Why Toyota believes in hybrids
it's all about kaizen
Friday, March 04, 2005
Toyota has become the undisputed leader in hybrid cars. For years, most of the auto-industry joked about Toyota's hybrid investment. Yet, Toyota just pushed along.
Why?
OK, first, it's important to discuss one main difference between Toyota and most of the rest of the automotive universe - especially those of the western world - kaizen. Kaizen, essentially, is continuous improvement. Because things change, especially when there is competition, one must always seek to improve in order to get better and compete.
Seem obvious?
I agree. Yet, why were most SUVs built upon a truck platform, even when studies showed that a wider wheel base would make SUVs much less prone to rollover? Because it was more profitable for U.S. automakers not to improve the design of SUVs - at least in the short term.
In the U.S., profit, not improvement, is the holy grail.
More important, Toyota does acknowledge that cars require vast amounts of energy to function, i.e., trillions of dollars of gasoline, refined from environmentally destructive oil. To ignore this would be to ignore kaizen; therefore, Toyota didn't give up when the first Prius hybrid car was laughed at by automotive 'experts'.
Now Toyota is producing 100,000 Prius for the U.S. market alone this year, and the Lexus RX400h hybrid and the Toyota Highlander hybrid will be joining the Prius soon - with many more models coming.
Still, many analysts and auto executives continue to question hybrids. Diesel is better, the future is hydrogen and fuel cells, it's just too expensive.
So why then does Toyota continue?
First, diesels are not better. While new diesels are superior to gasoline engines, the Prius hybrid is much more efficient, particularly in tank-to-wheel fuel production efficiency, than diesels. More important, the gasoline engine of a hybrid could be replaced with a diesel and become even more efficient.
Second, at this point in time hydrogen powered vehicles are significantly less efficient than the Prius at well-to-tank efficiency, though some do surpass the Prius in tank-to-wheel efficiency.
The point is, hydrogen is not an efficient fuel source at this point in time - despite all the hoopla most auto executives claim. Additionally, the costs are still astronomical.
Third, even if hydrogen and/or fuel cells are the future, Toyota is already building its fuel cell cars on the Prius, Highlander, and RX400h platforms. So, every hybrid sold is an investment in Toyota's continuous improvement towards fuel cells - all the while continually and significantly improving fuel efficiency and polluting emissions.
Therefore, Toyota believes in hybrids, not only because the technology is superior to the internal combustion engine alone, but because it allows all powertrain improvements - whether gas, diesel, electric, or hydrogen - to be incorporated into its production.
Thus, Toyota believes in hybrids because the hybrid powertrain offers the most ability to continuously improve - it's all about kaizen.
www.soultek.com/clean_energy/hybrid_cars/why_toyota_believes_in_hybrid_cars_its_all_about_kaizen.htm
Full Version: Why Toyota believes in hybrids
Common Ground Common Sense > Issues that Affect Our Lives > Energy Independence, Environment, Science and Technology > Energy, Environment, Science and Technology Issues Archive
The great GM failure: The hybrid car
GM is in trouble. Marketshare is declining, earnings are diminishing, and their cars continue to lag foreign cars in reliability, safety, and overall customer value. And Ford isn't far behind.
Forbes Magazine's Jerry Flint writes in Cruch Time in Detroit "The structure seems designed to keep finance men up and everybody else down. It's impossible to find anyone on the car side, barring Lutz, who can actually get anything done."
Unfortunately, even GM executive Robert Lutz, has downplayed innovative technologies, such as hybrid cars, calling them a marketing success, but a business loser. Lutz is to have us believe that GM, like Toyota, should have spent $1 billion creating a line of hybrids only as a marketing ploy to give the appearance of environmental concern.
Interesting marketing ploy Toyota has created with its Prius hybrid car. Demand continues to grow, and at least 100,000 will be produced for 2005 alone. That might not be a blockbuster hit, but it sure is interesting. More important, it provides momentum for Toyota's growing line of hybrids.
Early demand for both the Lexus RX400h hybrid SUV and the Toyota Highlander hybrid has been so great that Toyota has had to push their release dates back.
In fact, the first half of this year's intended Lexus hybrid SUV production has already been pre-ordered and it still doesn't go on sale for a month. Based on early previews, this will probably be the hottest luxury vehicle on the market in terms of performance, safety, style, and intelligence.
Next comes the Highlander hybrid this summer. Currently, the Ford Escape hybrid is the only hybrid SUV on the market, but it was built on leased Toyota hybrid technology. Toyota's hybrid SUV will be built on proprietary technology, and this should enable Toyota to offer a pricing discount over Ford - if wanted. Such a move probably won't be cost-effective this year, as demand is almost certain to dwarf supply.
Yet GM hybrids are, minimally, a couple years away. Still, GM has a great opportunity, as does Ford, with trucks and larger SUVs, but the longer they wait the less their opportunity.
GM has to acknowledge that neither hydrogen, nor fuel cells, can arrive quickly enough to save either Ford or GM. Both must lead in the automotive technology of today, not tomorrow. Trucks and SUVs have buoyed American automakers for decades, but after decades, the technology is little changed.
This must end.
Hybrid F150s, Silverados, Tahoes and Yukons, if offered today, would create not only immense buzz, but sales, and it would give many American consumers something in which to believe. Many Americans want to do something to help the environment and end foreign oil-dependency, they just want to do it in a truck, especially an American-built truck.
Saturn isn't going to save GM, only automotive leadership can do that, and that will require immense change.
Will GM be up to it?
GM is in trouble. Marketshare is declining, earnings are diminishing, and their cars continue to lag foreign cars in reliability, safety, and overall customer value. And Ford isn't far behind.
Forbes Magazine's Jerry Flint writes in Cruch Time in Detroit "The structure seems designed to keep finance men up and everybody else down. It's impossible to find anyone on the car side, barring Lutz, who can actually get anything done."
Unfortunately, even GM executive Robert Lutz, has downplayed innovative technologies, such as hybrid cars, calling them a marketing success, but a business loser. Lutz is to have us believe that GM, like Toyota, should have spent $1 billion creating a line of hybrids only as a marketing ploy to give the appearance of environmental concern.
Interesting marketing ploy Toyota has created with its Prius hybrid car. Demand continues to grow, and at least 100,000 will be produced for 2005 alone. That might not be a blockbuster hit, but it sure is interesting. More important, it provides momentum for Toyota's growing line of hybrids.
Early demand for both the Lexus RX400h hybrid SUV and the Toyota Highlander hybrid has been so great that Toyota has had to push their release dates back.
In fact, the first half of this year's intended Lexus hybrid SUV production has already been pre-ordered and it still doesn't go on sale for a month. Based on early previews, this will probably be the hottest luxury vehicle on the market in terms of performance, safety, style, and intelligence.
Next comes the Highlander hybrid this summer. Currently, the Ford Escape hybrid is the only hybrid SUV on the market, but it was built on leased Toyota hybrid technology. Toyota's hybrid SUV will be built on proprietary technology, and this should enable Toyota to offer a pricing discount over Ford - if wanted. Such a move probably won't be cost-effective this year, as demand is almost certain to dwarf supply.
Yet GM hybrids are, minimally, a couple years away. Still, GM has a great opportunity, as does Ford, with trucks and larger SUVs, but the longer they wait the less their opportunity.
GM has to acknowledge that neither hydrogen, nor fuel cells, can arrive quickly enough to save either Ford or GM. Both must lead in the automotive technology of today, not tomorrow. Trucks and SUVs have buoyed American automakers for decades, but after decades, the technology is little changed.
This must end.
