Trucks and the irrelevance of hybrid and electric cars
The most important vehicle in America?In February, Ford sold almost 33,000 Ford F Series trucks, making it the top selling vehicle in America, by far. Of the top 3 selling vehicles, 2 were trucks. Inevitably, day after day, month after month, year after year, and decade after decade, large trucks dominate the top of US auto sales.
Nonetheless, while the bread and butter of the Big 3, the 17 mpg all-American truck is killing America.
Fortunately, a few years ago, GM made a pretty smart move and added hybrid technology to its trucks. Unfortunately, despite big increases in fuel economy, especially in city traffic (although how many really need a truck in city driving?), sales for hybrid trucks, such as the Chevy Silverado hybrid, have been almost non-existent because of the significant upfront costs.
Of course, sales for the Chevy Volt range extended electric car will be much better than GM's hybrid trucks. Still, it might take more than a decade for the Volt to achieve even a third of the sales the F Series is currently achieving and possibly far longer.
While the development of small hybrid and electric cars is critical, isn't it time to put more energy into the real problem?
Labels: electric cars, hybrid trucks, Hybrid Vehicles
posted by Dahcredyns at
9:17 AM
16 Comments:
This post has been removed by the author.
America: Home of the short-sighted auto buyer!
No doubt about that, but can we rely on market forces to change that behavior, especially when market forces are often manipulated to serve certain interests?
I disagree that trucks do not do much city driving. Trucks do "mostly" city driving.
That is because today we now have "passenger trucks" with 4 doors, leather seats and no restrictions on fuel economy (currently). Who would have thought that that Lincoln would make a pickup truck.
Today. I rented a Ford Focus while my car is in the shop. The first thing I noticed was how plain it was, including simple things like the rear view mirror and sun visor. On my Ford Explorer I have an electro-chromatic rear view mirror and dual sunvisors on each side.
Ford puts all of the asthetic upgrades in their trucks and their Lincoln's but not in their basic passenger cars.
Honda and Toyota, on the other hand, put much more effort into the interior of all of their passenger vehicles, not just the Lexus and Acura models.
Its no wonder American trucks out sell American passenger cars.
What if their were short term lease/rental co-ops that handled primarily trucks and SUV's so that the people who only needed these vehicles on rare occassions could rent or lease them on a short term basis? Is that economically and perceptionally feasible? Or are Americans stuck on having a vehicle that meets all their wants and needs regardless of the fact that they only need a truck or SUV on a limited basis. Are those of us that think SUV's and trucks are killing us because of foriegn oil dependency and pollution really the ones with blinders on because, just perhaps, a lot of the people who buy the SUV's and Trucks really do utilize their hauling and passenger capacity on a regular basis? It's pretty easy for us to judge others. That being said, who can blame the SUV and Truck owners from not wanting to pay more for a vehicle that gets only marginally better gas mileage. In my opinion, when a SUV or a truck gets a combined 30+ mpg and the same amenities and hauling/passenger capacity, then there might be more interest in hybrid SUV's and Trucks so long as the $$ gas savings is at least equal to the added cost of the vehicle.
my link car hybrids
http://www.24hcar.net/search/label/Hybrids
robby-d,
The the next best thing is an old truck.
I have an old truck that I drive only a couple times a month.
The registration and insurance are pretty cheap so it doesn't cost a lot to own it.
Now that Cash for Clunkers is over, there are more old trucks available again....
Some people (like myself) who work in the woods, genuinely need a vehicle with significant clearance and decent 4WD.
I've been ready to replace my old truck for 2 years, and I put it off and put it off, naively thinking that "this next model year SOMEONE will get it" and somebody would put out a version of the 4Runner, or Xterra, or Tacoma, or something, with a hybrid engine or at least a model with decent fuel economy.
After my old truck rusted out, I was forced to make due with yet another truck that I can't even get to 20 mpg.
If you think about it, a 25 MGP truck is about a 40% improvement... I would be leaping for joy.
