Prius, Your Days Are Numbered?

Jeromy has posted the following article at cardomain.com:

Prius, Your Days Are Numbered!
Posted by: JeromyChebby Guy
Starting with the 2008 model year, the EPA is requiring revamped fuel economy estimates. In most cases, that means that the MPG ratings for new cars will go down, because the new rules reflect more realistic driving conditions. Who is this going to be most painful for? High-mileage cars like the Toyota Prius. In fact, the Prius' current city fuel economy rating of 60 MPG will likely go down to something like 48-50. Is it any wonder why Toyota is launching huge financing incentives on the Prius right now? Once those new window stickers hit dealer lots, Prius cars aren't going to be nearly as attractive.

We certainly believe that this will affect the attractiveness of the Toyota Prius, but the question is Won't all EPA revamped fuel economy estimates go down?? If this the case The prius will still stay attractive in terms of gas saving costs.

Car buyers should consider hybrids

A recent letter published by someone from Granville OH shows how young people are very interested in th environment. This is the full letter posted at newarkadvocate.com :

"I go to Granville Middle School. We are doing a project on energy conservation, and my topic is hybrid cars.

I think that whenever someone is buying a new car that they should seriously consider buying a hybrid/fuel-efficient car, the reason being that most regular cars these days are getting an average of 20 mpg. That means that there is a higher demand for fuel that we don't have.

If everyone has hybrid cars, which get an average of 40 mpg, we wouldn't need as much fuel. The cars today also emit many greenhouse gases, but hybrid cars hardly produce any gases. Greenhouse gases are what is causing the global warming problem in our world, so it would be nice to limit the amount of gas that we give off. Some people don't get hybrid cars because they believe that they must be charged every 100 miles or so, but that's not the case. The battery is charged by the fuel when you drive, meaning that it never needs charged.

I understand that the majority of hybrid cars cost a few extra dollars. What people don't know is that by buying a hybrid car, you save about $200 a year at the pump. The extra money you pay when purchasing the car will be paid off in no time and it will save the environment at the same time.

I thank you for your time.
Haley Roberts
Granville "

We'll have to agree with Roberts............................

Edison (NJ) buys 2 hybrid cars as it starts going green

Famous Inventor's birth Town (Edison) is going green by purchasing two Hybrid cars.

Those two hybrid vehicles that will be added to the municipal fleet in an effort to be more environmentally friendly. "Going green is good," Mayor Jun Choi said. "It's good for the environment. Going green makes sense financially, too."

The township council approved resolutions last month for the purchase of a Toyota Prius for $21,978 and a Ford Escape sport utility vehicle for $25,576, according to Choi's spokesman, Jerry Barca.

The township is receiving $4,000 per vehicle from the state Board of Public Utilities and $500 per vehicle from Middlesex County through incentive grants. The Prius will be funded mostly from a federal community block grant, Barca said. The Escape will be paid mostly with operating expenses of the township budget.

"This is a start in the right direction," council President Robert Diehl said. The vehicles will be used by administration staff for code inspections and the township community block grant office, according to Diehl and Barca. Choi said that the two cars are just the beginning. The township also plans to buy 10 additional hybrid vehicles to add to the municipal fleet. "We are committed to upgrading our cars with energy-efficient vehicles of which a significant number will be hybrids," he said.
T
he cars will save the township money on fuel and won't make a bigger dent on global warming, officials argued. The township has joined Woodbridge and Old Bridge as the municipalities in the county with the most environmentally friendly cars.

Woodbridge announced earlier this month it is planning to buy 12 hybrid cars, Ford Escapes. Township officials said they already have one existing hybrid that has saved them money on gas.
Old Bridge rolled out two Honda Civic hybrids earlier this year. They are being used by construction code officials. Hybrid cars such as Toyota Prius run on a mix of gasoline and electricity. They are praised for their ability to use less gas than conventional vehicles. Edison officials said they see the cars as the start of new initiatives to be more environmentally friendly.
Choi said Edison officials are in discussions with a variety of companies about adding solar panels and other alternative energy sources, though he declined to name them.
The township is also in the design and planning phase to build an environmental center next to the Dismal Swamp. Diehl raised the possibility that any building that the township constructs would have solar panels and other energy- and money-saving initiatives.
"It's a collective effort involved to tackle global warming," Diehl said. "We used to see it hidden in the back of the newspaper. Now we see it on the front page. It's a pretty hot topic. We need to take the lead on this."

Emergency Responders and Hybrid Cars

Are hybrid cars dangerous for emergency responders in the event of an accident?

Hybrids are becoming the most popular automobiles in America; hybrid cars. They’re great on gas and friendly to the environment.

But do you know how dangerous they can be for emergency responders, in the event of an accident?



More than 80 emergency personnel gathered and studied the "do's" and "don'ts" of hybrid safety at Onondaga Community College. Gary Ruebsamen has spent his career studying automobiles; hybrids are some of the most complex he's ever seen.



