Hybrid Updates

[Rich Parsons]

An unhappy Toyota Prius owner in the snow.

Headed to the ski slopes in your Prius? Better check this out first!

Posted Jan 29th 2007 9:37AM by Mike Magda

A Prius owner has complained to Consumer Affairs about the vehicle shutting down completely if one of the front wheels starts spinning in the snow.

"When my car is on any kind of slick surface that causes one of the front wheels to slip, ALL power to the drive system is stopped," said the reader named Christopher.

Apparently Christopher was driving up a snow-covered slope when one tire started to slip and the vehicle "came to a stop." After that the wheels refused to engage, he said. Christopher tried chains and again the vehicle stopped whenever a wheel started slipping. Finally, using human power and a deft touch on the throttle he was able to ascend the hill.

Toyota says the system is operating properly but Christopher feels this type of road condition would lead him to consider the vehicle "unsafe for road use."

Toyota also says an 8-to-10-degree slope is "fairly steep" and could cause the Prius's traction control system to activate. The company also said any vehicle without traction control would start spinning the tires, as well, and possibly lose control.

[Source: Joe Benton / ConsumerAffairs.com]

I happen to know this type of issue could be a problem depending upon the hardware design and controls behind it. The safe thing to do to protect the hardware is to shutdown as the article states. This protects the really expensive hyrbid transmission electrical motors.

 

[Rich Parsons]

Second Generation Honda Hybrid

Second generation Honda Insight expected to be unveiled at Geneva Motor Show.

Posted Jan 31st 2007 1:11PM by Sam Abuelsamid
Filed under: Hybrid, Honda, Geneva Motor Show


Toyota was the first company to market a modern hybrid car in Japan beginning in 1997, but Honda beat them to the US market by a few in 1999. The Honda Insight was and remains Honda's only dedicated hybrid model, with all the others being based on existing Honda models. The aluminum bodied Insight was never a huge seller and production of the first generation model ceased in 2006.

British magazine AutoCar is reporting that Honda will be showing off a new dedicated hybrid concept at the Geneva Motor Show in early March. In typical Honda fashion this will be a thinly disguised version of a new production successor to the Insight. The new car is expected to be similar in size to the Civic and priced lower than the Prius. No technical details are available right now, but a lower price indicates that it will probably continue with an evolution of the current Honda Integrated Motor Assist system. On the other hand, plug-in hybrids seem to be all the rage this week, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Honda build a PHEV and be first to market, even at a loss. This would also make more sense for a dedicated platform.

 

[Rich Parsons]

An Update on the Nissan Hybrid

Nissan today announced a starting Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $24,400 for the 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid, Nissan’s first entry in the hybrid electric vehicle market. The new hybrid sedan is on sale now at Nissan retailers in the eight states that have adopted California emissions regulations – California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. The Altima Hybrid has been certified by the Internal Revenue Service as meeting the requirements for the Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit, thereby qualifying for a tax credit of $2,350.
Altima Hybrid’s EPA fuel economy is estimated at 42 mpg City and 36 mpg Highway. It is rated as an Advanced Technology-Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) and emits almost no evaporative emissions.
“The Altima Hybrid offers all the style, convenience, comfort, quality, feel and performance technology features and highlights of the next-generation 2007 Altima sedan, while offering the added benefits of improved fuel economy and reduced emissions,” said Bill Bosley, vice president and general manager, Nissan Division. “Combined with Altima’s standard 20-gallon fuel tank, Altima Hybrid has a projected driving range of up to 700 miles between fill-ups. More importantly, it drives just like any other Nissan – with smooth acceleration, responsive handling and a seamless delivery of power under almost all driving conditions.”
The Altima Hybrid features a high level of standard equipment, including 16-inch alloy wheels, Intelligent Key with Push Button Ignition, power windows/door locks, 6-speaker AM/FM/CD system with auxiliary audio input jack, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), Traction Control System (TCS) and dual-zone automatic temperature control that includes an Altima Hybrid-specific electrically powered A/C that continues to provide cooling when the gasoline engine is stopped.
It also offers an extensive list of standard safety features, including the Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (AABS), front seat-mounted side-impact supplemental air bags for chest protection, roof-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental air bags for front and rear outboard occupant head protection and front seat Active Head Restraints.
Altima Hybrid is offered in one model and with three available option packages – Convenience Package, Connection Package (with either Sirius™ or XM® satellite radio) and Technology Package.
The 2007 Nissan Altima is also available in five other models: Altima 2.5, 2.5 S, 2.5 S with SL Package and two 3.5-liter V6-powered models, the Altima 3.5 SE and 3.5 SL. The all-new 2008 Altima Coupe is scheduled to go on sale in summer 2007.
“The new Altima has been a tremendous success since it was launched in November, helping fuel record Altima sales of nearly 25,000 units in December 2006, marking an increase of nearly 40 percent over the previous year,” said Bosley. “The new Altima Hybrid expands the choices available for our buyers, keeping Altima at the forefront of the segment in terms of value, performance, quality, technology and selection.”
About the 2007 Altima Hybrid
The Altima Hybrid powertrain mates a refined version of Nissan’s QR25 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine and standard electronically controlled CVT with an advanced electric drive motor/generator that increases fuel economy while maintaining low tailpipe emissions.
The advanced energy drive system shares duties between the gasoline-powered 4-cylinder and the emissions-free electric motor – allowing the Altima Hybrid to run solely on electric power if appropriate, especially during stop-and-go driving. If extra performance is needed, the gasoline engine starts instantly and smoothly adds power as required. The Altima Hybrid has a hybrid system net power rating of 198 horsepower (148 kW). Acceleration from zero to 60 mph is estimated at about 0.5 seconds quicker than a standard 2.5-liter 4-cylinder equipped Altima.
The Altima Hybrid utilizes regenerative braking technology to recharge the hybrid system’s batteries. The Regenerative Cooperative Brake System calculates braking force generated by brake pedal operation and controls the regenerative brake force to convert kinetic energy into electric energy, optimizing energy regeneration.
In order to power the electric motor, a generator places resistance on the driveshaft during braking. The system converts this friction to usable energy that is stored in the system’s 244.8V Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) battery for eventual use by the electric motor.
Helping provide smooth acceleration and maximize powertrain efficiency is the Altima Hybrid’s hybrid system-specific eCVT, which works in conjunction with the Hybrid Vehicle-Electric Control Unit (HV-ECU) to determine which power source or combination of power sources will turn the wheels.
Altima Hybrid’s electric motor produces high torque at low rpm, allowing it to utilize its Electric Vehicle (EV) mode to power the car from a standing idle and through initial acceleration without the assistance of the gasoline engine. Standing-start acceleration is typically a gasoline-only powered vehicle’s least fuel-efficient stage and Altima Hybrid offers much of its fuel-efficiency benefits here.
Altima Hybrid’s all-electric mode, called Electric Vehicle (EV) mode, occurs in the initial acceleration phase. After the electric motor provides initial acceleration, the gasoline engine quietly starts and assumes the load of powering the vehicle.
The gasoline engine works independently through cruising speeds until the vehicle reaches speeds at which fuel efficiency declines. When loads require, the electric motor starts again and aids the gasoline engine in powering the Altima Hybrid. This allows the gasoline engine to remain in its ideal rpm range while the axle rpm simultaneously increases due to the extra power being contributed by the electric motor.
A digital display on the speedometer indicates when the Altima Hybrid is running solely on electric power. The Altima Hybrid’s available DVD navigation system also features a real-time display showing how the hybrid system directs the flow of energy.
Serving as the foundation for all fourth generation 2007 Altimas – including Hybrid – is Nissan’s all-new “D” platform with improved body rigidity and a redesigned suspension. The new platform includes a subframe-mounted front suspension with new geometry and shock absorbers with rebound springs. The half-shafts now have equal angles and are more parallel to the ground – virtually eliminating traditional front-wheel drive torque steer.
Altima’s new body design is a continuation of its distinctive, iconic, sporty design. The exterior features an aggressive stance, a strong wedge character line and signature Altima-style taillights. Inside, the new Altima utilizes refined workmanship, high-quality materials and a long list of available amenities. The Altima Hybrid shares exterior and interior designs with the other 2007 Altima models – with the exception of unique Hybrid badging, roof-mounted antenna and hybrid power/charge display in the driver information display.
The Altima Hybrid also joins other Altima models with an impressive list of available convenience features, including leather-appointed seating, Bluetooth® hands-free phone system, RearView™ Monitor, satellite radio and Nissan’s Advanced Navigation System with real-time Energy Flow Display.
The new Altima is assembled at the Nissan North America Manufacturing Smyrna, Tennessee plant.
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.nissannews.com

 

[Rich Parsons]

I apologize I have been lacking in my posting on this thread.

