Hybrid Car Blog - Everything about hybrid cars and plug-in hybrid vehicles

Buyer regrets Vue hybrid purchase

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:05:00 +0000

Disappointing dealerships

I've been commenting on my disappointment with Toyota dealerships recently and their markups on hybrid cars. Of course, not every Toyota dealership engages in markups - the ones whom value customers.

Thus, when a Hybridcarblog reader made a post about their problems with their Saturn Vue hybrid and the lack of a quality response from his dealership, I felt like I had to respond.

Reader, Augie states, "There is a critical unexplained programing glitch in the software controling the many modules that communicate their information to the main computer control unit. When the modules don't communicate to the main computer the system starts to disable certain functions including safety functions and sends error codes and lights flashing on the dashboard." (more)

C'mon Saturn. We realize that technical glitches happen, especially in new technologies, but it is your job, dealerships, to ensure that customers fully understand what is happening and that you are resolving any issue to the customer's satisfaction.

After more than 100,000 miles, hybrids keep saving fuel

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:46:00 +0000

Hybrid reliability keeps cruising

I was just reviewing the latest Toyota Prius testimonial about a 130,000 mile Prius that is still averaging about 50 miles per gallon on the highway - a pretty common story for older Prii. And it isn't just the Prius, the Honda Civic hybrid has been just as reliable. In fact, some hybrid owners have put more than 200,000 miles on their hybrid vehicles, yet they've had to do little more than change some oil and replace their tires. Hybrid batteries - the big fear - have remained very reliable, especially since the 2nd generation Prius was launched.

Some believe that once automakers start producing millions of hybrids, more problems are inevitable, but thus far, the reliability of hybrid cars has been quite stellar, especially on those hybrids that have been around the longest.

For more hybrid reviews, or to add your own hybrid testimonial, go to hybrid vehicle testimonials and reviews.

July 4th: Ready to celebrate our foreign oil dependence?

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:58:00 +0000

Let's celebrate Independence with dependence!

As I read Manny Lopez's article 'Made in America' often is foreign this morning, I was reminded of the 'Celebrate Foreign Oil Dependence Day' that this site promoted last year. As we prepare to celebrate our independence this 4th of July, I cannot help but ask, how independent are we really? Hopefully, this fourth of July reminds us of why independence is important and inspires us to revolt against our foreign oil dependence.

Honda: Proof that plug-in vehicles are a gimmick?

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:51:00 +0000

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?

Why buy a hybrid vehicle?

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:12:00 +0000

Umm. Do you really need to ask?

That's a question I hear regularly. This morning a man asked this question and then provided a list of small vehicles sold outside the US that achieve better fuel economy than the Toyota Prius. Yes, most were smaller-than-the-Prius diesels, and they outperformed the Prius primarily in highway fuel economy.

So, why buy hybrid vehicles?

I say forget that a diesel vehicle could be a hybrid vehicle. Forget that even clean diesel is still dirty. Forget that it takes more oil to make diesel than gasoline, thereby offsetting much of diesel vehicle efficiency, at least for those concerned about oil dependency, especially foreign oil dependency.

I advocate for hybrid vehicles because neither diesel, nor gasoline, will ever end US foreign oil dependency. On the other hand, hybrid cars are all about batteries, and battery R&D will lead to 100 mpg hybrids, well over 100 mpg plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles.

I mean, really, don't pollution, global warming and foreign oil dependency provide enough reasons to support hybrid cars?

2010: Tesla WhiteStar v. Chevy Volt

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:50:00 +0000

Telsa ready to follow up the Roadster with a sedan

Thanks to $10 million in tax relief and incentives, Tesla will make its WhiteStar sedan in California, which should go on sale in 2010. Certainly, offering 225 miles per charge for $60,000 should bring more EV fans to Tesla than has the $100,000 Roadster, right?

Still, can WhiteStar compete with the likes of the Chevy Volt or a Prius plug-in hybrid?

While the Volt will only achieve 40 miles of pure electric power, it will essentially offer unlimited range as it can be fueled with gasoline to generate extra electricity. More important, the Volt will cost $20,000 less than WhiteStar. A plug-in Prius probably will offer the least amount of pure electric power, but it will offer more than 100 mpg and it will be the cheapest of the three.

Of course, different folks have different needs. Which car interests you most?

