HYBRID CARS

Prius, Your Days Are Numbered?

2007-03-25T02:15:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-25T01:52:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-22T01:06:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-22T00:43:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-03-21T01:14:00.000-07:00

Toyota Camry

Cadillac Escalade

Camry

Lexus

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

2007-03-21T01:05:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-21T00:57:00.000-07:00

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

Hybrid (Japanese) cars eye the European roads

2007-03-21T00:42:00.000-07:00

The European Union’s Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas made headlines recently with his decision to swap his Mercedes for a Japanese hybrid and the European carmakers were vocal in denouncing his decision.Now, Toyota’s new president for Germany is pushing hybrid cars and “cleaner” motoring in a bid to protect the environment in Europe’s biggest economy. “Climate protection and hybrid technology, which is not so well known in Germany, will be our main goals in the future,” says Keiji Sudo, who has been in charge of Toyota Deutschland for two months.

Hybrid engines, combining electric and petrol-driven motors, will become more efficient and have a greater variety so they can be used in “a wide range of models,” Sudo says. Toyota has become the world’s number one in hybrid motors since it brought its first model on the market in 1997. Today the Japanese company is far ahead of its German rival BMWs, VW and others in this fuel-efficient technology. Many competitors are only just starting to offer hybrids, while the Japanese carmaker is already developing third-generation models. Asked about BMW’S alliance with DaimlerChrysler to develop a hybrid engine, Sudo said: “In the future, we’ll face stiff competition, but at the moment we have the advantage of being in a pioneering role.” Toyota last year produced 320,000 hybrid cars. In Europe they are available in the Toyota Prius and the luxury model Lexus.

This summer the hybrid Lexus LS 600h will debut in Germany. The world’s second biggest carmaker after General Motors, Toyota has been on a roll in Germany for the past seven years. Following a sales increase of nearly 10 percent in 2006 to 148,000 vehicles, the company is targeting a figure of 200,000 in 2010. Its recently introduced Auris model, which was largely developed in Europe, is seen as another drawing card. Toyota has set a sales target of 30,000 in the next 12 months, a company spokeswoman said. Turnover for the business year that ended March 31 last increased to 2.3 billion Euro (USD three billion), with forecasts of an even higher sum for the current fiscal years. “Quantity and volume, or being in first or second place does not mean much to us. It’s quality and technological advances that are important. If you get those right, sales and profit will follow,” says Sudo.

Toyota is determined to continue taking advantage of its environmentally- friendly image despite scepticism from many of its German rivals. “The hybrid model Prius is taking on the role as an ambassador for an environmentally friendly car,” says Sudo, 50. But he was not happy with the recent comment by a German Green party politician, Renate Kuenast, who urged Germans to buy a Toyota hybrid as a contribution to protecting the climate. “We are reluctant to be drawn into the political arena in this manner,” he said. In addition to Toyota’s petroleum electric hybrid, another environmentally- friendly car is the “clean diesel” offered by its D- Cat engines available in the Avensis, RAV4 and Auris models.

In contrast to other particle filters, this technology is the only one that also eliminates nitric oxide, according to Toyota. Trucks in Japan are already equipped with diesel-hybrid engines and in the Asian country as well as in the US Toyota has been testing cars that use fuel cells. “We’re still in the test phase, but in the long-term it is something that might be of interest for the German market,” according to Sudo. Progress in hybrid technology also means a step in the direction of hydrogen powered fuel cell engines which emit only water vapour. Sudo says the recent decision by the European Union to slash carbon dioxide emissions for new cars to an average 120 grams per kilometre by 2012 is “a major challenge for us.”

Source: http://www.neurope.eu/view_news.php?id=71680

America's top-selling car, the Toyota Camry, comes as a fuel-thrifty gasoline-electric hybrid

2006-11-25T22:04:00.000-08:00

By ANN M. JOBTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

For the first time ever, America's top-selling car, the Toyota Camry, comes as a fuel-thrifty gasoline-electric hybrid. It's big news for the Camry, which was redesigned, made larger and more powerful for 2007.

The new, 2007 Camry Hybrid looks like a regular four-door, five-passenger Camry sedan.
And with seven standard air bags, including a new, knee air bag to help keep the driver in proper seat position during a frontal crash, the Hybrid gets the same top, five-out-of-five-stars safety rating for front and side crash protection as do all new 2007 Camrys.