I hope to get caught up here tonight.

 

[Rich Parsons]

A text version of the hopefully attached PDF

The Recorder Page 1 of 2


Current issue: March 7, 2007 Central Connecticut State University

Editorial & Commentary

March 7, 2007

Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage

By Chris Demorro

Staff Writer

The Toyota Prius has become the flagship car for those in our society so environmentally conscious
that they are willing to spend a premium to show the world how much they care. Unfortunately for them,
their ultimate ‘green car’ is the source of some of the worst pollution in North America; it takes more
combined energy per Prius to produce than a Hummer.

Before we delve into the seedy underworld of hybrids, you must first understand how a hybrid works.
For this, we will use the most popular hybrid on the market, the Toyota Prius.

The Prius is powered by not one, but two engines: a standard 76 horsepower, 1.5-liter gas engine
found in most cars today and a battery- powered engine that deals out 67 horsepower and a whooping
295ft/lbs of torque, below 2000 revolutions per minute. Essentially, the Toyota Synergy Drive system,
as it is so called, propels the car from a dead stop to up to 30mph. This is where the largest percent of
gas is consumed. As any physics major can tell you, it takes more energy to get an object moving than
to keep it moving. The battery is recharged through the braking system, as well as when the gasoline
engine takes over anywhere north of 30mph. It seems like a great energy efficient and environmentally
sound car, right?

You would be right if you went by the old government EPA estimates, which netted the Prius an
incredible 60 miles per gallon in the city and 51 miles per gallon on the highway. Unfortunately for
Toyota, the government realized how unrealistic their EPA tests were, which consisted of highway
speeds limited to 55mph and acceleration of only 3.3 mph per second. The new tests which affect all
2008 models give a much more realistic rating with highway speeds of 80mph and acceleration of
8mph per second. This has dropped the Prius’s EPA down by 25 percent to an average of 45mpg. This
now puts the Toyota within spitting distance of cars like the Chevy Aveo, which costs less then half
what the Prius costs.

However, if that was the only issue with the Prius, I wouldn’t be writing this article. It gets much worse.

Building a Toyota Prius causes more environmental damage than a Hummer that is on the road for
three times longer than a Prius. As already noted, the Prius is partly driven by a battery which contains
nickel. The nickel is mined and smelted at a plant in Sudbury, Ontario. This plant has caused so much
environmental damage to the surrounding environment that NASA has used the ‘dead zone’ around the
plant to test moon rovers. The area around the plant is devoid of any life for miles.

The plant is the source of all the nickel found in a Prius’ battery and Toyota purchases 1,000 tons
annually. Dubbed the Superstack, the plague-factory has spread sulfur dioxide across northern
Ontario, becoming every environmentalist’s nightmare.

“The acid rain around Sudbury was so bad it destroyed all the plants and the soil slid down off the
hillside,” said Canadian Greenpeace energy-coordinator David Martin during an interview with Mail, a
British-based newspaper.

All of this would be bad enough in and of itself; however, the journey to make a hybrid doesn’t end
there. The nickel produced by this disastrous plant is shipped via massive container ship to the largest
nickel refinery in Europe. From there, the nickel hops over to China to produce ‘nickel foam.’ From

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3/14/2007


The Recorder Page 2 of 2

there, it goes to Japan. Finally, the completed batteries are shipped to the United States, finalizing the
around-the-world trip required to produce a single Prius battery. Are these not sounding less and less
like environmentally sound cars and more like a farce?

Wait, I haven’t even got to the best part yet.

When you pool together all the combined energy it takes to drive and build a Toyota Prius, the flagship
car of energy fanatics, it takes almost 50 percent more energy than a Hummer -the Prius’s arch
nemesis.

Through a study by CNW Marketing called “Dust to Dust,” the total combined energy is taken from all
the electrical, fuel, transportation, materials (metal, plastic, etc) and hundreds of other factors over the
expected lifetime of a vehicle. The Prius costs an average of $3.25 per mile driven over a lifetime of
100,000 miles -the expected lifespan of the Hybrid.

The Hummer, on the other hand, costs a more fiscal $1.95 per mile to put on the road over an
expected lifetime of 300,000 miles. That means the Hummer will last three times longer than a Prius
and use less combined energy doing it.

So, if you are really an environmentalist - ditch the Prius. Instead, buy one of the most economical cars
available - a Toyota Scion xB. The Scion only costs a paltry $0.48 per mile to put on the road. If you
are still obsessed over gas mileage - buy a Chevy Aveo and fix that lead foot.

One last fun fact for you: it takes five years to offset the premium price of a Prius. Meaning, you have to
wait 60 months to save any money over a non-hybrid car because of lower gas expenses.

<< Back to normal view

Copyright © 2002, The Recorder | All Rights Reserved

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3/14/2007

 

[Rich Parsons]

