The Hybrid Blog

General Motors is far from being a market player with hybrid vehicles, but it may be in a position to deliver down the road, according to some industry analysts.

GM sold 843 hybrids of all types during the first quarter of 2008, according to the industry newspaper Automotive News. That’s right: 843. There are no missing zeroes. About 655 of them were full-size GMC and Chevrolet hybrid SUVs.

Compare that with Ford, which sold 5,225 hybrids during that time. The hands-down hybrid leader, Toyota, sold 278,000 in the U.S. alone last year and 430,000 worldwide.

It’s not that GM doesn’t have any hybrid products. In fact, the automaker boasts more different hybrid models than any other company except Toyota, the company that makes 85% of all hybrids sold in America. It’s that GM isn’t building many of them.

General Motors says that’s changing, and some analysts are ready to believe them.

Eric Fedeva, an analyst with automotive market researcher CSM Worldwide, expects GM to seriously increase its hybrid output, turning the automaker into a serious contender within the next few years. He expects it to produce 40,000 to 50,000 hybrids this year, more than doubling last year’s production.

“For GM, we’re looking at a fairly substantial increase in volume,” he said. Within a few years, according to Fedeva, GM should be producing about 300,000 hybrids annually.

“I think they’re going to give Toyota a run for their money,” said Lonnie Miller, an analyst with market research firm R.L. Polk. “If they actually deliver on the full range of models,” he added.

The main reason GM is so far behind is that it’s just getting going. With bigger business problems to worry about, GM didn’t see the need to pursue an expensive technology that, even today, makes up less than 3% of the U.S. auto market.

By the late 1990s, when Honda and Toyota were introducing their first hybrids in the U.S., GM executives had already considered the idea and given it a pass. “We had looked at those and thought the benefit to the consumer wasn’t commensurate with the cost,” said GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson.

In other words, hybrid technology would cost more than it would save in gasoline. And GM executives were right, but people bought Toyota and Honda’s hybrid cars anyway. So those companies, along with Ford, made more hybrids, reaping enormous public image benefits. (Toyota also says that its Prius hybrid, at least, is profitable.)

By 2003, GM was selling its first hybrids: city buses. It took until late 2006 for the automaker to produce its first hybrid passenger car, a “mild hybrid” version of the Saturn Vue SUV. Mild hybrids (GM itself doesn’t use the term) cannot run under electric power alone but use an electric motor to provide additional boost and to allow the gasoline engine to shut off whenever the vehicle stops.

The advantage of a mild hybrid system, fitting GM’s early objection to hybrids, is that they cost less to build and buy, but with more modest fuel savings.

GM currently makes five different hybrid sedan and SUV models, with three more expected in coming months.

Production of GM’s first full hybrids, full-size SUVs, has only recently begun, so it’s no surprise that sales are low. The company stands by projections of 10,000 full-sized hybrid SUV sales this year, which would require a big increase in production.

But more surprising are the lower sales numbers for GM’s “mild hybrid” SUVs and cars. GM now has three vehicles on the market with this drivetrain.

GM blames battery problems for low production of those vehicles so far this year. The hybrid batteries in many first-generation Vue Green Line SUVs quickly lost their ability to hold a charge, said GM’s Wilkinson, prompting a recall to replace the batteries.

The recall lasted into the early part of this year, Wilkinson said, putting a crimp on production and sales while GM worked out the problem. Now that battery problems have been solved, GM will produce more of these vehicles, he said.

Assuming GM can get a handle on production, hybrid shopping trends bode well for the automaker taking a competitive spot in coming years, said R.L. Polk’s Miller.

A recent R.L. Polk study indicated that car buyers tend to stay with the same vehicle type when switching to a hybrid. More than half of Lexus LS hybrid sedan buyers already had a luxury sedan, according to the study, and about 30 percent of Honda Civic Hybrid buyers already had a small car.

GM’s broad spread could enable it to capture more customers entering the hybrid market for th first time, said Miller. The company has also been marketing its hybrids heavily, raising consumer awareness, even if the vehicles are hard to find, said Miller, and should eventually boost sales as they become available.

GM’s reliance on large SUVs and trucks actually gives it more of an impetus to invest in hybrids, said CSM’s Fedeva. Adding hybrid powertrains will make these vehicles more palatable to buyers and help keep GM’s fuel economy average in line with new federal requirements.

But other analysts are skeptical that GM will put that much real muscle behind its green marketing efforts. Karl Brauer, editor in chief of automotive Web site Edmunds.com, predicts GM will be content to produce just a few examples of each of its hybrids, and no one should expect big production numbers.

