Could this be the way to electric powered motorhomes...

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I have been given a fully kitted out Toyota C-HR hybrid for testing this week. Must admit I'm very impressed with this car. The way the engine and battery propulsion works together is quite incredible.
I have no idea how a hybrid compares with a fully electric setup but it has so many advantages over an electric only vehicle. I have been averaging around 70mpg this week from what is a large vehicle which is pretty good. The smoothness in the way it delivers this duel power is magic.
Deceleration charges the battery as does braking. Around here every other mini cab is a Toyota hybrid so reliability and long-levity must already be built into this system. I give it 10/10 and look forward to the first hybrid motorhome....(y)
 
Can i ask for what “ end purpose” you are testing it
 
I’ve had the C-HR for nearly 18 months. Great car works same way as the Prius. But I don’t think they got the gears quite right when you do put your foot down as it revs hard for low acceleration. Mpg is great around town when you are more stop start crawl low speed. Motorway isn’t so good as the speed is too much for the electric alone.

Not sure how it would benefit a Motorhome. The regen is only enough for the hybrid motor not enough spare to also give free power for a leisure battery

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Yep I do wonder what the drive experience would be with a manual or robotised auto manual gearbox rather than the cvt. it does seem that cvt isn’t great at transferring all of the power if you suddenly step on it, even 60 mph on a motorway and you want to get on with it changing lanes is a bit of a rev thrashing moment. Perhaps surprising that 70mpg around town is achievable when the base engine is a 1.8 petrol plus the electric hybrid motor and battery weight. More realistic 50 mpg on motorway at 65-70 mph
 
Kannon Fodda said:
I’ve had the C-HR for nearly 18 months. Great car works same way as the Prius. But I don’t think they got the gears quite right when you do put your foot down as it revs hard for low acceleration. Mpg is great around town when you are more stop start crawl low speed. Motorway isn’t so good as the speed is too much for the electric alone.

Not sure how it would benefit a Motorhome. The regen is only enough for the hybrid motor not enough spare to also give free power for a leisure battery
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Agree KF it is a fantastic town car but I've also been on a few motorways this week and it cruses at motorway speed without to much effort. As far as revving I have no idea as it doesn't have a rev counter. It does lack power at some speeds but I put it down to not comparing this to my own car.
Still it is a lovely relaxing car to drive....(y)
 
Cheshirecat57 said:
Unfortunately its a CVT , like a DAF Variomatic from 70s
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Never did drive a DAF Variomatic but they definitely didn't sound like this gem of a car....(y)

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Mikey RV said:
How do you get 70mpg from a electric vehicle. Does electric come in gallons now. :D2 :whistle:
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It does but some use fuel in gallons at a power station and some use fuel in the car....:)
 
@buttons did you do long journeys too? Electric only would not do for us as we do have to take car longer journeys than current range. Interested in hybrid as my next car though ... (y)
 
buttons said:
Agree KF it is a fantastic town car but I've also been on a few motorways this week and it cruses at motorway speed without to much effort. As far as revving I have no idea as it doesn't have a rev counter. It does lack power at some speeds but I put it down to not comparing this to my own car.
Still it is a lovely relaxing car to drive....(y)
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Think you will find that the engine drives the generator to put charge into the batteries to drive the electric motors that drive the car, hence the lag and excess engine revs, certainly my experience driving a Lexus NX300h and RX450h, I used to drive Father in law's Prius and found the electric mode pretty useless and MPG not much to write home about either.

Martin
 
Grianan said:
@buttons did you do long journeys too? Electric only would not do for us as we do have to take car longer journeys than current range. Interested in hybrid as my next car though ... (y)
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With this particular version Grianan it has no plug in just a tank of fuel which will at a guess give you approx. 500+ miles from full to empty. It has a battery which will propel the car at low speeds and deliver additional power when it is needed. The petrol engine kicks in at around 20/30mph which will then charge the battery and propel the car. As said earlier you also get battery changing at zero throttle and braking...(y)
 
wiljoy said:
My neighbour with his Hybrid Rav achieves unlimited mpg as it's mostly in the dealers for repairs.
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There are thousands of mini cab owners who will poo poo your view of hybrids.

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funflair said:
Think you will find that the engine drives the generator to put charge into the batteries to drive the electric motors that drive the car, hence the lag and excess engine revs, certainly my experience driving a Lexus NX300h and RX450h, I used to drive Father in law's Prius and found the electric mode pretty useless and MPG not much to write home about either.

