Bio-diesel and the hybrid cars
“The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today, but such oils may become, in the course of time, as important as petroleum and the coal-tar products of the present time.” The above text is a brief from the speech made by Rudolf Diesel, on his innovative diesel engine which was powered by bio-diesel and won the award at World Fair in Paris in 1900.
The new hybrid technology proved Diesel’s words exactly true. With a greener fuel available to replace the non-renewable diesel and petrol, the car manufacturers are working day and night exploring innovative technology to offer maximum efficiency with the environment-friendly recyclable fuel. Read more
Lotus Exige 265E
The Lotus Exige 265E the most powerful road version of the Lotus Exige ever and it runs on environmentally friendly Bio Fuel!
Lotus Engineering, the engineering consultancy division of Group Lotus Plc has developed a bio-ethanol E85 version of the Lotus Exige.
The research vehicle is a true Lotus (it weighs just 930 kg unladen) and is called the Lotus Exige 265E. 265 indicates the approximate horsepower and is consistent with the naming strategy of other one-off and limited run Lotus variants such as the Lotus Sport Exige 240R; the E indicates the environmentally favourable bio-ethanol E85 fuel (85% ethanol alcohol and 15% petrol / gasoline) that powers this extremely high performing sportscar. Read more
Technology Trends
Hybrid cars are becoming the smarter choice for drivers who want the benefits of better fuel efficiency. Experts feel that hybrid batteries would undergo further innovation. At present, hybrid vehicles use NiMH technology, but auto experts are betting on lithium-ion batteries which may dominate the market. Looking at the hybrid technology trends, automakers may be able to deliver a hybrid battery with half the present size and cost.
Diesel hybrids have lots of potential as diesel offers more fuel economy than gasoline. Outside of the United States, diesel hybrids would be more fuel-efficient than gasoline hybrids, experts opined.
Look at the auto giants, which are sprucing up their technology in order to cope up with the customer demands. Ford is planning to launch Flex-Fuel Ford Escape hybrid. Flex-fuel may get more attention. Ethanol and other bio-fuels, which have gained national attention, offer the ability to use home-grown fuel, rather than foreign oil. Besides, flex-fuel creates competition between fuel choices. Read more
Chevrolet Volt Concept
While the technologically advanced Chevrolet Volt has the capability to travel 40 miles on electricity alone, at first glance, the concept could easily be mistaken as simply a design statement.
The Volt conveys an immediate message of agility and sophistication, with exterior proportions more commonly associated with classic sports cars. Twenty-one-inch wheels and sheer, taut surface relationships reiterate the statement. The Chevrolet Volt’s athletic design challenges the notion that an environmentally conscious vehicle can’t be beautiful and possess an aesthetic spirit that matches its driving characteristics. Read more
eXasis - Glass-free transparency
“Glass” concept car to mark Rinspeed’s 30th birthday - 40 years after Bayer’s first “all-plastic” car
eXasis - Glass-free transparency
Zumikon / Leverkusen – “There’s never been anything like it” were the words used in the online edition of an acclaimed international news magazine to describe its editor’s reaction when the first sketches of the new Rinspeed concept car, “eXasis”, appeared on the Internet, “and it looks like no other vehicle before it”. In fact, the illustrations could only hint at what Swiss automotive visionary Frank M. Rinderknecht had thought up in collaboration with the experts from Bayer MaterialScience AG – one of the largest plastics producers in the world – to mark his company’s 30th anniversary: a drivable “glass” car with a completely transparent body and floor made of Makrolon®. Once again, this Rinspeed creation has been built by the Swiss engineering specialists Esoro, and will be shown to the public for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show (March 8-18, 2007), 40 years after Bayer presented the first “all-plastic car” at the K67 Plastics Fair in Germany in 1967. Read more
Top hybrid cars
Auto majors are in the market to lure customers with their latest hybrid models. Here are a few leading models that have already captured the market share.
Toyota Prius
A four-door sedan, it is the best hybrid in terms of its competent technology. It gives you a reasonably good 50mpg in the real mixed driving. When compared to other popular models, Prius has bigger interior with its 175-inch long body. The 1.5-liter four cylinder engine combined with the electric motor offers a total 110 horsepower. Estimated for a reasonable price of $21,725, this product gives you a tax incentive $3,100. It won the Car of the Year in the year 2005.
Honda Civic Hybrid
A four-door sedan, which offers a 110horsepower with its 1.3 liter engine, gives you a 45mpg on highways whereas in the cities it offers about 26mpg only. Civic has improved its model by techniques such as complete deactivation of the cylinders under adverse conditions and an efficient setting for Honda’s i-VTECH engine. In spite of these modifications Honda Civic lags behind Prius in terms of its fuel efficiency and power. The Civic variance is available in the price range of $22,150 to $23,650 with a tax benefit of approximately $2,100. Honda Civic won the Car of the Year in the year 2006.
Ford Escape Hybrid
Ford is proud of its first SUV hybrid, the Ford Escape, the best hybrid SUV on offer. Owing to the success of this model, the manufacturer came up with a similar Mercury Mariner 2007. These are small vehicles with an average mileage of 28 mpg on the real-world mixed driving. Estimated for a decent $26,900 to $28,525, Ford Escape Hybrid stands alone in the auto market with its maneuverability and the visibility. Other special features of this model are the anti-lock brakes, AWD, and a 110-volt outlet on the control panel.
