Hybrid owner obsesses over every last bit of mileage

Come on, you get 47/48 even 49 MPG, that is twice the amount over some of the conventional cars. Get a grip of yourself man. The only way this driver was able to achieve his goal was by driving with A/C off, windows up, tire pressure at the right level and shoes off. I think driving without shoes may have been the extraneous factor. Again this is just my bloody opinion. But, you know what I am going to start driving barefoot too next summer, wait and watch out for the “Barefoot Driver’s Guidebook”.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/

Also, when one is in such an adrenaline rushing scenario, do these guys think that a person will have the time to go into the glove box, retreive the manual, then look up the index and find safety procedures. You have got to be kidding me. Check out what one of Honda’s training instructors has to say with regard to this in an interview.
In an effort to allay these fears, the manufacturers post manuals outlining rescue procedures online, and they have provided safety courses to emergency workers, including hands-on training. The bottom line, according to Honda training instructor Jesus Almeida, is that hybrid vehicles cause no greater concern for passengers or rescuers in the event of a collision than other vehicles. However, laden with similar loads of gasoline, antifreeze, and other potentially dangerous fluids, hybrids don’t pose any less danger, either.

Usually all fire and rescue personnel have undergone vigorous training, however additional training for dealing with incidents where hybrid vehicles are involved should become a mandatory part of they training, if it has not already.

Source: http://autos.msn.com/advice

Source: Hybrid Efort: Trio takes on Toyota

Source: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/15415810.htm

Now that hybrid car demand is on the rise and the profit margins are attractive, GM wants a piece of the pie.
Source:

http://www.hybridcars.com/

http://www.bloomberg.com/

For a detailed review on the Camry hybrid go to http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/sedans and judge for yourself if this is the hybrid for you.
Source:

http://www.vehix.com/

http://www.automobilemag.com/

Source: http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/06/09/hybrid_diesel_suv/

Apparently this recall is not specific to the Prius, Toyota is recalling 9 more models. Several faulty parts in the steering wheel system may cause drivers to lose control. At this precise moment no one has had an accident due to these faulty parts.
Source:

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos

Just one question though, I want to know how many U.S. Senators who are “test driving” the hybrid plug-in prototype own a “green car”?
Source:http://www.technologyreview.com

Now taxi drivers in NYC maybe running close to 200 mile per shift, so in essence this may not be the best idea for cabbies who are trying to earn a decent wage, but the fact remains that atleast these electric only cabs will cut down the levels of tail-pipe emissions to zero. In my opinion I am in favour of hybrid taxis, I have nothing against electric only powered cars, but until researchers do not come up with a car battery that can hold a charge longer, one will need to have back-up power source. Another problem faced by cab companies is that the start up cost of investing in hybrid cars as taxi’s is extremely high and no one can blame them. If a cab company did invest in hybrid taxis, then these guys will bump up the cost for renting them out to the drivers, forcing the drivers to work more shifts so on and so forth, its a vicious cycle folks.

Source: www.greencarcongress.com

So what is this two-mode hybrid system?

While the two-mode system takes a new approach to hybrid drive technology, there are some similarities. Like all hybrids, the two-mode combines the power of a gasoline engine with that of electric motors; it captures energy from braking that would otherwise be lost; and it shuts off the engine at a stop. Like most of today’s hybrids, batteries alone can power the vehicle at low speeds. But the new technology is different in some crucial respects. It has the potential to operate much more efficiently at highway speeds, with a greater boost from the electric motors. The components are lighter and more compact and can be readily adapted to different types of vehicles. It is particularly well suited to large trucks and SUVs — the biggest gas hogs in Americans’ garages — where it will have the greatest impact on overall fuel consumption.

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/

I did a quick comparison between the Prius and the Camry Hybrid using the Gas mileage calculator on the Hybrid cars website to check tail-pipe emissions. Over the course of 13000miles/year the Camry will emit about 6,321 lbs of CO2 (1877 lbs more than a Prius).

