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Posts Tagged ‘Hybrid Cars’

The Urgent Need for Alternative Sources of Fuel

A lot of people that using alternative sources of fuel is just fulfilling your environmental duties. Others use such fuel sources to assuage their own conscience. While using alternative fuel sources can definitely fulfil the above two roles, it is just plain good sense and planning to not depend on the rapidly depleting and environmentally degrading fossil fuels that form the backbone of our economy, and our transport system.

You can start off your use of alternative fuels in your daily commute. If you use your feet to commute, either through walking or cycling, you are at a great disadvantage with the rest of the American populace. Not only will you be healthier and fitter, you will also save thousands of dollars on ever increasing fuel costs, while cutting down on your carbon footprint.

Of course, you cannot depend on walking or cycles to take you everywhere. You will require a motorized mode of transport sooner or later. If you can afford one, a hybrid car would be a great investment. Not only are hybrid cars more economical, they are also low polluting. You will also be at a distinct advantage with the rest of the population as fuel prices keep on increasing, and as the country makes the inevitable switch to cars powered by alternative sources of fuel.

Try to use public means of transport as much as you can, especially the local metro which runs on electric power, and thus, gives off zero emissions. Not only is public transport a cost effective means of travel, it is also a great way to do your little bit for the environment and keep at least one car off the already congested roads and highways.

It makes sense to switch over the alternative fuel sources sooner than later. We will all have to switch to greener energy sources one day, so why not today rather than tomorrow?

About the Author

John has been writing online for several years. His late blog is about picture scanners, and how you should go about buying a picture scanner

Toyota halts diesel plans. Banking on gas hybrids

No serious move towards diesel from any automakers outside of Europe? Toyota much more interested in hybrid cars.Diesel only for Europeans?

Despite an uptick in recent US diesel vehicle sales, probably thanks to a significant drop in diesel fuel prices, Honda, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Nissan and Toyota have “halted diesel programs because of spiraling costs and other problems,” according to AutoWeek.

Toyota followed up this news with the comment that they are “banking heavily” on gasoline-powered hybrid vehicles.

$4.00 gas: America’s only hope for change?

What will it take to push people into hybrid cars and more fuel efficient vehicles? $4.00 gas.Otherwise guzzlers will still be America’s top sellers

If gas prices hit $4.00 today, what would happen?

According to a survey by Cars.com, 40 percent of car shoppers would immediately buy a more fuel efficient vehicle today. Another 41 percent would buy a more fuel efficient vehicle when they were ready to buy another auto.

However, if gas were $3.75, instead of $4.00, only 29 percent would buy a more fuel efficient vehicle.

Even more noteworthy, at $2.50 – 2.75, 64 percent of new car shoppers won’t even consider a more fuel efficient vehicle.

I guess it’s not really that surprising that US automakers are still dragging their feet on cheap hybrid cars, or even a real push towards hybridizing their truck fleets. Without much higher gas prices, Americans just aren’t that interested.

Ford + EnerDel = Failure?

Which is worse, foreign oil dependency or foreign battery dependency. Let's not just wait for lithium plug-in hybrids, let's have lithium hybrid cars right now!Where does your battery come from?

In the future, the US might no longer suffer from foreign oil dependence, but there is every reason to believe that we’ll suffer from foreign battery dependence. Can the US auto industry survive and compete if it has to import cost-effective lithium batteries from Asia and Europe – areas that are years ahead of America in both battery R&D and manufacturing capabilities?

Today, there is only one company that has the ability to mass-produce enough lithium batteries for either tens of thousands of EVs or hundreds of thousands of hybrid cars right here in America. Unfortunately, EnerDel can’t sign a contract with any of the Big 3 American automakers.

Why? According to Argonne Labs, Enerdel has quality lithium chemistry.

So, why didn’t Ford, for example, show some real innovation and produce the Ford Fusion hybrid with lithium batteries from EnerDel, rather than NiMH batteries? Ford has no future with NiMH, so why not take a calculated risk with American-manufactured lithium batteries, especially if you’re only going to produce 25,000 of these hybrids per year?

Late next year, Uncle Sam will be doling out $7500 tax credits to Americans that buy plug-in vehicles that might have been made in America, but the most important technology, the battery, was not. Isn’t it time to also dole out some credits to push American automakers, such as Ford, into American manufactured lithium batteries for today’s hybrids? Isn’t there no better time to act than right now?

Fortune rips Big 3 and "foolhardy" Volt

Can the Big 3 really compete with Asis when it comes to hybrid cars and electric vehicles?The Volt’s redesigned debut

A few weeks ago Fortune’s Alex Taylor III slammed GM’s Chevy Volt calling it “misguided, even foolhardy”.

Today, Taylor elaborates on his Volt criticism while wondering when the Big 3 will challenge a vehicle like the Toyota Prius. Moreover, he wonders how financially-strangled Big 3 automakers are going to catch companies like Toyota on advanced technology.

Sure GM has a vehicle like the Volt, but Volt profitability is probably 3 generations away. How will GM make money in the interim? With gas-guzzlers? Without ever directly challenging the Prius?

And, if it takes another 10 years before the Volt is possibly profitable, new Chinese companies, such as BYD, might be too lean and mean – not to mention close to lithium supplies – for GM and the Big 3 to contend.