“They’re getting talking points out there so they have something to say when they get asked tough questions,” he said.

Brauer sees patience wearing thin with GM’s hybrid promises. “They’d better get something out there because there already people who will see through this,” he said.

Meanwhile, GM is already marketing the Chevrolet Volt electric car, a vehicle that isn’t expected to hit the market until 2010 - provided the hi-tech batteries it needs are production-ready by that time.

If all that falls into place, GM may finally find a way to out-maneuver Toyota.

Filed under: GM

Discount Cab Co. of Phoenix is adding 200 Toyota Prius taxis to its fleet.

The first 20 hybrids hit the road yesterday, painted in the company’s bright lime green color.

As part of Discount Cab’s Green Cabs for Blue Skies campaign, CEO Craig Hughes says he expects to save about 800,000 gallons of fuel each year with the hybrids, translating to an 8,000-ton reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

Hughes said the company spent months making sure the Prius was the right fit for Discount Cab. Officials researched the car’s reliability, tested its interior capacity and crunched the numbers on how the car would impact the bottom line. The EPA rates Prius vehicles at 48 miles per gallon around the city.

Since a gallon of gas produces 20 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, each Prius will leave a much smaller carbon footprint, contributing 20 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions for every 45 miles driven compared to 60 pounds for Discount Cab’s traditional Ford Crown Victoria cabs, officials said.

Filed under: miscellaneous

General Motors Corp. will sell its first gas-electric hybrid cars in China in July, introducing a model created in part by GM’s Shanghai design center, the company said Saturday.

The Buick LaCrosse will be the second hybrid to enter the Chinese automobile market following Toyota Motor Corp.’s Prius in early 2006.

The LaCrosse is due to be unveiled Sunday at the Beijing auto show, GM managers said. They said it would be priced under 300,000 yuan ($43,000; 27,000 euros) — comparable to the Prius.

“We don’t expect to see a very high volume of sales of this car in China in a short period of time. But we bring this technology to help China support sustainable growth and bring consumers in that direction,” Joseph Liu, GM China’s vice president for sales, told reporters.

The car was developed with contributions from GM’s Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center in Shanghai, said Maryann Combs, the center’s president.

Hybrids improve fuel efficiency and cut emissions by generating extra power from the brakes as a vehicle stops. But they also cost more because they require both gasoline and electric motors.

GM says the LaCrosse will be the first hybrid made in China. The Prius is assembled from imported parts.

Toyota has sold about 2,500 Priuses in China since 2006, but sales are slowing in part because Chinese drivers are unfamiliar with hybrids, according to reports in the industry press.

GM has made China, the world’s second-largest and fastest-growing vehicle market, a key part of its efforts to develop alternative power sources. It announced plans in October for a $250 million (euro158.43 million) fuel research center in Shanghai.

On Saturday, chairman Rick Wagoner took part in opening an automotive energy research center partly financed by GM at Tsinghua University in Beijing, the alma mater of President Hu Jintao.

GM hopes the Chinese government will introduce incentives to encourage sales of alternative vehicles, Liu said.

The company plans to introduce a hybrid version of the Cadillac Escalade sport SUV in China next year, followed by an all-electric car as early as 2010, he said.

GM says it sold just over 1 million vehicles in China last year.

Filed under: GM

Mazda North American Operations has added the Mazda Tribute Hybrid Electric Vehicle to their lineup for the 2008 model year. The Tribute HEV is the latest environmentally friendly vehicle to join the Mazda lineup. A limited-production model, the 2008 Tribute HEV made its debut at the 2007 North American International Auto Show and went on sale in California in August 2007.

A full hybrid, the Tribute HEV can run on 100 percent electric power up to approximately 25 mph, maximizing in-city fuel economy and making it one of the least-polluting vehicles sold by the Japanese automaker. Despite the ecological friendliness, the Tribute HEV is claimed to retain the “zoom-zoom” quality of the brand. The Tribute HEV provides a satisfactory level of power while managing to meet California’s strict Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle requirements by achieving Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle II. These standards, plus zero evaporative emissions standards are the strictest emission regulations a gasoline-fueled vehicle can meet.

A full hybrid is a vehicle that switches automatically between pure electric power and pure gasoline power or a combined operation of both systems. Ultimately, full hybrids are capable of achieving a 50 percent or more improvement in fuel economy, in stop-and-go-driving - a scenario in which the electric motor functions most efficiently. The Mazda Tribute Hybrid actually improves fuel economy roughly 75 percent in city driving over its conventionally V-6 powered Tribute sibling.