Source: www.hybridcars.com

These are the same guys who made the first plug-in hybrid version of the Toyota Prius in 2004. They plan on converting a hybrid Ford Escape into a PHEV. By doing this, one can recharge your PHEV from a conventional 120 volt power socket at home. But the fact that Bill Ford had to be cornered when ansked if Ford was ever going to make a PHEV simply shows that the auto industry is not too keen on change. As consumers it is up to us to encourage, in fact demand that more innovative ideas such as this actually make it from the drawing board to the production line.
Source: www.hybridcars.com

Source: www.hybridcars.com

Even though Dartmouth and McGill University (Krissy and my alma mater) were the only two teams to compete, events like these promote hybrid technology. I cannot wait to see the various hybrid Formula 1 models built by undergrads next year, when more teams compete at Dartmouth. If timed right I may even go up to Dartmouth to cover it next year.
Source: http://www.thedartmouth.com

Source: Autoblog

Source:

http://www.afstrinity.com/

http://autos.monstersandcritics.com/news

Source:

Source: http://www.iihs.org

So if you absolutely need an SUV, then at least ditch your old gas guzzler which probably give you 15-17 mpg and get one of them hybrid SUV’s that is a bit more efficient. With the way current gas prices are rising and with no sign of going down, this would be the lesser ot two evils.
Source: Detroit Free Press

www.epa.gov

www.greencar.com

All these companies have already produced or are planning on developing plug-in kits for the Toyota Prius, Ford Escape Hybrid, Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Lexus RX400h, Toyota Highlander and Camry Hybrid. I think if possible one can just wait for the actual carmakers to come out with new models which are PHEV, because it would probably take what 200,000 miles at
$3 a gallon before one can actually break even after installing these kits.

Source:

CalCars

EDrive Systems

Hymotion

CNET News

1. California
2. New York
3. Massachusetts
4. Connecticut
5. Vermont
6. Rhode Island
7. Maine
8. New Jersey

Now we are left with only those other 42 states (including mine: Michigan) which should adopt stronger fuel emission laws. I am allowed to fantasize.
Source: Nissan News

In an earlier post I said if I where to buy a sedan today, I would probably go for the 2006 Honda Civic hybrid based on its performance and the fact that when compared over the the Honda Civic Sedan AT, the hybrid has a fuel economy 49/51 EPA city/hwy mpg over the Civic Sedan AT which gives 30/40 EPA city/hwy mpg. That is about 61% & 21% city/hwy approx. increase in fuel efficiency in the Civic hybrid. The only drawback for me is that the Civic hybrid cost about 21k which is about $6000 more than the 2006 Civic sedan, which is not neccessarily a bad thing, but in my ideal world, if I hand the money and a job, I would buy this car in an instant.
Source: http://www.wheels24.co.za

Source: http://www.hybridcars.com/blogs/hyview/aura

1. Nissan Altima Hybrid 2007.
   
2. Saturn Aura Greenline Hybrid to go on sale by the end of 2006.
   
3. Lexus LX 600h Luxury Hybrid.

For example the Lexus LX 600h, when this beast of luxury actually goes on sale, the rich folks will then be able to say “Aha, I drive a hybrid too”. Why the hell do automakers manufacture these so called “hybrids”, oh I forgot, this is to scam off the “rich & stupid” (hint). More specs will be released closer to the launch dates. Now, do you consider these three “hybrids” green cars?

Source: http://www.greencarcongress.com/

1. Hybrids are definitely environmentally friendly.
2. Cost more than conventional vehicles in its class (upto $6000). So if you think you are going to save money on gas forget it.
3. Tax breaks are available, but beware after an automaker has sold 60,000 cars in that class, thats the end of that.
4. Even thought more hybrids are coming out, be careful because you may end up paying way too much for a car that gives you the same mileage a conventional car does (see my Mazda 3 and Honda Accord Hybrid comaprison).
5. After the warranty runs out people are scared that the battery, which is essentially the heart and soul of a gas-electric hybrid will die out the next day and that there are not enough mechanics who specialized in hybrid car repairs and hybrid drivers have to depend on the dealerships. Well Macomb County Community College in Michigan has set up a course to train hybrid mechanics (previous post) and with regard to the car battery, well, I have not read of too many complains, but yes replacing that baby is expensive, so its a risk one has to take.