The problem with US automakers

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:11:00 +0000

The poster child of denial?

As I've browsed through the news today, one headline stuck out: When pickup sales dived, automakers changed plans. The article explains how Ford (and GM) realized, way back in May, that small cars and fuel efficiency might be the keys to survival.

May, 2008? Hello? 9/11, War, Katrina, and you didn't believe the dangers of foreign oil dependency might force change until May, 2008?

A few months ago, a source inside GM told me that $3.00+ gas prices had been forecasted as a possibility by GM years earlier. Coupled with Toyota' hybrid success, this forecast moved GM to begin working on the Chevy Volt. That and Bob Lutz couldn't tolerate a company like Tesla beating GM to cost-effective electric vehicles. Of course, that didn't make large vehicles any less important.

The fact that it has been largely impossible for US automakers to steer away from such a heavy focus on large, fuel-inefficient vehicles - despite the obvious evidence - begs the question: What is wrong with US automakers? Certainly, cheap gas, the UAW, healthcare costs, etc. didn't make the job of change any easier, however, can these issues really justify such denial?

Hybrids: Edmunds picks Camry over the Prius

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:04:00 +0000

Not the best hybrid?

When it comes to hybrid cars, the Toyota Prius is the king of hybrid sales. Still, when you consider the sale's success of non-unique hybrids, or the lack thereof, the Toyota Camry hybrid is the one exception. This apparently doesn't surprise Edmunds. Recently, the Edmund's guys put the Camry hybrid and the Prius to a number of tests to determine which hybrid they liked the best. Ultimately, despite the superior fuel economy of the Prius, Edmunds picked the Camry hybrid because it's a "more spacious, well-equipped true midsize sedan with normal styling and a familiar interior layout."

Hybrid Vehicle Shopping: Camry hybrid v Prius

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:00:00 +0000

A better buy right now?

So, I've been helping a friend of mine, Carlos, shop for a Toyota Prius, which I first covered in $3000.00 Prius markup: Screw the Customer. Since that time we've gone to and called dozens of Toyota dealerships in Southern California, and we've found that many dealerships have increased their markups, read $10,000 extra for a Toyota Prius.

Still, we have found a couple of dealerships that were not adding ANY markups to their Prius hybrids, nor were they accepting deposits. It was simply first come first serve at MSRP. Most dealers, however......

Finish: Hybrid vehicle shopping: Camry hybrid v Prius

VW to put a plug-in hybrid out by 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:43:00 +0000

2010: Year of the plug-in hybrid

InsideLine and gasoline engines. The Golf is reporting that VW "is adapting electric motors, hybrid drive systems and lithium-ion battery packs to its TDITwinDrive test vehicle delivers a combined 174 horsepower and can run up to 30 miles on pure electric power. Over a typical 62-mile route, the vehicle returns more than 90 mpg."

No word on whether such a car would make to it to the US, as this debut was put together by the German Ministry for the Environment.

Oil tops $140, $7 gas by 2010?

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:04:00 +0000

Oil futures torching the economy

Oil futures topped $140 per barrel today for the first time ever. And as if the news couldn't get worse, a new CIBC study suggests that oil will hit $200 per barrel by 2010, equating to $7.00 per gallon gas.

Edmunds questions hybrid value

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:04:00 +0000

The best hybrid value over time

Using "projected model-specific average vehicle ownership costs, consisting of depreciation, financing, taxes, fees, insurance premiums, fuel costs, maintenance and repairs," Edmunds.com has determined that ultra-compact and compact cars are a better value over time than hybrid vehicles, and all other vehicles, at least for the first five years.

Honestly, the study seems pretty stupid. Compact and subcompact cars cost less up front, come with less options, and usually are less equipped with the latest gadgetry. Since they cost less, insurance is cheaper, as is licensing, taxes and financing. Also, because they have less technical gadgetry they have cheaper maintenance and repairs.

I know this is hard to believe, but if a car costs less, its usually cheaper to own. Brilliant!

--> Check out Consumer Reports Top Fuel Economy Picks for the Money

Ford Focus just as clean as the Prius?

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:49:00 +0000

Ford Focus a better deal than the Prius?

Perhaps you've seen the Ford commercial that compares the Ford Focus to the Toyota Prius? It admits the Prius is more efficient, but that the Focus is cheaper. Likewise, the commercial implies the Focus is just as clean as the Prius, as both are PZEV vehicles.

