Hybrid Cars

Hybrid drivers laughing

Peter — Fri, 04 May 2007 17:53:48 +0000

When I look at all the drivers of 4×4 off road vehicles and other cars with big engines, I just have to sit back and laugh. They think they look so cool in these gas-guzzling vehicles, but in fact, they are looking very stupid.

The reason for this is the fact that petrol is costing us more and more, I’m in the UK and believe me if you think you have it bad in the U.S, then think again as we are paying around £4.30 ($8.00) for a gallon of fuel. Prices are just sharply increasing and there seems no sign of it slowing down.

In the UK we have to pay something called Road Tax (Road Fund Licence), this is set to increase hugely, mainly for big engine cars.

Therefore, for all those people who laughed about Hybrid Cars when they first launched, and said that they would never become popular you are all wrong, and two car manufactures are laughing all the way to the bank.

The two companies in question is Toyota and Honda, they both could see the future long before the other carmakers. It now seems that these other carmakers have to play catch up, as they were as wrong as the average driver on the street was.

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Micro Refineries & New Corn Hybrids to Cut Ethanol Cost

Peter — Thu, 03 May 2007 11:30:11 +0000

By building new mini refineries and new corn hybrids Biofuel Company Energenetics International, claim that they could help to increase the yield of ethanol per acre by at least 300 percent. The company also said that this would help to cut production costs as well.

This new corn hybrid is great for increasing our need for more fuel, but Renewable Fuels Association is concerned that this hybrid corn could end up being mixed with approved feed. They also worry that if this were the case, then foreign countries would stop purchasing corn from the United States.

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2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid SUV Video

Peter — Wed, 02 May 2007 10:09:15 +0000

Sometimes in can get a bit tedious writing about what a car looks like, sometimes people will start to nod off when you say “How the light seems to follow the sharp line,” You know, things like that.

If you would like to know just how the new 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid SUV looks, then the best way to find out is by watching a video.

The Video is truly amazing; you get to see a tree coming from the ground, which then forms itself into the Mercury Mariner.

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Lexus LF-A Hybrid Supercar

Peter — Tue, 01 May 2007 09:10:47 +0000

The Lexus Hybrid Supercar that was unveiled at last October’s Tokyo motor show, has come a step closer to being made a reality. Lexus has already said that they want a hybrid version of every car they make.

The concept versions of this Lexus hybrid car was badged LF-A. it is thought that much of the technology from the V8 LS600h will be used in the LF-A supercar, but Lexus will take it a step further in order to make the LF-A a true supercar. It will need to be lighter and produce more power while still maintaining good fuel economy.
It is thought that the Lexus LF-A will have a top speed of over 200mph, and can go from 0-60 in under 4 seconds. Toyota, who own Lexus will bring some of their Formula 1 technology to this road car, to make this kind of speed and fuel efficiency possible

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Hybrid sales still increasing

Peter — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:24:11 +0000

Those of you, who thought that Hybrid Vehicles was just a passing phase, are now accepting the fact that they were wrong. The reason for increased sales in the hybrid market is due to soaring fuel prices. It seems that Americans want cars that can get more miles to the gallon.

Moreover, there are no signs of Hybrid Car sales slowing down, Toyota and Honda are pushing out more of these environmentally friendly vehicles, than they have ever done before. Other car manufacturers are also increasing their numbers, but not on the same kind of scale as these two Japanese giants.

Let us hope that the more of us who start to purchase a hybrid vehicle, will help to push the price of purchasing a new one down in price.

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200MPG from the 200 MPH Micro-Turbine Velozzi Hybrid

Peter — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 04:54:42 +0000

If you was to say to someone that you drive a Hybrid sports car that will achieve 200MPH and the vehicle will also get at least 200MPG, they would think that you are mad. However, that could soon become reality. The Hybrid Velozzi will use a Micro-Turbine engine that will help to propel this car from 0-60 in just 6 seconds.

The micro-turbine engine will run on biodiesel, diesel, ethanol or gasoline and will provide power to a generator that will charge the on-board batteries. What also helps this vehicle achieve these great figures is the use of polymers and composites, to make the Velozzi as light as possible.

If this proposed design actually makes it into production, then it will give other supercars a run for their money as more and more people look for greener alterative vehicles.

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School gets hybrid bus

Peter — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 09:49:42 +0000

A handful of schools in the United States are now helping the environment just like, many car drivers are, and that is to use hybrid vehicles. There are now three schools in the US that use hybrid school buses, these are very different from the old diesel buses that has been used for years, slowly polluting our planet.

These hybrid buses run on both a diesel engine and an electric motor. It is thought that fuel economy will be boosted by 70 to 100 percent and that these school buses give off 90 percent emissions. To give you some sort of an idea a traditional school bus does about 7 miles to the gallon, but these new hybrid busses do about 14mpg.

However these hybrid buses do come at a cost, they cost the schools at least $200,000 per buss. That is a small price to pay for the health of our children.

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Hybrid Electric Mini coming by 2008

Peter — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:01:32 +0000

We all know that a Mini Cooper is small, light and has very low emissions. Could you imagine if there was a hybrid version of this? Well wonder no more, because Hybrid Technologies are now designing a Hybrid of this popular small car from BMW.