I was reading the postings at the bottom of this article and for some reason the main problem was whether this car could be classified as a hybrid or not. Its a concept car, which has two sources from which it generates electricity, in my book thats a hybrid. Also the drive-by-wire phrase tends to evoke a sense of fear amongst car owners, just as all pilots who had not flown the new Airbus 320 with the fly-by-wire technology when it was first launched. Now that technology is everywhere, people are always skeptical of new technology, but this is just a concept vehicle, lets see what comes out of it.

Source: http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/04/toyota_bringing.html

A car that actually gives 94mpg, look out competition. Not bad for Toyota, a company that has only been in the automotive industry for what 15-16 yrs. Now the real test will be when this Next-Gen actually becomes available, and we get to see the actual mpg results. Things tend to be a bit skewed whenever a car is put to the test under optimal conditions (which is a given for any test). So people who are considering converting they currnent Toyota Hybrids into a plug-in, wait a bit, you might end up saving quite a bit of money (plug-in kits cost about $12000 more).
Source: http://www.greencarcongress.com

Daimler Chrysler AG and the Detroit Science Center have sponsored a competition called 2006 Closing the Technology Gap in Education Awards, in which 170 entries were made, the pedal-solar powered Qaudracycle being one of them. This is what America needs, hybrid awareness at the grass root level. Best of Luck to all the entrants.
Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/

Currently adding this system will cost about $12,000 more, now lets wait and see how much the Toyota Prius (Next Gen Plug-in) versions cost when it does eventually hit the road.

Source: http://www.greencarcongress.com

Now these guys have taken a Toyota Prius and reversed-engineered this puppy to give more mpg. Now another main factor to remember is that one has to change his/her driving habit if one to to maintain or achieve such mileage, is that to difficult to do…

Source: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Yesterday I posted a comparison between my Mazda 3 and the Honda Accord Hybrid, using the Gas mileage impact calculator on the Hybrid Cars website, the results were interesting (Honda Accord Hybrid Vs Mazda 3). A study conducted by CNW Marketing Research Inc. over the last 3 yrs had access to more resources than I to conclude that the lifetime energy consumption of a hybrid vehicle exceeds that of a comparable non-hybrid vehicle (CNW Marketing Research Inc study). But the fact is that some of us want to move away from fossil-fuels and see R&D of alternative fuel vehicles that cause little or no impact to our fragile environment. Now the people at CNW Marketing Research Inc. base they findings on a vehicles avg. mpg cost. We all know that hybrids cost more, its technology is new, buying a hybrid to save on gas money is the wrong notion. What I want to see is the decrease of vehicle emissions? Once the automakers have refined the hybrid tech. and with more people buying them, the price of these cars will come down. Coolaboration efforts are already underway between comapnies such as Toyota and Subaru. On the other hand gas price is a variable that fluctuates constantly, to base ones results just on one factor does not really hold sway for me. Yes we do have to take into account the dust-to-dust factor of the car and I do agree on this with the researchers at CNWMR. But I would like to see the actual stats on this study before going any further.
Hence I conclude that the day and age of the conventional SUV has come and gone and we need to move on, I believe that when someone goes out to buy a hybrid he/she is not doing it solely on some form of animal instinct. Todays car consumers are well informed individuals and if they do buy a hybrid his/her primary concern is environmental conservation and reduction of car emissions.

Source: http://www.channel4.com/4car
http://www.hybridcars.com

What does that mean for us the potential hybrid buyers?

Yes, you read my mind and this article, this will lower the prices, which has always been a bit above my range. Claims that prices could fall as low as 40% will be seen in 2012. Now that will definitely attract more buyers. The other reason, is that you and your car will not stick as a tree-hugger, hence lowering that “smug” factor.