Mercury Mariner Hybrid
It is characterized by its chic, comfort and the best EPA mileage. Its estimated EPA mileage is about 32mpg city and 29 mpg for highways. The amenities include the best seating system and the Audiophile Sound system. The Mercury Mariner has earned the government’s highest five-star side crash test rating for two consecutive years 2006 and 2007. The price of Mariner starts from $28,615
Honda Insight Hybrid
This famous model is best known for its fuel economy. The remarkable features of this model, viz., the aerodynamic structure and its light body, contribute to the best EPA mileage of 57 -60 mpg/city and 56 – 66 mpg/highways. But this small size, two-seater, 155.1-inch long, may not be your ideal choice always. Also compared to the more powerful models - Toyota Prius or Honda Civic hybrid, this does not promise a comfortable journey.
The Honda Accord hybrid
World’s first hybrid sport sedan, the Honda Accord hybrid is the fastest among the models available in the market. With its 253-hp V-6 engine it excels in its performance on the roads. But the Honda Accord’s emphasis on the speed rather than fuel efficiency makes the reviewers think twice before giving a grade to it, and so Toyota Camry’s hybrid gets a point in terms of its overall performance. Camry with its 40mpg mileage while at 70mph, and an overall 30mpg in real-time driving becomes a better choice of the customers.
Hybrid Cars – Top of the Motor Market
The new generation hybrid cars are a sage across the globe with a new study indicating that the hybrid-electric vehicles demand globally to hit around eight million by 2020. The sales of hybrid cars will be mainly driven by the purchases in the United States and the primary motive would be the cost of fuel.
Bio-diesel is the most sought after fuel of the world, as it will contribute less to your cost of fuel bill. You are in a possession of a diesel vehicle and you may be an innovator willing to opt for your own fuel. Bio-diesel reduces most emissions and it is one of the main reasons for you to look around for the best hybrid cars in the world.
Besides fuel efficiency, there are several reasons that may prompt one to buy hybrid automobiles though they are more expensive than regular vehicles, an average being $1,000 to $3,000.
The 2006 new year has promised a totally new motor world to car lovers in the US, the largest automobiles market in the world, with a new and improved hybrid car incentive – full dollar tax credits coming into effect, and this turns out to be better than the earlier federal tax incentives for them. The tax incentives are set to enhance the buying aspirations among the customers for hybrid cars.
Environmentalists may spur the demand for bio-diesel; leading companies are also urging their employees to go for hybrid cars though the disparity in prices between conventional cars and hybrid cars is yet to shrink. Motor analysts feel that the price may come down with the increase in production.
Globally, big companies are encouraging their employees to opt for the fuel-efficient and environment-friendly hybrid cars by offering various perks to them. STMicroelectronics and The Farmers Insurance Group have already set an example by doing so.
An innovative change in the future hybrid cars will be the use of lithium batteries. This will not only reduce the cost of the batteries but also improve their efficiency. The existing nickel and lead batteries will thus give way to the less toxic lithium batteries and will offer a pleasant ride in the green pastures. The research is up in full swing by the world leaders in the car industry.
There are effective measures taken by different companies to utilize every part of the used batteries. Toyota offers $200 for an old battery, which can be recycled. According to the company, this will not only reduce the further cost of manufacturing, but will also avoid unwanted pollution, which is caused by the unhealthy disposal of the used batteries. Honda also has an effective battery recycling system, which sorts the different materials and process them to make new batteries.
It is a fact that pollution from cars and trucks has been reduced by 90 percent since the 1970s. Thanks to the effective pollution control measures and technological improvements. But considering the appalling figures of the soaring healthcare expenses all over the world, this improvement is going unnoticed, and it prompts the carmakers to come up with the perfect solution.
Incentives and laws
Why car fans are lured by the term ‘hybrids’? If you think it is the technology alone that attracts the car buyers to it, you are mistaken. Look at the following facts on how federal governments green-signal the sale of the hybrids by a set of laws and incentives. Of course, the credit goes to the efficient fuel-technology, a dream come true for the car owners as well as the governments on their worries of the environmental hazards produced by the vehicle emissions.
The New Tax Credit for 2006 which took effect on January 1, 2006, is offered as full dollar tax credits for the car buyers. According to the official data, Toyota Prius will get the highest tax credit, an awesome $3,150, followed by three models, viz., Ford Escape Hybrid (2wd), Toyota Camry Hybrid, and Toyota Highlander Hybrid, each for $2,600.
The tax credits are calculated on the basis of fuel efficiency of the models. If that is the criteria, you can get a better picture of the performance of the cars by comparing the tax incentives offered to them. The figures say that among the popular models, 2005 Accord Hybrid The Honda Accord hybrid, avails the least tax benefit, $650, owing to its high speed and power as a sport sedan, the fastest hybrid model in the market.
In order to avail the tax benefit, certain conditions have to be met by the car manufacturers and the car owners. Some important guidelines are as follows.
• The taxpayer who buys a vehicle that is serviced after December 31, 2005 and purchased on or before December 31, 2010 and that is qualified for the tax credit will avail the tax benefit.
• The purchase should be made in the name of the taxpayer, and if a company leases the car to its employee, the company may claim the benefit.
• The tax credit policy insists that the vehicle should be primarily used in the United States.
The tax credit has some obscurity in it. The government has announced that it avails this tax benefit to the first 60,000 buyers of each manufacturer, and Toyota already hit the target in June 2006. Does it mean that the Toyota hybrid market will become stagnant until the rivals such as Honda or Ford hit their targets too?
Take a look at the detailed picture of this tax benefit. It states that buyers who made the purchase of any one of the five Toyota models or Lexus gasoline-electric hybrid model before October 1, 2006, will get a full tax credit, while those who made the purchase after this date will avail a 50 percent credit. Further the credit will stay 50 percent for the successive two quarters and then it will be reduced to 25 percent in the next two quarters and then expires on October 1, 2007.
The hybrid tax credit is a non-refundable tax credit. The credit will reduce your regular income tax liability, but not below zero. The credit will not reduce your alternative minimum tax, if that applies to you. The hybrid tax credit is available to both individuals and businesses, including self-employed people.
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