It’s the “in thing” for sure. More and more automakers are designing more and more hybrids.  It’s becoming quite competitive, which is good for you and I, the consumers.  I’ve talked about the “green car race” as autoweek.com calls it.  The Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight are neck and neck these days, each one trying to inch out the other in sales.  Toyota has just announced another hybrid to compete with the Insight, the Toyota Yaris hybrid.  Critics have been saying that even though there has been a tremendous amount of press about the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight head to head, they are really not the same cars. The Insight is much more of a compact car, which is why the Yaris will be a much better head to head match for the Insight, whether Honda and the Insight want it.  These are just a few of the hybrids out there. If you like a vehicle, chances are there is a hybrid out there for you.  And I’m sure there are more to come as well. 

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So, the Hummer H3 currently gets about 15 miles per gallon, whereas the new electric Hummer H3 that will be available in 2011 will supposedly get 100 miles per gallon!  That’s quite a difference.  President Obama announced on Tuesday that there will be new standards for fuel efficiency and carbon emissions.  Then the next day, Hummer announces that it will be introducing this electric SUV, the Hummer H3, that gets this unbelievable gas mileage. Interesting and especially interesting is the timing.  But whatever, timing is everything in life, right?  I think the most interesting part of this whole story is that there are many skeptics out there that believe that Raser Technologies, who has put together this vehicle, is misleading customers by saying that it gets 100 mpg.  According to Doug Schiller, who runs alternativeenergy.com, Raser is only factoring in the amount of gas used and not the electric (electricity energy) that it takes to run the Hummer H3 as well. If you factor the energy it takes and ”convert it into the equivalent of gasoline, the H3 would get 33 mpg.”  Wow, that’s a huge difference.  The new Hummer H3 will cost about $55,000, which is 20-30% more than the Hummer H3’s current price.  Either way, the new electric Hummer H3 gets much better gas mileage.  I guess we’ll have to wait and see whether it’s 33 mpg or 100 mpg, when the car becomes available in another year or so. 

Big news today in the auto industry world. Though I’m sure this isn’t the first you’ve heard about it. Anyways, President Obama has laid out the new standards that must be followed for cars and light trucks starting in 2016.  For cars, you must get on average 39 miles per gallon and light trucks get 30 mpg.  The average price of a vehicle will go up by about $1300.  This new proposal will force the automakers to meet these new fuel efficiency standards about 4 years before the Bush administration had originally said it needed to in 2007.  Obama’s administration says that these new fuel efficiency standards “will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil and eliminate 900 million metric tons of greenhouse gases” according to an article on detnews.com.  This is the equivalent of taking 177 million cars and trucks off the road. That’s a lot of good that will be done for the environment.  Another piece to saving the earth is that President Obama has said that new cars must cut the carbon emissions by 30%.  California already had these higher carbon emissions standards in place. They have been pushing for the rest of the country to get on board.  There was a tremendous amount of support for Obama’s plans for the fuel and emissions standards.  I heard on tv tonight someone ask if they think that 2016 is just a number and that these standards will constantly be pushed back.  The news people said that didn’t think so, that the good support of these plans will help keep the project on target for 2016. I sure hope they are right. I think it’s a great idea, and we can all only hope that all the automakers follow through and sooner than later would be even better.   

The new Toyota Prius was rolled out today in Japan.  According to an article on detnews.com,  80,000 advance orders have been placed in Japan for the new Prius.  Toyota hopes to sell 400,000 vehicles globally a year.  The new Prius will get an amazing combined 50 miles per gallon, which is up from the 46 mpg that the 2009 model got. That’s incredible. You would think that it would be no problem selling these cars!  The interesting part is that the Prius now has some serious competition.  The Honda Insight was actually ranked the top-selling vehicle in Japan for April-this was the first time that a hybrid was the top seller. 

The thing is that the Insight is really a compact car, but the Prius is a bigger car and gets better mileage. Even though they are direct competitors, they really shouldn’t be totally compared.  The Prius will have a base price of about $22,000, whereas the Insight costs less than $20,000. That’s not a huge difference. The Honda Insight gets 40 mpg in the city and 43 on the highway.   

Toyota hopes to sell 10,000 of the new Prius a month and 2000 of the older model Prius a month as well. That seems a little ambitious to me, but I guess that’s not too far fetched for Toyota.  The Japanese government, like the U.S. government, is offering incentives for buying green cars like the Prius and Insight. That will definitely boost sales. 

I don’t know. I have to say that I really don’t like the looks of the Prius. I think it’s kind of ugly. So, I’d love to know…what draws the people?  Does the gas mileage really bring all of these people to buy the car??? I’m sure not everyone thinks the new Prius is ugly, but I bet that the gas mileage plays a HUGE role in the sales. It must.

Does anyone want a new Honda Insight hybrid for FREE????  Well, according to autoweek.com, this is going to take place this summer. Honda will be an “ecopartner” at two music festivals in the U.S. that will give away new Honda Insight hybrids. Honda will organize some green events at these festivals and have hybrid displays as well. The festivals are the Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 7-9, and the Austin City Limits in Texas on October 2-4.  Some huge bands will be playing at these events and having the chance to win a new car is even better.  The Honda Insight went on sale on March 24. It costs about $20,500 and gets 40 mpg in the city and 43 mpg on the highway.  Go buy tickets to these festivals. They look awesome!

More hybrid news is that the new Toyota Prius will have the same sticker price as the 2009 model, which is $22,000. There was some speculation that the price would be higher, but it looks as though that won’t be the case. I’m sure that the fact that several new hybrids are coming out with competitive prices had something to do with this decision by Toyota.  The new Prius will get a combined 50 mpg, compared to the combined 46 mpg that the 2009 model gets. 