Not a true hybrid update but about the Auto Market / companies

Thought you might find this one interesting.....
Thunder on the Tundra: Toyota Trucks Ahead in 2007 Recalls
If you've merely done a moderate amount of Internet surfing or cracked open a newspaper lately - just about any newspaper - you've undoubtedly seen the news that Toyota has once again passed Ford in worldwide auto sales and may pass GM sometime this year.
But what you may not have seen is that Toyota has already passed both Ford and GM in a different category - automotive recalls.
Although we've barely passed mid-February, Toyota has already recalled 533,417 vehicles this year in a mix that, according to www.AutoRecalls.us, includes Tundras Sequoias and Camrys. That puts Toyota on track to recall more than the over 1.76 million autos they recalled in the U.S. and Japan in 2006, and the 2.2 million they recalled in 2005 when they recalled more cars than they built.
What's more, the current recall related to the Turdra trucks and Sequioa SUVs is similar to the same defect in 800,000 of the same vehicles in 2005.
Maybe somebody at Toyota isn't paying attention?
Hopefully the American consumers are. Recall numbers by domestic companies (GM and Ford) so far this year are as follows: Ford, 128,163; Chevrolet, 4,829; and Pontiac, 1,602. Chrysler - a German company masquerading as an American company with plans to start importing cars from China in 2008 - has recalled 77,432 vehicles so far in 2007.
To be sure, high recall numbers are not good. Auto companies would much rather prefer high sales numbers instead. As I've already mentioned, the media is abuzz that GM may lose its crown this year to Toyota in worldwide auto sales. But for that to ever happen in the U.S. sales category, it's going to take several more years since GM has a U.S. market share of 24.3% compared to 15.4% for Toyota. Even Ford, despite their recent troubles, has a higher domestic market share than Toyota at 17.5%.
But if GM loses their worldwide crown this year, it may actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Here's why:
First, GM spent 17% less per vehicle this January compared to last January, which means they are more profitable on a per-unit basis. In fact, GM expects to report a profit for the most recent quarter.
Second, it may be good for GM to step aside temporarily, for now, and let Toyota take all the ammunition that is always aimed at the top dog of the industry so there is less pressure and fewer distractions. And when GM combines their more-solid profitability and their improved quality together, their public perception will also improve.
Then they can use these admirable qualities to prepare to surge back on top at the precise time Toyota is in the top slot with their recall surge in the news. Toyota's timing at being number one worldwide would create further skepticism about whether they really deserve their reputation for untarnished quality.
According to Business Week's January 22, 2007 issue, Toyota has recalled 9.3 million vehicles in the last three years, which is nearly four times the number of recalls in the three year period prior to 2004.
Other recent news that won't sit well with a Camry-conscious public is the class-action lawsuit recently settled by Toyota regarding ruinous oil sludge buildup
covering 3.5 million Toyota and Lexus (yes, Lexus) vehicles.
Optimistic statements by Toyota executives aren't going to cut it for long - particularly when they don't match well with reality. Denial in the Camry-company camp seems to be setting in. Toyota's North American president Jim Press recently disputed the suggestion that his company no longer enjoys a large lead in reliability over the American competition. Speculating on the thoughts of American car company well-wishers while speaking at the recent Chicago Auto Show,
Press said "I think there's some hope that the gap in quality is closing, but it really isn't."
Oh, really? That's a pretty strong comment considering Toyota recalled 1.27 million vehicles in one swoop in 2005, recording the biggest-ever recall in history for a Japanese car company.
But, recalls notwithstanding, the evidence that the quality gap is closing is pretty indisputable, and the evidence has been piling up for more than just the last couple of years. With the following facts, you can make your argument for American car quality fully bulletproof - even among your most ardent foreign car-defending friends.
* A February 10, 2003 Business Week told of how undeniable it was that GM cars are better built than they used to be. The article cited an improved J.D. Power quality ranking and a Consumer Reports recommendation for 13 of GM's vehicles (equal to 41% of their sales volume) compared to just five recommended GM vehicles for the previous year. The Chevy Impala beat the Camry in a quality survey, and Buick beat BMW.
* Business Week also reported September 23, 2003 that GM boosted its productivity 23% in six years while Toyota's productivity remained flat, and that GM's most-productive factories now beat Toyota's most-productive factories.
* A 2004 Consumer Reports ranking selected the Buick Regal as the most reliable among family sedans, beating the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Nissan Maxima. They also gave recommended ratings for four Ford models, including the Ford Focus.
* J.D. Power and Associates awarded Cadillac's Lansing Grand River assembly center its highest honor - the Gold Plant Quality Award - in 2004.
* An August 4, 2004 Wall Street Journal article said Toyota's lead in quality and reliability has narrowed in some segments and disappeared in others. Quality problems were reportedly "mushrooming."
* The Toyota Camry hasn't been awarded the best in its segment since the year 2000, but many Americans continue to regard it as the number one model in terms of quality. Toyota's Kentucky Camry plant was awarded with high initial quality rankings by J.D. Power from the late 1980s through the 1990s, but it plummeted to number 26 in 2002, improving to only number 14 in 2004, while two GM factories and one Ford factory took the top three spots that year.
* In a J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey of new 2004 cars, Chevy placed second behind Honda and Toyota sank to number three.
* As far back as at least 2003, Business Week has reported that American consumers regard certain foreign cars as better built than American cars, even when facts prove otherwise.
* Fast-forwarding to 2006, J.D. Power shows Mercury, Buick and Cadillac beat Toyota in a list of dependable cars. Two Buicks and a Mercury took the top three midsize car awards; Mercury, Ford and Buick took the top three large car awards; Ford took the midsize van award and the midsize truck award; and GMC and Cadillac took the large MAV (multi-purpose activity vehicle) and large premium MAV awards, respectively.
* In an article about trust issues, Business Week's December 11, 2006 issue stated "GM's quality nearly equals Toyota's." Perceived quality among the American public is another story, however. The difference between the actual quality of American cars and the perceived quality of American cars is the "perception gap."
* In the same article, J.D. Power's director for retail research said "Actual quality is so close." discussing the quality rankings of GMC, Chevrolet and Cadillac placing them on par with both Honda and Toyota.
* And most recently, of course, the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan beat the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry according to Consumer Reports.
What's needed among automotive senior executives, and much of the media as well, is a return to intellectual honesty. Everyone tends to have their favorites and biases (mine are pretty obvious) but I pride myself in sticking with the facts to back up my comments.
When Toyotas North American president says that the quality gap isn't really closing, he's not being intellectually honest.
Some editorial writers aren't either. When Douglas Brinkley trumpeted Indiana's success in a Wall Street Journal article last year for attracting a Honda plant to their state - even though it took $140 million in tax credits and incentives - he wasn't what you would call "intellectually honest." In an apparent attempt to convince the reader that Honda doesn't send any automobiles to the U.S. from outside the country, he said the
following: "Turning farm fields into factories, that's what Henry Ford used to do. Today, in the heartland, it's being done by Honda - a company that doesn't manufacture imports but builds American-made cars."
Such statements lead the reader to think that some Japanese companies make all of their cars in the USA. Hardly. In fact, according to a January 8,
2007 Wall Street Journal article, the NAP ratio - a ratio that compares how many cars are built in North America vs. the number of cars imported - is slipping for Toyota. And according to Toyota internal documentation, the ratio is going to worsen next year.
Occasionally I'll find an editorial writer that dares to step away from the foreign biases of others in the same industry and rate cars objectively, rather than relying on the mindset of the question "will American cars ever match the Japanese cars in quality?"
Editorial Director for Consumer Guide Automotive Mark Bilek departed from the typical mindset of his colleagues back in June of 2005 by declaring that the Ford Five Hundred was the best car he'd ever driven.
That's good news for Ford, since the Five Hundred is being renamed the Taurus and will get several more second-looks because of the Taurus' higher name recognition. Billek said he judged the Five Hundred based on "what it is" and how well it "fulfills its mission." Based on this, his opinion was that the Five Hundred was "simply the best full-size sedan sold in America."
I am confident, however, that people like Toyota's Jim Press can be somewhat honest in their statements about the competition from time to time. He did say that the "car of the show" at the Detroit Auto Show in January was, for him, none other than the Chevy Malibu. Maybe there's hope for intellectual honesty after all.
Roger Simmermaker is the author of How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism. He also writes "Buy American Mention of the Week"

 

[Rich Parsons]

This was mentioned in another thread if this vehicle would qualify for the tax credit or not.

Information received in an e-mail so please verify with dealership and IRS first.

. . . notification from the IRS today that they have approved the Aura Green Line for a $1,300 hybrid tax credit.

You had mentioned that Saturn Marketing has a web broadcast with your dealer network on March 27th in which the Aura Green Line pricing will be a major topic. The IRS releases a news release when they approve a vehicle for the hybrid tax credit - why don't I work with you, Saturn Communication Staff and the IRS, we could probable do a simultaneous press release on March 27'th if you think that would provide you with some excitement with the dealers?

