Hybrid Car And Vehicle News

German Carmaker Porsche to Develop Hybrid Version

Citing rising environmental concerns among car buyers, German luxury sports car-maker Porsche said Monday it's developing a hybrid drivetrain for its Cayenne SUV to drastically cut fuel consumption. In a statement issued at its headquarters in Stuttgart, Porsche said its aim was to achieve average fuel consumption of 8.9 liters (2.35 gallons) per 100 kilometers (62 miles). ...

Study Demonstrates Environmental Benefits of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

A comprehensive study conducted by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) shows that widespread use of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) can decrease both air pollution and greenhouse gasses. The study, which assessed the effect of increasing PHEVs in the U.S. fleet of light- and medium-duty vehicles from 2010 to 2050, was funded by FirstEnergy Corp. and more than a dozen utilities and organizations around the U.S. It was released today. ...

Mariner hybrid redeems Mercury

With smoke from nearby forest and brush fires clouding the International Speedway here, I retreated to my hotel room to breathe filtered air and write this confession. It is a simple matter: Ford is right, and I am wrong. It apparently makes perfect sense for Ford to hold on to its Mercury Division, the elimination of which I have advocated for several years. It makes even more sense for Mercury to target women in its product development and marketing strategies. ...

Japan's Toyota Motor says quake impacts output of 55,000 vehicles

Japan's Toyota Motor Corp said Monday production of around 55,000 vehicles has been affected as a result of a temporary shutdown in its operations in the wake of last week's powerful earthquake. Damage from the quake caused some parts suppliers, including Riken Corp to halt output of key engine components. ...

Best Hypermilers From Across America Compete in MPG Challenge - Top Drivers Achieve 60 to 168 MPG

Today at Hybridfest 2007, the nation’s largest hybrid car festival, 35 drivers competed in the second annual Hybridfest MPG Challenge, with the top drivers achieving 60 to 168 miles per gallon (MPG), over a 26-mile open course. Novice to expert hypermilers competed to achieve maximum fuel efficiency. Each driver’s goal was to achieve the best percentage over the EPA’s estimates for their vehicle, within their division. ...

Another reason to buy a hybrid car

Two environmental research groups estimate in a new study that widespread use of hybrid cars that plug into household outlets for recharging would equate to removing more than 80 million passenger cars from the nation's roads, reducing air pollution and saving oil. But while several automakers are experimenting with "plug-in" hybrids, technical hurdles remain to make them commercially-viable, especially producing an affordable battery. ...

Hybrid Highway

Rental car customers are willing to pay more green to drive "green." An overwhelming majority of respondents from a priceline.com survey say they want rental car companies to offer hybrid vehicles and almost half say they would be willing to pay a premium for their "green" rental. Rental car companies have taken note of this information and are rapidly expanding their fleets to include hybrid vehicles. ...

Hybrid electric vehicles help reduce greenhouse emissions: study

Greenhouse emissions will be greatly reduced if car owners switch to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, according to a new study released Thursday. The study looked at what would happen when plug-in hybrid electric vehicles -- which recharge from conventional electrical outlets and use gas tanks as a backup power source -- shift emissions from cars' tailpipes to utility grids. ...

Hall engineer is plugged in to go green

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. ...

Toyota: ‘08 Camry Hybrid $1,000 Cheaper Than ‘07

Toyota announced pricing on its 2008 Camry and Camry Hybrid 07Camrytoday. Both go on sale next month, with no significant changes from the 2007 versions of the bestseller. (New option packages are available.) ... The big news, Toyota says, is that the 2008 Camry Hybrid will be $1,000 less, with a starting price of $25,200. That’s down 3.7 percent, Toyota says, from the 2007 version. ...

Silicon Valley makes Prius No. 1

Toyota's Prius hybrid has become the bestselling car in Silicon Valley. Through May, 1,627 Prius registrations have been recorded in Santa Clara County, according to R.L. Polk. That puts the Prius ahead of Toyota's Camry and Corolla and Honda's Accord and Civic, all cars that outsell the high-mileage, gas-electric sedan nationwide. Locally, the Prius was No. 5 behind those models last year. ...

Plug-in hybrids seen as vehicles for change

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. ...

Short Drive: Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner Hybrid

The last 12 months could be described as the "Year of the Crossover." This begs the question: Why has Ford made its successful Escape and Mercury Mariner crossovers look more like SUVs? Vehicles that merge the practicality and proportions of sport-utility vehicles with sedan-like handling and fuel consumption have proven popular as car buyers hit by higher fuel costs seek out a compromise between utility and economy. ...

Are Used Hybrids a Pig in a Poke?

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? ...

Toyota to Obtain Permission for Public Road Test for Plug-in Prius in Japan

According to Asahi, a daily Japanese trade rag which we don't know how to read, Toyota will officially be asking for permission from Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport "for the testing of a prototype plug-in Prius on public roads." ...

Honda To Launch New Hybrid in 2009, Redo Fit This Fall

Honda lifted the veil on some of its future plans on Wednesday, confirming that it will "offer a new dedicated hybrid vehicle in 2009 at a price level lower than the Civic Hybrid." The Japanese automaker also said its Fit, which has reached cumulative worldwide sales of 2 million units as of June 30, will "undergo a full model change this fall." ...

2008 BMW X3 Hybrid

The BMW X3 compact SUV is now in it's fourth year of production and BMW has chosen the X3 to pilot the hybrid engine jointly developed with General Motors and Daimler Chrysler. With more competition emerging to snatch market share in the SUV market, fuel economy together with safety appear to be driving the market in both the US and Europe and BMW is looking to deliver both with the X3 Hybrid. ...

Hybrid lovers: The honeymoon may be over

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," ...

SDG&E Debuts Demonstration Project to Study Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) today unveiled San Diego's first state-of-the-art plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as part of a demonstration project to study the performance and potential of plug-in hybrids to improve gas mileage and reduce emissions. Plug-in hybrids recharge their batteries by plugging into a standard 110-volt outlet. Because the vehicles run in electric mode more often than standard hybrid cars, gas mileage is improved to more than twice that of today's best hybrids, up to 80 to 100 miles per gallon. ...

Hypermilers compete to see who can get best mileage

Jerad Parish is driving a very deliberate 22 miles per hour south on John Nolen Drive where the speed limit is 35. Cars zoom past his black Toyota Prius hybrid on both sides before he switches lanes as he approaches a stoplight. He's driving slow enough that he doesn't have to brake as he makes a right turn onto Rimrock Road. He keeps the air conditioning off and on this July afternoon, his T-shirt clings to him with perspiration. The car's thermometer reads 86. But according to a dashboard computer that displays his fuel consumption, Parish is averaging almost 80 miles per gallon for the trip ... ...