Alizium Auto Blogs: hybrid cars

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What cars are selling in 2008?

The best selling car in America... for now

We all know auto sales are way down; so much so that automakers and dealers are taking some desperate measures to move cars.

While it may sound like nothing but doom and gloom, cars are still selling. It’s when we look at which ones that we get a glimpse into what consumers are demanding. And there are some surprises about what cars are popular right now.

Through August, the top selling vehicles for 2008 are:

Toyota Camry
Honda Accord
Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla
Ford F- Series
Nissan Altima
Chevy Silverado
Chevy Impala
Ford Focus
Chevy Cobalt

Here’s what surprises me about this list: First, even though the first half of 2008 saw the highest gas prices EVER, the Toyota Prius isn’t present. I take that as a sign that consumers are smart, electing to save their money by buying traditional gas-powered cars that deliver an acceptable MPG.

Second, there are two trucks on the list. Chalk this up to aggressive discounting by Ford and Chevy, in addition to the simple fact that a lot of guys in America will ALWAYS buy trucks.

It’s no surprise that all SUVs have disappeared completely from the top 10. Families in need of hauling soccer gear and kids are sacrificing the space of an Explorer for the practicality of the Accord.

No doubt this list is posted in the corporate offices of automakers around the world, and we’ll be seeing more 4-door fuel efficient sedans in the future.

I want to know: How long will pickups stay on the top 10?

-tgriffith

Japan wants to add noise to hybrid vehicles

Blind people will hear you coming in your soundless engined car...

Hybrid vehicles might be the ride of choice for gangsters in television shows where they can go and leave unnoticed. In real life though, people are complaining of the dangers the silent hybrid engines. Imagine crossing the street without hearing a vehicle’s sound, and the next thing you know is a bumper near your knee.

Companies like Lotus designs gadgets to provide engine noise for the silent vehicles. Japan is even thinking if it should make the device mandatory for all hybrid vehicles to improve safety on the road.

The root of the problem is on the design of the electric engine of the vehicles. Running on electric power alone, the car does not produce any noise when cruising on low speed. The quiet cruising of the EV has been an issue especially for visually impaired persons walking on the street.

Visually impaired persons depend on sounds when they walk on the street and they have petitioned to the government to make the streets safer for them as they consider the popular hybrid cars in Japan as dangerous.

The Japanese government has formed a team of experts, vision impaired, police, representatives from the auto industry, and consumers to discuss the best solution to the problem. So far, it has been a consensus that a sound making gadget be added to the hybrids.

Lotus has developed a technology coined Safe and Sound which uses speakers and microphones to make sure that people outside will hear the vehicle coming. The advanced system still allows for a quiet ride for the occupants of the vehicle. No hybrid vehicle has utilized this feature so far.

Hybrid Escalade? Gimme a break!

I want to talk about something that’s incredibly simple, but for some reason a lot people don’t seem to get.

There’s so much talk right now about the importance of miles per gallon, and ways to increase the MPG of the cars being built.

The challenge so far is building a car that can be driven more miles for each gallon of gas it consumes. A popular solution that automakers, and the public, are embracing is the hybrid vehicle. While some hybrids do increase the MPG, they also cost a heck of a lot more money than comparably sized cars.

And I won’t even get into the fact that it takes years and years to even recover the cost of the car in gas savings. And what will happen to the toxic batteries once the car’s life is over?

What I want to talk about right now is even more basic than that: weight.

This is just simple physics, friends: the less something weighs, the less energy it takes to propel it.

Following so far?

I just don’t understand why the automakers in this country are so stuck on the hybrid concept, when we can achieve even better MPG than a hybrid in a gas-powered car that weighs less.

Instead, we have GM slapping a hybrid sticker on the side of a $70,000 behemoth Escalade that gets 20 MPG. Does that make sense? Think about how many non-hybrid vehicles get significantly better mileage than that.

It’s completely insane folks, and we need to step up as consumers and say, “Hey, GM, we don’t want a 6,000 pound monster that costs over 70 grand and gets 20 MPG. We want a 2,000 pound vehicle that gets more than 30 MPG.”

We can’t have it all, America, and it’s time to start making choices that have serious effects on the environment and perhaps more importantly, on our wallets.

Instead of dropping 70K on a hybrid SUV, save yourself 50 THOUSAND dollars and pick up a Mini Cooper that goes nearly twice the miles on the same gallon of gas.