Hybrid F150s, Silverados, Tahoes and Yukons, if offered today, would create not only immense buzz, but sales, and it would give many American consumers something in which to believe. Many Americans want to do something to help the environment and end foreign oil-dependency, they just want to do it in a truck, especially an American-built truck.
Saturn isn't going to save GM, only automotive leadership can do that, and that will require immense change.
Will GM be up to it?
23 Billion reasons to buy a hybrid car
Hybrid vehicles can change the world today.
The only question, today, is cost-effectiveness. So, we're supposed to wait until fuel cells, we're told by the American auto establishment?
How cost-effective are fuel cells?
Instead of giving billions to the oil industry with the Energy Bill, perhaps Congress should give it to GM to produce some hybrid vehicle "Freedom Fighter" fleets. Buy this hybrid car, end foreign oil dependency, make America stronger.
Instead we're asking filthy rich oil barons to solve our problems, until fuel cells?
Who does Congress represent? American automakers invested far too much of their future into SUVs because Congress made it profitable for them to do so - at the expense of America's national security.
While I believe in laissez-faire economics, foreign-oil dependency has led to two wars in Iraq, terrorism against the United States, and life-shortening pollution.
I'd say its quite clear that gas-guzzling products have put America's peace and property rights at risk, without question. America's transportation habits have significantly increased America's dependence upon foreign oil, while exposing Americans to significant physical and economic risk.
When Congress gives billions to oil companies, an industry that saw $23 billion in profits in just the first 3 months of this year, to help, that's 23 billion reasons for me to demand nothing less than hybrid car efficiency now.
www.soultek.com/clean_energy/hybrid_cars/23_billion_reasons_to_buy_hybrid_cars.htm
Hybrid vehicles can change the world today.
The only question, today, is cost-effectiveness. So, we're supposed to wait until fuel cells, we're told by the American auto establishment?
How cost-effective are fuel cells?
Instead of giving billions to the oil industry with the Energy Bill, perhaps Congress should give it to GM to produce some hybrid vehicle "Freedom Fighter" fleets. Buy this hybrid car, end foreign oil dependency, make America stronger.
Instead we're asking filthy rich oil barons to solve our problems, until fuel cells?
Who does Congress represent? American automakers invested far too much of their future into SUVs because Congress made it profitable for them to do so - at the expense of America's national security.
While I believe in laissez-faire economics, foreign-oil dependency has led to two wars in Iraq, terrorism against the United States, and life-shortening pollution.
I'd say its quite clear that gas-guzzling products have put America's peace and property rights at risk, without question. America's transportation habits have significantly increased America's dependence upon foreign oil, while exposing Americans to significant physical and economic risk.
When Congress gives billions to oil companies, an industry that saw $23 billion in profits in just the first 3 months of this year, to help, that's 23 billion reasons for me to demand nothing less than hybrid car efficiency now.
www.soultek.com/clean_energy/hybrid_cars/23_billion_reasons_to_buy_hybrid_cars.htm
Bio-diesel hybrids and why you should fire your Congressperson
The hybrid vehicle powertrain is a beautiful thing because of the plethora of engine combinations with which it is able to integrate.
Currently, most hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius, are gas-electric hybrids that utilize both gasoline engines and electric motors. However, the future of hybrids could be dominated by diesel engine and electric motor combinations, or hydrogen engine electric motor combinations - a vehicle that Ford has already conceptualized.
Still, hydrogen doesn't offer a solution today. Diesel hybrids, on the other hand, pose some interesting possibilities today, such as bio-diesel-electric hybrids. These vehicles could utilize new techniques that could turn American crops into clean bio-diesel fuel for American vehicles.
The point is, hybrid powertrains enable the integration of the best innovations in the automotive industry to create vehicles that can have an immediate impact on the environment, economy, and foreign-oil dependency.
The only obstacle is profit. Making America a safer and more socially responsible country just isn't cost-effective for two of America's most important corporations. Or, even worse, making America safer isn't even a concern.
As an American citizen I find this completely unacceptable. While I realize more than a million jobs are at stake, the fact that these companies - and their cronies in Congress - have put the security of 100's of millions at risk with greed-driven corporate incompetence is unforgivable.
Americans do not owe either GM or Ford anything. GM and Ford owe America - not in decades when they can monopolize fuel cell technology for fat shareholder dividends - today.
More important and unfortunate; however, Congress needs to be fired for serving lobbyists rather than citizens.
www.soultek.com/clean_energy/hybrid_cars/bio_diesel_hybrid_cars_why_you_should_fire_your_congress_person.htm
The hybrid vehicle powertrain is a beautiful thing because of the plethora of engine combinations with which it is able to integrate.
Currently, most hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius, are gas-electric hybrids that utilize both gasoline engines and electric motors. However, the future of hybrids could be dominated by diesel engine and electric motor combinations, or hydrogen engine electric motor combinations - a vehicle that Ford has already conceptualized.
Still, hydrogen doesn't offer a solution today. Diesel hybrids, on the other hand, pose some interesting possibilities today, such as bio-diesel-electric hybrids. These vehicles could utilize new techniques that could turn American crops into clean bio-diesel fuel for American vehicles.
The point is, hybrid powertrains enable the integration of the best innovations in the automotive industry to create vehicles that can have an immediate impact on the environment, economy, and foreign-oil dependency.
The only obstacle is profit. Making America a safer and more socially responsible country just isn't cost-effective for two of America's most important corporations. Or, even worse, making America safer isn't even a concern.
As an American citizen I find this completely unacceptable. While I realize more than a million jobs are at stake, the fact that these companies - and their cronies in Congress - have put the security of 100's of millions at risk with greed-driven corporate incompetence is unforgivable.
Americans do not owe either GM or Ford anything. GM and Ford owe America - not in decades when they can monopolize fuel cell technology for fat shareholder dividends - today.
More important and unfortunate; however, Congress needs to be fired for serving lobbyists rather than citizens.
www.soultek.com/clean_energy/hybrid_cars/bio_diesel_hybrid_cars_why_you_should_fire_your_congress_person.htm
Traffic getting worse - Another reason hybrids rule!
"Gridlock is getting worse. Congestion delayed travelers 79 million more hours and wasted 69 million more gallons of fuel in 2003 than in 2002, the Texas Transportation Institute's 2005 Urban Mobility Report found."
Traffic and Terrorism
Conventional gasoline engine vehicles achieve their worse fuel efficiency and cause the most pollution in traffic, and traffic is only going to get worse across the U.S. - requiring more foreign oil and further contributing to terrorism.
Most hybrid cars, on the other hand, achieve their best fuel efficiency and pollute the least in these conditions. In such conditions, hybrids might not just meet EPA estimates, but surpass them. In traffic hybrids save a significant amount of fuel, rather than wasting 69 million gallons.
On the other hand, conventional vehicles, even econoboxes, do not come close to their EPA estimates in traffic, and for SUVs, it only gets worse. The scandal of the EPA isn't hybrid fuel efficiency, it's the inefficiency of gas-guzzlers that is hidden by EPA numbers.
Of course not all hybrids are as efficient in congestion. Honda's Accord hybrid, as well as the Civic hybrid, do not rely as much on their electric motors, forcing the Honda vehicles to use more gasoline.
In stop-and-go traffic, Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive rules - especially with SUVs, the Ford Escape hybrid, Toyota Highlander hybrid, and Lexus RX400h each perform their best in the worst driving conditions of conventional vehicles. Hybrid technology is simply far more advanced than just a gasoline or diesel engine technology.
www.hybridcarblog.com/
"Gridlock is getting worse. Congestion delayed travelers 79 million more hours and wasted 69 million more gallons of fuel in 2003 than in 2002, the Texas Transportation Institute's 2005 Urban Mobility Report found."
