Last month, Bob Lutz, General Motors' renowned car czar, stood before a room full of reporters and offered a stunning mea culpa. "A few years ago," he said, "we made a bad decision." That decision: GM failed to green light a hybrid car, even though it had the know-how and the technology left over from its failed EV1 electric car. Toyota, of course, made the opposite decision and today its Prius hybrid is the envy of the automotive world. "The value Toyota got out of the Prius, in terms of positioning themselves as the world technology leader, was incredible," bemoans Lutz. "Now we're in a position to play catch-up."
This week at the Detroit Auto Show, GM hopes to shock the car-buying public by unveiling its catch-up vehicle: The Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid that GM says can go 150mpg or more. There's been plenty of buzz about plug-in hybrids over the last year. But so far there are no hybrids on the market that you can recharge by plugging into a wall outlet. Instead, today's hybrids recharge their batteries by capturing energy from braking. But the Volt is a different kind of hybrid. Unlike those on the market that are primarily powered by a small gasoline engine, this sexy little four-seater runs on pure electricity. The tiny three-cylinder gasoline engine under its hood is only used to recharge the batteries, never to turn the wheels. You can also recharge the Volt by plugging it into a standard socket for about six hours. By contrast, the 60mpg Prius can't be plugged in and only runs on pure electric power until it hits about 15mph. Then its small gasoline engine kicks in to supplement the electric motor. Other hybrids, like the Honda Civic, never run on pure electric power, but are driven by a blend of gasoline and kilowatts. Now, though, the race is on to have the first plug-in hybrid on the market....
Visit Newsweek for the rest of the story
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Friday, December 29, 2006
Hyundai and Kia working on Hybrid
By Park Hyong-ki
Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors will start producing a limited number of hybrid automobiles exclusively for the government of Korea early next year.
The government and the auto industry are about to complete their testing and researching of gasoline-electric cars this month, as part of the first phase of launching the vehicle in Korea.
The government and industry began researching and developing the hybrid in 2004,
In phase two, the government will further subsidize Hyundai and Kia, Korea’s two largest automakers, to develop and manufacture models on a small scale until 2008.
Under the plan, Hyundai Motor will produce the Verna, while Kia Motors will make the Pride, both subcompact hybrid sedans.
Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors will start producing a limited number of hybrid automobiles exclusively for the government of Korea early next year.
The government and the auto industry are about to complete their testing and researching of gasoline-electric cars this month, as part of the first phase of launching the vehicle in Korea.
The government and industry began researching and developing the hybrid in 2004,
In phase two, the government will further subsidize Hyundai and Kia, Korea’s two largest automakers, to develop and manufacture models on a small scale until 2008.
Under the plan, Hyundai Motor will produce the Verna, while Kia Motors will make the Pride, both subcompact hybrid sedans.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Which is the best Hybrid Car?
Hybrid Car Comparison: Which Hybrid Car Should You Choose
More information about Hybrid Cars
Hybrid cars are getting more and more popular today. In fact, more and more people are now purchasing hybrid cars because of a number of reasons. One is that they will enjoy tax incentives as a buyer of a hybrid car, two is that they will be able to save a lot of money from the rising cost of precious, expensive and limited supply of fuel and three, it will enable them to generate less pollution to the environment because of the extremely low toxic emissions generated by hybrid cars.
Because of the growing popularity of hybrid cars, more and more car manufacturers are now competing to produce the best kind of hybrid cars. They are now producing hybrid cars integrated with state-of-the-art technology that will enable consumers to save more on fuel, and also a car that will be able to produce low toxic emissions.
However, because of the growing market for hybrid cars, and also because of more and more car manufacturers that are now integrating hybrid technology in their cars, many people tend to get confused on which hybrid car to purchase. Besides, all car manufacturers promises to offer the best kind of hybrid cars in the market today.
In order to know which hybrid car to purchase, you have to compare them closely for you to know which hybrid car is for you and which hybrid car you can benefit from more. You have to compare some factors of hybrid cars in order to determine which hybrid car is better than the other.
However, before you go on and compare hybrid cars, you first have to know a little something about how hybrid cars work and how you can benefit from it. First of all, hybrid cars use the cleanest and the most efficient source of energy, which is electricity and also gasoline. Hybrid cars are what you can describe as a cross between a conventional gasoline-powered car and an electric-powered car.