At a casual glance, discerning the difference between a conventional and hybrid Tribute is difficult. There are a few subtle but key distinctions. The Tribute Hybrid has 16-inch wheels as standard, shod with Continental’s ContiTrac Eco Plus tires that provide a lower rolling resistance.

For 2008, the Tribute Hybrid evokes a somewhat bolder countenance outside, as well as a more refined interior with upscale appointments and versatility, new innovative storage options, enhanced comfort features, reduced noise levels and more intuitive ergonomics. In terms of overall styling, the new Tribute Hybrid bears a strong evolutionary resemblance to Mazda’s earlier MPVs. Rather than an emotionally stirring design, the Latest Tribute Hybrid displays a functional and versatile form.

The Tribute HEV is offered in two trim levels, Touring and Grand Touring equipped with either standard front-wheel drive or optional electronic four-wheel drive. Mirroring design cues shared by its gasoline-powered sibling, Tribute HEV offers new front and rear fascias, hood, liftgate, body-side molding, power side view mirrors, headlamps, taillamps and standard fog lights - features also found on the redesigned conventional 2008 Tribute.

The Tribute HEV offers superior environmental performance with its MZR 2.3-liter gasoline engine, modified to run on the Atkinson combustion cycle for superior fuel efficiency. The Atkinson cycle adjusts the timing of the closing of the valves, enabling the engine to realize more power with cleaner emissions. At low speeds or in low-load situations, drive is provided by a permanent magnet AC synchronous electric motor, producing 70 kilowatts at 5000 rpm and 330 V maximum voltage.

When additional power is required, the Tribute HEV’s 2.3-liter DOHC 16-valve Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine seamlessly engages, contributing 133 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 124 pound-feet of torque at 4250 rpm. As a result, vehicle pushes out a combined 155-horsepower with 0 to 60 times comparable to a 200-horsepower V-6 engine, while increasing city-driving fuel economy by nearly 75 percent. It is equipped with a smooth-shifting, electronically controlled Continuously Variable Transmission that realizes seamless, highly efficient adjustment of the gear ratio under electronic control.

Once the vehicle reaches speeds above 25 mph or vehicle load exceeds a certain threshold (such a fully-laden vehicle or a jack-rabbit start), the motor supplements the gasoline engine, providing extra torque. During deceleration, it charges the battery by working as a generator. The generator-motor also provides power boosts during heavy load situations. In addition to fuel-free operation, electric motors deliver maximum torque at low rpm, so they are an ideal complement to gasoline engines that generate peak power at higher rpm.

The transition through four modes - all-electric, gas-electric, gas-only and charging the battery pack - is seamless, and the only clue to the mode in which the vehicle is operating is the “charge/assist” gauge on the dashboard.

An electronic vehicle system-controller manages charging, drive-assist and engine-starting functions. This device shuts the engine down during coasting and at stoplights to save fuel. It also enables the traction motor to convert to a generator to provide engine braking and recharge the batteries.

Safety is a priority. The all-steel unibody construction is both rigid and strong, with crumple zones and ‘Triple H’ construction designed to absorb and redirect energy away from the passenger cabin. Side impact door beams are also fitted to improve safety in a side impact. The Tribute HEV comes with advanced front airbags, side airbags (fitted into the seats rather than the doors), front side-impact airbags, side-impact air curtains, independent multilink rear suspension and four-wheel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) are also standard. Front three-point seat belts have pre-tensioners to reduce slack in the early moments of a frontal impact.

The Tribute Hybrid’s interior is quite similar to the traditional Tribute, with seating for five and the same 60/40 split folding rear seat. The 330-volt nickel-metal-hydride battery pack is efficiently packaged beneath the rear load floor.

The Tribute Escape comes with a flow-through console and uniquely specific gauges, including a “green zone” gauge that indicates when the vehicle is operating in the most economical mode. An optional 110-volt AC plug is also available on the center console, providing even more utility.

My test 2008 Mazda Tribute Hybrid was a FWD model in Grand Touring trim, finished in a Monterey Gray metallic clearcoat, with a Stone and Beige-toned cloth interior. The base price was set at $25,310. All accessories and equipment came as standard, the destination charge put the tested price at $25,905.

Filed under: Mazda

Since assuming the city’s highest office, Mayor Sheila Dixon is usually driven around town in a bulky Ford Expedition, a bodyguard at the wheel.

And yet there she was Friday in the back of a taxi cab. A cost-cutting measure?

Not quite. The cab was unusual, the first of its kind. It was a green-and-yellow Toyota Prius taxi, an environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient, gas-and-electric compact vehicle that is to be one of many such cabs on Baltimore’s streets.