Traffic and Terrorism
Conventional gasoline engine vehicles achieve their worse fuel efficiency and cause the most pollution in traffic, and traffic is only going to get worse across the U.S. - requiring more foreign oil and further contributing to terrorism.
Most hybrid cars, on the other hand, achieve their best fuel efficiency and pollute the least in these conditions. In such conditions, hybrids might not just meet EPA estimates, but surpass them. In traffic hybrids save a significant amount of fuel, rather than wasting 69 million gallons.
On the other hand, conventional vehicles, even econoboxes, do not come close to their EPA estimates in traffic, and for SUVs, it only gets worse. The scandal of the EPA isn't hybrid fuel efficiency, it's the inefficiency of gas-guzzlers that is hidden by EPA numbers.
Of course not all hybrids are as efficient in congestion. Honda's Accord hybrid, as well as the Civic hybrid, do not rely as much on their electric motors, forcing the Honda vehicles to use more gasoline.
In stop-and-go traffic, Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive rules - especially with SUVs, the Ford Escape hybrid, Toyota Highlander hybrid, and Lexus RX400h each perform their best in the worst driving conditions of conventional vehicles. Hybrid technology is simply far more advanced than just a gasoline or diesel engine technology.
www.hybridcarblog.com/
Volkswagen chooses diesel over hybrid cars
At the Los Angeles auto show, Volkswagen AG Chief Executive Bernd Pischetsrieder dissed hybrid cars. "Any significant reduction of fuel consumption under all conditions requires diesel technology. Volkswagon is uniquely positioned to lead in this area."
Yet, there was even double-talk in Pischetsrieder's speech, whom admitted that gasoline-electric hybrids do achieve better fuel economy in stop and go traffic, but that diesels did better on the highway.
The truth is, both cars are better than current gasoline engine technology. But whatever a diesel can do, a hybrid can do better.
For example, there is no reason that a hybrid couldn't utilize a diesel engine, rather than a gasoline engine. In fact, it could ultimately utilize the same diesel engine in new Volkswagons, achieving not only the efficiency of a diesel, but a diesel plus a hybrid.
Ford has already created diesel-electric hybrid cars for testing purposes, in addition to gasoline electric hybrids, such as Ford's Escape hybrid.
Hybrid cars provide an integration environment that allows not only gas and diesel, but hydrogen. A hydrogen-electric Toyota Prius, for example, is very possible already today.
More important, hybrid cars like the Honda Accord hybrid demonstrate that hybrids turn standard vehicles into better performing vehicles. The Accord hybrid uses a very different approach than Toyota, but again, it just shows the immense opportunities hybrid vehicles offer.
The hybrid platform is the future, today. Diesels, at best, are a short term answer.
www.soultek.com/blog/2005/01/volkswagen-chooses-diesel-over-hybrid.html
At the Los Angeles auto show, Volkswagen AG Chief Executive Bernd Pischetsrieder dissed hybrid cars. "Any significant reduction of fuel consumption under all conditions requires diesel technology. Volkswagon is uniquely positioned to lead in this area."
Yet, there was even double-talk in Pischetsrieder's speech, whom admitted that gasoline-electric hybrids do achieve better fuel economy in stop and go traffic, but that diesels did better on the highway.
The truth is, both cars are better than current gasoline engine technology. But whatever a diesel can do, a hybrid can do better.
For example, there is no reason that a hybrid couldn't utilize a diesel engine, rather than a gasoline engine. In fact, it could ultimately utilize the same diesel engine in new Volkswagons, achieving not only the efficiency of a diesel, but a diesel plus a hybrid.
Ford has already created diesel-electric hybrid cars for testing purposes, in addition to gasoline electric hybrids, such as Ford's Escape hybrid.
Hybrid cars provide an integration environment that allows not only gas and diesel, but hydrogen. A hydrogen-electric Toyota Prius, for example, is very possible already today.
More important, hybrid cars like the Honda Accord hybrid demonstrate that hybrids turn standard vehicles into better performing vehicles. The Accord hybrid uses a very different approach than Toyota, but again, it just shows the immense opportunities hybrid vehicles offer.
The hybrid platform is the future, today. Diesels, at best, are a short term answer.
www.soultek.com/blog/2005/01/volkswagen-chooses-diesel-over-hybrid.html
Diesels versus hybrids. Let's get it on
For a couple of months, DaimlerChrysler has been trying to build buzz around its newest Jeep Liberty, a diesel version.
Earlier this month, Chrysler began shipping the new model to dealers in an attempt to gauge consumer interest.
There hasn't been much. Of course, Daimler isn't trying that hard to market the car yet, only the idea of diesel. Daimler believes that the better fuel efficiency offered by diesels will lure American buyers to diesel.
Many states, including California and New York; however, will not allow diesels to be sold in their states because diesels still emit pollutants that are known to be smog-producing and carcinogenic.
Perhaps those laws could change, but why?
Advanced gasoline engines are 10 percent less efficient than diesels, but they pollute less. That balance equals out in my book.
Hybrids versus diesels
Some analysts have gone so far as to say that hybrid vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius, Honda Accord Hybrid, and Ford Escape hybrid, are too expensive, and that diesels should be the powertrain of choice until hydrogen takes over.
Yet, these same diesels, as well as advanced gasoline engines can each be integrated with a hybrid powertrain. Each of these hybrid combinations would create significantly more efficient vehicles than either diesel or advanced gasoline engines.
The hybrid powertrain is simply more effective and efficient than simple internal combustion powered vehicles. With endless combinations, including hydrogen and fuel cells, hybrid vehicles can drive us into the future, creating and perfecting the necessary automotive technologies to make the hydrogen economy a reality.
More importantly, hybrids allow consumers the ability to make a choice, an important financial choice, that can empower individuals to help end foreign-oil dependency, to help fight SMOG, global warming, and other environmental damage.
And in pure price? The average hybrid is about $3000.00 more than standard cousins, minus the Prius, which has no conventional comparison.
The 2005 Jeep Liberty Diesel starts at $25,125, while a similar, conventional Liberty starts under $23,000. That's more than a $2000.00 difference.
Diesels hold some promise, but the technology is not even comparable to hybrids. An investment in hybrid technology is an investment in the future, diesel just as gas, will soon become the past.
www.soultek.com/blog/2005/01/diesels-versus-hybrids-lets-get-it-on.html
For a couple of months, DaimlerChrysler has been trying to build buzz around its newest Jeep Liberty, a diesel version.
Earlier this month, Chrysler began shipping the new model to dealers in an attempt to gauge consumer interest.
There hasn't been much. Of course, Daimler isn't trying that hard to market the car yet, only the idea of diesel. Daimler believes that the better fuel efficiency offered by diesels will lure American buyers to diesel.
Many states, including California and New York; however, will not allow diesels to be sold in their states because diesels still emit pollutants that are known to be smog-producing and carcinogenic.
Perhaps those laws could change, but why?
Advanced gasoline engines are 10 percent less efficient than diesels, but they pollute less. That balance equals out in my book.
Hybrids versus diesels
Some analysts have gone so far as to say that hybrid vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius, Honda Accord Hybrid, and Ford Escape hybrid, are too expensive, and that diesels should be the powertrain of choice until hydrogen takes over.
Yet, these same diesels, as well as advanced gasoline engines can each be integrated with a hybrid powertrain. Each of these hybrid combinations would create significantly more efficient vehicles than either diesel or advanced gasoline engines.