But the hybrid also has a quieter interior, a nifty hybrid power graphic on a dashboard display screen and the highest government fuel-economy rating of any Camry -- 40 miles a gallon in city driving and 38 mpg on the highway as its supplemental electric power boosts around-town travel most of all.

Starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, is high for this model. It's $26,480 and includes a continuously variable transmission that a driver operates like an automatic, plus some uplevel amenities such as eight-way, power driver's seat.

That compares with a starting price of $19,900 for a base Camry CE with four-cylinder engine, automatic transmission and six-way, manual driver's seat and $23,920 for the lowest-priced Camry with V-6 and automatic.

The Camry Hybrid does, however, qualify for a federal income tax credit of up to $2,600, though that amount is halved and then halved again once certain sales volumes of Toyota hybrids are reached. Buyers should check with dealers and the Internal Revenue Service for details.

One of only five cars with gas-electric hybrid power sold in the United States at the start of the 2007 model year, the Camry Hybrid competes primarily against the other five-passenger, midsize hybrids. They are the 2007 Toyota Prius, which starts at $22,755, and the Honda Accord Hybrid sedan, which starts at $31,090.
The Prius, which has a five-door hatchback design and a combined 110 horsepower from its gas-electric system, serves up more mileage than the 187-horsepower Camry Hybrid. Government fuel economy ratings for the Prius are 60/51 mpg.

At times, I didn't know the test car was on, because the 2.4-liter, double-overhead-cam, in-line four-cylinder didn't immediately start up. In fact, I could back out my driveway and head down my neighborhood street at moderate speeds on quiet, electric power only.

But watch carefully for pedestrians. They're accustomed to hearing vehicle engine noises and may not notice a Camry Hybrid coming up from behind.

There were hot days when the Hybrid's four-cylinder engine came on almost immediately at startup. That was because I wanted to get the air conditioning going full blast, and it won't operate that way on electric power only.
Also, on some particularly oppressive, 90-degree days, it was not unusual to hear a fan whirring behind the Camry Hybrid's back seats when I started the car without the air conditioning on. That fan kept the battery pack cool and operated on its own.

For the most part, I didn't know I was driving a hybrid. The Camry Hybrid uses Toyota's latest Hybrid Synergy Drive system and has electronics that automatically mix the gas engine power with electric power, as needed.
Save for the intriguing dashboard graphic that showed where the power was coming from -- engine or electric source -- and a sometimes golf-cart feel with just the electric power on, the Camry Hybrid felt like a "normal" sedan.

The engine can generate 147 horsepower on its own, so highway travel isn't sluggish. In city traffic and during passing maneuvers, electric power provided good get up and go. The car's 105-kilowatt electric motor can produce 199 foot-pounds of torque instantly for smooth, quick acceleration.

Best of all, in actual city/highway driving -- and without concern for fuel mileage, I admit -- the test Camry Hybrid got 36.4 mpg, or just 6.7 percent less than what the window sticker advertised. That was with the air conditioning on, too.
The ride was pleasant. The car rolled over most bumps without fuss, and I was able to talk with passengers in the quiet interior.
More than 21,400 Camry Hybrids have been sold so far this year.

(http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/wheels/293400_road24.html)

Lexus RX400h in New Zealand

2006-11-25T21:49:00.000-08:00

Toyota executive chairman Bob Field was talking to journalists at the recent launch of the new hybrid petrol/electric luxury SUV, the Lexus RX400h in New Zealand.

Most growth in the global vehicle fleet would come from the rapid rise in living standards in Third World countries, he said.

THE trebling of the world’s vehicle fleet by 2050 will cause transport-related greenhouse gas emissions to more than double and hasten climate change unless urgent measures are taken.

Hybrid cars, such as the new Lexus RX400h and the Toyota Prius, reduce carbon emissions by more than a half.

“Hydrogen fuel cell technology can reduce it even further – as long as the hydrogen was produced from a low or no-carbon source of electricity.

“Toyota’s view is that hybrid technology is an essential gateway that everyone will pass to reach the carbon-free solution,” he said.
The ultimate eco-friendly vehicle would be powered by hydrogen, however Field said that it was sad but true that hydrogen-powered vehicles were at least 10 or 20 years away from being an affordable option for the average motorist.

