Honda: Proof that plug-in vehicles are a gimmick?
Honda just not worried about CAFE?When it comes to CAFE and NHTSA fuel economy regulations, one automaker is always absent from the discussion, Honda. Interestingly, in this time of high gas prices and super sluggish auto sales, Honda sales keep on rolling. Sure, Honda doesn't have the hybrid cars, yet, to match Toyota, but Honda's overall fleet is far more fuel efficient than Toyota, and CAFE seems of little concern.
Thus, it's very interesting that Honda is not aggressively pursuing either plug-in hybrid vehicles or electric vehicles. Instead, Honda believes cheap hybrid cars are the best short-to-midterm solution, followed by fuel cell vehicles, such as the Honda Clarity.
Even more ironic, however, one might think Toyota and GM would be less concerned over CAFE if they are so bullish on plug-ins - vehicles which should significantly help balance their fleet fuel economy. Hence, one can only assume that neither Toyota nor GM believe that plug-ins will be a major component of their fleet fuel economy for many, many years.
Certainly, there is no doubt that America will see a number of plug-in vehicles by 2010, but when will we see them in numbers that matter? Are plug-in vehicles before 2015, even 2020, more of a niche, PR-gimmick to distract Americans from the reality that automakers are failing us as consumers on fuel efficiency, foreign oil dependency and global warming?
Labels: electric cars, fuel economy, Hybrid Vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles
posted by Dahcredyns at
8:51 AM
15 Comments:
thank god for companies like tesla!
tesla still has a lot to prove, but i really admire their tenacity and moxie. there is no doubt that tesla influenced bob lutz on the Volt. personally, i think tesla's biggest mistake was martin eberhard, whom just didn't have the right management style, and the company WAY over-promised and WAY under-delivered under his leadership.
nonetheless, if not tesla, it might be a small company that does what big automakers cannot because a startup isn't nearly as afraid of failure.
personally, i'd love to see tesla start pumping out a few hundred thousand evs per year, but i wonder how long - if everything went perfectly - it would take tesla to ramp up to such production capabilities.
The reason why Honda's sales are so good right now is more of an indication of how poor and pathetic the rest of the auto industry products are in terms of efficiency and fuel mileage.
I mean seriously....when most Americans are douche-bagging around in 10-15 MPG pieces of crap and racing each other from light to light, 30 MPG Honda's are a God-send.
A "neighbour" of mine recently unloaded a Hemi Dodge pick up which his wife drove to and from work EVERYDAY for 2-3 hours each day. Their fuel bill has been over $800-900 a month.
With a $440 monthly payment and adding insurance, they were spending $1400 a month to get her ass back and forth to work in a truck that had a HUGE bed and nothing but her in the car. Is that retarded? Only in America.
She is now pregnant so what do they do? Well..he figured out that buying a Ford Edge that gets 17-20 MPG instead of 9-14 MPG was a better choice. Their fuel bill is halved pretty much but their payment is $660 a month with no money down. Overall he's spending less but does that make sense?
But you see my point...it's all relative...Honda's..as not so efficient as they should be...are still far more efficient than most other cars because other cars are so freaking bad.
It really blows my mind how pathetically off course the auto industry has gone. Instead of super light, super efficient technology, we've gone backwards in time and more cars on the road today, particularly SUVs, are nothing but scaled up Model Ts.
And all that energy, precious resources, and environmental damage caused for what?
I don't disagree at all Noz. The ability for automakers to quickly capitalize on innovation is pathetic. Thus, I'd argue that you are making my point. They all suck, its just that Honda seems the suckiest.
Still, I think it demonstrates that waiting for the EV to save the world is going to take a long time. Automakers just aren't there.
Thus, if by 2012, GM could sell 1,000,000 40 mpg hybrid Malibus or 60,000 Volts, I'd take the 1,000,000 40 mpg Malibu hybrids and delay the Volt a couple of years. Focusing on 60,000 Volts is a far easier task than committing to 1,000,000 40 mpg Malibu hybrids.
I want the most bang for the buck as quickly as possible and I don't want the Volt, for example, to be as distraction to that end. Yes, I have defended and believed in the Volt since its debut, but not at the expense of cheaper, more mass-produce-able hybrids.