The hybrid powertrain is simply more effective and efficient than simple internal combustion powered vehicles. With endless combinations, including hydrogen and fuel cells, hybrid vehicles can drive us into the future, creating and perfecting the necessary automotive technologies to make the hydrogen economy a reality.
More importantly, hybrids allow consumers the ability to make a choice, an important financial choice, that can empower individuals to help end foreign-oil dependency, to help fight SMOG, global warming, and other environmental damage.
And in pure price? The average hybrid is about $3000.00 more than standard cousins, minus the Prius, which has no conventional comparison.
The 2005 Jeep Liberty Diesel starts at $25,125, while a similar, conventional Liberty starts under $23,000. That's more than a $2000.00 difference.
Diesels hold some promise, but the technology is not even comparable to hybrids. An investment in hybrid technology is an investment in the future, diesel just as gas, will soon become the past.
www.soultek.com/blog/2005/01/diesels-versus-hybrids-lets-get-it-on.html
American hybrid cars
The Ford Escape hybrid is the main American hybrid. While some parts and technology have to be imported to America to make all American cars, the Ford Escape hybrid had to lease its most important technology, its hybrid technology, from Toyota.
Of course the Escape hybrid really isn't a car either. In fact, technically, there are no American hybrid cars. Thus far American auto makers have focused on trucks and SUVs, such as the Escape hybrid and the Chevy Silverado Hybrid.
Additionally, the Silverado hybrid isn't nearly as sophisticated as an Escape hybrid.
In reality, the hybrid car scene is dominated by Japan.
While the Honda Accord hybrid has received considerable buzz, it hasn't achieved Prius-type status yet. This might be because the Prius, like the Insight before it, are completely new cars. While the Insight was never really meant as a mass-produced car in the near term, it does have potential in the future.
The Prius; however, is functional today, and that is really the key difference.
In order for American car-makers to compete with Japan, American automakers cannot just focus on converting SUVs and trucks into hybrids. Additionally, America must stop reinventing has-beens, such as the Ford Mustang.
Those days are over. Constant, shrinking U.S. marketshare proves it.
America needs to show leadership by developing new cars, and a new hybrid car could turn American auto-makers from pretenders back into leaders they once were.
www.soultek.com/blog/2005/01/american-hybrid-cars.html
The Ford Escape hybrid is the main American hybrid. While some parts and technology have to be imported to America to make all American cars, the Ford Escape hybrid had to lease its most important technology, its hybrid technology, from Toyota.
Of course the Escape hybrid really isn't a car either. In fact, technically, there are no American hybrid cars. Thus far American auto makers have focused on trucks and SUVs, such as the Escape hybrid and the Chevy Silverado Hybrid.
Additionally, the Silverado hybrid isn't nearly as sophisticated as an Escape hybrid.
In reality, the hybrid car scene is dominated by Japan.
While the Honda Accord hybrid has received considerable buzz, it hasn't achieved Prius-type status yet. This might be because the Prius, like the Insight before it, are completely new cars. While the Insight was never really meant as a mass-produced car in the near term, it does have potential in the future.
The Prius; however, is functional today, and that is really the key difference.
In order for American car-makers to compete with Japan, American automakers cannot just focus on converting SUVs and trucks into hybrids. Additionally, America must stop reinventing has-beens, such as the Ford Mustang.
Those days are over. Constant, shrinking U.S. marketshare proves it.
America needs to show leadership by developing new cars, and a new hybrid car could turn American auto-makers from pretenders back into leaders they once were.
www.soultek.com/blog/2005/01/american-hybrid-cars.html
Detroit's best bet, hybrid vehicles
A recent article in Businessweek covering the outlook for auto manufacturing in the United States, Borrowing from the Future, states "After years of lavish sales incentives, demand for cars is flat. With higher interest rates ahead, Detroit's best bet is to offer better cars.
GM and Ford U.S. market share is at historic lows, even following a year full of $5000.00+ rebates on many vehicles. Now even incentives can't lure enough car buyers.
Better cars, the article reiterates again and again, is the only thing that can save the last two American automakers.
A better car, it seems, would be derived from intelligent design and intelligent, innovative technology. Any design that incorporates waste or inefficiency into the design, cannot be seen as intelligent, or innovative.
Yet that is what many trucks and SUVs represent, an inefficient design built on inefficient technology.
The Toyota Prius, on the other hand, is probably the most innovative designed and technologically mass-produced automobile in the world. When compared side-by-side with the Ford Escape hybrid, the Toyota Prius is, unquestionably, much more efficient.
The hybrid Escape, built on leased Prius technology, is somewhat inefficient by design, due to it's SUV platform. Nonetheless, when all is said and done, the Escape hybrid is still the most efficient Escape. However, if one drives a loaded V6 Escape and a loaded hybrid Escape, the conventional vehicle will out perform it's hybrid cousin - in speed and acceleration.
So, are hybrids better than conventional vehicles?
It took Toyota a few generations of production to create a Prius hybrid capable of competing with non-hybrids in average consumer interest.
And hybrids are becoming better and better.
Honda's third hybrid, the Accord Hybrid, did something the Escape hybrid did not. It became the best Accord ever.
Reduced pollution and reduced fuel efficiency was only the beginning for the Honda Accord hybrid. Aside from these environmental credentials, the Accord hybrid is also the best performer of all Accords, picking up almost a second in acceleration on it's conventional cousin.
Toyota's next hybrid, the Lexus RX400h, is to offer significant more horsepower than it's conventional Lexus counterpart. Horsepower, long considered the main sizzle factor for American auto consumers, is now becoming the domain of hybrids.
The potential of hybrid vehicles is just beginning. What started as an experiment in fuel efficiency has become a demonstration of increased efficiency leading to increased speed and power.
More important hybrids represent an important step into the future, laying down a foundation for easier hydrogen and fuel cell integration.
Hybrid cars will continue to out-perform their conventional cousins in every measure of vehicle performance, and prices will go down.
When that happens, conventional cars will look about as appealing as VCRs next to a stack of DVD players.
www.soultek.com/blog/2005/01/detroits-best-bet-hybrid-vehicles.html
A recent article in Businessweek covering the outlook for auto manufacturing in the United States, Borrowing from the Future, states "After years of lavish sales incentives, demand for cars is flat. With higher interest rates ahead, Detroit's best bet is to offer better cars.
GM and Ford U.S. market share is at historic lows, even following a year full of $5000.00+ rebates on many vehicles. Now even incentives can't lure enough car buyers.
Better cars, the article reiterates again and again, is the only thing that can save the last two American automakers.
A better car, it seems, would be derived from intelligent design and intelligent, innovative technology. Any design that incorporates waste or inefficiency into the design, cannot be seen as intelligent, or innovative.
Yet that is what many trucks and SUVs represent, an inefficient design built on inefficient technology.
The Toyota Prius, on the other hand, is probably the most innovative designed and technologically mass-produced automobile in the world. When compared side-by-side with the Ford Escape hybrid, the Toyota Prius is, unquestionably, much more efficient.
The hybrid Escape, built on leased Prius technology, is somewhat inefficient by design, due to it's SUV platform. Nonetheless, when all is said and done, the Escape hybrid is still the most efficient Escape. However, if one drives a loaded V6 Escape and a loaded hybrid Escape, the conventional vehicle will out perform it's hybrid cousin - in speed and acceleration.
So, are hybrids better than conventional vehicles?
It took Toyota a few generations of production to create a Prius hybrid capable of competing with non-hybrids in average consumer interest.
