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Hybrid Car Links
Hybrid car links and future model news
Many economy cars cost less than hybrids and also achieve impressive fuel economy. See our report on
Two excellent starting points are HybridCars.com and Green Car Journal.
About.com has an information-packed section called "Hybrid Cars and Alt Fuels" that will lead you to news, reviews and articles relating to hybrid cars, technology, legislation and more. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
AutoblogGreen.com, a spinoff site of Autoblog.com, focuses specifically on green automotive topics. Daily updates cover the latest industry news and information, as well as original editorial content and vehicle reviews.
In an informative May 2009 article called "The Tech Choice is Yours," Road & Track's engineering editor, Dennis Simanaitis, discusses the pros and cons of a variety of current and future automotive technologies, including hybrids, diesels, fuel cells and EVs.
The FuelEconomy.gov website contains Environmental Protection Agency mileage estimates and information on tax incentives for hybrid and diesel cars. A special section covers hybrids exclusively:
The Federal government offers a Green Vehicle Guide that helps consumers choose the most environmentally friendly vehicle available that meets their needs. Users can look up a specific vehicle, or search by type or by efficiency.
Two of the best articles that compare the operating costs of driving a hybrid versus a conventional gas-powered car are from Consumer Reports and Edmunds.com
Consumer Reports also maintains a blog on cars and alternative fuels that has some interesting information and current news, and is available to everyone, not just subscribers.
Technology review site CNET has a useful Green Car Buying Guide, as well as a plentiful archive of automotive reviews on their website. Some reviews include comparative information.
IntelliChoice.com offers an article called "Smart Buying Essentials: The Hype Over Hybrids." The editors focus on ownership costs, pointing out that hybrids hold their value better over five years compared to their gasoline-powered counterparts.
Fans of the sales champion Toyota Prius will find loads of model-specific information at the AllAboutPrius.com blog, which has useful news and reviews as well as a photo and video gallery.
The Buzz
Almost every major automaker is promising new hybrid cars in the next few years. General Motors has been hyping the Chevy Volt as an extended-range electric vehicle, scheduled for production in late 2010. The Volt midsize sedan will have plug-in capability so that it can run up to 40 miles on purely electric power before an on-board gas-powered generator kicks in to supply power to the electric motor on the go.
Lower-priced hybrids are expected to arrive within a few years. Automotive News reports that Toyota will likely develop a new, low-priced hybrid model based on the Yaris, to better compete with the Honda Insight, which undercuts the popular midsized Prius. The new compact Toyota hybrid could be ready by 2011, priced at $20,000 or below. Honda counters by indicating that they plan a lower-priced hybrid version of the Fit hatchback economy car.
Hyundai plans their first hybrid car to be based on the midsize Sonata sedan, although it could have a new name and unique styling. The full-hybrid vehicle is scheduled for introduction in October 2010. The South Korean automaker has also announced plans for a plug-in hybrid for 2012.
On the higher end, Mercedes plans to introduce its first hybrid sedan in late 2009: the S400 BlueHybrid. This premium-priced luxury sedan is expected to achieve at least an approximately 20 percent improvement in fuel economy compared to a gas-powered version. Power comes from a 3.5-liter V-6 engine and an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery pack in a mild-hybrid configuration.
BMW has shown a concept version of its 7 Series luxury sedan using a twin-turbo V-8 engine with electric drive. Called the 7 Series ActiveHybrid, this mild-hybrid concept boosts horsepower and reduces fuel consumption and emissions by about 15 percent, the German carmaker says. No production plans have been announced.
Upstart automaker Fisker Automotive plans to introduce a plug-in, high-performance hybrid sedan called the Fisker Karma in late 2009. With a base price of $87,900, the dramatically styled and lavishly appointed Karma will use a plug-in lithium ion battery pack for a 50-mile range on pure electric power. After that, the Karma uses a turbocharged four-cylinder engine acting as a generator for the electric motor, much like the Chevy Volt
Another upstart automaker in the news is Tesla, the Silicon Valley-based carmaker that has introduced an all-electric sports car called Tesla Roadster. Based on a Lotus Elise chassis, the Tesla electric vehicle is a limited production two-seater with a price tag starting at $109,000. A second EV model, a sleek luxury sedan called Tesla Model S, is reportedly planned for late 2011 production, with a more reasonable price around $50,000.
At the 2009 New York Auto Show, Mitsubishi announced plans to offer its I MiEV electric car in the United States before 2012. Based on the Japanese Mitsubishi i "kei"-class microcar, the i MiEV has been in development over the past few years, and is set to go on sale in Japan in 2009.
We're likely to see more electric vehicles on the road within a few years, although the launch of EVs will be slow as cities develop plans for recharging infrastructure. San Francisco could be one of the pioneer cities for EVs. Nissan has said it will begin EV sales to commercial fleets as early as 2010.