 

[Rich Parsons]

An article about Ford Hybrids

Ford Escape Mercury Mariner Hybrids: Better Fuel Economy, Lower Tax And Insurance Bills
DEARBORN, March 21, 2007 - The 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid are big on value - bolder designs, greater fuel efficiency and the highest income tax credits available on any hybrids.
Escape and Mariner are eligible for Federal income tax credits up to $3,000, insurance discounts of up to 10 percent in many states and increases in 'real world' fuel economy performance when evaluated under the new fuel economy measurement standards instituted by the EPA for all 2008 model year vehicles.
"Ford is committed to hybrid and other powertrain technologies as part of our global strategy to deliver improved fuel economy to our customers, lower emissions and energy security," said Nancy Gioia, director, Sustainable Mobility Technologies and Hybrid programs. "The Escape and Mariner Hybrids have been great successes, and we look forward to adding to our hybrid fleet with the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan Hybrids launching next year."
Both Escape and Mariner continue to be "full" hybrids. This means that, unlike other "mild" hybrid vehicles, Escape and Mariner Hybrids can run on 100 percent electric power up to about 30 mph, maximizing in-city fuel economy. Both automatically switch between pure electric power, pure gasoline engine power or combined operation of the two to maximize efficiency and performance.
Full hybrids achieve their greatest improvement in fuel economy during stop-and-go driving where the electric motor is most efficient. The Escape and Mariner Hybrid models provide approximately 75 percent better fuel economy than the conventional Escape V-6, and have a range of 500 miles on a single tank of gas, in city driving.
The fuel economy improvements for 2008 models are mainly due to improved aerodynamics, a new electronic power steering system, and a more efficient hybrid battery temperature management system. These enhancements have delivered an increase of 3 mpg in city driving and 1 mpg in highway driving for front-wheel drive (FWD) hybrid models, for an EPA-certified 34 mpg city and 30 mpg highway rating, making these models the most fuel efficient SUVs in the world. The four-wheel drive (4WD) versions of Escape Hybrid and Mariner Hybrid are rated at 29 mpg city and 27 mpg highway.
For 2008, engineers also made revisions to software in the control system to improve transparency, or the transition between gasoline and electric operation. The transition from all-electric to gasoline power to a combination of the two is now even more seamless and virtually imperceptible to the driver. The four-wheel-disc regenerative brakes have also been retuned to provide better feel.
With these improvements come benefits to the customer including increased tax credits for a hybrid purchase. The Escape and Mariner Hybrids have the highest available tax credit of any hybrid on the road today. The tax credits for the 2008 Escape and Mariner Hybrid FWD models increases to $3,000 (up $400) and the 4WD models get credited for $2,200 (up $250). The next closest hybrid competitor's tax credit is $650 less, and the next closest hybrid SUV is $1,700 less.
In addition to the benefits of increased tax credits, hybrid buyers in the states of California, New Jersey, Texas, New York, Maryland, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia and Washington can qualify for discounts on their insurance. Travelers, one of the largest providers of personal insurance products in the United States, offers hybrid drivers discounts of up to 10 percent on certain coverages. The company estimates their hybrid policy business grew by 200 percent in 2006.
The 2008 Escape and Mariner Hybrids come with a 2.3-liter DOHC 16-valve Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine and a permanent magnet AC synchronous motor. The gasoline engine produces 133 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 124 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,250 rpm. The electric motor produces 70 kw @ 5,000 rpm and 330V maximum voltage. The net result is 155 horsepower with 0-60 times comparable to a 200 horsepower V-6 engine and a boost in city-driving fuel economy of nearly 75 percent. A smooth-shifting, electronically controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) is the only available transmission on the hybrid model.
Since being introduced in 2004, Ford hybrids have achieved increased sales each year, with 2006 total sales reaching just beyond 22,500. In the first two months of 2007, both the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner Hybrid models have had higher sales than the same period last year.
For information on the hybrid models, go to Fordvehicles.com, or to Mercuryvehicles.com.

 

[Rich Parsons]

A Mercedes article

GERMANY: Mercedes to develop full hybrid technology
12 March 2007 | Source: just-auto.com editorial team
Mercedes is developing full hybrid technology, as well as a mild hybrid system that it is developing with BMW.
DaimlerChrysler research and development head Thomas Weber told German trade newspaper Automobilwoche that both systems are expected to be marketed from 2009.
"Mercedes will market two different hybrid concepts - a mild hybrid and a full hybrid," said Weber. The two concepts will go on sale at around the same time.
According to Automobilwoche, DaimlerChrysler is currently talking with several suppliers to decide which will be the company's main partner for hybrid systems.
Weber expects mild hybrid technology to deliver fuel and CO2 savings of around 10%, while the full hybrid should achieve 20% or more.
The key issue is good marketing, said Weber. "We must not talk like engineers when we sell this," he said. The benefits of the technology should be obvious and visible, he said. Weber cited the US example, where hybrid vehicles are currently viewed as 'sexy' and 'in.'
Full hybrid technology is expected to be combined with Mercedes' Bluetec Diesel technology. The combination of the two is currently extremely expensive, but Mercedes-Benz did show a diesel hybrid S-class concept in Tokyo two years ago.

 

[Rich Parsons]

A Kia Article

Low Price for Kia Rio Hybrid
Why should hybrids cost an arm and a leg?

Kia's answer to that is, "They shouldn't." And the automaker is introducing a new hybrid in a low price range.

The Rio is a subcompact that Kia has altered a bit to create a new hybrid model, the Rio Hybrid. The gas engine is 1.4 liters, slightly less than the all-gas-powered Rio, but you also get a 12kW electric motor and the hot new feature of the movement, the continuously variable transmission.



Aluminum for the trunk lid, seat frames, and hood makes the car lighter, which helps it reach acceleration numbers of 0 to 60 mph in 12.2 seconds. That's not all that fast, but you probably won't be buying this car to drag race anyway. You'll certainly appreciate the 53.4 mpg and air pollution reduction of 37 percent.

The standard Kia Rio tops out at US$15,000. We can assume that the Hybrid model will be a bit more than that but not much. We don't know a final price yet or release date.

SOURCE: HTLounge

 

[Rich Parsons]

Hybrid Buses were brought to the market by GM, but this company is bringing School Buses to the market.

Nations’s First Hybrid Schools Buses Will Roll in Florida
The School District of Manatee County in Bradenton, Fla., will become the first school district in the country to receive hybrid school buses through the Plug-In Hybrid Electric School Bus Project. Manatee School District’s two hybrid school buses are part of the 19 hybrid buses awarded nationwide by Advanced Energy, a non-profit corporation that initiated a buyer’s consortium of school districts, state energy agencies and student transportation providers.

The hybrid school buses, manufactured by the leading school bus manufacturer IC Corporation and hybrid drivetrain manufacturer Enova Systems, provide 70-100 percent better fuel economy and a 90 percent reduction in diesel engine emissions. Officials from the School District of Manatee County will be presented with the revolutionary new buses during a press conference at Braden River High School at 10 a.m. Eastern time on Friday, March 9.

"We are proud to be pioneers in this exciting new area of transportation technology which will help us field a more fuel efficient bus fleet that produces less harmful emissions," said Roger Dearing, Manatee School District Superintendent. "This provides a powerful example to our students and community about the need to take positive action when it comes to addressing our nation’s energy and environmental challenges."

While the exterior of the school bus looks the same, it is powered with innovative new technology. The hybrid school bus project features Enova’s Charge Depleting System (or "Plug In"), which was extensively tested and evaluated at IC Corporation’s research and technology facility in Fort Wayne, Ind. With an overnight charge, this system utilizes a larger battery based on advanced battery chemistry that provides stored energy intended to be drawn down over the driving cycle, thus optimizing fuel economy. Depending on the route, fuel economy is expected to improve by 70-100 percent. The hybrid system can also reduce emissions by up to 90 percent.

“This project provides operational benefits to school districts, while also providing the reduced emissions desired by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a valuable return on investment to school boards,” said Ewan Pritchard, P.E., Advanced Energy’s hybrid program manager.