What would you buy: the hybrid Escalade or the gas-powered Cooper?

-tgriffith

2009 Mini Cooper S Convertible Caught In The Wild [2009 Mini Cooper S Convertible]

Regardless of Ford’s later influence, though, in 1905, H. Piper, an engineer, ...

History behind Hybrid Cars Ever curious how exactly hybrid cars became the economic revelation they are today? Well, it definitely didn’t start in the 1990s, that’s for sure. In fact, alternative-fuel vehicles and transportation were being developed as far back as 1665, which Flemish inventors used to experiment with steam-power in order to power unmanned cars, and, moving forward to the 1700s, steam-powered carriages.

For the most part, though, these were small developments, and it wasn’t until nearly 1900, in 1898, that the first real hybrid car made its grand debut. Although there are conflicting views as to which hybrid came first, the actual hybrid car developed by Porsche utilized a similar engine as in conventional vehicles today to rotate a generator that would power electric motors, located in the actual car wheel’s hubs. This particular Porsche was able to travel to nearly 40 miles simply utilizing the power in the battery pack before it had to quit, and by 1899, two more hybrids had appeared in Paris, at the city’s Salon.

In the earlier years of the twentieth century, there were thousands of hybrid and electric cars being produced and showcased. It seemed that electric and hybrid cars would be the way to travel, and in 1900, the “voiturette,” the first of these hybrids, was made by Pieper and was very similar to the hybrids we already know. The only difference was most likely in the exterior. After all, the French didn’t necessarily have flames painted along the car and spinners on the rims. For this particular hybrid, the purpose of the battery was to help the car in making its way up hills, and while the car was cruising, the battery would recharge itself. There was even a reliability test in 1902 to see which would fare better, a hybrid, or steam-powered or gas-powered vehicles.

But, then, at some point around the 1920s, hybrids suddenly vanished from the public eye, as if they had never existed. Why and how did that happen?

The answer to that are two words: Henry Ford. Ford’s Model T was not only gas-powered, but his production utilized the assembly line, which made these cars much faster to produce, and easier to do so. Regardless of Ford’s later influence, though, in 1905, H. Piper, an engineer, was hoping to patent his own hybrid vehicle that would use an electric motor along with a gas-powered engine. Even in 1905, someone had thought of the hybrids we would use today. The problem was finding the support needed.

Unfortunately, any plans for hybrids were dropped in the 1920s when Ford’s Model T flooded the automobile market. From 1920 to 1965, there was simply no chance for hybrids to develop. Then, in 1969, GM began to experiment with hybrid cars again, and the next thirty years would be filled with tireless efforts of scientists, inventors, and engineers to help create a fast, eco-friendly hybrid.

Finally, in 1997, manufacturers Toyota and Audi premiered their hybrid cars to mixed reactions. The vehicles were hardly flawless, so it took some time to before hybrids were picked back up by manufacturers and kinks were worked out.

But, the most interesting fact about all of this is that considering the history of hybrids, these cars were originally the vehicle of choice for most engineers. So, how could things have been different if hybrids had remained in the spotlight and not blotted out by Henry Ford?

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Tags: Porsche, Toyota, Ford, Lohner, Manufacturers, First

They’re all great cars, but they’re all very much polluting, something ...

Back when I was unaware of the dangers our petrol-guzzling cars hold, I was a huge fan of BMW cars… I still love the look of new M3’s, the new 7-series or the 6 series convertible. They’re all great cars, but they’re all very much polluting, something I’m trying my hardest not to do…

BUT — that’s when BMW steps in with this gorgeous and majestic BMW 7 Series ActiveHybrid, good on the eyes and the earth!

BMW Activehybrid 7-Series

Via Hybrid Cars Online.

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Did you know that you can convert your car to a water-burning car? You can run your car on water, supplemental to gasoline, to increase your car’s fuel efficiency and reduce your fuel costs significantly.

• Works on gas or diesel powered cars, vans, trucks, and SUVs. (Not tested on hybrids)
• Your car will become at least 40% more fuel efficient and produce cleaner emissions.
• Convert your car for the lowest price. Similar conversion kits cost up to $600 and up!
• Works with plain tap water. No need for distilled water or special water additives!
• We’ve simplified the process. The steps are easy, and the materials are affordable.

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