“In the meantime, we cannot afford to postpone taking decisive action to mitigate the impact of fossil fuel emissions, and this includes an accelerated take-up of petrol/electric hybrid vehicles like the RX400h.”

Powered by a 3.3-litre quad-cam V6 petrol engine and two electric motors, RX400h delivers lively performance and excellent overtaking, while having the fuel-efficiency of a much smaller vehicle.

It can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in 7.9 seconds, yet has fuel economy of 8.1 litres per 100 kms and low emissions.

The Lexus Hybrid Drive system allows RX400h to operate in electric-only, or petrol-engine-only modes or combine the power of the petrol and electric motors. The hybrid battery never needs recharging from an external source.

Fiat's Tri-powered Multipla Multi-eco

2006-10-06T02:31:00.000-07:00

Dual powdered cars aren't quite as unique as they used to be, but a vehicle that's able to run on three different power sources
should be enough to perk up anyone's energy-saving, cost-cutting ears, even if just a little bit. At least that's what Fiat hopes will be your reaction to its latest concept car / tongue-twister, the Multipla Multi-eco. In addition to running on plain-old gasoline, it'll get you where you want to go on either methane or E85 bioethanol. The methane gets a fuel tank of its own, but the car's ECU is able to sort out the gas and bioethanol itself, letting you use any combination of them. This being a concept vehicle, however, you won't exactly be able to get behind the wheel of one anytime soon. However, Fiat is making a slight variation commercially available in the form of the Panda Panda, which lacks the E85 bioethanol option but still lets you run on your choice of methane or gasoline.

Hybrid appeal slides as diesel cars improve

2006-10-06T02:21:00.000-07:00

This article appeared on the www.centredaily.com. It is very interesting to see how perceptions on Hybrids are changing. Is the government lying to us?

By John O'Dell
Los Angeles Times

Sticker shock -- compounded by what might be called odometer shock -- has turned off many would-be buyers of gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. And that has prompted an influential analyst to reduce his forecast for the growth of hybrids in the global auto market.
Sometimes-stiff price premiums and disappointing real-world fuel economy are taking some of the luster off hybrids just as diesel engines are starting to shine, Global Insight Inc. forecaster Philip Gott said.

Gott, who previously predicted that hybrids of all types would account for as much as 90 percent of the U.S. auto market by 2025, said in a new report that they would top out at about 12 percent of the global market, including 12 percent to 15 percent in the U.S. They currently account for less than 2 percent of the market in the U.S.
If Gott misread the tea leaves, as he acknowledged in a recent interview, that was because the brew changed along the way.
At the time of his initial forecast in 2001, hybrids were quite new, and motorists thought that the vehicles would achieve their federally estimated mileage in real-world driving.
Repeated reports from users and outside testers, notably Consumer Reports magazine, have since shown that many hybrids get 20 percent to 30 percent lower mileage than government estimates. That's largely because the vehicles are most efficient in heavy stop-and-go traffic and less efficient in high-speed highway driving that makes up about half of most motorists' travel.
Many owners of Toyota Motor Corp.'s popular Prius, rated at 60 miles per gallon in the city and 51 mpg on the highway, say they typically average 40 mpg to 45 mpg in daily use. Still, most hybrid models deliver 25 percent to 30 percent better fuel economy than their counterparts equipped with conventional gasoline engines.
That's not good enough to enable most owners to save enough at the fuel pump to justify a hybrid's higher purchase price, said Gott, who based his findings on government mandates for carbon dioxide reduction, which comes from improved mileage, and studies of motorist experiences.
"I was in California the other day, and it was funny to see all the Priuses running in the HOV lanes," he said of the sedan, one of the hybrids allowed to use California's high-occupancy-vehicle lanes with only one person aboard. "That's when they are least efficient."
At the same time, diesels, long considered too dirty and smelly for general use, have become cleaner.
Newly developed emission-control technologies can be expected to make diesel engines the fuel-efficiency choice of most automakers in the next decade, said Gott, director of the Boston-based think tank's automotive consulting practice.
Diesel fuel economy equals or bests that of most hybrids, he noted, and the engines add a smaller premium than hybrids do at dealerships.

