The $64,000 Question
 

My wife and I are thinking about buying a HCH. But we have a question that no one seems to be able to answer.

We live in New York - winters are cold, summers are humid.

Is there a way to put a remote starter into a hybrid to run the heat/defroster or the AC.

We have 2 small children and I'd rather have the car warm and ready to go when we put them in.

Let's say the answer is no. If I go outside and turn the car on in the winter to defrost the windows, is it a significant drain on the battery to sit with the electric blowers on. As I understand it, putting your foot on the brake starts the generator to charge the batteries.

The other question I have is: My wife works 1 1/2 miles from home. If the gas motor doesn't kick on until about 30 miles per hour, how long will the batteries last? She'll never go that fast to get to work. And again, how will the heater work without the gas engine getting warm?

Lastly, Is there any real reason that they don't come with a sunroof?

The dealer and the service dept couldn't answer any of this.

Re: The $64,000 Question
 

Well, I'm not an expert, but I've never heard of the "gas motor" (internal cumbustion engine?) not kicking in until 30 mph is reached. I've had my 2008 HCH for about 2 months and it always starts right up. The only time the ICE stops is when you stop the car at a stop sign or light. It actually stops completely. This is known as "auto stop" and is a fuel saving device.

Re: The $64,000 Question
 

Hi Joe and welcome to GreenHybrid.

Perhaps the Civic Hybrid is not the right vehicle for you... and maybe you should do a bit more research mainly to determine why you want any hybrid in the first place. In this regard there will be no shortage of folks here who will gladly give you all the help you need.

But if you do decide to go with a high fuel economy hybrid like the HCH or the Prius, then I would strongly discourage you from even considering a remote starter in the first place. Instead, I would recommend a more sensible, responsible and efficient approach such as installing a block heater.

Now, I sympathize with you and I understand perfectly what cold is as there are few other places on Earth that are colder than where I live and I have a family too... but in the age we live in, idling an engine will not only kill your emissions system (the most expensive of any car available today), kill the engine and your fuel economy, but add to whats seriously wrong with the world we live in. In the end, warm-up idling erodes the whole point of hybrid ownership. Sorry.

On the HCH, the gas engine will always start at the turn of the key. The Prius on the other hand may allow you to start on battery alone but *only* if the car is warm enough and the battery charge is sufficient. In the cold winterm you'll be fortunate if the Prius shuts off its gas engine at all.

Sunroofs add weight and disrupt the aerodynamic advantage of high fuel efficiency hybrids such as the HCH and Prius.

Cheers;

MSantos

Re: The $64,000 Question
 

You seem to be very worried about the life of the battery. For older hybrids, like the Insight and Gen I Prius, it is more likely for the battery to go bad, but it is still quite rare.

The current Prius and Civic hybrid are extremely reliable cars. Look at Consumer Reports and you'll see that both of them are signifigantly more reliable than average. According to Consumer Reports, the Civic hybrid is far more reliable than the already reliable non-hybrid Civic. These cars have lots of fancy algorithms for their operation. Battery state of charge and temperature are taken into account in order to lengthen the life of the battery.

Botttom line: the battery will be fine.

Re: The $64,000 Question
 

Hi I live in NY on long Island and i own a 2003 Civic Hybrid I have remote start installed in my car and it works fine just like any other car. Hit the button the engine starts. I leave the knobs set to heat in the winter and A/C in the summer when i shut the car off. within 5 miniutes of hitting the remote start in the morning the car is warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Re: The $64,000 Question
 

Wow, My suggestion would be rethink your lifestyle or rethink a hybrid....sorry this sounds harsh but they are directly opposed.

A hybrid will not offer you any savings with pre starting and long idles, the 1 1/2 mile commute will also offer no savings it takes me sometimes as much as 6 miles to warm up when it drops into the teens, while it is warming up it is essentaly a gas car.

My suggestion would be, buy a standard Civic, Fit or cheaper car or change your lifestyle I would love a 1 1/2 mile walk twice a day (I am 54)....or a bike or bus...if transporting the children is the issue, maybe you could take them to daycare/school on your way to work.

Just to clarify, the HCH gas engine runs when it is turned on & until it warms up, it NEVER starts out on electric only, it can go into electric only 20-40mph but only for a short period once it is completly warmed up (ice, battery, cvt & computer). Once warmed up and the computer decides it is ok to do so, the ice will shut off at 8mph and stay off as long as your foot is on the brake, let off, it starts you have 2 shut offs as long as you stay below 8 mph so it is also not great for bumper to bumper creeping traffic, again, becomes a gasser.

Oh yeah, they cost less than $64,000 ;) .

Re: The $64,000 Question
 

Wow! Thanks for the advice. I feel like the sales and service people at my dealership have no idea what they are talking about.

Anyway, I'm not going with the remote starter. It was just an option my wife and i talked about but couldn't get any answers on.

Also, I'm very conscious about the environment which is why we are selling an SUV and a 70's muscle car to buy a hybrid.

And BOB - my wife walks to work alot but she's a teacher and sometimes has to carry alot of crap with her so has to drive too. ...Me, I work 4 miles from home and take my bike - I love it. But thanks for your concern. Bygones.;)

Re: The $64,000 Question
 

Joe, you just made my day and Thank you for listening and being willing to make a difference.

For the winters though, I strongly suggest you purchase and install a block heater as it will help you save fuel and reduce the wear and tear due to cold starts. Also, it does not hurt that with it, the car will produce warm air faster - especially in the cold mornings. ;)

A block heater is well worth the expenditure.

Cheers;

MSantos

Re: The $64,000 Question
 

Joe,

You might want to take a look at the Nissan Altima Hybrid or the Toyota Camry Hybrid. They both offer heated seats and moonroof as an option, but because they both use smartkeys you would likely have problems getting a remote starter. They rank 3rd & 4th behind the Prius & Civic for sedan fuel economy & are both partial zero emissions vehicles. I just purchased an NAH here in Phoenix and I love it. I'm averaging 39mpg in mine. A significant improvement over my old vehicle.

Just a word of caution though. Your fuel economy in all of the hybrids I'm aware of are poor in the first 5 minutes or so of driving. If you are using the vehicle primarily for short trips like that, you won't get much of the benefits of a hybrid system.

Unfortunately, here in Phoenix we have to let our vehicles idle with the A/C running before we can even sit in them during the summer months.

Re: The $64,000 Question
 

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