Hall engineer is plugged in to go green Posted 2007-07-22 21:13:25 tags: EditorialPlug-In(suggest tag) For many motorists, 75 cents and 100 miles per gallon of gasoline would be a dream. For Oakwood resident Alan Shedd, it's a reality. For nearly six months, Shedd, an engineer with Jackson Electric Membership Corp., has been testing his company's plug-in hybrid electric Toyota Prius, one of the first of its kind. As part of a two-year research project, sponsored by Cooperative Research Network, Shedd and a team of engineers converted a hybrid Toyota Prius into a plug-in, gasoline-electric hybrid.
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Plug-in hybrids seen as vehicles for change Posted 2007-07-20 09:39:50 tags: EditorialPlug-In(suggest tag) The widespread use of plug-in hybrid vehicles — which could be driven up to 40 miles on electric power alone — would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States without overloading the nation's power grid, according to a new study. The upbeat news for plug-ins, seen by many as the next big step in environmentally friendly automotive technology, came with two caveats. Achieving the maximum air quality improvements would require a significant cut in the pollution produced by electric utilities. ... Read the article(report dead link) :: Permalink :: View blog reactions
Are Used Hybrids a Pig in a Poke? Posted 2007-07-20 09:34:24 tags: ToyotaEditorialBatteries(suggest tag) The cost of gasoline along with a sincere desire to drive an environmentally friendly car is leading many young consumers to the used car lot in search of a hybrid. At the same time, the people who bought the first hybrids like the Prius are trading in the green machines for new hybrids. So is buying a used hybrid like buying a pig in a poke? ... Read the article(report dead link) :: Permalink :: View blog reactions
Hybrid lovers: The honeymoon may be over Posted 2007-07-19 08:54:48 tags: EditorialStudy(suggest tag) The percentage of car shoppers considering hybrid vehicles has declined in the past year, according to a survey released Tuesday by J.D. Power and Associates. Fifty percent of new vehicle shoppers surveyed said they are considering a gasoline/hybrid electric vehicle. That's down from 57 percent last year. "In the 2006 study, we found consumers often overestimated the fuel efficiency of hybrid-electric vehicles, and the decrease in consideration of hybrids in 2007 may be a result of their more realistic understanding of the actual fuel economy capabilities," ... Read the article(report dead link) :: Permalink :: View blog reactions
Running out of gas? Posted 2007-07-19 08:44:04 tags: EditorialBusiness(suggest tag) Susan Gillott's new car is a quiet ride. As she puts the vehicle in gear, it whirs to life like a golf cart. The noise — if you can call it that — is barely audible on city roads. It's not until Gillott gets onto the highway and has the need for speed that the new Toyota Prius revs its gas engine and acts a bit more like an automobile. This week, Gillott traded in her big blue GMC Envoy for her little silver hybrid — a smart car that runs on both electricity and gasoline — and joined the thousands of Americans who have gone green. ... Read the article(report dead link) :: Permalink :: View blog reactions
The Hybrid Dilemma Posted 2007-07-17 10:26:19 tags: ToyotaEditorial(suggest tag) Toyota's Hybrid Prius is a big success. In June, the company sold 17,756 of these cars, bringing sales to 94,503 units for the first half of the year. The Prius is a winner; but that's not the case for Toyota's other hybrids. Prius accounts for two-thirds of Toyota's sales volume in hybrids, even though the company makes five other hybrid vehicles, three of which it sells under its luxury Lexus brand. ... Read the article(report dead link) :: Permalink :: View blog reactions
Hybrid taxi paid for itself in no time Posted 2007-07-13 13:18:55 tags: ToyotaEditorialSavingsTaxi(suggest tag) The world's first Toyota Prius cab driver is sold on hybrid technology, which allows his vehicle to run on either a gasoline or electric motor, or both in tandem. Vancouver's Andrew Grant says his 2004 Prius paid for itself in less than 24 months through savings on parts, service, labour and fuel. Few, if any, other hybrid drivers could say the same thing, but that's due to the fact that Mr. Grant and his partner keep their Yellow Cab on the road for 22 to 24 hours a day, and average 160,000 kilometres a year. ... Read the article(report dead link) :: Permalink :: View blog reactions
Hybrid-cab drivers see incentives fuelling more green vehicles Posted 2007-07-12 17:31:16 tags: EditorialTaxiPerks(suggest tag) Large dollops of taxpayer dollars would put more hybrid taxis on Alberta's roads, some cab drivers say. The province is one of five that doesn't offer a rebate to people who purchase hybrid vehicles. If it did, more taxi drivers would choose a hybrid vehicle, said Harphool Mundi, one of about seven Co-op Taxi drivers that own a hybrid. ... Read the article(report dead link) :: Permalink :: View blog reactions
Hybrid heavy-duty trucks can dent energy needs Posted 2007-07-12 17:30:23 tags: EditorialTruck(suggest tag) Hybrid-drive passenger cars like the Toyota Prius have captured the imagination of American drivers, reflecting society's increased focus on energy security and environmental protection. But if you think the 3,000-pound Prius is impressive, imagine a hybrid system that delivers the same kind of fuel savings and reduced emissions, but can move a 64,000-pound Mack truck from a dead stop, dozens of times a day, under electric power. ... Read the article(report dead link) :: Permalink :: View blog reactions
Travelling a greener road Posted 2007-07-08 08:52:23 tags: EditorialEfficiency(suggest tag) Eddie and Margaret Chengiah bought their first hybrid car, a Toyota Prius, in 2002. They liked it so much, they traded it for a 2004 model with more options, including navigation. "Our first Prius was so quiet and responsive, we just took to it," he says. In November, the Newport News residents became a two-hybrid-car couple, purchasing a Camry version. ... Read the article(report dead link) :: Permalink :: View blog reactions
Hybrid credits available Posted 2007-07-08 08:50:24 tags: EditorialPerks(suggest tag) If you're still debating the merits of a hybrid, you should know that yes, you can still get federal money when you buy something hybrid and fuel-efficient. But if you're looking at a Toyota, you might not get as much as you've heard. And soon, you won't get a dime. How does it work? You used to get a tax deduction when you bought a hybrid. Then the Energy Policy Act of 2005 offered up the more valuable credit -- which reduces, dollar for dollar, the amount of tax you have to pay (or increases your refund). ... Read the article(report dead link) :: Permalink :: View blog reactions
Series Hybrid Signifies Electricfying Changes Posted 2007-07-03 17:27:06 tags: EditorialPlug-InBlog(suggest tag) At a recent electric drive conference in Brussels1, a display included a Toyota illustration of how a plug-in hybrid combines the advantages of BEV and HEV. A plug-in hybrid shares the advantage of a Battery-powered all-Electric Vehicles in that it has a more efficient, electric drive and, as a grid-able vehicle, it can use an infrastructure that exists throughout all developed countries, and increasing the power comes from renewable resources. ... Read the article(report dead link) :: Permalink :: View blog reactions
