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| << May30, 2006 - HYBRID CARS-USA |
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HYBRID CARS-USA NEWS 6-11-06 Hi! Davy here with a few News Topics for your reading pleasure ============================================================================ Hybrid Myths Debunked By Bill Howard How much will that hybrid battery really set you back when it fails? Not so much, says Toyota, the leading seller of hybrid cars. The company actually went so far as to run a hybrid myth-and-reality seminar for editors and analysts recently, which I attended. Here are some of the salient myths that were addressed and debunked Myth: Hybrid batteries will fail and stick you with a $2,000-plus repair bill. Reality: Unlike digital camera and laptop batteries that are fully charged and discharged, a hybrid operates in the middle 60 percent of its charge, without being charged beyond 80 percent or discharged less than 20 percent. In addition to that, fans in the battery pack that keep it cool, plus the fact that the battery does not charge or discharge below freezing temperatures, help to ensure its longevity. Dave Hermance, Toyota's executive engineer for advanced technology vehicles, says that with these conservation measures, "we think it's a life-of-the-vehicle battery." Toyota said it has yet to have a charge-related warranty claim. Myth: High-voltage batteries will zap rescue workers. Reality: Some dimwit misread a 3D side rendering of the bright orange cable that runs down the centerline of the car and thought it was running through the side door panels. (If that were the case, maintaining current flow with open doors would be a neat trick.) Myth: Hybrids are slow. Reality: Most hybrids are a tick faster than the same cars without hybrid electric motors. The Lexus GS450h hybrid goes from 0 to 60 in 5.2 seconds. Fast enough for you? Myth: It takes a long time to recoup the hybrid price premium, if you ever do. Reality: Toyota didn't have a lot to say on this one. My take: Tax credits with per-maker caps ($500 to $3,400) cut the payback to a year or two. But if the credit isn't available, you're looking at five-plus years for payback. Myth: New EPA regulations hurt hybrids more than other cars. Reality: All cars are likely to suffer similarly from the new regs, Toyota says (though the EPA says hybrid mileage may go down disproportionately when tests begin to include harder acceleration and air-conditioning). Mpg ratings are nonlinear, Toyota notes, so a drop from 60 to 50 mpg has less effect than a drop from 20 to 10 mpg. What matters is extra gallons used. Bill Howard is the editor of TechnoRide.com and a contributing editor of PC Magazine. ============================================================= Greenspan endorses gas-electric cars; cutoffs for hybrid perks By Frank Michael Russell Mercury News Assistant Business Editor Alan Greenspan has advice for drivers who are struggling with sky-high gasoline prices: Buy a hybrid. Testifying before Congress, the former Federal Reserve chairman said higher oil prices are beginning to hurt the U.S. economy, but not so much to cause ``serious erosion'' in business activity. Even so, with consumers hit by gas above $3 a gallon, the nation is ready for alternative fuels such as ethanol and more use of hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles, Greenspan told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. ``We are gradually . . . weaning ourselves off petroleum,'' Greenspan said, according to an Associated Press report. ``It is slow and in many ways like watching grass grow.'' Speaking of hybrids, if you want to buy one, you had better act quickly if you're counting on perks such as a federal tax credit or the ability to drive alone in high-occupancy-vehicle lanes on California's freeways. According to a report this morning by our auto writer Matt Nauman, Toyota has already sold 60,000 hybrids so far this year, which means federal tax credits for its hybrids including the popular Prius will be cut in half after Sept. 30. And California has already received more than 64,000 applications for HOV-lane stickers, and expects to hit the cap of 75,000 by the end of the summer. =================================================================== Prius Sales Top Half-Million Worldwide Torrance CA., June 7, 2006 - Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that the Toyota Prius, the world's first mass-produced gas-electric hybrid vehicle, has surpassed one-half million worldwide cumulative sales with 504,700 units sold as of the end of April. Toyota launched the Prius in late 1997 in Japan. Its popularity in Japan encouraged the launch of Prius in the U.S. in July 2000. The first-generation U.S. Prius was a low-volume unit (12,000 produced annually) that gained an immediate following, particularly among environmentally conscious consumers. The second-generation U.S. model was launched in the fall of 2003 as a 2004 model year. The all-new 2004 Prius came with larger dimensions, all-new styling, and featured Hybrid Synergy Drive, Toyota's newest hybrid technology. Heavy consumer demand for the Prius triggered multiple increases in production. By 2005 Toyota was producing over 100,000 units annually for the U.S. market. Prius had propelled itself from a niche environmental car into the mainstream car market. In 2005, calendar year sales of Prius in the U.S. reached more than 107,000 units sold, making Prius the third-best selling Toyota passenger car after the Camry and Corolla. From its humble beginnings in the summer of 2000 through May of 2006, 266,212 Prius have been sold in the U.S., making up more than half of all Prius sold worldwide. Even with production increases, continued heavy consumer demand still presents challenges for Toyota as days supply figures for Prius remain in single digits. The successful launch of the Prius encouraged Toyota to expand their hybrid technology to existing models in the Toyota and Lexus lineups. In April 2005 Lexus introduced the RX 400h, the world's first hybrid-powered luxury vehicle. One year later in April 2006 the Lexus GS 450h made its debut as the worlds first front engine, rear-wheel drive full-hybrid performance sedan. June 2005 saw the launch of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUV, and this past April marked the debut of the Camry Hybrid. With the expansion of its hybrid technology to a diverse group of vehicles, overall cumulative worldwide sales of Toyota and Lexus vehicles has exceeded 600,000 units through March of this year. Lexus will further expand its hybrid lineup in April 2007 with the launch of the LS 600h L luxury hybrid sedan, the world's first vehicle to feature a full-hybrid V8 powertrain. Thanks to the success of the Prius and the continuous improvements in hybrid technology, consumers can expect to see more hybrid powertrain options in the Toyota and Lexus lineups. |
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