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Maintenance & Repair Hybrid Vehicle Maintenance, Repair and Concerns
133 messages, Last post on Nov 16, 2009 at 3:58 PM
You are in the Maintenance & Repair Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Oct 13, 2008 6:37 am)
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Replying to: railroadjames (Oct 13, 2008 3:18 pm)
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Oct 13, 2008 4:14 pm)
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| It would be interesting to hear from owners with >100,000 miles on the odometer. They must be out there, since hybrids would appeal to some who drive a lot of miles per year. That would be especially true if a high percentage of those miles are in and around cities. For example, I've seen numerous Prius taxis. They're a common sight in Santa Monica. | |
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Replying to: railroadjames (Oct 13, 2008 6:01 pm) |
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Oct 14, 2008 10:43 am) 
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That's reassuring. I believe gasoline is more expensive in Canada than the U.S., which would decrease the payback time for the extra cost of a Prius versus, say, a Corolla. When we were in Vancouver, we rode from the airport to our hotel in a Corolla. One thing that struck me, besides the vehicle, was how gently the driver drove compared with most American taxi drivers tooling around in Crown Vics. That was confirmed by a ride back to the airport, this time in a previous generation Camry. It was apparent that both drivers were conscious of fuel consumption, and maximizing the longevity of their vehicles. New York taxi driver should take a lesson from these other drivers. Heck, even in Naples, Italy, where you can get some hair raising rides in taxis, with drivers disregarding traffic lights, sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, one-ways and more, the drivers don't abuse their cars. I think you'll see a big move out of Crown Vics, for taxi service, over the next couple of years, unless oil prices keep declining. Even then, though, knowing how volatile oil prices are, and how quickly prices can shoot up, cab companies will factor the possibility of another price rise into their next vehicle purchase. In addition to Priuses, I've also seen some Ford Escape taxis. |
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Replying to: railroadjames (Oct 14, 2008 8:06 pm) In California, the traction battery is warrantied to 150,000 miles. Apparently, battery failure is simply a non-issue. Sounds like, unless you are very unlucky, that your Prius's battery will be sold again through the wrecking yard that takes your worn out Prius. |
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These are significant because they help answer the durability and cost-of- ownership concerns. Whether or not the hybrid taxi fleets continue to grow will say a lot about the concerns of those who are reluctant to be early adopters. It would be interesting to do a long term comparison between the Prius and, say, the VW Rabbit or Jetta diesel for taxi use. Of course, for many participants in Edmunds forums, fun-to-drive is an important ownership consideration, and taxis don't address that issue. Maybe the 2011 Honda CR-Z, which I believe is scheduled to be introduced in 2010, will be a game changer for enthusiasts. For all of the Prius' attributes, I've never heard that these cars are fun to drive. They're probably good transportation modules for certain uses, but that doesn't fully satisfy my needs. Compact and mid-size diesel hatchbacks, sedans and wagons can be reasonably fun to drive. For those willing to spend more, the BMW and Acura TSX diesels will soon be available,
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Oct 15, 2008 9:02 pm) Also the Prius is rather comfy for passengers and it's great for marketing purposes to promote a taxi business. It's gonna be tricky to get away with the slogan "breath easy in a diesel". The reason we have mostly American taxi cabs is about the running costs. Parts are cheap and you can beat the hell out of them and throw them away, since you got a lot of passenger room for your money and zero resale value anyway. So you might as well buy 'em cheap, destroy them and start over. The best taxis are cheap to run and/or cheap to buy. It's hard to have both---Prius are cheap to run but not cheap to buy. I'm sure a fleet price on a Chevy is way better. |
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