2009 16
Lexus hybrids 4×4 are a disappointment
Published by MartinVarsavsky.net in General with No Comments
When I bought my Lexus RX400 in Spain in 2005, I thought that I would pay a high price for a car but both help the environment and save on maintenance and gas. After all, I was getting a hybrid, a car that is both an electric and gasoline car. But after some years of ownership, I have come to the conclusion that hybrids are neither so environmental nor economical. As for gasoline consumption, my Lexus uses 14 liters every 100 km. That is more liters than my other car, an Audi Q7 3.0 TDI albeit a diesel. And in terms of overall economy, whatever you supposedly save on gas you spend on service. Lexus has a super expensive service program because of some parts that must be replaced related to the way the car recharges the car batteries when braking. My calculation is that each km that you do in a Lexus costs 10c in terms of service costs alone.
disappointment
disappointment
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marco on April 17, 2009 ·
And when you consider CO2e for the whole lifecycle of the car, it gets even worse. Making and disposing of a car accounts for 15% of the carbon emmissions and numbers are considerably higher for current hybrids. If you really want to be green buy second-hand.
Paco Ros on April 17, 2009 ·
This is not the first time I hear about a Lexys Hybrid owner to complain about fuel consumption.
In fact, there’s a spanish Lexus owners group (clublexus.eu) where you could check how Spanish Lexus Owners complain about the consumption and the cost of car mainteninance.
Not only the RX is the only one that has a expensive maintainance, some other models including IS Diesel also has in terms of consumption and inspection proces. Despite of this, 14 liters is higher than reported by other owners. Hybrid models have low consumption when they are used in the city, where the electric engines allow fuel engines to stop. So, maybe, you are using the RX in highway where that 3.3 liters fuel engine is more thirsty.
I’m a cars hobbinst and I’d like to know if you think that Q7 is, in general, better than RH 400h.
Kind regards.
Michal on April 17, 2009 ·
Exactly, hybrids are perfectly connecting DRAWBACKS of gasoline cars and electric cars: high initial cost, fossil fuel consumption, complicated transmission…
Take a look at Tesla model S (I know it’s not in production yet), look at Shai Agassi initiative (perfect speech at TED – link is in post above).
Also, look at BYD company. You’ve never heard about such automaker? You will.
Eduardo on April 17, 2009 ·
Martín, no sé si se puede escribir aquí en español. Es cierto que el Audi Diesel consume menos, y que emite menos CO2, pero no es correcto decir que contamina menos, porque no miramos las partículas cancerígenas y los Óxidos de Nitrógeno, (que no emiten los gasolinas como el Lexus) debido a que los gobiernos sólo se fijan en el dichoso CO2.
El debate de la contaminación está muy simplificado, ligado al consumo por una sencilla regla de tres y se le carga todo al automóvil, obviando las calefacciones e identificando como limpia a la electricidad, para cuya producción se sigue recurriendo a la quema de carbón o derivados del petróleo.
Felipon on April 17, 2009 ·
Martín,
Here is challenge for you as an enterpreneur, an enviromentalist, an influential person and… a resident of Menorca: Get the goverment of Menorca to join this electric car program (I recomend that you watch the TED conference video):
Menorca being an island is the perfect place for this. You and the rest of the residents of menorca will benefit from rural electrification that are lacking right now and your car will consume peanuts.
David on April 18, 2009 ·
Martin,
do you really think oil companies will allow anybody to build a reasonably environmentally friendly car? hybrid cars have been created just to calm down the population who’s starting to think green and their wallets don’t look quite so green. they actually don’t save any CO2 to the environment and the batteries are highly toxic.
people with power (i mean companies not govmt’s) don’t really want us to switch to 100% oil free cars so they are dosing the change as slow as posible.
how about a real hybrid car at 225mpg or 1l/100Km that you can build yourelf?: http://www.rqriley.com/xr3.htm
just an idea.
Nemo Anonymous on April 25, 2009 ·
OK, this entry is a bit offtopic since it does not refer to a hybrid car, but… If I hade the money (left) to buy it, I would go for the Volkswagen Phaeton
Hand made, as you can figure from this beautiful promotional video , in this spectacular glass factory in Dresden, which is worth a visit.
And it is capable of running at 300 km/h (that’s for Germany Autobahns, of course) maintaining 22º inside while outside it is 50º. And I bet it does not suck more petrol than the two cars Martin uses.
Here Jeremy Clarkson, of Top Gear’s fame, acknowledges that he would buy this one before a Jaguar.
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Guillermo Obregón on April 16, 2009 ·
Check out this link about a real possibility of building an electric car economy:
http://blog.ted.com/2009/04/
Saludos.