And hybrids are becoming better and better.
Honda's third hybrid, the Accord Hybrid, did something the Escape hybrid did not. It became the best Accord ever.
Reduced pollution and reduced fuel efficiency was only the beginning for the Honda Accord hybrid. Aside from these environmental credentials, the Accord hybrid is also the best performer of all Accords, picking up almost a second in acceleration on it's conventional cousin.
Toyota's next hybrid, the Lexus RX400h, is to offer significant more horsepower than it's conventional Lexus counterpart. Horsepower, long considered the main sizzle factor for American auto consumers, is now becoming the domain of hybrids.
The potential of hybrid vehicles is just beginning. What started as an experiment in fuel efficiency has become a demonstration of increased efficiency leading to increased speed and power.
More important hybrids represent an important step into the future, laying down a foundation for easier hydrogen and fuel cell integration.
Hybrid cars will continue to out-perform their conventional cousins in every measure of vehicle performance, and prices will go down.
When that happens, conventional cars will look about as appealing as VCRs next to a stack of DVD players.
www.soultek.com/blog/2005/01/detroits-best-bet-hybrid-vehicles.html
THINK...
American Energy Independence!
Then give mass transit a few thoughts. Why waste your time driving? Read a book on the train. Enjoy conversation. Enjoy the scenery. Grab some additional shuteye. Give mass transit a few thoughts. You don't need to buy it tires, insurance or even gas it up.
Hybrids are great, but why drive at all. Millions could avoid the drive if better mass transit was available.
American Energy Independence!
Then give mass transit a few thoughts. Why waste your time driving? Read a book on the train. Enjoy conversation. Enjoy the scenery. Grab some additional shuteye. Give mass transit a few thoughts. You don't need to buy it tires, insurance or even gas it up.
Hybrids are great, but why drive at all. Millions could avoid the drive if better mass transit was available.
Then give mass transit a few thoughts...
The UniModal System
UniModal proposes a citywide network of elevated guideways. There will be small vehicles with seating capacities of two, which will ride hanging from the guideways and will run on them supported by magnetic levitation. There will be stops distributed every mile or more frequently that people will use to board the vehicles and to get off from them. The vehicles will be driven electrically and will be controlled by computers. Computer control will ensure flow uninterrupted by normal road traffic and by UniModalTM vehicles to each other.
This network will provide near point-to-point continuous connectivity from any place in the city to any other place in the city.
The speeds will be up to 100 miles/hour (160 km/hour). The passenger will not be required to control the vehicles, leaving him free to read the newspaper, talk on phone, or catch a nap.
www.unimodal.com
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SkyWeb Express
A revolution in urban transportation
SkyWeb Express is very user friendly. Just swipe a prepaid card through a stanchion in front of an empty waiting vehicle, punch in the destination number, take a seat in the vehicle and our computer control system will sweep you non-stop to your destination.
-
-
It operates on demand whenever you need it. Empty vehicles wait for you - not the other way around.
The ride is private. You don't share your trip with strangers, just with your family or friends.
The computer control system chooses the fastest way to your destination. You don't stop at any other stations as you travel across the guideway network. Stations are on sidings, so you just bypass ones along the way.
www.skywebexpress.com
==================================================
Is this what you had in mind?
These 21st century mass transit systems will use a lot of electricity.... do you have any idea where the power might come from? ... domestic, emission free, reliable 24/7... no matter what the weather conditions are...
The UniModal System
UniModal proposes a citywide network of elevated guideways. There will be small vehicles with seating capacities of two, which will ride hanging from the guideways and will run on them supported by magnetic levitation. There will be stops distributed every mile or more frequently that people will use to board the vehicles and to get off from them. The vehicles will be driven electrically and will be controlled by computers. Computer control will ensure flow uninterrupted by normal road traffic and by UniModalTM vehicles to each other.
This network will provide near point-to-point continuous connectivity from any place in the city to any other place in the city.
The speeds will be up to 100 miles/hour (160 km/hour). The passenger will not be required to control the vehicles, leaving him free to read the newspaper, talk on phone, or catch a nap.
www.unimodal.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SkyWeb Express
A revolution in urban transportation
SkyWeb Express is very user friendly. Just swipe a prepaid card through a stanchion in front of an empty waiting vehicle, punch in the destination number, take a seat in the vehicle and our computer control system will sweep you non-stop to your destination.
-
-
It operates on demand whenever you need it. Empty vehicles wait for you - not the other way around.
The ride is private. You don't share your trip with strangers, just with your family or friends.
The computer control system chooses the fastest way to your destination. You don't stop at any other stations as you travel across the guideway network. Stations are on sidings, so you just bypass ones along the way.
www.skywebexpress.com
==================================================
Is this what you had in mind?
These 21st century mass transit systems will use a lot of electricity.... do you have any idea where the power might come from? ... domestic, emission free, reliable 24/7... no matter what the weather conditions are...
In 2001 I got to ride in a Prius in Toyota Japan at the assembly plant there. I like the Prius but I think alot of Americans still want a bigger vehicle and a winter worthy vehicle. That's why it's important to work on midsize and 4 wheel drive hybrids.
Japan was not always so thoughtful about the future and energy but after their own devistation to the environment in the 80's mfg boom they wised up and made energy and the environment an important part of their lives. The hybrid evolved out of their need to reduce fossil fuel emissions.
best wishe marie
PS: I love Toyota!
Japan was not always so thoughtful about the future and energy but after their own devistation to the environment in the 80's mfg boom they wised up and made energy and the environment an important part of their lives. The hybrid evolved out of their need to reduce fossil fuel emissions.
best wishe marie
PS: I love Toyota!
Marie -
I think the Ford Escape is a move in that direction...
www.fordvehicles.com/escapehybrid/home/
I think the Ford Escape is a move in that direction...
www.fordvehicles.com/escapehybrid/home/
QUOTE
These 21st century mass transit systems will use a lot of electricity.... do you have any idea where the power might come from? ... domestic, emission free, reliable 24/7... no matter what the weather conditions are...
I've said enough on electricity sources. Even if they use quite a lot of electricity, the net energy usage of mass transit vehicles will be far lower than people tooling around in bumper to bumper traffic.
They'll be better even if they have to cart around onboard diesel generators like a hybrid vehicle. Why have one person in a Hummer taking up all that energy and space just to commute? It's a stupid culture that encourages all this extra unnecessary metal.
QUOTE(Eino @ May 17 2005, 11:12 AM)
Why have one person in a Hummer taking up all that energy and space just to commute? It's a stupid culture that encourages all this extra unnecessary metal.
I would like to see a federal law that would require all vehicles that get less than 40 mpg (real world mileage) to either have diesel engines or have a special gas tank that can only be filled by a gas pump that is configured to charge an additional $1 per gallon federal "luxury" tax... make that $2 per gallon!
May 16, 2005
New Toyota Hydrogen Tanks Offer More Capacity, Longer Life
Toyota has developed two new high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks featuring greater capacity and longer operational life for its fuel cell vehicles. The tanks offer 35 megapascal (350 bar or 5,000 psi) storage and 70 megapascal (700 bar or 10,000 psi) storage.
Toyota designed the new high-pressure tanks are with an all-composite structure wrapped by a carbon fiber exterior and with an anti-leak liner made of high-strength nylon resin with superior hydrogen permeation-prevention performance.
The use of a nylon resin tank liner allows the liner to be thinner, meaning that the new 350-bar tank can hold 10% more hydrogen than the same-exterior-size 350-bar tank Toyota used before.