Nissan to Sell Own Hybrid Car in 2010: The Qashqai.

2006-09-24T04:08:00.000-07:00

This has appeared today in Reuters:

Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn unveils the "Qashqai" vehicle. The Qashqai is a hybrid offroad compact car aimed primarily at the European market where the Japanese company is hoping to sell 100,000 units a year. See the car below:

Nissan Motor Co. plans to sell a hybrid vehicle developed in-house in 2010, limiting its licensing ties with Toyota Motor Corp. to the Altima sedan due in the United States next year, Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Saturday.

Japan's two biggest car makers signed a deal in 2002 under which Toyota would sell its hybrid system to Nissan. Nissan, held 44 percent by France's Renault SA, has lagged in the development of the powertrain, which twins a gasoline engine with an electric motor to save fuel.

Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn remains lukewarm on hybrids, arguing they make little business sense because of their low profit margins despite their higher retail price. The Altima hybrid due next year was merely a necessity to clear California's average fuel economy regulations, he has said.
Still, Nissan has been working on its own hybrid technology and executives have said it is as good as those available on the market.
Nissan was not immediately available for comment. A Toyota official said the licensing deal beyond the Altima was open for discussion.
Hybrid cars, pioneered by Toyota with the Prius sedan, are gaining popularity around the world but remain a niche product even in the United States -- their biggest market -- making up less than 2 percent of new U.S. vehicle sales.

FORD HYBRIDS

2006-09-21T02:56:00.000-07:00

Ford currently offers one hybrid car to consumers, the Ford Escape Hybrid, but has plans to release a midsize hybrid car in 2008. This will be the Ford Fusion hybrid, which will be a Midsize hybrid car arriving in 2008. The Ford Escape is available in 2006 and 2005 model years.

There are many reasons to buy a new Ford hybrid car. The number one reason, and the most obvious, is that hybrid cars are good for the environment. Some may call Ford hybrids "green" or "green cars". They have the ability to reduce smog by 90% and use less gas than regular vehicles. Another reason to buy a Ford hybrid is the money it can save you! A new hybrid car can get up to 60 miles per gallon (city), while some SUVs or trucks get 10 to 15 miles per gallon. How much would this save YOU in gas each week? Each month? Ford hybrid car owners may also be eligible for tax refunds, just for choosing a hybrid vehicle

TAX CREDIT FOR BUYING A HYBRID CAR

2006-08-08T01:22:00.000-07:00

Do you know that there is a tax credit for buying a hybrid car?
Yes, there is an here are the exact numbers the government (IRS) has released so far:

2006-2007 Ford Escape Hybrid Front WD $2,600
2006-2007 Ford Escape Hybrid 4 WD $1,950
2005 Honda Accord Hybrid $650.00
2006 Honda Accord Hybrid $1,300.00*
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid (SULEV) MT $1,700.00
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid (SULEV) CVT $1,700.00
2006 Honda Civic Hybrid CVT $2,100.00
2005-2006 Honda Insight CVT $1,450.00
2007 Lexus GS 450h $1,550
2006 Lexus RX400h 2WD $2200
2006 Lexus RX400h 4WD $2200
2006-2007 Mercury Mariner Hybrid 4 WD $1,950
2007 Saturn VUE Green Line SUV $650
2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid $2,600
2006 Toyota Highlander 4WD Hybrid $2600
2006 Toyota Highlander 2WD Hybrid $2600
2005-2006 Toyota Prius $3150

You won't get to take the tax credit until you file your 2006 taxes in 2007. If you plan to buy a hybrid, especially a Toyota hybrid, you may want to consider buying your hybrid sooner rather than later. The hybrid car tax credit is set to expire in 2009, but there is also a phase out period that could end it before 2009 for some manufacturers that have popular hybrids.

Overview of the Honda Insight

2006-08-08T01:10:00.000-07:00

By Eric Power (http://hybridcars.about.com/)

The Insight is Honda’s two-seat hybrid vehicle and has been the leader in gas mileage since it was first introduced in 2000. From the moment one first sees the car, until long after it is driven, it’s clear that the Insight is unlike anything else on the road today.
The aerodynamic shape, the ample use of aluminum construction, and the compact design, all contribute to its fuel efficiency. With the average US vehicle having an EPA mileage estimate of only 20.9 miles per gallon, the Insight’s estimates of 57 city/56 highway for the automatic transmission and 60/65 for the manual are impressive. And as amazing as those numbers are, real life data shows that it is possible to beat the EPA estimates (See Elsewhere on the Web:GreenHybrid.com mileage database). Forget about getting only 300 miles on a tank of gas.