So, there’s some hybrid news to share with others. I’m partial to going to the concerts and trying to win a new car…..just me though.    

According to autoweek.com, the fuel-economy standards will rise 8 percent to an average of 27.3 miles per gallon for the 2011 model year due to the new U.S. rules.  The new regulations will have a new system that sets the standards for the different models depending upon its size.  Some vehicles will have higher standards than others.  For instance, cars will need to have an average of 30.2 mpg which is up from 27.5 mpg.  Light trucks standards will be 24.1 mpg up 1 mile per gallon.

“These standards are important steps in the nation’s quest to achieve energy independence and bring more fuel-efficient vehicles to American families,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.  The new fuel standards are the first step by President Obama to increase the fuel-economy.  Federal law requires the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  give the automakers at least 18 months before making higher standards. 

On the bottom of the article on autoweek.com, many people were commenting on these standards. I read that many of the people feel like the government needs to tax gasoline as Europe does. I don’t think that that is necessary at this point. I understand the reasoning behind the taxing; people would then lean towards finding/buying cars with alternative fuel sources.  I think that if we continue to increase the fuel standards in the years to come, that’s a step in the right direction.  Then, maybe down the road if more people aren’t buying the fuel-efficient vehicles, then we look at the alternative; taxing gasoline.  Just my opinion…. 

I found an blog on autobloggreen.com about the things that should be considered when you are considering buying a green vehicle.  Many people say that if you want a green car, you need to buy a hybrid. Hybrids are environmentally friendly using less gas, but they are expensive to drive. There are rumors out there that the Chevy Volt will cost somewhere between $30,000 to $40,000.  That’s a hefty price to pay for a car.  If you can afford, a hybrid then this car is better for people that do a lot of city driving. The hybrids’ “fuel efficiency comes from capturing energy that is usually lost during braking,” according to the article.  By the way, there are used hybrids with prices down 23.5%. 

Another “green” option are diesel vehicles.  They are better for the driver that is on the highway most of the time.  Diesel gas costs more than regular gas, but you get more miles per gallon.  Diesel engines used to be very poor for the environment, but the new diesels, such as the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, are very clean and green.  Several automakers, Audi, VW, and Mercedes are making diesels. You need to check them out.

You could also buy a flex-fuel vehicle.  A flex-fuel vehicle can use ethanol that is blended with gasoline in concentrations up to 85% ethanol.  A flex-fuel vehicle doesn’t cost much more than regular gas. The problem is that you have to live by a E85 gas station in order to fill up your car.  That could definitely be tricky for most people until there are more E85 gas stations out there.

So, there’s some brief info for you on green cars and what to choose from.  More and more automakers are making better gas mileage vehicles, especially in 2010 and 2011. If you can, hold out until then, and have more choices.   

Nissan has big plans. They plan to offer luxury gas-electric hybrids next year in the U.S. and Japan.  This information was reported in Tokyo earlier this week.  Currently, Honda and Toyota are ahead of Nissan in the hybrid department.  Right now, Nissan has a hybrid, the Altima, but it buys the hybrid system from Toyota.  The new luxury hybrids that are being developed will have Nissan’s own hybrid system in them. Supposedly, Nissan’s hybrid system is going to be better because it will have more power than the other hybrid batteries.  The Infiniti M will be available in hybrid next year.  Sports cars and more luxury vehicles will be available in hybrid soon, according to Nissan.  We’ll have to wait and see if Nissan can come up with a hybrid to directly compete with the Toyota Prius or the Honda Insight.  

Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press wrote an article about Fiat and their new fuel system called Multiair.  This new fuel system developed by Fiat was unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show last week.  The Multiair is said to be able to reduce fuel consumption by as much as 25%.  The Multiair will be available in all of Fiat’s current and future partners, hopefully including Chrysler, if that works out. 

The first Multiair engine will be in the Alfa Romeo MiTo sporty compact car that will be sold in Europe this year.  Alfa Romeo hopes to sell the MiTo in the United States sometime soon. 

Here’s how Fiat’s Multiair engine works.  The system uses “electronic controls and hydraulics to vary an egine’s valve timing over a wider range than the mechanical systems automakers use today” according to Phelan.  Many automakers have been turning to variable-valve timing in recent years to improve fuel economy.  The Multiair reduces an engine’s fuel consumption by 10%, but it has a lot of power, so automakers will be able to replace big engine with smaller ones that could lead to 25% less fuel consumption.  The exhaust emissions are also reduced by 40-60% according to Fiat.  The Multiair system can be used on both gasoline and diesel engines. 

It’s only a matter of time before more and more companies will be producing engines that reduce fuel consumption and are environmentally better.  It’s a must in the world today, and companies like Fiat know it.        

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The new 2010 Toyota Prius that hits the dealers in April will have the best gas mileage of any retail vehicle available in the U.S., according to Toyota Motor Corp.  The new Toyota Prius will get 49 miles per gallon on the highway and 50 mpg in the city.  The new Prius has a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine as well as an electric motor.  When the car is driving at slower speeds, the electric power is used to run the vehicle, and when the speeds are faster than the gasoline engine and electric motor are used to power the car.  On this new sedan, there are solar panels on the roof that power a system to cool the car’s interior when it is parked in the sun.

Toyota Prius’ main competition is the new Honda Insight.  It will a little smaller and less expensive than the Prius.  I think there are enough hybrid customers out there these days for both hybrids, but my pick would be the new Toyota Prius.