According to Ruebsamen: “There's two basic systems, there's the internal combustion engine and there's the high voltage electrical system,” he says.



In a normal vehicle, emergengy responders only have to deal with a 12-volt system . All they have to do is open up the hood, and disconnect it. But hybrids have a 42 volt system and a battery pack in the back.



Even after you've pulled the main disconnect switch on the main battery pack, there's still potential for the vehicle to be running. There are a few things you'll want to look out for, like orange cords. If you were to grab a hold of them, they could blast more than 600 volts of electricity into your body.



Another thing is a container. It looks like it holds windshield washer fluid, but it's actually a coolant. If you were to unscrew it, scolding hot liquid could shoot in your face.

The best way to go about it, is to make sure both the internal combustion engine and high voltage electrical system are off. That way, you can prevent potential problems. WARNING Just make sure to stay away from that orange cord and the battery pack located in the rear of the vehicle.



Tuesday’s workshop at OCC was the first of its kind in America. More than 80 emergency responders attended the event, to help educate their colleagues.

LOOK @ some 2007 hybrid car models. Aren't they nice?

Toyota Camry

Cadillac Escalade

Camry

Lexus

Honda to recall 166,000 Accord, other cars in U.S

TOKYO - Honda Motor Co. said on Tuesday it would recall about 166,000 vehicles in the United States of the Accord, Odyssey and five other models to fix a faulty component in the fuel pump.

The defect in the pump, manufactured by Japan's Mitsuba Corp. , could cause the engine to stop and fail to restart, said a spokesman at Honda, Japan's second-biggest automaker.

No accidents have been reported stemming from the defect.

The same defect affected about 30,000 of the 528,400 vehicles Honda said it would recall in China last week, the spokesman said. A recall filing for vehicles using the same component will also shortly be made in Japan, he said.

The cost of the recall is still unknown, he said.

Subject to the recall are some Accord, Accord hybrid, Odyssey, Acura TL, Acura RL, Acura TSX vehicles from the 2005 model year and some 2006 Ridgeline pickup trucks.

At Geneva, cars go green by Gail Edmondson, BusinessWeek

For car lovers eager to plunk down more than $150,000 for the latest Bentley, Aston Martin, or Ferrari, there's no auto show like Geneva's Salon d'Automobile, which runs from Mar. 8 to 15 this year.
The lure is opulent sedans and classy coupes that exude status -- as well as super sport cars with screaming horsepower. The brawny SUVs and thrifty compacts take a back seat in Geneva, unless they have dazzling design.
But the growing global debate on reducing carbon emissions has for the first time cast a green hue over the Geneva show, which will feature a record number of debuts for environmentally friendly cars. And for Europeans, always enthralled by automotive technology and innovation, the green fleet at Geneva may well prove a powerful draw.
Green highlights at this year's show include Honda's small sports Hybrid X Concept cars, Toyota's FT-HS Concept -- which debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January -- and the Saab BioPower 100.
Outer Limits
These cars all strive to prove that fuel-efficient innovations can be packaged with great handling and cutting-edge design. The Honda is a streamlined coupe designed in Europe and powered by a hybrid gas-electric engine. Premium market leader BMW will be showing its new three-door version of the 1 series, which comes with a stop-start system and brake energy regeneration that cuts emissions and fuel consumption,
It's no wonder automakers feel compelled to spotlight more progressive models. On Feb. 7 the European Commission agreed to push for limits on carbon dioxide emissions from cars to an average of 130 g/km. Europe's automotive industry has blasted the limit as too severe, and member states have yet to adopt the legislation.
But top executives at Europe's premium carmakers are starting to realize the public debate is going against them, as fears of global warming mount, and they had better start to plan for a greener future. "We have to reconcile two targets, carbon dioxide and performance," says Audi's new chief executive, Rupert Stadler. "We have to assume our responsibility."
Honda, by contrast, is actively backing tough limits on CO2 emissions and toiling to demonstrate the industry's commitment to coming up with innovative ways to slash the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. That could give the company a competitive edge.
Lingering Luxury
Of course, none of the European automakers is about to give up on raw horsepower, exquisite handling, and sumptuous interiors. Maserati's new 405-horsepower Gran Turismo four-seater won't lose its appeal among car-lovers, at least this year. Another hotly awaited upscale model is Audi's A5 coupe, which highlights a new direction in Audi's design language with more angular lines.
U.S. automakers have taken to launching eye-catching roadsters in Geneva, such as the GM-Opel GT that dazzled last year's crowds. This year, Dodge is in the spotlight with its Demon a rear-drive roadster with 170 horses. Green may be the latest trend but, as the auto industry descends on Geneva, it's still "long live speed and luxury."


Source: http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2007/mar/16cars.htm