Thinking of going hybrid

Hey lads,

I’ve currently got an 07 Qashqai, 1.6 petrol. Nothing wrong with it but the price of petrol has been enough to make me sick lately. 🤣

It’s only going to get worse and I’m thinking about jumping to a hybrid. Mainly thinking hybrid is best because I have more freedom for long range trips but should easily work off the battery for going to work, around the town etc.

On average I’d drive about 20-30km to and from work and around the town for school runs etc. can be upwards of a few hundred if we head off somewhere for the weekend etc.

so really I’m not spending much on fuel for work etc these days but still if I can cut the cost even more all the better. Even €30 a week is still €30!

I’d be looking to try keep it under €10k but flexible for a worthwhile car. A few people I work with have Toyota Hybrids I think one is a Corolla import from Japan and the rest are CHR.

Id like to stick with a car similarly built and sized to the Qashqai preferably.

Thanks!

User1998

Spending €10k to save €30 a week makes no sense. It would take 6.5 years to start saving money.

If your buying a new car to save money then buy an electric, or a plug in hybrid at the very least.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121587128#Comment_121587128

Obviously it would save me more than €30 if I am travelling longer journeys presumably. The idea of the hybrid is to use the battery as much as I can and if it runs out the fallback to petrol makes me less nervous than finding a charging point.

It’s not really just about saving money either, better for the environment etc etc

Basically I’m just not sure if hybrids are worth a curse or it’s just a silly waste of time and you’re better off with either fully electric or fully petrol/diesel.

edit; also i am curious on their general range on battery? Also as I understand non plug in just charge the battery while the engine runs basically correct?

One person I work with mentioned they were able to travel to and from Dublin twice (from Wexford) using almost entirely the battery.

Comparably I drove from Wexford to Naas round trip few weeks ago and it cost an extra €40 in petrol. So €70 that week! If the battery could manage a journey like that I’d be inclined to make more of them. As it stands I don’t drive far often because it costs too much!

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121587235#Comment_121587235

I don’t think you understand how hybrids work. You can’t just use the battery until it runs out, that will only get you about 2 or 3 kilometres of very slow driving.

And on longer journeys such as motorways hybrids are no different to petrol cars.

The idea of a hybrid is you just drive it like a normal petrol car and the car will decide weather to use the battery or the petrol engine or both depending on the circumstances.

Don't get me wrong something tiny like a Toyota Aqua hybrid or A Toyota Yaris hybrid will be much more economical than your Qashqai, but if you want another big car then you probably won’t save a whole lot in fuel.

eastie17

Also be aware of mild hybrid and dont get confused by what it does

teediddlyeye

Hybrids are a total and utter waste of time IMO.

People only think they're great because they've likely gone from an older ICE doing 7/8L per 100km to a hybrid doing 4L/100km.

More expensive to buy, more resources to build, battery doesn't last p1ssing time before becoming a dead weight.

If you've a long commute in a PHEV you're fully charging and still buring petrol. A total non solution.

Either a super efficient full ICE or full BEV is better

Redneck Avenger

I have a renault arkana e tech hybrid.

I'm not sure I save anything in relation to fuel consumption. Its not plug in.

It cruise around in EV mode below 40kmh and also assists the engine . Its petrol and probably does the range of a diesel.

I would still prefer it over a full EV i think.

BKtje

What you are looking for is a plug in Hybrid which has a large enough battery to get you to/from work on fully electric and then a petrol tank for when you want to go further. As the owner of a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), I understand why some people would consider them useless but for me it was a logical stepping stone to my next car which will be fully electric.

The range of a PHEV depends on the size of the battery. A Golf GTE for example has a usable range of maybe 30-40km's on the motor way or an Merc A250e about 40-50km (personal record for a250e was 62km but not on the motorway). If you are unable to to charge at home and work (if the return trip is not doable on one charge) then a mild hybrid is probably a better and cheaper choice. Whether a PHEV or mild hybrid is best for your situation depends totally on you.

Anecdotal evidence: I had a 1.5l golf which used around 6.2l per 100km on the motorway. My PHEV with an empty battery does around 5.4 but is around 800kg heavier so a mild hybrid should be a bit less again. I don't think I'd sell a petrol car for a mild hybrid to save money but would consider one if changing in any case. Switching to a PHEV is a little more complicated to calculate and is a totally personal decision.

Feel free to ask questions and hope that this helps.

Marcusm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121587235#Comment_121587235

There’s no hybrid out there which will run from Dublin much past Wicklow town on battery alone (and then only at low speeds) not to mind Dublin to Wexford twice!

kirving

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121587555#Comment_121587555

Don't let perfection be the enemy of the good. Given how short the average journey is, a great many people would benefit from PHEV. You say "you're fully charging and still burning petrol" , but don't mention that you're burning LESS petrol.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121587631#Comment_121587631

The Arkana E-Tech is a Mild Hybrid (there are varying definitions), but it's battery is around 1.2 kWh. The Arkana is an interesting one, in that it doesn't use a tradtional clutch, and reversing is handled by the motor alone (there being no revere gear). I rented one a few months ago and really liked it around town actually, but it does abruptly run out of power when overtaking.

https://www.drivencarguide.co.nz/reviews/renault-arkana-e-tech-hybrid-review-worklife-balance/

Buddy Bubs

Just be honest and say you want a newer car and you'd like it to be as fuel efficient as possible to minimise overall cost, no shame in that!

You'll never recoup the cost in fuel savings.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121588613#Comment_121588613

I mean yeah I suppose in summary!

TheShow

Toyota hybrids don't have a range, just an electric motor that kicks in and out depending on your driving. Heavy foot = less ev driving time. In the summer you can achieve less than 5l per 100km. In the winter fuel consumption increases. Am managing between 600 and 700 km from a full tank of 40 litres on a hybrid (corolla cross, had corolla TS before that and was very similar). Whoever told you about driving from Wexford to Dublin twice in a hybrid on battery power alone was telling you porkies. 😀

drunkmonkey

Take it from a hybrid driver, unless it's a company car with a benefit in kind saving just get the diesel or petrol. Depending on what your paying for electricity cheaper just put some dinasour juice in it.

User1998

To be fair, hybrids are nice to drive and are fuel efficient around town. So why not go for a hybrid.

I just wouldn’t spend €10k for the sole purpose of saving €30 a week.

drunkmonkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121589209#Comment_121589209

That's it in a nutshell. Lovely to drive but you'll never make back the upfront cost on fuel savings.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121589209#Comment_121589209

Ah no it’s not the only reason for wanting to buy haha.

Im thinking about getting a new car and just wondering if a hybrid is worth considering.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121589330#Comment_121589330

Well in that case, yes definitely worth considering if you do mostly city/town driving

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121589410#Comment_121589410

Yeah, I used to do about 50-60km a day to work but now not even half that. 🤣