Why is Honda betting on small hybrids?
Honda's biggest hybrid for yearsWhen it comes to US made hybrid vehicles, the focus has been on SUVs and, in the near future, larger sedans. Even the Toyota Prius is going to grow in size. But, is bigger really better? Honda doesn't think so.
According to AutoWeek, Honda "plans to put hybrid systems into compacts and subcompacts because that's where the green technology achieves its greatest efficiencies, said Masaaki Kato, president of Honda R&D Co., the automaker's product development arm," because "hybrid systems are best used in small cars because small hybrids most often are used for city driving, where regenerative braking constantly recharges the batteries."
And smaller hybrids mean smaller price tags. As we asked on Toyota Prius Smackdown, might not cheaper hybrids be far more appealing to consumers than more expensive plug-in hybrids, at least until battery costs are significantly reduced?
Labels: Honda, Hybrid Vehicles, toyota prius
posted by Dahcredyns at
9:31 AM
4 Comments:
I WOULD THINK THAT MOVING MORE PEOPLE AROUND OR MORE FREIGHT @ ONCE IN ONE VEHICLE SYSTEM WOULD BE THE MORE ECONOMICLE/ENVIRONMENTAL ALTERNATIVE?
So, we should force people to car pool?
The average family in the US is 3 people. So, aside from dropping off the kids, most automobile owners drive their vehicles as single occupants. When I drive on the freeways of Los Angeles I don't see large SUVs filled with occupants. Almost always I see ONE person in the vehicle. On rare occasions I might see TWO.
Making bigger vehicles hasn't resulted in moving around more people in one vehicle.
So, unless you are going to legally mandate occupancy requirements, your suggestion has already proven to fail.
Most of my driving is short-distance, single occupant. Also, It's going to be a while before I can afford even a Prius. So, to me and others like me, Honda's focus on small, inexpensive hybrids is very welcome.
Possibly eved2k was referring to public transport? In my experience trains/subways are great (as long as you aren't carrying stuff like groceries), but buses are inconvenient. It seems like buses are much more often off schedule, and there are fewer of them on a given route so it takes forever to get around. If good, quick public transport were widely available I would use it, but alas I now live in a smallish town which will probably never have a subway.
Let's hope that is what he/she was referring to, but that has been an argument the drivers and supporters of big vehicles have also made.
i too love public transport. i very rarely drive as i have built my life around LA's light rail and subway system - a system with many, many shortcomings. its not for feasible for most and won't be for decades, and that's why i think Honda's focus on small, cheap hybrids is a wise move.
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