The Insight is powered by a 1.0 liter, 3 cylinder aluminum engine with an electric motor mated to it for additional assist when needed. Together the two produce just over 70 horsepower, but this is certainly peppy enough, given the low curb weight of just under 2000 lbs. Two transmission choices are available: Honda’s Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), or the 5 speed manual transmission.

Based on several variables, if there is no need for engine power when the car comes to a stop, the engine shuts off. This "Auto Stop" mode reduces unnecessary idling while sitting at stoplights. As soon as the car senses the driver is ready to begin driving again (pressing the accelerator, for example), the electric motor quickly starts up the gas engine and the Insight is ready to go.
The special catalytic converters and placement of emission controls are integral to this goal as well. Combined together, the technologies make the overall tailpipe emissions of manual transmission Insight 50% cleaner than the average new car and the CVT’s 90% cleaner. (Based on the 2003 model year.)

The special catalytic converters and placement of emission controls are integral to this goal as well. Combined together, the technologies make the overall tailpipe emissions of manual transmission Insight 50% cleaner than the average new car and the CVT’s 90% cleaner. (Based on the 2003 model year.)

Overall, the Insight’s excellent gas mileage, low emissions, and nimble ride make it a great choice if a two-seater car fits into your lifestyle. The possibility of a deduction from the government is nice, too. Although there have been unsubstantiated rumors that Insight production is ending soon, the Insight will continue to remain a lasting example of what is possible in vehicle design.

What are Hybrid cars??

2006-04-22T07:20:00.000-07:00

What's a Hybrid Car?

Hybrids are cars that run off a rechargeable battery and gasoline, rather than just gasoline.

Hybrid batteries help to reduce fuel emissions because the hybrid engine draws on the battery and not gasoline when accelerating. Hybrid gasoline motors can shut off when the car is stopped and run off their electricity.

Why are Hybrid Cars a Good Idea?

Hybrid cars are good for the environment. They can reduce smog by 90 percent and they use far less gasoline than conventional cars.
Hybrid cars are economical. They can get up to 55 to 60 mpg in city driving, while a typical SUV might travel 15-20 miles per gallon, or use three times as much gas for the same distance!
Hybrids are better than all-electric cars because hybrid car batteries recharge as you drive so there is no need to plug in. Also, most electric cars cannot go faster than 50-60 mph, while hybrids can. Most electric cars need to be recharged every 50-100miles.

Figure out how many pounds of emissions your car produces per gallon, including how many trees it will take to offset just one month of your driving using this cool calculator at TravelMatters.

FROM THE OFFICIAL HONDA WEB SITE.....

2006-04-21T05:58:00.000-07:00

With revitalized style and renewed spirit, the all-new 2006 Civic Hybrid is for those with the foresight to improve the future, and the spirit to enjoy the moment. The Civic Hybrid features a lightweight, low-friction 4-cylinder engine with torque-enhancing i-VTEC®. The engine is complemented by a powerful DC electric motor that's less than 2.5" wide. Power for the motor is stored in a compact battery pack behind the rear seat. And the Civic Hybrid IMA battery pack comes with an 8-year/80,000-mile limited battery warranty so you'll have even more peace of mind.
TRIM LEVEL
MSRP*Continuously VariableTransmission
Hybrid• 110-hp,1.3-liter, 8-valve, i-VTEC® 4-cylinder gasoline engine• Dual-point sequential ignition (i-DSI)• Nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery pack• Anti-lock braking system (ABS)• Dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags (SRS)• Front side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS)• Side curtain airbags• Outboard Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)• Blue backlit gauges with electronic IMA™ display
$22,150.00Continuously Variable Transmission$23,650.00Continuously Variable Transmission with Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™

ONE RED PAPERCLIP

2006-04-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

Howstuffworks "How Hybrid Cars Work"

2006-04-15T02:53:00.000-07:00

Howstuffworks "How Hybrid Cars Work": "Why Hybrid?
You might wonder why anyone would build such complicated machines when most people are perfectly happy with their gasoline-powered cars. The reason is twofold: to reduce tailpipe emissions and to improve mileage. These goals are actually tightly interwoven.