Now, on the highway, the Focus achieves about 37 mpg, the Prius about 45 mpg, on average. In the city, however, the Focus achieves about 24 mpg, the Prius 55 mpg. So, if you live in a city, especially with $4.00 gas, you'll easily make up the cost difference between these vehicles in gas savings alone.

And then there is PZEV, which is not about tailpipe emissions, but fuel system emissions. Obviously, in terms of tailpipe emissions, the Focus is nowhere near as clean as the Prius, especially in terms of carbon emissions.

The Ford focus is a fine car, but portraying the Focus to be as clean as the Prius and a better deal than the Prius is largely nonsense.

Americans disappointed in US energy policy

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:19:00 +0000

Time for an energy revolution

Americans blame the federal government, foreign oil companies, Congress and Middle East tensions for the lack of a quality energy policy in the US according to a new survey reported on BehindtheWheel. Of course, we should probably be blaming ourselves a bit for thinking there would never be any consequences for guzzling foreign oil as if it was free.

While both Presidential candidates have announced plans to tackle this problem, can either really be expected to succeed without some serious changes in Congress?

Warren Buffett talks oil

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:08:00 +0000

Forget windfall taxes

Warren Buffet, an open advocate for Barrack Obama, is on CNBC as I write this post. Thus far, he has stated that today's oil prices are driven by supply and demand, not speculation. He said for everyone speculating that oil prices will go higher, another is speculating that they will go lower. Additionally, he called windfall profit taxes on oil companies a very bad idea. He claimed if you tax oil companies for windfall profits, then you should tax corn, copper and steel producers, for example, for windfall profits as well.

On a final, unrelated note, Buffett claimed the tax code needs to be reworked and that the super rich need to be taxed far more and everyone else, far less.

Dyson to focus on solar powered cars?

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:42:00 +0000

Do sun-powered cars make sense?

When you hear Dyson, you probably think vacuum cleaners, but you might soon be thinking automobiles. Using his experience developing lightweight, yet powerful electric motors, Dyson hopes to create solar-powered plug-in electric cars according to an Independent story. The vehicles would either be powered by solar arrays on garages or on the car itself, and Dyson believes fleets of such solar-powered vehicles could be on the road within 10 years. (Source:Cars.com)

Is McCain's battery prize really that dumb?

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:31:00 +0000

And the X-Prize was worth only $10 million

When I first heard of John McCain's battery prize and tax credit for EVs, I wasn't impressed. I wanted tax credits for today's hybrid vehicles. Others, such as Cars.com have called it hype, and the DetroitNews even called it dumb. Barrack Obama called it a gimmick.

Ironically, Obama has ethanol contests planned, and I'm pretty confident there isn't a bigger "gimmick" than corn-based ethanol.

Still, the X-Prize inspired many to risk lives to achieve back-to-back suborbital space flights that many claimed impossible - all for just $10 million. For a small start-up, the potential of a $300 million dollar prize could be quite alluring. And, let's be honest, the US auto industry has been stuck in the box for decades, such a battery prize could help a small company compete against this in-the-box mentality.

Granted, a battery prize is not comprehensive energy policy - not by a moonshot - but isn't a little competition better than just the handouts that have gotten us nowhere in the past?

JD Power - Americans ready for hybrid revolution

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:18:00 +0000

Build 'em and they will come

A new survey by JD Power indicates that American auto consumers are ready to buy hybrid cars according to a report that just aired on CNBC. The latest data demonstrates that 72 percent of American consumers are ready to buy a hybrid car. Even more interesting, even if the hybrid premium compared to a conventional vehicles is $5,000, 46 percent of consumers are STILL interested.

Did the Prius kill the US auto industry?

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:15:00 +0000

All about expectations?

Yesterday, Jim Cramer echoed a sentiment that has been growing louder on Wall Street: The Big 3 are running out of money and they might not survive until new, efficient products hit the market. Others believe they have enough in the bank and enough strong foreign sales to survive. So, opinions on the automaker deathwatch vary.

Still, the other day I was at a Toyota dealership that was adjacent to a GM dealership. The Toyota dealership had a small stream of traffic. The GM dealership was dead. The difference, in my opinion, hybrid cars. Slowly, but surely, Toyota's hybrid vehicles, led by the Prius, have changed the perception of consumers. With $4.00+ gas, hybrids have made consumers realize that automakers could have done better, should have done better.

