a mid-sized car, the Insight is a compact.
The hybrid systems are different. The Honda system is basically a conventional car with an electric motor that replaces the flywheel. The Prius has removed many of the parts of a conventional car and replaced them with more reliable electronics and has simplified others. For instance the Prius doesn't have: an alternator, a starter motor, a serpentine belt (2010+ only), a clutch or fluid coupling. In addition the automatic transmission with it's hundreds of parts has been replaced by a simple planetary gear system similar to a differential.
So both cars have their fans. My Prius has been one of the most exciting and fun to drive cars I've ever driven. In addition the maintenance cost has been low. 12 cents per mile for dealer maintenance, tires, and fuel combined over the 125,000 miles I've driven it so far, according to the logbook I keep. It still runs like new. So does the 2001 that my wife drives--though she doesn't keep a logbook. Based on the high owner satisfaction ratings, my good experiences are not unique.
2004 Prius MPG from the logbook. (Complete years only):
2003-2004 -- 50.8 mpg 17,628 miles
2005 -- 52.6 mpg 14,688 miles
2006 -- 56.3 mpg 16174 miles
2007 -- 57.3 mpg 18384 miles
2008 -- 59.9 mpg 21755 miles
2009 -- 61.4 mpg 16177 miles
2010 -- 65.2 mpg 12134 miles
Give your answer to this question below!
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
The Prius is, as of now, not a “plug-in-hybrid,” so you don’t plug it in, ever, and there’s no “recharge time” in the sense of “you’ve got to plug it in for 8 hours every night to get the maximum distance from the propulsion battery.”
In the Prius, as the other person accurately said, the propulsion battery is used to “get the car off the line” from a start, where gas engines are the least efficient and electric motors have the most torque. It’s a wonderful combination.
Think of the Prius as a computer, not a car… when you’re driving, its computers decide what to do and, under acceleration, automatically choose the right combination of battery, gas engine, both or neither to get the job done.
When braking, light braking takes the energy from the moving car, taps it with the drive motor operating as a generator and puts juice back into the propulsion battery. Only if you have to really mash on the brakes for a hard stop do the brake pads actually come into use, so you’ll see VERY long brake pad life for the Prius, too.
The original Honda Civic hybrid was basically a regular Civic with an electric motor that helps out a bit, and when I first looked at them, they were using a regular stick transmission and didn’t even have fold-down rear seats. That was ’04, when I bought my first Prius. I don’t have any information on the newer Civics, but I’d bet some dealers or mechanics might be able to tell you the current state of their technology.. or check their web site and read…
My wife and I just bought a Level 5 Prius V, and she’s liking it a lot. A few gallons into the first tankful of gas and it’s already running very close to 40 mpg. My ’04 runs in the 43-45 range most of the time. We’re in Raleigh, NC, and there are hills as well as city and interstate driving in our mix.
The new one’s also VERY quiet on the road!
good luck and happy motoring!
also… spel betur necks tyme, ok?