The initial powertrain for the hybrid school bus will couple an International® VT365 V8 diesel engine with the 25/80-kilowatt hybrid-electric powertrain, incorporating a transmission, batteries and an electric motor. The system is based on a parallel architecture, allowing the system to utilize both diesel and electric power in a highly efficient manner.

“Enova’s unique Post Transmission System offers a non-invasive solution to enter the hybrid vehicle market in either the retrofit or new vehicle segment,” said Mike Staran, Enova’s Executive Vice President. “The system is comprised of a proprietary AC induction electric motor, controller and energy management system and is designed and engineered as a total production ready solution.”

The hybrid school buses are also outfitted with a proprietary GPS system called AWARETM Vehicle Intelligence that allows school officials to track the exact location and performance of the school bus via a password-protected site on the Internet.

“IC Corporation’s hybrid school bus revolutionizes the school bus industry,” said Michael Cancelliere, vice president and general manager of IC Corporation. “Improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions helps school districts and the environment. IC Corporation is committed to environmental leadership and delivering value to our customers.”

Later this, year other school districts around the country will be receiving the remaining 17 IC Corporation hybrid school buses awarded in Advanced Energy’s bid.

SOURCE: WebWire

 

[Rich Parsons]

Hydrogen/Fuel Cell News about the GM Sequal

AWARDS/HONORS
NATIONAL HYDROGEN ASSOCIATION RECOGNIZES GM .... GM recently received the Special Member Award for the development of the Chevrolet Sequel, which was unveiled in September 2006. The award was given during the National Hydrogen Association (NHA) Annual Hydrogen Conference, held in San Antonio, Texas. The NHA presents awards each year to those who have helped further the development of the hydrogen industry.

The Sequel is a technologically advanced automobile with a hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system and a broad menu of advanced technologies. It has an unprecedented range of 300 miles between fill-ups and spirited acceleration, attaining 60 mph in 10 seconds. GM has also announced plans for the largest market test of fuel cell vehicles in the world.

"Project Driveway" will entail the loan of 100 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles to everyday drivers, celebrities, and other dignitaries to gauge interest, consumer reaction, and vehicle performance. To date, GM has invested $1 billion into R&D surrounding hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and aims to design and validate a fuel cell propulsion system by 2010 that is competitive with current combustion systems on durability and performance, and that ultimately can be built at scale affordably.

 

[Rich Parsons]

Toyota in the news

NEW ADDITION TO TOYOTA BOARD .... The Detroit News reported that Toyota Motor Corp. named a non-Japanese to its board of directors for the first time on Thursday, appointing American James Press, the president of the automaker's North American operations, amid growing fears of a political backlash for its booming U.S. sales.
The move is the latest step in Toyota's efforts to bolster its international standing. It also comes at a time when Toyota is boosting sales in North America, grabbing market share away from Detroit automakers.
Press has been president of Toyota Motor North America Inc. since May 2006, and has been responsible for overseeing Toyota's tremendous growth in the U.S. He was president of Toyota Motor Sales since 2005. Press, also promoted to senior managing director from managing officer, joined Toyota Motor Sales in the U.S. in 1970, after two years at Ford Motor Co.

 

[Rich Parsons]

Battery Technology is the key to the near and long term implementations of hybrid and other technologies.

In Quest for Better Battery, Keep an Ion Nationalism
The Wall Street Journal
By Norihiko Shirouzu
April 13, 2007
In 2005, General Motors Corp. executives – blue over their company's less-than-green reputation and envious of eco-darling Toyota Prius – began searching the world for advanced batteries they hoped would power a new generation of gas-electric hybrid cars.
Most roads led them to Japan, the leader in battery technology and Toyota Motor Corp.'s home turf. Several GM engineers and executives describe their experience at Panasonic EV Energy Co. Ltd., one of the top makers of hybrid-car batteries, as typical of the reception they received there: When GM team members asked for detailed information about the company's most sophisticated automotive lithium-ion batteries, Panasonic EV refused.
A Panasonic EV spokesman says that as a matter of company policy it only discloses that kind of information to its parent company, Toyota.
The car business may have gone global, but the rush to develop new technology to reliably and inexpensively electrify 21st-century cars has rekindled some 20th-century-style economic nationalism. Facing growing pressure to curtail greenhouse-gas emissions, U.S. automakers are increasingly worried that the critical battery technology they'll need to compete is getting locked up by Japanese rivals who moved more quickly to develop gas-electric hybrid vehicles.
"It's important to have the knowledge base on advanced automotive battery technology and manufacturing capacity right here locally in the U.S. " says Beth Lowery, GM vice president of Environment and Energy.
So now, GM, which sells more than half its vehicles outside the U.S. and has an aggressive strategy to shift more purchasing and engineering to Asia, is talking up the importance of an American solution to the problem of building longer-lasting, more-reliable, less-costly automotive batteries, and looking for help from the federal government to subsidize those efforts.
One beneficiary of this battery war is a small Watertown, Mass., start-up called A123 Systems, which has developed a small pack of lithium-ion batteries that can be retrofitted into the spare-tire well of a Toyota Prius. The batteries turn the Prius into a "plug-in hybrid," which can be recharged through an electrical outlet and run almost exclusively on electricity in the first 40 miles of driving. During a test drive around Watertown, near Boston, there is nothing noticeably different about how the converted black Prius drives, except for a screen in the center of the car's dashboard that flashes its eye-popping fuel economy, sometimes 100 miles to the gallon and at other points 150 miles to the gallon.
This is the kind of technology GM wants to use, to develop, among other future vehicles, a Saturn Vue Green Line plug-in hybrid SUV and a real-world version of the Chevrolet Volt show car the company has been promoting to demonstrate its seriousness about clean technology.
Nearly all hybrid vehicles sold today, including the Toyota Prius, are equipped with a less sophisticated kind of technology, nickel metal hydride batteries. But these batteries and the accompanying technology are heavy and expensive – adding $2,000 or more to the cost of a car. Moreover, nickel metal hydride battery systems can't power the car very far on electricity alone, which means the fuel savings are relatively modest, especially if the car is driven mainly at highway speeds.
Automakers are looking to lithium-ion batteries to take hybrid vehicles to the next level by allowing them to be recharged from the electrical grid, theoretically reducing total carbon emissions. The batteries would be able to pack more electricity in the same space and weight as the current generation, enabling them to power the vehicle for longer distances on electricity alone.
Toyota, considered the industry's hybrid leader, is looking to adopt lithium-ion technology in the redesigned Prius, due to be launched as early as the second half of 2008. Rivals, from GM to Honda Motor Co. to Ford Motor Co. to DaimlerChrysler AG, are fighting to match Toyota and are expected to come out with their own lithium-ion hybrids by the end of the decade.
As with many other technology wars – from computer operating systems to video recorders to music players – each of the combatants wants to be the winner that sets the industry standard, giving it an edge as the market moves from old technology to new. The key will be finding the chemical recipe that makes lithium-ion technology safe, durable and reliable enough to power cars under a wide range of road and temperature conditions without breaking down.
"There's a global economic challenge for our competitiveness" with lithium-ion batteries, said Alexander Karsner, assistant secretary of energy efficiency and renewable energy of the U.S. Department of Energy. He believes it's critical for the government and the private sector to invest in the technology because U.S. companies are falling behind Japanese rivals in commercializing high-powered, lightweight automotive batteries.
The U.S. Department of Energy, in collaboration with the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium, which is made up of Detroit 's three automakers, last year awarded A123 a $15 million contract to develop its version of lithium-ion technology for hybrid-electric vehicle applications. In addition to the A123 contract, the Energy Department has requested $41 million this year to continue advanced battery research. There are also broad energy programs under which that could provide loan guarantees to battery companies.
Meanwhile, in Japan, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry last year moved to consolidate various state-sponsored battery projects into a single national battery project with a focus on automotive use and a first-year budget of 4.9 billion yen ($42 million).
Haruhiko Ando, the Japanese trade ministry official who spearheaded the move, believes the global leadership positions of Sanyo Electric Co. and Panasonic EV in advanced automotive battery technology happened in part because of Japan 's long-standing strategy to make batteries a top research priority.
" Detroit is belatedly realizing the true importance of having an edge in electrification of vehicles," Mr. Ando said.
South Korea, China and the European Union also have government-supported advanced battery projects, according to U.S. and Japanese government officials and documents. And a joint venture between Johnson Controls and French battery cell producer SAFT, a €560 million ($751.9 million) a year maker of batteries for industrial and electronics uses, also is vying to supply GM.
A123 was founded in 2002 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Yet-Ming Chiang, former American Superconductor executive Bart Riley and entrepreneur Ric Fulop. The company, which has 250 workers compared with about 1,000 at Panasonic EV, has raised $100 million in capital from investors, including Sequoia Capital, a Menlo Park, Calif., venture capital firm, and General Electric Co.'s commercial-finance unit. It already has more than $150 million of orders for its breed of lithium-ion batteries, which Black & Decker Corp. now uses in its popular power tools.
"We feel pretty good about the company, as well as a few others in the market today," says Joe LoGrasso, engineer group manager of GM's hybrid energy storage systems, of A123.
Prof. Chiang says "a key differentiator" for A123's technology is a design that makes it less likely the batteries will overheat and catch on fire – a problem that has bedeviled computer makers and a concern if an automaker tries to apply lithium-ion battery technology to vehicles.
While blessed with strong private backing and the benefit of Prof. Chiang's technology, A123 Chief Executive David Vieau believes the company couldn't have accomplished the progress it has made without financial assistance from the U.S. government.
"Every bit of government assistance helps," Mr. Vieau says.

