Why I Love My Plug-In Hybrid Car
@DeborahDiane (40848)
Laguna Woods, California
March 29, 2018 7:44pm CST
April is the one-year anniversary of the purchase of my Ford C-Max plug-in hybrid car. Because I never before have owned an electric car of any kind, other than a golf cart, I admit I was nervous about how I would like it. The verdict is now in.
I LOVE IT!
I believe the plug-in hybrid design is better than either an all-electric or all-gas type of car. (That's a photo of my car at the top of the page.)
It is better than all gas power, because most of my driving is local. Therefore, most of the time I am using the electric battery only. I only buy about one or two gallons of gas a MONTH. Because I am not in gas mode very often, I am averaging 180 m.p.g. Pretty amazing!
It is better than all electric power, because it will still operate on gas, even when I have exceeded the capacity of the electric battery. On the two occasions when we lost our electric power overnight and my car did not get charged, I was still able to use my car and go wherever I wanted. On a full tank, it has a range of nearly 600 miles without stopping. In an emergency, when I might not be able to charge my car, I would not find myself stranded.
The only downside I have found to the car is that it is so quiet, I realize that sometimes pedestrians and bicyclists do not realize I am behind them. I have learned to be extra careful around people who may not realize my vehicle is moving.
Other than that, it seems to be the perfect car for me.
8 people like this
9 responses
@Letranknight2015 (52665)
• Philippines
30 Mar 18
Congratulations for having a new Car there my friend. Take care of it and be careful.
2 people like this
@DeborahDiane (40848)
• Laguna Woods, California
30 Mar 18
Thank you! I have been very careful with it.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
30 Mar 18
How much is your power bill? I have always wanted an electric car.
2 people like this
@DeborahDiane (40848)
• Laguna Woods, California
30 Mar 18
@andriaperry - I estimate it added about $1 a day to my electric bill. When I plug it in at at parking lot, it costs about $2 to $3 to fully charge it again. It may be different for different types of cars. Not bad!
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40848)
• Laguna Woods, California
31 Mar 18
@jstory07 - The car comes with a charger that you just plug-in to a regular outlet. In addition, there are special chargers in many parking lots. I get extra good parking spots when I use one of those chargers and can fully charge my car for a few dolllars. It is convenient at hotels and places like that.
1 person likes this
@jstory07 (148749)
• Roseburg, Oregon
31 Mar 18
@DeborahDiane Does charging it run your electric bill up.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40848)
• Laguna Woods, California
31 Mar 18
@jstory07 - I estimate it costs me about $1 a day to get about 25 miles of range when it is in electric mode. I think that is a pretty good deal. Since I'm retired, I only drive more than 25 miles in a day about once a week. Then, it just automatically switches to gas while I'm driving.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40848)
• Laguna Woods, California
30 Apr 18
@JudyEv - The difficulty of finding charging stations everywhere you go is one reason why I would be hesitant to get an all-electric car. If you just took a long drive to visit relatives, would you ask to plug your car into the electricity at their home? Or would you have to find a charging station? What if there is a wide-spread power outage do to a hurricane or other storm? I like the option of being able to use my electric motor or my hybrid gas engine, which gets good mileage on its own.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40848)
• Laguna Woods, California
1 May 18
@JudyEv - Yes, we have been told the same thing. We had a whole class on good nutrition for the brain, and they emphasized that we eat a more plant and fish based diet, avoided red meat and sugar in particular. People who eat that way tend to live longer and have a lower incidence of dementia.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382312)
• Rockingham, Australia
1 May 18
@DeborahDiane I think the hybrid is a much better option. By the way, my friend went to a lecture somewhere on brain health and the group was touting cutting right down on sugar intake. They now believe too much sugar might be causing the plaque that builds up in the brain and causes Alzheimers, a bit like plaque on our teeth. I thought you'd be interested. Was this factor ever mentioned in the talks you went to?
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (130150)
• Israel
11 Jul 18
@DeborahDiane
I have an electric scooter and love it too. I plug it in to charge when I get home from using it and each time I use it I charge it when get home. I heard that we have some electric cars here in Israel or are getting them.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40848)
• Laguna Woods, California
12 Jul 18
@Hannihar - I think eventually electric cars will be available around the world. They are very economical to drive.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (130150)
• Israel
12 Jul 18
@DeborahDiane
What happens if you need to plug it in during the day where do you charge it or like my scooter can it last all day long and can wait to get home to plug it in?
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40848)
• Laguna Woods, California
12 Jul 18
@Hannihar - It is a plug-in hybrid. I plug it in at night and the first 25 miles I drive each day are all electric. If I drive further, it automatically converts to a gas hybrid car which charges itself a little more as I drive it. In hybrid mode it has a range of about 600 miles before you run out of gas and gets around 40 m.p.g. in that mode. Overall, because I rarely drive more than 25 miles a day, I am getting about 140 miles to the gallon. It's a pretty amazing car.
1 person likes this
@Jessabuma (31696)
• Baguio, Philippines
30 Mar 18
What a nice car. I am dreaming to have one . I hope it will come true.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40848)
• Laguna Woods, California
31 Mar 18
I hope it comes true for you, too!
1 person likes this
@Jessabuma (31696)
• Baguio, Philippines
31 Mar 18
@DeborahDiane thanks dear friend
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (209009)
• United States
30 Mar 18
That sounds great..my friend has a hybrid, and that is a very quiet vehicle too. You can not even hear the engine when it switches to battery.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40848)
• Laguna Woods, California
30 Mar 18
@snowy22315 - Yes, I have friends with hybrids and they are very quiet in battery mode, too. That is the only problem I have had. People just don't hear my car, so I'm extra careful if there are pedestrians around, like in a parking lot.
@DeborahDiane (40848)
• Laguna Woods, California
31 Mar 18
Yes, a quiet engine is very nice whenever you are driving.
1 person likes this
