4 modes of hybrid fuel economy: Efficiency in danger?
Shifting into fuel economy
Hybrid fuel economy or hybrid performance?
When the Lexus CT 200h hybrid hits dealers it will offer 4 different driving modes – Normal, Eco, Sport and EV – that will provide a nice element of control that might be demanded from Lexus drivers.
While control is a nice option, is a focus on fuel economy slipping away from hybrid technology?
Much of my hybrid driving is focused on trying to achieve ever-greater fuel efficiency but there are times, however, when I’ve definitely taken advantage of the extra torque my Camry hybrid can provide. No one’s perfect. Even hypermilers need to step on it every once in a while just to get the blood flowing.
And, as new hybrids hit the scene, newer and more sophisticated driving modes are becoming standard. In the upcoming CT 200h hybrid for instance, EV mode can be used to power through some extremely sluggish congestion using pure electricity, and Eco mode can provide the most efficient driving in a any kind of driving conditions. Of course, if you just want a nice balance of performance and efficiency, normal is your mode, but if you need to get the blood pumping, Sport mode will help cure the craving.
There’s no harm in that, right? And in a luxury brand like Lexus, Sport mode will probably enable the CT200h to appeal to a wider range of buyers.
Still, horsepower and acceleration have been big drivers of the US auto industry for decades, resulting in a massive foreign oil dependency problem. While hybrid drivers will certainly appreciate ever greater control over their hybrid vehicles via such driving modes, isn’t it possible that hybrid buyers are slowly being led astray from the original point of hybrid technology: fuel economy?
And I don’t think that’s the goal of Lexus, to deceive the intent of CAFE. However, CAFE regulations are becoming more stringent and there is a good chance that they are set to become even more stringent. That could entice automakers to try to find as many CAFE loopholes as possible. I doubt this will ever be a worry for the Prius, for luxury sedans, for instance, it doesn’t seem like that much of a stress to me.
OK. I’ve noticed significant driving response between the different modes of the Prius, and I suppose the differences are even greater on this Lexus. I’ll wait and see…
The sport mode is very different here, mother nature. Toyota made numerous and unique changes, according to Toyota, to make the sport mode very sporty in CT 200h. Those changes have not been implemented into the Toyota Prius. More important, this is an angle that can further be refined in the future by Toyota and other automakers. Thus, the range of fuel economy achieved via different modes could eventually spread further and further. Thus, it isn’t that hard to conceive that this could become a bit of a CAFE loophole.
4 different driving modes, exactly like the Prius. There’s nothing new here, but the marketing. The car resets itself to normal mode each time you start it.
I’m sure it could be, zen. If the car is tested by the EPA in ‘normal’ mode, but is driven mostly in ’sport’ mode then that would be a good way to get around CAFE. Good point.
You don’t Larry. I fully agree with almost everything you are saying. That’s largely why I prefer, for instance, that the government spend more making pickups more fuel efficient, rather than focusing on small EVs that most Americans aren’t going to drive and that even if 50 percent converted, we’d still be heavily dependent upon foreign oil.
However, I might disagree that CAFE can’t help. I think if something like 60 mpg by 2025 were put into place it would have a huge affect on the industry. Of course, could the auto industry, particularly the Big 3, survive in America? Likewise, I would prefer the industry taking leadership.
A CAFE post is upcoming this morning.
It can be said that the same electrical engineering can be applied to cars on their lighting from interior lighting to exterior lighting consisting of Headlight Lens to Fog Lights. I believe electric cars will have more efficient lighting in terms of eco friendliness and less electrical generation.
CAFE rules are about FLEET AVERAGEs which means that overall they are looking at average MPG.
At some point – we need to admit that a guy with an SUV that drives 5 miles a day is using LESS fuel than a guy with a hybrid that drives 100 miles a day.
Mandating MPG is not going to change much in my view.
The guy that has a gas-guzzling F-150 that put 20 miles a week on it is more “GREEN” than a guy with a hybrid that drives 100 miles a day.
We need to acknowledge this in my view.
People who drive trucks are often folks who make a living carting around the tools they need to make a living.
Condemning them while patting folks on the head that choose to drive 100 miles a day to have “more house” is inherently not an honest discussion.
The vast majority of of this country’s gasoline problem is folks who have chosen to commute 50 miles one way to work every day – SOLO – at rush hour.
that’s HUGE.
We could probably cut our oil consumption in half if we simply carpooled, vanpooled or took a bus on MOST days that we commute.
There are a few people that have no choice but the vast majority simply drive SOLO because that’s what they prefer.
tell me where I have this wrong.
Is this a way to get around the new CAFE rules?