Ugly. Stupid. A bad science experiment. Whatever. So, who is laughing now?

GM's plug-in revolution won't happen fast

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:49:00 +0000

Leaving the Prius behind anytime soon?

By late 2010, if plans stay on course, GM will begin rolling out the Chevy Volt. Unfortunately, however, 2010 might see less than 1000 plug-in Volts hit the road. In 2011, GM hopes to produce 10,000 Volts, followed by 60,000 the following year. Thus, the world won't see 100,000 Volts per year until at least sometime after 2012.

While I'm a fan of the Volt, less than a year ago, I asked Bob Lutz about a dual mode hybrid Prius fighter. He essentially asked why, when something like the Volt would be superior to the Toyota Prius, according to Lutz. For perception, I replied back then, to prove that GM had changed and that it could and would take on the Prius.

However, if I saw him today, I would ask, with $4.00+ gas, can GM really wait several more years before GM isn't only challenging the Prius with possibly better technology, but in numbers that matter?

Will global warming stickers on cars help?

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:06:00 +0000

Will consumers care?

If you live in California, the next time you go car shopping you might see a different sticker on your car of choice called an Environmental Performance sticker. Showing both a smog score and a global warming score based on EPA data, California lawmakers hope it will influence consumers to buy greener vehicles.

Can a sticker make consumers buy greener cars?

McCain offers prize to fight foreign oil dependency

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:31:00 +0000

$300 million for a new battery

If President, John McCain would like to create a $300 million prize for a battery that is at least 30 percent cheaper than today's and has "the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars." Likewise, he would give automakers a tax credit of $5000 for every zero emission vehicle.

I'm glad to see McCain focus some attention on this issue, but what about consumer incentives? Apparently, today's hybrid cars are worthless to McCain, so I guess McCain will just drill until the perfect solution is achieved?

SoCal hybrid drivers save over $2,500 per year?

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:56:00 +0000

Dial a clue hybrid haters?

OK, I don't have any statistics to support this claim, but I was just watching Jane Wells, of CNBC, discussing mass transit versus driving in the Los Angeles area. One interesting 'fact' she pointed out: the average SoCal commuter wastes $2500 per year just idling in traffic. Since hybrid vehicles can use only electric power during much of this idling, SoCal hybrid drivers are saving a nice chunk of change compared to non-hybrid drivers in this all-too-common SoCal driving condition.

How far will Prius sales drop in June?

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:04:00 +0000

40 percent in May, how far down in June?

I was just browsing an article that Mainstreet.com posted on the Toyota Prius regarding how the Prius can save money on gas, but good luck finding one at a fair price. Since Toyota only planned on producing 180,000 Prius hybrids per year for 2007 and 2008, availability on the Prius could be trending downward for the rest of the year.

In 2007, Toyota sold its full allotment of Prii, and sales through 2008 have been blowing away the 2007 numbers every month until May. So, quite simply, Toyota is running out of hybrid cars for the rest of 2008, just as demand is skyrocketing. And, thus far, Toyota has essentially claimed that nothing can be done to alleviate this problem until sometime in 2009.

Mercedes: The Prius doesn't make sense

noreply@blogger.com (Dahcredyns) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:32:00 +0000

The future of hybrid cars?

According to a report in LeftLaneNews, one of Mercedes' top vehicle researchers claimed that the Toyota Prius doesn't make sense for manufacturers, as LeftLane itself assumed stating that Toyota "is known to have absorbed enormous losses to keep its Prius Hybrid at the forefront of the green revolution".

According to Toyota, money is made off every Prius, and I wonder how many non-hybrids Toyota sold through the years simply because of the hybrid halo? And, how much extra money are dealers making now because of the Prius, of the Camry hybrid?

Still, head of Mercedes-Benz’s Research and Development, Dr Thomas Weber, told LeftLane “Most hybrids have a price premium but the question is whether the premium is enough to earn money. On smaller cars, that answer is ‘no’ right now, but we are developing modular architecture for hybridization and we believe it will be possible to be profitable straight away.”

Maybe small hybrids aren't profitable for Mercedes, but I'll bet Toyota isn't complaining. Likewise, Honda's new hybrid religion seems quite contrary to Mercedes - so, I think I'll put my money on Honda and Toyota.