Martin
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It's a view on your own experience ff as is mine....
 
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Hybrids don't have much of a future as they are supposed to be phased out at the same time as new petrol or diesel cars. There may be a bit of fuel cost saving but I doubt it would cover the increased purchase cost. Their green credentials are probably a bit dubious too as they have the environmental impact of petrol plus that of the battery production.
 
Reallyretired said:
Hybrids don't have much of a future as they are supposed to be phased out at the same time as new petrol or diesel cars. There may be a bit of fuel cost saving but I doubt it would cover the increased purchase cost. Their green credentials are probably a bit dubious too as they have the environmental impact of petrol plus that of the battery production.
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I thought it was just fuel only that was supposed to be phased out in 2040,

Martin
 
Sure I read it somewhere. This may not apply to plug in hybrids but the ban was supposed to be on vehicles powered solely by an internal combustion engine which basic hybrids are, the electric motor being powered by electricity generated by a petrol/diesel engine.
 
Reallyretired said:
Hybrids don't have much of a future as they are supposed to be phased out at the same time as new petrol or diesel cars. There may be a bit of fuel cost saving but I doubt it would cover the increased purchase cost. Their green credentials are probably a bit dubious too as they have the environmental impact of petrol plus that of the battery production.
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Much can happen in technology terms in 20 years Reallyretired, Who knows how we will be transporting ourselves around in the 2040s(y)

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Kannon Fodda said:
Yep I do wonder what the drive experience would be with a manual or robotised auto manual gearbox rather than the cvt. it does seem that cvt isn’t great at transferring all of the power if you suddenly step on it, even 60 mph on a motorway and you want to get on with it changing lanes is a bit of a rev thrashing moment. Perhaps surprising that 70mpg around town is achievable when the base engine is a 1.8 petrol plus the electric hybrid motor and battery weight. More realistic 50 mpg on motorway at 65-70 mph
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Not aware of ANY Hybrid available with a Manual gearbox
 
Mikey RV said:
How do you get 70mpg from a electric vehicle. Does electric come in gallons now. :D2 :whistle:
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Maybe electric cans are on e bay ;)

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Ukbandit said:
Mine will be a Hearse in 2040 maybe before. I won’t give a flying F! How it’s powered.
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be really eco conscious about your last ride, choose a horse drawn hearse
 
We have a hybrid Lexus, basically a flash version of the Toyota's.
Had it a year and love it. We don't do many miles in it as we are away in the MoHo for long trips.
I drive it in 'Eco' mode most of the time as we are just shopping, but if I put it in 'Sport' mode it goes like s***t off a shovel.
The CVT gearing is nothing like the old Daff's were and although the revs shoot up when you give it some 'welly' it soon settles down. It makes it very easy to drive.
Smashing car that's a joy to drive, even for an ex 'boy racer' like me.

Richard.
 
OMG, I can't believe what I am about to write! I actually agree with @buttons, in fact I would be a hypocrite if I didn't, since we did a huge amount of market research for my wifes new car. And hence we currently have a '19 plate C-HR on our driveway! Best car we have ever owned! I have to disagree with the nay sayers, we drove it to Plymouth and back this weekend from Basingstoke, we used 38 litres of fuel, so average of 61 mpg, absolute dream to drive, stick on the adaptive cruise and lane assist and let the car drive itself. It's almost like the driver doesn't need to be there! :D
I saw it mentioned earlier, yes it is built on the same running gear as a Prius, but I wouldn't own one of those in a million years!
 
funflair said:
Think you will find that the engine drives the generator to put charge into the batteries to drive the electric motors that drive the car, hence the lag and excess engine revs, certainly my experience driving a Lexus NX300h and RX450h, I used to drive Father in law's Prius and found the electric mode pretty useless and MPG not much to write home about either.

Martin
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Think you'll find that it has an electric motor within the drivetrain (between engine and gearbox). The alternative would be grossly inefficient.
 
I'm a big fan of hybrid for commercials, the benefits being that you can run with a smaller engine and just turn on the electric when you need it for acceleration or hill climbing and you re not limited to range or waiting for charging points.

Ok if we were to redesign the country for todays needs things would be very different but I can't see that electric trucks and vans are going to be the norm in the near future.

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