Hybrid Jungle

While most people prefer quiet cars, this is not the case for people that rely on the sound of the vehicles to get around safely. Hybrid and electric cars can be almost silent at lower speeds and may even be a hazard to the 1.3 million Americans who are legally blind, cyclists, runners, children and pets.

Rep. Cliff Stearns and Rep. Edolphus Towns, are sponsoring legislation that would change the way hybrids sound by utilizing a “noise emitting” device that would activate when the car is running in electric mode. Read the rest of this entry »

Registrations of hybrid vehicles rose to 350,289 in 2007, an increase of 38% according to R.L. Polk & Co., a Southfield-based automotive marketing and research company. The Prius remained the best selling hybrid, accounting for 51% of the hybrid market. Though high gas prices played a role in the increase, the research company claims that the biggest reason for the jump was buyers had a wide variety of different types of hybrids vehicles to choose from. California remains the number one state for hybrid vehicle sales, accounting for 26% of all hybrid vehicle registrations. Read the rest of this entry »

While many people will think of steam engines as a technology from the past, automakers are looking at incorporating steam power technology in their next generation of hybrid vehicles. Honda recently touted their heat harnessing hybrid technology, which can recapture energy by exploiting wasted energy from the exhaust. This innovative approach uses heat from the catalytic converter to boil water into steam which then then turns an electric generator that charges the battery packs. Finally, a condenser cools the steam back into water. This technology was used in a Honda Steam prototype and captured three times as much energy when compared to regenerative braking in a conventional hybrid car. Read the rest of this entry »

With every promising technology that arises you will see fear, uncertainty, and doubt associated with that technology. Hybrid cars are starting to enjoy widespread adoption, however I wonder how many people have made decisions not to buy a hybrid vehicle based upon erroneous comments. I have noticed that there are many myths associated with hybrid cars and I hope to clear up some of these myths for you in the following article.

Myth 1: Hybrid batteries lose their charge over time and need to be replaced.
Batteries typically lose there charge after the constant charging to 100% and discharging. Automakers keep the battery charged somewhere in between 40%-60% and never let it reach 100%. This really limits the potential for battery degradation. The batteries are designed to last the life of the car, and most hybrid warranties are good for 80,000+ miles and 10+ years. Read the rest of this entry »

Chrysler recently announced that is plans to introduce the Dodge Ram HEMI Hybrid truck in 2010. Chrysler is launching the Dodge Durango Hybrid and Chrylser Aspen Hybrid SUV’s this summer and they expect to use the same technology on the upcoming Ram hybrid. The hybrids will use NiMH batteries and will have large engines that are capable of operating on only four cylinders at speeds up to 70 mph which will help improve fuel economy. Chrysler, like many other auto manufacturers are scrambling to develop hybrid cars into their lineups.

Press Release:
Chrysler’’s Fuel-efficient HEMI(R）Hybrid to Power All-New Dodge Ram
AUBURN HILLS, Mich.– Chrysler LLC added to its list of fuel efficient powertrain offerings for the all-new Dodge Ram 1500 pickup today, announcing that the company’s advanced two-mode hybrid will join the light-duty Dodge Ram powertrain lineup for 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

By Peter J.H. Johnson

There was once a time when hybrids were restricted to the Hollywood crowd and college professors. However, over the last 6 years hybrids have become widely popular and can now be found in garages of everyday people. As the hybrid market continues to grow so too will the used hybrid market. What should you know about buying a used hybrid? Read on.

The basics
Buying a used hybrid is like buying any other used car. Well, sort of. The biggest concern when buying a used hybrid is finding out the condition of the battery pack. These battery packs can easily cost in excess of $5000 to replace. To ease the concern of new buyers, manufacturers put an extended warranty on the battery pack, hybrid control module, battery control module and other related components. Read the rest of this entry »

For years you have heard about hydrogen powered vehicles being the car of the future, but does a future really exist for these vehicles? On paper hydrogen cars are the total package, they produce water vapor instead of harmful emissions, do not rely on fossil fuels, and hydrogen can even be produced from water though a process called electrolysis. As of April 2007 there were an estimated 200 prototype hydrogen vehicles on the road, so we know the technology is well past the blueprint stages. Why have these cars never made it out of the prototype stages?

There are currently two different types of hydrogen powered vehicles, combustion and fuel cell. Combustion hydrogen vehicles would run very much like a traditional combustion motor that you would find in your car today, but it would use hydrogen for fuel instead of gasoline. Fuel cell vehicles work by reacting hydrogen with oxygen to produce water and electricity. The electricity is then used to power an electric traction motor similar to what you would see on a hybrid car, or an electric vehicle. Since fuel cells tend to be more energy efficient, this technology is what most automakers are now developing. Read the rest of this entry »

A study by J.D. Power and Associates estimates that 7% of the car market will consist of hybrid vehicles by the year 2015, more than tripling the current 2.2%. High gas prices, and the government mandated 35mpg are going to play a big role in the production and adoption of fuel efficient vehicles. Sales of four cylinder are expecting increases between 30%-35% and diesel powered vehicles are expected to increase by 10%. Read the rest of this entry »

Enterprise Rent-A-Car has slowly been purchasing more hybrids and other fuel efficient vehicles for their fleet. Enterprise, the nations largest rental car company, has started a bold effort in Atlanta, GA by opening up four “green” branches. About 60% of the cars at these branches will be hybrids or other fuel efficient vehicles. Analysts have cautioned that much of the hybrid demand could be the result of potential hybrid buyers looking for an extended test drive. Others wonder whether the $5-$15 premium that you pay for the hybrid, will outweigh the fuel savings you will receive. Currently Enterprise has about 4,000 hybrid vehicles in its fleet of 1.1 million. Other car rental companies are trying to follow in Enterprise’s footsteps to get hybrid cars into their fleets. Read the rest of this entry »

GM has a very ambitious timeline to bring the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid to the market in 2010. Frank Webber, GM’s vehicle line executive goes on to say that the Volt is the “No. 1 priority project that we have now within GM.” and “This project is not concept work. This program is not theory. It is reality.”

The Volt will be capable of driving 40 miles purely on its electric motors. If the charge in the battery packs runs low, the car will operate as a conventional hybrid to help charge the batteries. Read the rest of this entry »