 

[Rich Parsons]

UAW looking to add Toyota to their membership

UAW Leaders Seek Strength at Toyota
Detroit Free Press

By Joe Guy Collier

April 13, 2007

UAW leaders said Thursday the union would be strengthened if it were able to add Toyota Motor Corp. employees.

The union held a town hall meeting for Toyota workers in late March in Lexington , Ky. , a short drive from the Japanese automaker's flagship Camry plant in Georgetown , Ky.Toyota 's only unionized plant is a joint venture with General Motors Corp. in California .

"Our union is based on the principle of bringing workers together to create a level playing field with employers, and the more workers who join, the stronger we are," UAW President Ron Gettelfinger and Vice President Jimmy Settles said Thursday in an online chat with members.

They also said the UAW is working to keep open an American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. plant in Buffalo , N.Y. The plant could close next March when the union's contract expires.

"We are aware that they plan to close the plant, however we are in negotiations in an attempt to have new work brought into the plant," Gettelfinger and Settles said. "We recognize this is a difficult challenge, but we are not giving up on this effort."

The UAW does not plan to provide concessions to American Axle before contract talks, they said. About 1,500 American Axle workers took early buyout or retirement packages in January in a cost-cutting effort.

 

[Rich Parsons]

An article about Toyota Recalls:

Roger Simmermaker is the author of How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism. He also writes "Buy American Mention of the Week"
---------------
Thunder on the Tundra: Toyota Trucks Ahead in 2007 Recalls

If you've merely done a moderate amount of Internet surfing or cracked open a newspaper lately - just about any newspaper - you've undoubtedly seen the news that Toyota has once again passed Ford in worldwide auto sales and may pass GM sometime this year.


But what you may not have seen is that Toyota has already passed both Ford and GM in a differ end category - automotive recalls.

Although we've barely passed mid-February, Toyota has already recalled! 533,417 vehicles this year in a mix that, according to www.AutoRecalls.us, includes Tundras Sequoias and Camry’s. That puts Toyota on track to recall more than the over 1.76 million autos they recalled in the U.S. and Japan in 2006, and the 2.2 million they recalled in 2005 when they recalled more cars than they built.

What's more, the current recall related to the Turdra trucks and Sequioa SUVs is similar to the same defect in 800,000 of the same vehicles in 2005.
Maybe somebody at Toyota isn't paying attention?

Hopefully the American consumers are. Recall numbers by domestic companies (GM and Ford) so far this year are as follows: Ford, 128,163; Chevrolet, 4,829; and Pontiac, 1,602. Chrysler - a German company masquerading as an American company with plans to start importing cars from China in 2008 - has recalled 77,432 vehicles so far in 2007.

To be sure, high recall numbers are not good. Auto companies would much rather prefer high sales numbers instead. As I've already mentioned, the media is abuzz that GM may lose its crown this year to Toyota in worldwide auto sales. But for that to ever happen in the U.S. sales category, it's going to take several more years since GM has a U.S. market share of 24.3 % compared to 15.4% for Toyota. Even Ford, despite their recent troubles, has a higher domestic market share than Toyota at 17.5%.

But if GM loses their worldwide crown this year, it may actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Here's why:

First, GM spent 17% less per vehicle this January compared to last January, which means they are more profitable on a per-unit basis. In fact, GM expects to report a profit for the most recent quarter.

Second, it may be good for GM to step aside temporarily, for now, and let Toyota take all the ammunition that is always aimed at the top dog of the industry so there is less pressure and fewer distractions. And when GM combines their more-solid profitability and their improved quality together, their public perception will also improve.

Then they can use these admirable qualities to prepare to surge back on top at the precise time Toyota is in the top slot with their recall surge in the news. Toyota's timing at being number one worldwide would create further skepticism about whether they really deserve their reputation for untarnished quality.

According to Business Week's January 22, 2007 issue, Toyota has recalled 9.3 million vehicles in the last three years, which is nearly four times the number of recalls in the three year period prior to 2004.

Other recent news that won't sit well with a Camry-conscious public is the class-action lawsuit recently settled by Toyota regarding ruinous oil sludge buildup
covering 3.5 million Toyota and Lexus (yes, Lexus) vehicles.

Optimistic statements by Toyota executives aren't going to cut it for long - part icularly when they don't match well with reality. Denia l in the Camry-company camp seems to be setting in. Toyota's North American president Jim Press recently disputed the suggestion that his company no longer enjoys a large lead in reliability over the American competition. Speculating on the thoughts of American car company well-wishers while speaking at the recent Chicago Auto Show,
Press said "I think there's some hope that the gap in quality is closing, but it really isn't."
Oh, really? That's a pretty strong comment considering Toyota recalled 1.27 million vehicles in one swoop in 2005, recording the biggest-ever recall in history for a Japanese car company.

But, recalls notwithstanding, the evidence that the quality gap is closing is pretty indisputable, and the evidence has been piling up for more than just the last couple of years. With the following facts, you can make your argument for American car quality fully bulletproof - ev en among your most ardent foreign car-defending friends.

* A February 10, 2003 Business Week told of how undeniable it was that GM cars are better built than they used to be. The article cited an improved J.D. Power quality ranking and a Consumer Reports recommendation for 13 of GM's vehicles (equal to 41% of their sales volume) compared to just five recommended GM vehicles for the previous y ear. The Chevy Impala beat the Camry in a quality survey, and Buick beat BMW.

* Business Week also reported September 23, 2003 that GM boosted its productivity 23% in six years while Toyota's productivity remained flat, and that GM's most-productive factories now beat Toyota's most-productive factories.