Source: http://www.greencarcongress.com

I could not get any specs on the new diesel Legacy/Liberty model, but the standard 2006 Subaru Legacy Sedan, starting at $21,650 with a 2.5L, 175 hp, gives a moderate 22/29 MPG (city/hwy). For a diesel car to be cost and fuel effective, it would have to compete with what the Toyota hybrids can give us. Now that Subaru has signed an agreement with Toyota, allowing Subaru to use Toyota’s Hybrid technology, things can only get better from here. Subaru will be able to bring out a hybrid and turbo diesel car without having to spend time on research and  too much money on developing these engines, hence we will soon be seeing hybrids giving other conventional gas cars some tight competition.
Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz

See what I mean, I like said in my post yesterday about new technology being expensive. Lets see how well this car sells in the US at this price. Toyota says that the Camry Hybrid will give 40/38 MPG (city/hwy). What I want to know is how much CO2 emissions have been reduced when compared to the standard models?

Source: HybridCars

So the researchers at the University of Toledo plan on harnessing maximum energy generated by the hybrid’s hydraulic propulsion system in the same fashion (i.e. braking) but they plan to store the engergy generated as compressed gas in a reservoir instead of releasing it as heat. Now it is stated that fuel economy for an SUV will go from 17.5 MPG to 36 MPG, I wonder what it will do for the existing hybrid car. Downside, increase in price, for such a vehicle with this new technology would go up from $500 to $3500 (just x7). Now this research is being carried out so that the hybrid hydraulic technology can be applied in the mass transport and goods carrier arena (i.e. school buses, dumpster trucks) which entails a lot of stopping. So technology and research associated with it is expensive, but would you rather shell out a couple of thousand dollars and drive a PZEV or ZEV and reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases which severely effects on our planet or would you rather pay $2.50 a gallon or more and drive a tank which pollutes the environment to a point that we all have to wear a gas mask.
Source: Researchers working on Hybrid Buses and Trucks

Have no fear soon your local mom & pop auto repairs shops will be able to fix hybrids. Currently hybrid cars amount to 1% of the cars on the road and growing.
Source: www.theautochannel.com

Source: Battery replacement cost big question for hybrids 5
Mercurynews.com

Source: Detroit Free Press

I have attached a .pdf doc that give estimated tax credit for various car models for 2006.

Source: Vehix

I wanted to see how the Honda Accord Hybrid was in comparison to the Toyota Prius, if you want a car with some oomph and the Honda Accord Hybrid 253-hp, V-6 gives you just what you want. You end up getting a sleek luxury car, with all the trimmings, engine power and you get to say that you drive a car that is a partial zero-emission vehicle (PZEV). So if you are looking for a hybrid sports sedan, this is the car you want. Check out Forbes for the review.

Fact: Over 100,000 Toyota Prius had been sold in the US in 2005.

Myth: Hybrid batteries need replacing.

Source:http://www.hybridcars.com/cars.html

Source: http://www.hybridcars.com/cartoons/taxing-problem.html

Check out the reasons hybrid car owners give for buying a Hybrid. Tomorow we will hear from the critics, so stay posted.

Source: MercuryNews.com

1. Nissan Altima (Toyota’s Hybrid Technology): Fall 2006
2. Toyota Camry: Fall 2006
3. Hyundai Accent/Kia Rio (Indigenous hybrid technology): Late 2006
4. Lexus GS: Spring 2006

Source: http://www.hybridcenter.org/hybrid-timeline.html

So let see if Nissan can actually make these improvements to the Prius hybrid engine and keep the price under 20K.

Scott Nathanson, the national field organizer for the Union of Concerned Scientists (or UCS), contends the term “hybrid” is confusing at best and misleading at worst. “People think that it if you slap a hybrid label on something, that makes it a green vehicle,” he said. Not so.

I read this article and it goes to show that driving a green car can attract a lot of unwanted attention from other drivers.