Unfortunately, I need what I need for work. Puncturing the oil pan of a car without sufficient clearance isn't exactly good for the environment either, so I was stuck buying yet another inefficient truck.
I get so sick of hearing that we are getting sold these inefficient trucks because that is what Americans want. As far as I can tell, there is no alternative, so how can I vote with my wallet?
Anonymous, As I suspected, not everyone who drives a truck or SUV is hell bent on destroying the environment. I feel your pain and it's a shame that pretty much the entire automotive inedustry, with the exception of some very meager PR attempts, seems to close their eyes to improving the fuel economy of their cash cow, the trucks and SUV's. I liked Smurf's take on this blog too.
Anonymous,
I feel your pain too.
You use a truck for what a truck was meant to do. (Unlike a co-worker of mine who insists he needs a truck to drive his kids around and pickup groceries)
There are thousands of folks like yourself looking for a full size truck that can get decent mileage in order to keep their operating costs down.
There are thousands more that can get by with a small truck like those they used to make in the 1980's with 4 cyl engines. I had one in the late 80's and loved it. I drove it everywhere including through the woods.
I fail to understand why we can't make a truck that get's 25 mpg.
If you build it they will come...
Dahcredyns has an excellent point. Domestic vehicles are starting to look better and better everyday. With the media exploiting the toyota situation, it gives room for domestic to make a leap in the industry.
Saw this today:
China's demand for oil jumped by an "astonishing" 28% in January compared with the same month a year earlier, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says.
BBC News - China's oil demand increase 'astonishing', says IEA
Good News!!!
After much urging from me, a co-worker of mine followed my example and traded in his full-size truck and bought a Toyota Prius on Sunday!!!
I have another co-worker who has also committed to buying a hybrid next year when he buys his next new car...
One driver at a time, we CAN make hybrids relevant.
Here is what we need to do:
1. Show support for these vehicles by buying them today (not somewhere in the future when the perfect EV comes out)
2. Demonstrate to others how great these hybrids really are.
3. Urge others to do the same.
Like I said before, we must adopt an "it starts with me" attitude.
Don't expect anyone else to do something you have not done yourself...
Nice job, Smurf!
And there is no doubt that hybrids and EVs are relevant. I just called them irrelevant in the title for emphasis.
Despite their limited ability to affect foreign oil dependence, etc. because of their low adoption rates, today's hybrids are still critically important for changing perception and helping to fund fuel efficient technologies.
Look at start/stop. it's being added to many cars today, outside of hybrids, but thanks to hybrids.
And regarding trucks. I don't own a truck, but I'd love one. I understand the obsession, but truck fuel economy is unacceptable. That doesn't mean outlawing trucks, but it does mean rethinking them in some way.
For instance, most trucks have more weight, horsepower and towing capabilities than most truck owners need. Yet, automakers have done a fantastic job of making those criteria essential for judging the 'best' trucks, probably because that's the best way to profit margins.
As anon indicates, there is little real choice for truck buyers. That has to change.
My co-worker admits that while he is real excited about reducing his fuel consumption by about 60%, he will miss having a truck a little bit.
He also admits that he mostly used it for driving to work, and only once in a great while did he use it for "truck things".
On the other hand, he took a good look at the hatchback of the Prius and came to the conclusion that 95% of those "truck things" could be done in his Prius including hauling 8-foot pieces of lumber.
For those few times he wanted to haul furniture or a sheet of plywood, he could always rent a truck.
That works for my co-worker. For others that must have a truck, we are impatiently waiting for fuel efficient solutions....
"On the other hand, he took a good look at the hatchback of the Prius and came to the conclusion that 95% of those "truck things" could be done in his Prius including hauling 8-foot pieces of lumber."
Such a key point there, Smurf.
Have automakers really been focusing auto design on total functionality?
Too much of automotive design, and especially marketing, has little to do with real world functionality, but rather duping consumers into what's more profitable for automakers, not what's best for consumers.
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