The Volt is absolutely worth pursuing, but is not nearly enough by a long shot. EVs or PHEVs aren't going to change the world in 2010, 2011, or even 2015. That's just a fact. Along the way, however, today's hybrid cars, if made cheaper, could have a huge collective impact on foreign oil dependency and global warming as the industry ramps up to EVs.
The problem is that automakers are applying old ways to new technology.
We need to see changes in how cars are perceived. Not just how they are run and operate.
If we maintain the current concept of cars, let's not even bother trying to change a thing...because having these heavy turds of metal running around is completely and utterly pointless.
Of course, the usual suspects who love cars and think they are God's gift to technological achievements would say that we need cars to be so heavy, so large to be safe. Yes that's true...if you want to protect yourself from idiots in Infiniti G's and BMW 3's doing 60-80 MPH from light to light on public streets.
But is it logical to have vehicles that weigh at least 20 times the item they are carrying? Isn't that absolutely retarded?
"absolutely" - I concur.
We can all blame the automakers but the truth of the matter is thaat there needs to be a mindset shift from hell bent consumerism to one of being caretakers of the environment and economizers of our natural resources for the good of the generations to come. It's not "all about me". It's "all about us, our resources and environment". I get tired of the finger pointing at the nebulous big corporations. After all, the big corporations are made up of people who are just a self centered as each one of us.
I largely agree with you.
Still, 10 percent of the US population owns 90 percent of all US wealth. The top 1 percent owns a significant percent of that 90 percent.
That top 10 percent is the real investor class. They own everything. They own corporations and for decades they've made decisions based upon one criteria: shareholder value, which translates into how much money did I make. Thus, for decades, the environment, human rights and human safety have meant little to the corporations. Lest, we forget, beancounting was invented as a form of risk tolerance that again values money over human life.
So, I beg to differ when you say that those running corporations are no different than the average person. We might both be self-centered, but they still have all the power, and since they have all the power, they definitely deserve blame.
Ford Focus ECOnetic 1.6 TDCi Urban Fuel 50.4 mpg Extra Urban 78.3 mpg Combined 65.6 mpg - Range 765 miles - Available in UK
http://www.opel-europe.com/agila2008/
www.opel.com is operated by General Motors Europe
The new Opel mini-monocab bears balanced proportions, soft curves and a distinctive side graphic. Its passengers still sit high and upright, but the roofline has been dynamically lowered and blends into a smooth arc toward the rear. This helps create the Agila's aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.32 - a relatively low figure for a vehicle of this size.
http://www.vauxhall.co.uk/
Vauxhall Corsa The 1.0 is suitably miserly, giving 50.4 mpg and emitting a low-tax 134g/km of carbon dioxide; the 1.2 and 1.4, thanks to Vauxhall/Opel's new Twinport fuel intake technology, deliver 48.7mpg/139 g/km and 47.9mpg/142g/km respectively.
The diesels? 61.4mpg/124 g/km from both the 75bhp and 90bhp 1.3 CDT, and 58.8mpg/130 g/km from the 1.7 CDTi.
From Advertisement > All you need to do now is tell us if you have a part exchange vehicle, any GM Card Rebate points or if you want finance from GMAC (UK) plc.. All we need to confirm your order is a fully refundable £20 administration fee.
£7595.00 = $15.133.00 US -- 07/02/2008
Thanks for that irrelevant comment, jackass.
I propose something way outside of
the box. I don't know what percentage
of cars carry one passenger. I don't
know what distance the average
commute is. I guess from my
observations, 70% and 20 miles.
How many Go-Karts could be accommodated on today's super
highways & roads? What if we
dedicated half of our roads to
Go-Kart traffic. EVs, of course.
Anonymous... you're not too far off with the Go-Kart concept.
But how 'bout a go-kart with some style?... check out the Aptera: www.aptera.com
i love the aptera vehicle.
i think the idea of special lanes for light vehicles is interesting, as some cities already allocate space for bike lanes, so why not for 'go carts'?
it really is time not just to rethink the automobile, but the entire transportation system.
I'm skipping the hybrids and waiting for an all-electric plug-in. I want to end all ties to the gas pump and stop supporting Big Oil altogether. Electric vehicles charged via solar panels at home are a real investment in "Homeland Security."
ANON:
Perhaps it's an investment for you and me but not for the bastards who are running the show.
They've limited our choices up until today and will continue to do so.
Most people would think that's a conspiracy theory but I think it's real.
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