“Nice ride,” Dixon said as she stepped out of the Prius at a trail entrance in Druid Hill Park, where she announced a series of events tied to Baltimore’s Green Week, which kicks off Friday.

A second Prius cab was parked outside City Hall, where Dixon began her ride, and Yellow Transportation is converting an additional eight cars to taxis for rollouts in coming weeks. The company hopes to have 20 on the road by the end of the year.

Eventually, Veolia Transportation, which owns about 600 cabs in Baltimore under several subsidiaries — as well as hundreds more cabs in other cities, including Denver and Kansas City — plans to replace all of them with environmentally responsible cars.

The very first was the one ridden by Dixon, said Mark L. Joseph, chief executive of Veolia. As the car pulled up and stopped, there was a brief hitch in unlocking the rear doors so Dixon could emerge. She hit a button she thought was the lock and the window rolled down instead. Finally, someone reached in and released the door.

Asked whether she had planned to pick up any fares, Dixon responded, “I could have, I would have — I drive.”
Joseph, a Baltimore native whose family started the Yellow Cab Co. — now a subsidiary of Veolia — in the city 99 years ago, said, “You’d need a taxi license if you’re going to pick up fares.”

“Damn,” Dixon replied with a smile. The job, she added, would have meant “extra money.”

Technically, the mayor was the car’s first fare, although, Joseph said, “she got a free ride.”

The car’s driver, Joe Matthews, a 12-year veteran of Yellow and a local tour guide, said the three-passenger Prius was comfortable but not quite as large as the Ford Crown Victorias he normally drives, which can carry four fares.

“But this one has more leg room up front and more knee room in the back,” said Matthews, who was getting used to some new gadgets, including a push-button ignition and a computer screen on the dashboard that shows the performance of the car’s two propulsion systems — one run by gasoline, the other by electricity.

The car’s rear bumper announces it as a “Clean Air Cab,” a reference to its standing as one of the three cleanest-burning vehicles on the market. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency lists the 2008 Prius as the most fuel-efficient car sold in the United States. Joseph estimated the car will get 45 miles to the gallon, whereas a typical taxi will get “less than 20.”

Dixon and other city officials used the introduction of the hybrid cab to highlight not just the new, 2.75-mile extension of the Jones Falls Trail at Druid Hill Park but the city’s other “green” initiatives, including today’s citywide neighborhood clean-up and the fifth annual EcoFestival on April 26.

At the festival, also in Druid Hill Park, residents will be able to sample “green” products from more than 100 exhibitors and vendors, take a free yoga class, take part in guided nature walks and pick up one of 1,000 free birch and redbud trees, part of an effort to double the city’s tree canopy within 30 years.

On April 28, Dixon will outline her plan for a cleaner, greener Baltimore during a panel discussion titled “The Sustainable City” at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront. Other events that week include an April 29 meeting at the Patterson Park Library, at which community associations will be invited to learn the fundamentals of creating environmentally healthy neighborhoods.

“I just purchased a tree,” Dixon said Friday at Druid Hill Park, “but I haven’t had a chance to plant it. I did water it yesterday, though.”

Filed under: miscellaneous

Drivers who rent hybrid vehicles at San Francisco International Airport would receive a flat $15 rebate under a proposed program announced Tuesday by Mayor Gavin Newsom.

Rental car company executives said hybrids such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid cost about as much to rent as a full-sized car. The $15 rebate would be per rental, not per day.

In addition, Newsom proposed that if car rental agencies at SFO can prove that 15 percent of their rentals over a year’s time are rated by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as especially fuel efficient, such as the Toyota Camry and the Ford Focus, the companies would receive a 20 percent price break on their airport concession fee.

Approximately 2 million cars are rented a year at SFO.

The proposal, approved by the Airport Commission on Tuesday, still needs the OK of the Board of Supervisors. If approved, a two-year pilot program would begin in December.

Newsom said the initiative would cost $2.1 million a year and be funded by the revenue the airport receives from car rental company leases.

Filed under: miscellaneous

Puchheim, Germany-based Proton Motor Fuel Cell announced plans to work with Osnabruck, Germany’s Wilhelm Karmann to build a zero-emission, light-duty commercial vehicle with a hybrid electric and hydrogen fuel cell system.

Proton Motor is a subsidiary of the U.K.’s Proton Power Systems (AIM: PPS).

The deal comes just after Proton Power announced that it needs to raise up to £2 million from a shares placing in order to have sufficient working capital on tap past the end of April.

In 2006, Proton Power received a £2 million loan from General Capital, of which £1 million has already been drawn down, but Proton said it does not believe it will get the second tranche following technical breaches of the loan agreement.

