Fuel Economy

Why does everyone lie about fuel economy?

40 mpgs in the real world? LOL!

Of course consumers want a 60 mpg truck that costs the same as a 15 mpg truck

The other day on GreenCarCongress  I came across the latest Consumer Federation of America (CFA) study that suggests that the citizenry are on board with the government’s plans to increase CAFE standards through 2025. Comments to this post, 0.

Just a few posts below was another study that suggests that the government is going to whiff big time on CAFE, at least in terms of real world greenhouse gas emission reductions, for instance, all while spending too much buck for too little bang. Last I saw, 18 comments to this post.

Join the herd. No controversy. Question the herd and you’re the moron. Read more…

118 mpge: Nice but it’s still all about price

Fit EV adds some amps to fuel economy claims

Fit EV offers some impressive numbers, but only 1 number really matters

The Honda Fit EV is now the most impressive plug-in electric car, at least in terms of EPA fuel economy estimates, achieving an impressive 118 mpge. For comparison, the second best plug-in according to this EPA metric is the Mitsubishi i at 112 mpge.

Then again while 118 is a nice number for marketers to hang their hats upon, the only number that really matters is sales. Read more…

MPG: Since 9/11 no one has done more than Toyota

It should have been an American car

30 percent improvement in fuel economy the last 10 years

I can still remember 9/11 like it was yesterday. On that day I decided to make major changes to my lifestyle. Eventually, annoyed by the countless ‘no blood for oil’ bumper stickers on blood-oil guzzling SUVs attending anti-war rallies near my office during the buildup to Iraq, I decided I needed to end my personal foreign oil dependence. In most part, for me, that meant not driving.

But I realized that was impossible for most, so I started advocating for more fuel efficient transportation, especially a push towards alternative powertrains. And since that time no major automaker has done more than Toyota. Read more…

20 percent: Toyota’s hybrid car path to success embarrassing

Prelude to hybrid cars?

Prius family second best seller for Toyota

For the past two months Toyota has been the top retail brand in the US. During those last two months the Toyota Prius family has posted sharp increases in sales. For instance, up 126.9 percent in April compared to last April. In fact hybrids now represent nearly 20 percent of all Toyota US sales.

Years ago, some automakers publicly mocked Toyota’s hybrid direction. Even recently, plug-in advocates have criticized Toyota for being slow to embrace lithium and plug-ins, as well as offering a plug-in with only 12 miles of EV range. Yet, last month, Toyota didn’t just crush the rest of the auto industry in terms of hybrid sales, but the plug-in Prius also outsold all other plug-ins. Read more…

Where is the auto industry taking us?

Energy density according to Exxon.

Hybrids, EVs, fuel cells. Or gas-guzzlers forever?

I was cleaning out some bookmarks and came across this graph in an interesting article regarding energy density. The article and the graph come from Exxon, which used the graph to explain why by 2040, 90 percent of transportation would still be fueled by liquid fuels.

Now, there are countless arguments to make as to why Exxon is wrong, and I’m not going to make any of them. Instead, I wonder just one simple thing: Where is the auto industry taking us? Read more…

If only women were allowed to buy cars

Men need exotic electrification?

New study finds women are embracing fuel economy

Interesting study about the differences between men and women when it comes to car buying. In a nutshell, in 2011 men still loved gas-guzzling V8′s and exotic sport brands while women liked I-4′s.

Even more interesting is the fact that automakers can make fuel efficiency more appealing if they want. Read more…

Hybrid cars. Still a great American mistake

It might be ugly, but its cost and fuel economy will be over-whelming

What if every automaker sold as many hybrid vehicles as did Toyota last month?

Yesterday was an interesting day. Turns out that hybrid cars are more green than plug-ins in a majority of American markets. And, even where plug-ins offer a significant green advantage, range anxiety and costs remain huge obstacles to widespread plug-in adoption. Unfortunately, those costs and that range anxiety probably won’t be resolved until sometime in the next decade according to another study released yesterday. Even then, the improvements might not be enough for all out mainstream plug-in penetration.

Quite simply, plug-ins have a long journey ahead, but for Toyota, mainstream hybrid cars are already here. Read more…

53 mpg city: Think about it when you’re stuck in congestion

It's pretty, but how does it compare to the Prius C in urban living?

And those 40 mpg compacts turn into 20-something mpg cars

I know, everyone wants to talk about the prototype lithium-ion battery explosion that rocked GM this morning. Why? It was a prototype battery being tested for such outcomes. So, they’ll have to tweak the chemistry. That’s the nature of prototypes. The explosion means nothing in terms of the Chevy Volt.

Anyway, had to run an errand this morning in rainy LA — two things that don’t mix. Thus, I got stuck on the 110, and since I wasn’t going anywhere I had a lot of time to observe the scene around me, and all the pretty little compact cars, pretending to be fuel efficient. Read more…

Citi Study – Hybrids and Plug-ins 7.3 percent marketshare in 2020

Gas guzzlers, hopefully compact ones, still rule in 2020

And new CAFE standards will be profitable for Big 3

In 2020: The battery powered car wars finally heat up I suggested that hybrids and plug-in cars would reach about 10 percent marketshare by 2020, ushering in the real dawn of the battery revolution. According to a new Citi study, 10 percent might be too optimistic. Instead, Citi forecasts 7.3 percent marketshare by 2020.

However, in terms of increasing CAFE standards, Citi projects extra profits, particularly for the Big 3. Read more…

Start/Stop worth $7 billion per year

Highway fuel economy a joke in the city

When that 40 mpg car becomes just a 20 mpg vehicle

I’m not a big fan of highway fuel economy. It’s greenwashing at best, and almost bait-and-switch criminal in the worst case scenario. And a new study finds that highway fuel economy-killing congestion costs Americans about $7 billion per year in fuel costs, hurting Americans in large urban areas the most.

Sadly, the future is only supposed to become even more congested. Read more…