The extra capacity extends the cruising range of Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell hybrid passenger vehicle from 300 km (186 miles) to 330 km (205 miles) in the Japanese test cycle.
The new 700-bar tank stores approximately 1.7 times more hydrogen than the previous 350-bar tank, resulting in a cruising range of more than 500km (311 miles) in the Japanese test cycle.
Both tanks have been certified by the High Pressure Gas Safety Institute of Japan—the 35MPa tank in April of last year and the 70MPa tank this past January. Additionally, this April, the 35MPa tank met the Institute’s new technical standard established in March for compressed hydrogen automobile fuel tanks, allowing it to be used for 15 years, compared to three years for previous tanks.
Both tanks also feature a high-pressure valve developed within the Toyota Group. This valve follows a new design that positions a solenoid shut-off valve inside the tank for increased reliability.
Although Toyota is clearly better known for its hybrid vehicle development, the company has pursued hydrogen technology as a longer-term solution in parallel. Toyota has developed all major fuel cell system components for its fuel cell vehicles itself, including the fuel cell stack.
Since 2002, 11 Toyota FCHVs have been leased in Japan and five in the U.S. Toyota is also active in applying its fuel cell technology to buses. In addition to conducting real-world verification tests with a fuel cell bus prototype operating within Tokyo’s metropolitan public bus system, Toyota currently has eight units of its FCHV-BUS transporting visitors between various venues at the EXPO 2005, Aichi, Japan.
Toyota will present technical details of the newly developed hydrogen tanks at the 2005 JSAE Annual Congress (Spring) to be held at the Pacifico Yokohama complex from May 18.
www.greencarcongress.com/2005/05/new_toyota_hydr.html
New Toyota Hydrogen Tanks Offer More Capacity, Longer Life
Toyota has developed two new high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks featuring greater capacity and longer operational life for its fuel cell vehicles. The tanks offer 35 megapascal (350 bar or 5,000 psi) storage and 70 megapascal (700 bar or 10,000 psi) storage.
Toyota designed the new high-pressure tanks are with an all-composite structure wrapped by a carbon fiber exterior and with an anti-leak liner made of high-strength nylon resin with superior hydrogen permeation-prevention performance.
The use of a nylon resin tank liner allows the liner to be thinner, meaning that the new 350-bar tank can hold 10% more hydrogen than the same-exterior-size 350-bar tank Toyota used before.
The extra capacity extends the cruising range of Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell hybrid passenger vehicle from 300 km (186 miles) to 330 km (205 miles) in the Japanese test cycle.
The new 700-bar tank stores approximately 1.7 times more hydrogen than the previous 350-bar tank, resulting in a cruising range of more than 500km (311 miles) in the Japanese test cycle.
Both tanks have been certified by the High Pressure Gas Safety Institute of Japan—the 35MPa tank in April of last year and the 70MPa tank this past January. Additionally, this April, the 35MPa tank met the Institute’s new technical standard established in March for compressed hydrogen automobile fuel tanks, allowing it to be used for 15 years, compared to three years for previous tanks.
Both tanks also feature a high-pressure valve developed within the Toyota Group. This valve follows a new design that positions a solenoid shut-off valve inside the tank for increased reliability.
Although Toyota is clearly better known for its hybrid vehicle development, the company has pursued hydrogen technology as a longer-term solution in parallel. Toyota has developed all major fuel cell system components for its fuel cell vehicles itself, including the fuel cell stack.
Since 2002, 11 Toyota FCHVs have been leased in Japan and five in the U.S. Toyota is also active in applying its fuel cell technology to buses. In addition to conducting real-world verification tests with a fuel cell bus prototype operating within Tokyo’s metropolitan public bus system, Toyota currently has eight units of its FCHV-BUS transporting visitors between various venues at the EXPO 2005, Aichi, Japan.
Toyota will present technical details of the newly developed hydrogen tanks at the 2005 JSAE Annual Congress (Spring) to be held at the Pacifico Yokohama complex from May 18.
www.greencarcongress.com/2005/05/new_toyota_hydr.html
Commercial Retrofit for Plug-in Prius
EDrive Systems, a joint venture between EnergyCS and Clean-Tech, has introduced a commercial retrofit system that converts a Prius into a plug-in hybrid—“Gas-Optional” hybrid (GO-HEV) using the new term of favor.
The company estimates that an EDrive-equipped vehicle can average 100 to 150 mpg for roughly the first 60 miles of the day, compared to 45-55 mpg for a conventional Prius. The vehicle also has the capacity to run in "electric-only" mode at neighborhood speeds, resulting in zero operational emissions.
Current conversions are done on a demonstration basis at the EDrive facility. EDrive is seeking funding to establish a production facility, and then will set pricing. The company plans to have a retail option available to consumers by 2006.
EDrive is using Valence Technology lithium-ion batteries. The product is engineered by EnergyCS and will be distributed by Clean-Tech.
The EDrive product—and EDrive itself—stem from the pioneering work done by CalCars on the PRIUS+.
In the fall of 2004, CalCars completed its PRIUS+ prototype using lead acid batteries, and began receiving advice from EnergyCS. CalCars ended up adopting EnergyCS’s battery management system.
EnergyCS began digging more deeply into the concept and project, and ended up partnering with Valence Technology. Those two companies unveiled the resulting version of a GO-HEV Prius at EVS-21 in Monaco earlier this year.
The other part of the EDrive story is CalCars’ introduction of Clean-Tech to EnergyCS.
We at CalCars are thrilled at the prospect that, starting in early 2006, individual and fleet customers will have the opportunity to purchase EDrive retrofits from such a stellar source. This can be a giant step in demonstrating the benefits of plug-in or gas-optional hybrids.
EDrive’s business success will complement our non-profit efforts—and we expect that their satisfied customers will magnify our impact. We hope many of those who’ve been asking CalCars, “when can I get a PRIUS+?” will soon get answers from EDrive. And we hope fleet purchasers will also begin realizing GO-HEVs will soon be in their future.
—Felix Kramer, CalCars founder
www.greencarcongress.com/2005/05/commercial_retr.html
EDrive Systems, a joint venture between EnergyCS and Clean-Tech, has introduced a commercial retrofit system that converts a Prius into a plug-in hybrid—“Gas-Optional” hybrid (GO-HEV) using the new term of favor.
The company estimates that an EDrive-equipped vehicle can average 100 to 150 mpg for roughly the first 60 miles of the day, compared to 45-55 mpg for a conventional Prius. The vehicle also has the capacity to run in "electric-only" mode at neighborhood speeds, resulting in zero operational emissions.
Current conversions are done on a demonstration basis at the EDrive facility. EDrive is seeking funding to establish a production facility, and then will set pricing. The company plans to have a retail option available to consumers by 2006.
EDrive is using Valence Technology lithium-ion batteries. The product is engineered by EnergyCS and will be distributed by Clean-Tech.
The EDrive product—and EDrive itself—stem from the pioneering work done by CalCars on the PRIUS+.
In the fall of 2004, CalCars completed its PRIUS+ prototype using lead acid batteries, and began receiving advice from EnergyCS. CalCars ended up adopting EnergyCS’s battery management system.
EnergyCS began digging more deeply into the concept and project, and ended up partnering with Valence Technology. Those two companies unveiled the resulting version of a GO-HEV Prius at EVS-21 in Monaco earlier this year.
The other part of the EDrive story is CalCars’ introduction of Clean-Tech to EnergyCS.
We at CalCars are thrilled at the prospect that, starting in early 2006, individual and fleet customers will have the opportunity to purchase EDrive retrofits from such a stellar source. This can be a giant step in demonstrating the benefits of plug-in or gas-optional hybrids.