The new vehicle, called the EcoCarrier, is designed by Germany’s EcoCraft Automotive. Proton Motor said Karmann would build the small truck and its electrical propulsion system, while Proton Motor would deliver the fuel cell hybrid system.

Felix Heidelberg, CEO of Proton Power, said, “We both see this project as a starting point for more joint business in the area of fuel cell hybrid commercial vehicles.”

“Drawing from experiences of both companies, Proton Power will be well-positioned to develop and commercialize sustainable technical solutions for our target markets and to generate new projects and contracts.”

Proton Motor said the project aims to deliver a zero-emission vehicle to customers such as small businesses, local communities, airports, and postal and delivery services.

Filed under: miscellaneous

Chrysler has confirmed that it plans to sell a hybrid version of its Dodge Ram pick-up truck in 2010. The announcement comes on the back of earlier news that the company will roll out hybrid versions of its Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen SUVs this summer.

The company has also indicated that it will offer an even wider range of hybrids in the near future. Speaking at this year’s SAE International world congress, product development chief Frank Klegon said, “We are going to need to expand our hybrid offerings and we are doing that, we just haven’t announced which specific vehicles are going to show up beyond the truck.”

He also said that the Ram SUV will use a similar hybrid system to the one used in the Durango and Aspen models. This means that it’s likely to be based on a nickel battery, linked to a larger four-cylinder engine and capable of speeds up to 70MPH.

After several years of Hybrid SUV dominance by European and Japanese auto companies, it’s encouraging to see some signs of a fight back from US manufacturers. Let’s hope this healthy competition extends to smaller, more affordable cars soon.

Filed under: Chrysler

The rising cost of fuel has led to drivers searching for ways to cut costs, with some turning to hybrid vehicles.

According to hybridcars.com, as of June 2007, hybrids saved about 5.5 million barrels of fuel. However, that’s about three million barrels less than the fuel used for light-duty vehicles in a single day. The market for hybrids in the United States is expected to grow by up to ten percent in the next five years.

Cynthia baize is seriously considering buying a hybrid. She’s worried about the environment. Recently, the cost of fuel peaked her interest. “Probably when we got to about 3.50, three dollars and fifty cents a gallon,” she said.

She checked out the Toyota Prius, but felt it was too small for her tall family. A Saturn hybrid SUV caught her eye. She says hybrids have come a long way.

“The very first one’s felt like a golf cart, and I don’t want to drive a golf cart on the highway,” she said.

Although not as efficient as some compact hybrids, the SUV gets an estimated 25 miles per gallon in the city, and 32 on the highway. A non-hybrid of its size might get 16 to 24.

“This beats it up like a school yard bully,” said Mike Cramutolo, a sales consultant for Saturn. He says the company will be rolling out more hybrids because of consumer demand.

“They’re concerned about how high gas is going,” he said.

But not everyone is worried. Ken Gathings said, “Gas prices are really not that bad if you consider inflation over the years.” He recently bought a regular SUV. He is a band teacher, and needed the room to carry large instruments. He’s afraid hybrid batteries, which are expensive to recycle, might end up in landfills. He has a smaller, more efficient car for longer distances.

“I’m concerned about the environment, but I limit my driving to only when I need to do it,” he said.

Hybrids are still more expensive than their counterparts, but they are coming down in price. There are also state and federal tax credits available, in addition to the fuel savings.

Filed under: miscellaneous

The Hybrid Vision Isolator is the latest development from the Hosokawa Micron technical team working to design and manufacture bespoke containment solutions It uses the proven Hosokawa Flexible Containment Isolator (FCI) as a basis and is designed for applications that require the containment of larger pieces of equipment and processes which need a bigger working area

The Hybrid Vision Isolator has an acrylic canopy that allows full visibility of the inside of the isolator which is lit by ambient light or room lighting.

Unlit corners or dark spots, as a result of shadows cast from internal arms or the operators arms, are therefore eliminated to give full operational visibility.

The acrylic canopy allows location of glove ports in any position on all four sides of the canopy to give operators easy, all round access to all equipment, controls and process and maintenance activities.

The Hybrid Vision Isolator incorporates HEPA filtration and a continuous liner bag out port as standard and in addition can be fitted with options including a CIP system, nitrogen purge, interlocked access door, oxygen analyser and electrical power sockets.

Lighter in weight than a conventional stainless steel isolator, the Hosokawa Hybrid Vision Isolator can easily be wheeled to different locations within the facility making it highly flexible and user friendly.

For companies looking for a lower cost alternative to the stainless steel isolator and shorter lead time for testing, trials or production processes the Hosokawa Hybrid Vision Isolators has obvious advantages.

Filed under: miscellaneous