* A 2004 Consumer Reports ranking selected the Buick Regal as the most reliable among family sedans, beating the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Nissan Maxima. They also gave recommended ratings for four Ford m odels, including the Ford Focus.

* J.D. Power and Associates awarded Cadillac's LansingGrand River assembly center its highest honor - the Gold Plant Quality Award - in 2004.

* An August 4, 2004 Wall Street Journal article said Toyota's lead in quality and reliability has narrowed in some segments and disappeared in others. Quality problems were reportedly "mushrooming."

* The < /FONT>Toyota Camry hasn't been awarded the best in its segment since the year 2000, but many Americans continue to regard it as the number one model in terms of quality. Toyota's Kentucky Camry plant was awarded with high initial quality rankings by J.D. Power from the late 1980s through the 1990s, but it plummeted to number 26 in 2002, improving to only number 14 in 2004, while two GM factories and one Ford factory took the top three spots that year.

* In a J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey of new 2004 cars, Chevy placed second behind Honda and Toyota< FONT face=Arial color=red size=2> sank to number three.

* As far back as at least 2003, Business Week has reported that American consumers regard certain foreign cars as better built than American cars, even when facts prove otherwise.

* Fast-forwarding to 2006, J.D. Power shows Mercury, Buick and Cadillac beat Toyota in a list of dependable cars. Two Buicks and a Mercury took the top three midsize car awards; Mercury, Ford and Buick took the top three large car awards; Ford took the midsize van award and the midsize truck award; and GMC and Cadillac took the large MAV (multi-purpose activity vehicle) and large premium MAV awards, respectively.

* In an article about trust issues, Business Week's December 11, 2006 issue stated "GM's quality nearly equals Toyota's." Perceived quality among the American public is another story, however. The difference between the actual quality of American cars and the perceived quality of Ame rican cars is the "perception gap."

* In the same article, J.D. Power's director for retail research said "Actual quality is so close." discussing the quality ran kings of GMC, Chevrolet and Cadillac placing them on par with both Honda and Toyota.

* And most recently, of course, the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan beat the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry according to Consumer Reports.
What's needed among automotive senior executives, and much of the media as well, is a return to intellectual honesty. Everyone tends to have their favorites and biases (mine are pretty obvious) but I pride myself in sticking with the facts to back up my comments.

When Toyotas North American president says that the quality gap isn't really closing, he's not being intellectually honest.
Some editorial writers aren't either. When Douglas Brinkley trumpeted Indiana's success in a Wall Street Journal article last year for attracting a Honda plant to their state - even though it took $ 140 million in tax credits and incentives - he wasn't what you would call "intellectually honest." In an apparent attempt to convince the reader that Honda doesn't send any automobiles to the U.S. from outside the country, he said the
following: "Turning farm fields into factories, that's what Henry Ford used to do. Today, in the heartland, it's being done by Honda - a company that doesn't manufacture imports but builds American-made cars."

Such statements lead the reader to think that some Japanese companies make all of their cars in the USA. Hardly. In fact, according to a January 8,
2007 Wall Street Journal article, the NAP ratio - a ratio that compares how many cars are built in North America vs. the number of cars imported - is slippin g for Toyota. And according to Toyota internal documentation, the ratio is going to worsen next year.

Occasionally I'll find an editorial writer that dares to step away from the foreign biases of others in the same industry and rate cars objectively, rather than relying on the mindset of the question "will American cars ever match the Japanese cars in quality?"

Editorial Director for Consumer Guide Automotive Mark B ilek departed from the typical mindset of his colleagues back in June of 2005 by declaring that the Ford Five Hundred was the best car he'd ever driven.

That's good news for Ford, since the Five Hundred is being renamed the Taurus and will get several more second-looks because of the Taurus' higher name recognition. Billek said he judged the Five Hundred based on "what it is" and how well it "fulfills its mission." Based on this, his opinion was that the Five Hundred was "simply the best full-size sedan sold in America."

I am confident, however, that people like Toyota's Jim Press can be somewhat honest in their statements about the competition from time to time. He did say that the "car of the show" at the Detroit Auto Show in January was, for him, none other than the Chevy Malibu. Maybe there's hope for intellectual honesty after all.

Roger Simmermaker is the author of How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism. He also writes "Buy American Mention of the Week"

 

[Rich Parsons]

Why do we as a culture want Hybrids?

Is it for the cost of Oil?

Is it for the Air Quality?

Is it for Global Warming?

warming
In the next 24 hours, deforestation will release as much CO2 into the atmosphere as 8 million people flying from London to New York. Stopping the loggers is the fastest and cheapest solution to climate change. So why are global leaders turning a blind eye to this crisis?
By Daniel Howden
Published: 14 May 2007

The accelerating destruction of the rainforests that form a precious cooling band around the Earth's equator, is now being recognised as one of the main causes of climate change. Carbon emissions from deforestation far outstrip damage caused by planes and automobiles and factories.

The rampant slashing and burning of tropical forests is second only to the energy sector as a source of greenhouses gases according to report published today by the Oxford-based Global Canopy Programme, an alliance of leading rainforest scientists.

Figures from the GCP, summarising the latest findings from the United Nations, and building on estimates contained in the Stern Report, show deforestation accounts for up to 25 per cent of global emissions of heat-trapping gases, while transport and industry account for 14 per cent each; and aviation makes up only 3 per cent of the total.

"Tropical forests are the elephant in the living room of climate change," said Andrew Mitchell, the head of the GCP.

Scientists say one days' deforestation is equivalent to the carbon footprint of eight million people flying to New York. Reducing those catastrophic emissions can be achieved most quickly and most cheaply by halting the destruction in Brazil, Indonesia, the Congo and elsewhere.

No new technology is needed, says the GCP, just the political will and a system of enforcement and incentives that makes the trees worth more to governments and individuals standing than felled. "The focus on technological fixes for the emissions of rich nations while giving no incentive to poorer nations to stop burning the standing forest means we are putting the cart before the horse," said Mr Mitchell.

Most people think of forests only in terms of the CO2 they absorb. The rainforests of the Amazon, the Congo basin and Indonesia are thought of as the lungs of the planet. But the destruction of those forests will in the next four years alone, in the words of Sir Nicholas Stern, pump more CO2 into the atmosphere than every flight in the history of aviation to at least 2025.

Indonesia became the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world last week. Following close behind is Brazil. Neither nation has heavy industry on a comparable scale with the EU, India or Russia and yet they comfortably outstrip all other countries, except the United States and China.

What both countries do have in common is tropical forest that is being cut and burned with staggering swiftness. Smoke stacks visible from space climb into the sky above both countries, while satellite images capture similar destruction from the Congo basin, across the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo.

According to the latest audited figures from 2003, two billion tons of CO2 enters the atmosphere every year from deforestation. That destruction amounts to 50 million acres - or an area the size of England, Wales and Scotland felled annually.

The remaining standing forest is calculated to contain 1,000 billion tons of carbon, or double what is already in the atmosphere.

As the GCP's report concludes: "If we lose forests, we lose the fight against climate change."

Standing forest was not included in the original Kyoto protocols and stands outside the carbon markets that the report from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) pointed to this month as the best hope for halting catastrophic warming.

The landmark Stern Report last year, and the influential McKinsey Report in January agreed that forests offer the "single largest opportunity for cost-effective and immediate reductions of carbon emissions".

International demand has driven intensive agriculture, logging and ranching that has proved an inexorable force for deforestation; conservation has been no match for commerce. The leading rainforest scientists are now calling for the immediate inclusion of standing forests in internationally regulated carbon markets that could provide cash incentives to halt this disastrous process.