EDrive’s business success will complement our non-profit efforts—and we expect that their satisfied customers will magnify our impact. We hope many of those who’ve been asking CalCars, “when can I get a PRIUS+?” will soon get answers from EDrive. And we hope fleet purchasers will also begin realizing GO-HEVs will soon be in their future.
—Felix Kramer, CalCars founder
www.greencarcongress.com/2005/05/commercial_retr.html
Jim Press (CFO) just anounced that they will be putting a CAMRY hybrid on the market.
Side Note:
You ever notice that most of these innovations for vehicles seem to be coming from the Japanese and Europeans. Do you think that says anything about how the American car companies are run? I think there is something culturally wrong here.
Where are the big innovations from FORD and GM?
End of Side Note
QUOTE
Toyota has developed two new high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks featuring greater capacity and longer operational life for its fuel cell vehicles. The tanks offer 35 megapascal (350 bar or 5,000 psi) storage and 70 megapascal (700 bar or 10,000 psi) storage.
You ever notice that most of these innovations for vehicles seem to be coming from the Japanese and Europeans. Do you think that says anything about how the American car companies are run? I think there is something culturally wrong here.
Where are the big innovations from FORD and GM?
End of Side Note
They have been slow to go! I come from a Ford family and I can tell you they didn't think hybrids would catch on as quickly as they did.
I have a Chevy Tracker/ 45% Toyota and 55 % Chevy. I liked it because it still has American hands involved.
I plan on purchasing a hybrid Ford Esacape in 2 years........unless another small 4wheel drive hybrid vehicle comes out. I really need a 4 wheel drive. I live and work in the rural upper midwest and our winters are brutal. I don't espacially need a large vehicle of any kind but has to be 4wheel drive.
marie
I have a Chevy Tracker/ 45% Toyota and 55 % Chevy. I liked it because it still has American hands involved.
I plan on purchasing a hybrid Ford Esacape in 2 years........unless another small 4wheel drive hybrid vehicle comes out. I really need a 4 wheel drive. I live and work in the rural upper midwest and our winters are brutal. I don't espacially need a large vehicle of any kind but has to be 4wheel drive.
marie
Nissan Picks Tenn. Plant for Hybrid
Updated 2:01 PM ET June 17, 2005
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr...17_1074&src=abc
Nissan Motor Co. announced Friday it has selected its assembly plant in Tennessee for production of its first more fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle.
Production of the gas-electric Altima will begin in 2006, said Dan Gaudette, Nissan's senior vice president of North American manufacturing and quality assurance.
Hybrid cars get better mileage than regular gasoline-powered cars because they switch between a gasoline engine and an electric motor.
Nissan will invest $10.4 million for additional equipment and minor modifications to existing assembly lines at the plant in Smyrna, a Nashville suburb, Gaudette said.
About 6,700 existing employees in Smyrna and 1,300 in Decherd plus 2,800 supplier contractors will be trained to build the new line.
"We're looking forward to manufacturing this new, innovative product," Gaudette said in a statement. "It's a testament to the skill of our work force as well as the flexibility of our manufacturing operations, that we can do this given the complexities of already building five different vehicles in Smyrna."
He joined Gov. Phil Bredesen in making the announcement at a trade seminar of parts suppliers.
The plant in Smyrna was built in 1980 as Nissan's first production facility outside Japan. It already is manufacturing traditional gas-engine Altima and Maxima cars, Xterra and Pathfinder sports utility vehicles and Frontier pickups.
Hybrids represented less than 1 percent of the 17 million new vehicles sold in the United States in 2004.
Honda Motor Co. already has hybrid versions of its Civic and Accord sedans on the road, and Toyota Motor Corp. announced in May that it would build its first hybrid, a Camry, in Georgetown, Ky.
Ford Motor Co. has said hybrid versions of its upcoming Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans will be on the road within three years, while General Motors Corp. is planning
Updated 2:01 PM ET June 17, 2005
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr...17_1074&src=abc
Nissan Motor Co. announced Friday it has selected its assembly plant in Tennessee for production of its first more fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle.
Production of the gas-electric Altima will begin in 2006, said Dan Gaudette, Nissan's senior vice president of North American manufacturing and quality assurance.
Hybrid cars get better mileage than regular gasoline-powered cars because they switch between a gasoline engine and an electric motor.
Nissan will invest $10.4 million for additional equipment and minor modifications to existing assembly lines at the plant in Smyrna, a Nashville suburb, Gaudette said.
About 6,700 existing employees in Smyrna and 1,300 in Decherd plus 2,800 supplier contractors will be trained to build the new line.
"We're looking forward to manufacturing this new, innovative product," Gaudette said in a statement. "It's a testament to the skill of our work force as well as the flexibility of our manufacturing operations, that we can do this given the complexities of already building five different vehicles in Smyrna."
He joined Gov. Phil Bredesen in making the announcement at a trade seminar of parts suppliers.
The plant in Smyrna was built in 1980 as Nissan's first production facility outside Japan. It already is manufacturing traditional gas-engine Altima and Maxima cars, Xterra and Pathfinder sports utility vehicles and Frontier pickups.
Hybrids represented less than 1 percent of the 17 million new vehicles sold in the United States in 2004.
Honda Motor Co. already has hybrid versions of its Civic and Accord sedans on the road, and Toyota Motor Corp. announced in May that it would build its first hybrid, a Camry, in Georgetown, Ky.
Ford Motor Co. has said hybrid versions of its upcoming Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans will be on the road within three years, while General Motors Corp. is planning
I ordered a Prius via the internet in January and received it just two months later in March. I am very happy with my purchase. It is wonderful and comfortable to drive. And it really is quite roomy. My monthly car payment is $123 less than I was paying on my minivan. And best of all, I feel like I am doing something positive for our environment and my children's futures.
Just curious:
Is there any insurance difference between a hybrid and any other new vehicle? More? Less?
Is there any insurance difference between a hybrid and any other new vehicle? More? Less?
QUOTE(MarionMansfield @ Jun 21 2005, 12:22 PM)
And best of all, I feel like I am doing something positive for our environment and my children's futures.
And you ARE. Good for you, MM
QUOTE(Eino @ Jun 21 2005, 02:21 PM)
Just curious:
Is there any insurance difference between a hybrid and any other new vehicle? More? Less?
Is there any insurance difference between a hybrid and any other new vehicle? More? Less?
Youbetcha. Click on the Toyota site. Basically, the Prius is driven by an ELECTRIC MOTOR whose batteries are recharged by a small gasoline engine which kicks on and off when needed. In town, at a red light, you hear...
NOTHING.
On the freeway, the gasoline motor runs full time to provide the extra horsepower you need for 80mph.
Bottom line: City Mpg and Hwy Mpg are both about 45mpg.
Coming soon... the "PLUG-IN HYBRID"
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-plug...ack=2&cset=true
Plugged-In Hybrid Tantalizes Car Buffs
A Southland company comes up with a system that lets Toyota's Prius burn even less gasoline by connecting it to a regular electrical socket.
By John O'Dell
Times Staff Writer
June 25, 2005
Toyota Motor Corp. boasts that its hot-selling Prius gasoline-electric hybrid doesn't have to be plugged in.
But a growing number of hybrid buffs interested in further boosting the car's fuel economy are asking, "Why not?"
By replacing the Prius' batteries with a more powerful array and recharging it using a standard electric outlet at home, engineers have enabled the hybrid to get more than 100 miles per gallon of gasoline.