It allows you to save fuel and emit lower volumes of toxic fumes because hybrid cars run on electricity when it is idle. What this means is that when you are stuck in traffic, and the hybrid car is running idle, or not in motion, it will automatically switch of the gasoline engine. Therefore, the hybrid car will run purely on electricity. Once you step on the accelerator pedal, it will automatically switch on the gasoline engine again to run the car.
So, now that you know how hybrid cars work and how you can benefit from it, you now have to know how to compare hybrid cars in order to get the right kind of hybrid car for your everyday use.
First of all, you need to determine how you will use the car. If you have a family, it is recommended that you get an SUV hybrid vehicle. This will enable you to carry more passengers. However, you also have to consider that SUV hybrid vehicles can cost a little more than hybrid cars.
The main advantage of a hybrid car is that it is fuel efficient. You have to choose a hybrid car that is the most fuel efficient in order for you to maximize its benefits. You can ask your dealer about the fuel efficiency of the car. They will be able to tell you how much miles a gallon it can save compared to conventional cars and other hybrid cars.
These are the ways on how you can compare hybrid cars in order for you to choose which one to get. Remember all these things and you can be sure that you will be able to get the right kind of hybrid car available in the market today. To start your search, Honda and Toyota are two of the leading companies today that produce affordable and efficient hybrid cars.
More information about Hybrid Cars
Brandon McVey
More information about Hybrid Cars
Hybrid cars are getting more and more popular today. In fact, more and more people are now purchasing hybrid cars because of a number of reasons. One is that they will enjoy tax incentives as a buyer of a hybrid car, two is that they will be able to save a lot of money from the rising cost of precious, expensive and limited supply of fuel and three, it will enable them to generate less pollution to the environment because of the extremely low toxic emissions generated by hybrid cars.
Because of the growing popularity of hybrid cars, more and more car manufacturers are now competing to produce the best kind of hybrid cars. They are now producing hybrid cars integrated with state-of-the-art technology that will enable consumers to save more on fuel, and also a car that will be able to produce low toxic emissions.
However, because of the growing market for hybrid cars, and also because of more and more car manufacturers that are now integrating hybrid technology in their cars, many people tend to get confused on which hybrid car to purchase. Besides, all car manufacturers promises to offer the best kind of hybrid cars in the market today.
In order to know which hybrid car to purchase, you have to compare them closely for you to know which hybrid car is for you and which hybrid car you can benefit from more. You have to compare some factors of hybrid cars in order to determine which hybrid car is better than the other.
However, before you go on and compare hybrid cars, you first have to know a little something about how hybrid cars work and how you can benefit from it. First of all, hybrid cars use the cleanest and the most efficient source of energy, which is electricity and also gasoline. Hybrid cars are what you can describe as a cross between a conventional gasoline-powered car and an electric-powered car.
It allows you to save fuel and emit lower volumes of toxic fumes because hybrid cars run on electricity when it is idle. What this means is that when you are stuck in traffic, and the hybrid car is running idle, or not in motion, it will automatically switch of the gasoline engine. Therefore, the hybrid car will run purely on electricity. Once you step on the accelerator pedal, it will automatically switch on the gasoline engine again to run the car.
So, now that you know how hybrid cars work and how you can benefit from it, you now have to know how to compare hybrid cars in order to get the right kind of hybrid car for your everyday use.
First of all, you need to determine how you will use the car. If you have a family, it is recommended that you get an SUV hybrid vehicle. This will enable you to carry more passengers. However, you also have to consider that SUV hybrid vehicles can cost a little more than hybrid cars.
The main advantage of a hybrid car is that it is fuel efficient. You have to choose a hybrid car that is the most fuel efficient in order for you to maximize its benefits. You can ask your dealer about the fuel efficiency of the car. They will be able to tell you how much miles a gallon it can save compared to conventional cars and other hybrid cars.
These are the ways on how you can compare hybrid cars in order for you to choose which one to get. Remember all these things and you can be sure that you will be able to get the right kind of hybrid car available in the market today. To start your search, Honda and Toyota are two of the leading companies today that produce affordable and efficient hybrid cars.
More information about Hybrid Cars
Brandon McVey
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