Let's take the example of the California emissions standards, which dictate how much of each type of pollution a car is allowed to emit in California. The amount is usually specified in grams per mile (g/mi). For example, the low emissions vehicle (LEV) standard allows 3.4 g/mi of carbon monoxide. The key thing here is that the amount of pollution allowed does not depend on the mileage your car gets. But a car that burns twice as much gas to go a mile will generate approximately twice as much pollution. That pollution will have to be removed by the emissions control equipment on the car. So decreasing the fuel consumption of the car is one of the surest ways to decrease emissions.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is another type of pollution a car produces. The U.S. government does not regulate it, but scientists suspect that it contributes to global warming. Since it is not regulated, a car has no devices for removing CO2 from the exhaust. A car that burns twice as much gas adds twice as much CO2 to the atmosphere.

Auto makers in the United States have another strong incentive to improve mileage. They are required by law to meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. The current standards require that the average mileage of all the new cars sold by an auto maker should be 27.5 mpg (8.55 liters per 100 km). This means that if an auto maker sells one hybrid car that gets 60 mpg (3.92 liters per 100 km), it can then sell four big, expensive luxury cars that only get 20 mpg (11.76 liters per 100 km).

WOW a 200 mph Hybrid Car??

2006-04-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

A fledging Las Vegas-based company called Hybrid Technologies will launch a car it calls LiX-75 at the New York Auto Show on Apr.14. The sleek, $125,000 sports car runs off of electric batteries, boosted by solar panels on the trunk. It recharges in four to six hours from a regular three-prong electric socket. And the company claims it will go from zero to 60 miles per hour in three seconds and hit a top speed of 200 miles per hour.

"It's a sports car that performs like a Porsche Boxster, looks like a Ferrari, and has zero emissions" says Richard Griffiths, head of business development at Hybrid.

The LiX will utilize lithium ion batteries, big versions of the kind that power laptop computers. Because they can store more energy and degrade less quickly when not in use than the nickel metal hydride batteries used in hybrid cars today, they're rapidly becoming the technology of choice for electric-car developers.

Griffiths says the LiX will take four to six hours to charge and get about 100 miles from each visit to the plug. He says the company will be ready to start delivering the cars in about eight weeks from a new 40,000-square-foot production facility it built in Mooresville, N.C.

However, this is not the first time somebody has done something as Hybrid is attempting to do. San Dimas (Calif.)-based AC Propulsion launched a 200 mph electric sports car called the tzero in 2002. Another curvy electric, the Venturi, made its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2005. It cost a staggering $660,000.

WELL I JUST REPEAT WOWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nobody'S Perfect.

2006-04-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

This is an extract from Bradley Berman 's Yahoo News article titled: Hybrid Talk: Big Auto Bandies the H Word

I just pasted it here so to start this blog. Comments are welcomed. Thanks

Don't think that Prius-producing Toyota has escaped the attention of the environmentalists. Last fall, when Toyota (TM) launched its "Hybrid Synergy Drive" ad campaign, BlueWater Network launched its own campaign, entitled "Toyota: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing." The full-page ads in The New York Times and other publications showed CEO Katsuaki Watanabe in the foreground and a man wearing a wolf's head in the background.
"What people don't know, and what we wanted to tell them, is that Toyota is not as green as it makes itself out to be," says Danielle Fugere, director of climate change at BlueWater. "Yes, it has some good green technology, like the Prius. But Toyota has consistently lobbied against every attempt to increase vehicle fuel economy. It's part of a group of auto makers suing against California's greenhouse gas law."
While the various environmental groups have each chosen a different company to target for their public education campaigns, they stand unified in their criticism of the auto makers who have sued California to block the enactment of AB1493, the greenhouse gas capping law known as the Pavley Law. The regulation, which could affect as much as 30% of the U.S. market (not just California), would be phased in from 2009 to 2016. It would require the auto industry to cut greenhouse gas emissions from its new fleets by approximately 30%