Forestry experts and policy makers have been meeting in Bonn, Germany, this week to try to put deforestation on top of the agenda for the UN climate summit in Bali, Indonesia, this year. Papua New Guinea, among the world's poorest nations, last year declared it would have no choice but to continue deforestation unless it was given financial incentives to do otherwise.

Richer nations already recognise the value of uncultivated land. The EU offers €200 (£135) per hectare subsidies for "environmental services" to its farmers to leave their land unused.

And yet there is no agreement on placing a value on the vastly more valuable land in developing countries. More than 50 per cent of the life on Earth is in tropical forests, which cover less than 7 per cent of the planet's surface.

They generate the bulk of rainfall worldwide and act as a thermostat for the Earth. Forests are also home to 1.6 billion of the world's poorest people who rely on them for subsistence. However, forest experts say governments continue to pursue science fiction solutions to the coming climate catastrophe, preferring bio-fuel subsidies, carbon capture schemes and next-generation power stations.

Putting a price on the carbon these vital forests contain is the only way to slow their destruction. Hylton Philipson, a trustee of Rainforest Concern, explained: "In a world where we are witnessing a mounting clash between food security, energy security and environmental security - while there's money to be made from food and energy and no income to be derived from the standing forest, it's obvious that the forest will take the hit."

 

[Rich Parsons]

An article about the "Possible" Toyota Tundra Recall from this year:

POSSIBLE TOYOTA TUNDRA RECALL .... According to the Detroit News, Toyota Motor Corp. may recall Tundras equipped with 5.7-liter V-8s to replace the engines, after owners of its new Tundra pickup reported engine failures. The trouble with the Tundra's 5.7-liter engines, the most powerful engine available on the new pickup, is the latest in a series of recalls and problems that have dented Toyota's reputation.
The automaker set the industry standards for vehicle quality, but now seems to be straining to maintain top quality as it expands overseas, builds factories and hires thousands of new workers.
Toyota is now studying how many of the 30,000 5.7-liter engines it built are affected.

 

[Rich Parsons]

Plug-ins are the next stage or what many believe to be the next stage for Hybrids.

Google Plugs In To Hybrid Car Development with $10 Million
USA Today

By James R. Healey

June 19, 2007

Internet search giant Google hopes to speed the development of plug-in hybrid cars by giving away millions of dollars to people and companies that have what appear to be practical ways to get plug-ins to market faster.

But the money, announced Monday afternoon at Google headquarters in Mountain Valley, Calif., totals just $1 million so far with another $10 million pledged, which might not be enough to move the needle.

Auto development is crushingly expensive, especially when it involves the kind of advanced battery and powertrain technology used in plug-in hybrids.

Though automakers are tight-lipped about what they spend, bringing a plug-in hybrid to market could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

"Google is not going to get into the business of building and selling hybrid electrics. Our focus is on accelerating their developing through research, testing and investment," says Google.org's Dan Reicher, who was assistant energy secretary under former President Bill Clinton. Google.org is the philanthropic arm of Google.com.

General Motors is the only major automaker that has announced specific plans to market plug-in vehicles, as soon as 2010.

"We applaud them for the investment in plug-in hybrid vehicle technologies," says Brian Corbett, GM's hybrid powertrain spokesman. "Every little bit helps."

The federal government plans to spend $28 million on plug-in component research in fiscal 2008, he notes.

Plug-in hybrids have bigger-capacity batteries than regular gasoline-electric hybrids, so they can go farther using the battery-powered electric motor before they need to switch on the gasoline engine for more power or to recharge the batteries. Plug-ins, as the name implies, can be recharged by plugging them into normal household current, thus trimming even more the need for the internal-combustion engine.

"For plug-ins, which is everybody's goal right now, only lithium-ion batteries will work," because they are smaller and lighter than today's nickel metal hydride hybrid batteries, says Mary Ann Wright, CEO of Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions (JCS). "A plug-in with a 20- or 30- or 40-mile range, you're going to have your whole vehicle filled with nickel metal hydride," she says, making those impractical.

Lithium-ion battery packs have their own issues, beyond being costly. In sizes big enough for automotive uses, they generate considerable heat and require special cooling. And all cells in the battery pack have to be operating identically or fail-safe systems shut down the battery pack.

Nevertheless, "the technology is ready," and needs only a commitment from an automaker to use significant numbers of lithium-ion batteries, says Wright, who was in charge of the Escape hybrid program at Ford Motor before the JCS position.

JCS is a joint venture between U.S. component supplier Johnson Controls and French battery maker Saft. GM has contracted with JCS to develop lithium-ion for GM's Saturn Vue Greenline SUV, a plug-in that would go about 10 miles solely on battery power before the internal-combustion engine kicked in.

GM says the modest electric range is because Vue is an SUV, which weighs more than a regular vehicle and has to be able to carry heavier loads.

Other automakers are researching plug-in hybrids, and some individuals and companies are modifying hybrids into plug-in vehicles. Google says it has a small fleet of Toyota Prius and Ford Escape hybrids modified into plug-ins, and is recording 71miles per gallon, vs. 41 mpg from its ordinary Prius hybrids.

Even though other car companies haven't announced plug-in plans, "There is a lot going on behind the scenes," Reicher asserts. "I would wager that three or four years from now we'll be looking at commercialization of these vehicles."

He acknowledges, however, that "there's no doubt there are challenges getting to large-scale commercialization of plug-in hybrids. This is quite a do-able step, but we're not there yet. I can't sit here today and tell you it's going to happen."

Google's timing is fortuitous. Congress is discussing ways to boost fuel economy. And gasoline still averages more than $3 a gallon in the U.S., high enough that Americans have been cheering efforts to cut fuel consumption.

The future, according to Google:

• Plug-in hybrids mass produced by major automakers.

• Fuel tanks filled not with gasoline but with bio-fuels, such as ethanol, for the internal-combustion engines to use when necessary.

• Solar carports, where plug-ins could recharge from power generated by the sun.

• Vehicle-to-grid links. The growing number of plug-in hybrid owners could sell the power stored in their cars' batteries to utility companies using special hookups to the utilities' power grid. Google believes utilities would be happy to buy that juice instead of paying very high prices for additional electricity during peak demand, such as 100-degree days when customers are running their home air conditioning full blast.

Google.org announced six grants Monday of $100,000 to $200,000 each and totaling $1.05 million, to: advocate plug-ins, research vehicle-to-grid technology, promote federal policy that encourages plug-ins, educate people about plug-ins, promote research, design and development of plug-ins.

This summer, Google.org will publish on its website a request for proposals for another $10 million. The organization says it will "invest approximately $10 million in technologies and companies featuring plug-in hybrids, fully electric vehicles, vehicle-to-grid capabilities, batteries and other storage technologies, and the application of renewable energy and fuels to green vehicles."

 

[Rich Parsons]

Another Plug-in Article:

GM Plans Two Very Different Plug-In Electric Vehicles
USA Today

By James R. Healey

June 19, 2007

General Motors is working on two plug-in electric vehicles, but only one – the Saturn Vue Greenline SUV – is a hybrid.

The other plug-in, the Chevrolet Volt, is powered strictly via the electric motor, which draws its juice from on-board batteries.

Volt – still a concept and still under development – would carry a small internal combustion engine to recharge the batteries while underway, if needed, so you'd never need to worry about running down the batteries.

As envisioned, the engine would never power the car, only recharge the batteries.

Chevrolet hopes the Volt could get 40 miles on a charge, enough to handle between two-thirds and three-fourths of Americans' daily commutes, according to government data.

Vue, also still a concept but one GM has promised to manufacture, is a conventional hybrid.

It starts out using the electric motor, and could go up to 10 miles on electric power, GM says.

Then the gasoline engine would automatically start and provide more power as well as being able to recharge the batteries.