This Mini Cooper will be an all-electric model that runs on lithium batteries. We know how cheap the standard Gas model is, but get ready for the shock as it is expected that Hybrid Technologies will sell this electric version for about $59,000, that is a huge difference. However the Mini will be able to achieve around 120MPG, but some reports have said it could even achieve 160MPG, but that is being a bit optimistic.

Although people who think about our environment and are willing to their bit to save our planet, I cannot see many people paying the extra for this Mini, as it would take around 16 years to get you money back from this environmentally friendly vehicle.

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Car rentals should offer hybrid vehicles

Peter — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 13:55:47 +0000

Priceline.com Rental Car Company run a survey recently, and found that 72% of people who took part said that they would like the option of a Hybrid. This is a true sign that people are looking for a greener option when it comes to renting cars.

In the survey, customers of Priceline.com said that they would pay a premium for the use of renting an environmentally friendly green car.

If rental companies take note from this survey, they should act fast and start to bring in the option of hybrid vehicles. If they do this, they could well see greater profit, as they would be able to rent their cars to a wider market.

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Ex-Yugo Importer to develop 100mpg plug-in hybrid vehicle

Peter — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 07:50:03 +0000

The man, who brought Yugo’s to the U.S Malcolm Bricklin, now has a new venture, and that is to try to develop a luxury plug-in hybrid vehicle, which is capable of 100mpg by 2009. These cars will be made in China and Bricklin hopes to be able to build a factory in China in order to make the parts in this electric vehicle.

Malcolm is keen on the idea on having these cars built in China, as production costs are so low that he will be able to mass-produce these luxury plug-in hybrid vehicles, which run on lithium-ion battery packs. The parts will be made in his new plant in China will be sold on to other companies such as, Phoenix and Tesla and others alike.

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2008 Lexus LS 600h L Hybrid to sell for $104,000

Peter — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:39:58 +0000

The 2008 Lexus LS 600h L Hybrid has now been giving a manufacturer’s suggested retail price. The car will go on sale in June and will cost $104,000; it is thought that such a high price tag might stop people from buying this luxury car.

The 2008 Lexus LS 600h L, is packed with all the latest technology like a 5 litre V8 petrol engine, which works in conjunction with its electric high output motor, with both of these combined, you will get the same kind of power that you would from a V12. Put this Hybrid Lexus against other non-hybrids in its class, and you will see that this vehicle will produce at least 70% less emissions. The LS 600h L also has an all-wheel drive system that is always on, and continuously variable transmission that is dual-stage electronically controlled.

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Hybrid Car Prices to fall

Peter — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 09:10:40 +0000

It seems that the whole Hybrid thing is starting to catch on, as people not only want to do their bit for the environment but also save them money on fuel costs also. Hybrid vehicles would be more popular than what they are already, but one thing stops this, and that is that purchasing a hybrid is often $5000 more expensive than a non-hybrid.

But now it seem that Long Island legislators are trying to introduce a bill so that they could reduce the cost of buying one of these hybrid cars by at least a few hundred dollars. How they plan to do this is by waiving the 4% sales tax, which you have to pay when buying a hybrid vehicle or any other type of fuel-efficient car.

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Prius Fails Emissions Test

Peter — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:00:08 +0000

The Toyota Prius has been failing its emissions test in Georgia. This test has to be taken as part of Georgia Environmental Protection Agency Laws. The 2004 Prius, does fail the test, but do not start to panic. The Toyota is known to be one of the cleanest cars on the road, as it is a Hybrid.

However, this is where the test gets stupid, because this test has to be taken for all cars, and the emission test reading is taken while the car is running idle. The problem with this is while the Toyota Prius is running idle, it is using the electric motor and as we know, it will not produce any emissions. This causes the test equipment to show as an error, which means that the car fails its test.

The test that cars have to have costs drivers $25, which has to be paid, even though the Prius fails. Now people are asking the 2004 Prius to be exempt from the test.

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Proton develops new Hybrid with Lotus

Peter — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 08:54:54 +0000

Malaysian car manufacturer Proton has designed its first Hybrid car, which has been designed in conjunction with Lotus. The ‘EVE Hybrid’ stands for (Efficient, Viable, Environmental). The new hybrid vehicle has a 1.6 litre petrol engine, the EVA also has a proton ‘micro-hybrid’ start-stop system and a continuously variable transmission, and this helps to achieve even greater fuel economy.

The power from the electric motor is 105KW, with the petrol engine and electric motor working together you can get from 0-100km/h in about 9 seconds. It is not known when this new Proton Lotus Hybrid car will be mass-produced, but one thing is for sure, you will get a lot for your money.

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Nissan to play catch up with Hybrids

Peter — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 09:22:40 +0000

Seems like Nissan are starting to embrace the whole Hybrid technology, as they are now going to produce batteries for their vehicles, which is a signal that they are ready to go green. Nissan Motor Co. is the 3rd largest carmaker in Japan but is a long way behind the top two, Honda and Toyota when it comes to caring for the environment.

Now Nissan are set to invest $4.1m, in these produce lithium-ion batteries so they can have a slice of the Hybrid Vehicle market. But in a recent statement, it will not be until 2009 until both Hybrid and Electric cars will be ready.

Some of you might be thinking, hold on Nissan already have a Hybrid Vehicle, the Altima, but that car uses licenced technology from Toyota.

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