Friday, September 19, 2008
Honda to Reintroduce Insight with new Hybrid
Honda Motors, plans to unveil a new lowcost, five door hybrid next month that revives the Insight name. The hatchback will be displayed October 2 at the Paris Auto Show and go on sale in the US next year, Honda said recently. President Takeo Fukui has said the car will cost less than any hybrid, including Toyota's Prius, which starts at $21,500, and Honda's $23,550 Civic Hybrid. Honda targets worldwide annual sales of 200,000 for the new Honda Insight hybrid, with about half of those in the US. That would dwarf those of the original Insight, a tiny two door that got 70 miles per gallon and debuted in the US in 1999, months before the Prius. Honda was the first automaker to sell gas-electric cars in the United States.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Plugin Modified Prius Getting 100 mpg
A recent article in North Carolina´s The News & Observer has highlighted a Raleigh-based company, Advanced Vehicle Research Center (AVRC), that has four employees and can retrofit a Prius in about four hours for a cost of $10,400. The AVRC is one of eight US companies authorized to install lithium ion batteries manufactured by 23 Systems, a Massachusetts company. AVRC´s converted Prius can get from anywhere between 60 and 100 mpg, depending on driving habits, which roughly doubles the gas mileage of a standard Prius. Advanced Energy, a Raleigh nonprofit research organization and one of AVRC´s customers, has even exceeded 200 mpg in a test under optimal conditions.
The conversion process is relatively uncomplicated. The mechanics remove the spare tire in the trunk, and replace it with a 170-pound lithium ion battery pack, like a much larger version of a cell phone battery. A plug from the back of the bumper can be inserted into a conventional wall outlet, where a full charge lasts about 3.5 hours and costs less than 75 cents.
The modified Prius draws from the new battery first, giving the car a range of about 35 miles on all-electric power, making gasoline optional on short commutes. When the battery is depleted, the Prius runs like a standard hybrid, using its gas engine and regenerative braking to charge its nickel metal hydride battery.
According to the Plug-In Hybrid Coalition of the Carolinas, there are about 150 plug-in hybrids on US roads today. Most of the AVRC´s customers have been corporations with large fleets, but they recently made their first conversion for an individual. Their clients include Progress Energy, Duke Energy, the city of Raleigh, and North Carolina State University´s Advanced Transportation Energy Center. These organizations are tracking and sending data on the cars to the Idaho National Laboratory, a federal research institute that is studying plug-in hybrids.
The plug-in modifications aren´t authorized or endorsed by Toyota, which plans to make its own Prius plug-in commercially available in 2010 in the US. Also in 2010, Chevrolet plans to release the Volt (which runs on the same 23 lithium ion battery used by AVRC), which is expected to be more economical than AVRC´s conversions.
The AVRC acknowledges that $10,400 is a hefty price tag for the average driver, AVRC founder and president Richard Dell estimates that it could take 140,000 miles to recover the cost through fuel savings. But the important thing is that they´ve demonstrated that the technology is viable and available right now. "It´s given us more confidence that it´s not a matter of if plug-in vehicles will happen, but when," said Mike Rowand, Duke Energy´s director of advanced customer technologies.
The conversion process is relatively uncomplicated. The mechanics remove the spare tire in the trunk, and replace it with a 170-pound lithium ion battery pack, like a much larger version of a cell phone battery. A plug from the back of the bumper can be inserted into a conventional wall outlet, where a full charge lasts about 3.5 hours and costs less than 75 cents.
The modified Prius draws from the new battery first, giving the car a range of about 35 miles on all-electric power, making gasoline optional on short commutes. When the battery is depleted, the Prius runs like a standard hybrid, using its gas engine and regenerative braking to charge its nickel metal hydride battery.
According to the Plug-In Hybrid Coalition of the Carolinas, there are about 150 plug-in hybrids on US roads today. Most of the AVRC´s customers have been corporations with large fleets, but they recently made their first conversion for an individual. Their clients include Progress Energy, Duke Energy, the city of Raleigh, and North Carolina State University´s Advanced Transportation Energy Center. These organizations are tracking and sending data on the cars to the Idaho National Laboratory, a federal research institute that is studying plug-in hybrids.
The plug-in modifications aren´t authorized or endorsed by Toyota, which plans to make its own Prius plug-in commercially available in 2010 in the US. Also in 2010, Chevrolet plans to release the Volt (which runs on the same 23 lithium ion battery used by AVRC), which is expected to be more economical than AVRC´s conversions.
The AVRC acknowledges that $10,400 is a hefty price tag for the average driver, AVRC founder and president Richard Dell estimates that it could take 140,000 miles to recover the cost through fuel savings. But the important thing is that they´ve demonstrated that the technology is viable and available right now. "It´s given us more confidence that it´s not a matter of if plug-in vehicles will happen, but when," said Mike Rowand, Duke Energy´s director of advanced customer technologies.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Dodge Ram Hybrid Pickup on the Way
The Dodge brand will be getting a Ram Hybrid pickup truck, but it won't arrive until after 2009, Chrysler confirms today. As it previews the 2009 Dodge Ram lineup today in Michigan, Chrysler's confirming the hybrid Ram with the caveat that it won't arrive until the 2010 model year at the earliest. The Hybrid version, when it arrives, will use the two-mode hybrid powertrain also found in the new Durango HEMI and Aspen Hybrid SUVs. With the added motors and batteries, the Ram should see a fuel economy boost of 40% in the city and up to 25 percent overall, same as the SUV hybrids TheCarConnection.com drove last week.
Chrysler's cylinder deactivation technology, MDS, will also be featured on the Hybrid version, as will regenerative braking. Chrysler's also promising best-in-class aerodynamics for the Dodge Ram 1500 Hybrid. For the 2009 model year, the Ram returns with Cummins turbodiesel and V-6 engine options to help with fuel economy. At the HEMI end of the spectrum, horsepower has risen 13 percent to 390 horsepower.
We'll keep you posted on the Ram Hybrid, and stay tuned for our driving reports on the 2009 Dodge Durango HEMI Hybrid and the 2009 Chrysler Aspen Hybrid.
Chrysler's cylinder deactivation technology, MDS, will also be featured on the Hybrid version, as will regenerative braking. Chrysler's also promising best-in-class aerodynamics for the Dodge Ram 1500 Hybrid. For the 2009 model year, the Ram returns with Cummins turbodiesel and V-6 engine options to help with fuel economy. At the HEMI end of the spectrum, horsepower has risen 13 percent to 390 horsepower.
We'll keep you posted on the Ram Hybrid, and stay tuned for our driving reports on the 2009 Dodge Durango HEMI Hybrid and the 2009 Chrysler Aspen Hybrid.
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