"We want to get people thinking of [plug-ins] as a real alternative" in the country's long-term energy plan, said Felix Kramer, founder of CalCars.org, an advocacy group in Palo Alto.
The idea of plug-in hybrids is generating a lot of buzz in energy circles because of the work of a start-up Monrovia firm, Energy Control Systems Engineering. The firm bought a Prius and converted it with its own system.
Co-owner Greg Hanssen now tools around Southern California in the bright blue plug-in Prius prototype. The car can deliver 150 to 180 mpg for up to 35 miles of low-speed, around-town driving and can average 70 to 100 mpg on longer trips at higher speeds.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District recently gave the company $130,000 to convert four Priuses to plug-ins that will be tested in several car fleets.
In a standard Prius, a battery pack is charged by the vehicle's own gasoline engine and with electricity produced by the brakes. The car's all-electric mode is fairly limited because the Prius uses its gas engine except at very low speeds. Most owners get 45 to 55 mpg.
However, Energy Control Systems' design tricks the Prius' computer into thinking its batteries are always fully charged, so it uses the electric motor to try to drain them before switching on the gas engine.
Hanssen can drive his Prius in an all-electric mode for 35 miles at up to 35 mph. And when the gas engine does kick in, it burns far less fuel than a standard Prius because the system, with its extra batteries, has more electric power to draw on.
By babying the accelerator, Hanssen said, he can often run in electric mode on the freeway at 55 mph.
The new batteries in the prototype add 180 pounds to the vehicle's weight, and they use up most of the storage space under the rear cargo area — so there is no room for a spare tire.
Next year Energy Control Systems and its marketing partner, Clean-Tech of Los Angeles, hope to begin converting customers' stock Prius hybrids to plug-ins. The initial cost will be about $12,000, Hanssen said.
There are plenty of problems to overcome, though, before plug-in hybrids show up at dealerships. Automakers worry about the extra battery weight and extra cost from the super-size batteries and express doubts that owners would bother to charge the vehicles every night.
Toyota, which expects to sell 110,000 Priuses in the United States this year, warned that an after-market conversion to a plug-in system would void its warranty. Still, Toyota spokeswoman Cindy Knight said, "We are watching [plug-in designs] with interest. It is probably within the range of solutions we would consider" eventually as an alternative power plant design.
The nascent plug-in hybrid movement is also gaining traction in Congress. This month several senators introduced the topic amid a national debate over foreign oil dependency and soaring gasoline prices. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said high-mileage plug-ins provided "extraordinary hope" to reduce the nation's insatiable appetite for oil.
DaimlerChrysler is also working with the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto to develop a prototype plug-in hybrid version of its Sprinter delivery van.
"We are all aiming for the same goal," Hanssen said. "We want to persuade regulators, and automakers, that plug-in hybrids will work."
Hanssen, 38, and his partner, Pete Nortman, 48, are electrical engineers who got their start in the electric vehicle movement. Their 4-year-old firm has six employees, and Hanssen says the company pays its bills by developing electrical high-voltage management systems for various clients, including a hybrid locomotive manufacturer.
But the plug-in Prius is the firm's principal claim to fame.
In May, Energy Control Systems entered its Prius in the Tour del Sol fuel economy rally in New York. The car won its class by averaging 102 mpg over the 150-mile course. Hanssen said it cost $1 to charge the batteries the night before the race and about $4 for the gas it consumed.
If hybrid makers added plug-in, Hanssen said, mass production could get the extra cost down to about $3,000 over that of a regular hybrid model.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-plug...ack=2&cset=true
Plugged-In Hybrid Tantalizes Car Buffs
A Southland company comes up with a system that lets Toyota's Prius burn even less gasoline by connecting it to a regular electrical socket.
By John O'Dell
Times Staff Writer
June 25, 2005
Toyota Motor Corp. boasts that its hot-selling Prius gasoline-electric hybrid doesn't have to be plugged in.
But a growing number of hybrid buffs interested in further boosting the car's fuel economy are asking, "Why not?"
By replacing the Prius' batteries with a more powerful array and recharging it using a standard electric outlet at home, engineers have enabled the hybrid to get more than 100 miles per gallon of gasoline.
"We want to get people thinking of [plug-ins] as a real alternative" in the country's long-term energy plan, said Felix Kramer, founder of CalCars.org, an advocacy group in Palo Alto.
The idea of plug-in hybrids is generating a lot of buzz in energy circles because of the work of a start-up Monrovia firm, Energy Control Systems Engineering. The firm bought a Prius and converted it with its own system.
Co-owner Greg Hanssen now tools around Southern California in the bright blue plug-in Prius prototype. The car can deliver 150 to 180 mpg for up to 35 miles of low-speed, around-town driving and can average 70 to 100 mpg on longer trips at higher speeds.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District recently gave the company $130,000 to convert four Priuses to plug-ins that will be tested in several car fleets.
In a standard Prius, a battery pack is charged by the vehicle's own gasoline engine and with electricity produced by the brakes. The car's all-electric mode is fairly limited because the Prius uses its gas engine except at very low speeds. Most owners get 45 to 55 mpg.
However, Energy Control Systems' design tricks the Prius' computer into thinking its batteries are always fully charged, so it uses the electric motor to try to drain them before switching on the gas engine.
Hanssen can drive his Prius in an all-electric mode for 35 miles at up to 35 mph. And when the gas engine does kick in, it burns far less fuel than a standard Prius because the system, with its extra batteries, has more electric power to draw on.
By babying the accelerator, Hanssen said, he can often run in electric mode on the freeway at 55 mph.
The new batteries in the prototype add 180 pounds to the vehicle's weight, and they use up most of the storage space under the rear cargo area — so there is no room for a spare tire.
Next year Energy Control Systems and its marketing partner, Clean-Tech of Los Angeles, hope to begin converting customers' stock Prius hybrids to plug-ins. The initial cost will be about $12,000, Hanssen said.
There are plenty of problems to overcome, though, before plug-in hybrids show up at dealerships. Automakers worry about the extra battery weight and extra cost from the super-size batteries and express doubts that owners would bother to charge the vehicles every night.
Toyota, which expects to sell 110,000 Priuses in the United States this year, warned that an after-market conversion to a plug-in system would void its warranty. Still, Toyota spokeswoman Cindy Knight said, "We are watching [plug-in designs] with interest. It is probably within the range of solutions we would consider" eventually as an alternative power plant design.
The nascent plug-in hybrid movement is also gaining traction in Congress. This month several senators introduced the topic amid a national debate over foreign oil dependency and soaring gasoline prices. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said high-mileage plug-ins provided "extraordinary hope" to reduce the nation's insatiable appetite for oil.
DaimlerChrysler is also working with the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto to develop a prototype plug-in hybrid version of its Sprinter delivery van.
"We are all aiming for the same goal," Hanssen said. "We want to persuade regulators, and automakers, that plug-in hybrids will work."
Hanssen, 38, and his partner, Pete Nortman, 48, are electrical engineers who got their start in the electric vehicle movement. Their 4-year-old firm has six employees, and Hanssen says the company pays its bills by developing electrical high-voltage management systems for various clients, including a hybrid locomotive manufacturer.
But the plug-in Prius is the firm's principal claim to fame.
In May, Energy Control Systems entered its Prius in the Tour del Sol fuel economy rally in New York. The car won its class by averaging 102 mpg over the 150-mile course. Hanssen said it cost $1 to charge the batteries the night before the race and about $4 for the gas it consumed.
If hybrid makers added plug-in, Hanssen said, mass production could get the extra cost down to about $3,000 over that of a regular hybrid model.
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