You might be wondering if a hybrid falls in the category of alternative fuel powered vehicles.
It's sort of like the fruit and vegetable identity crisis that tomatoes get.
No, they aren't exactly a new fuel, but yes, it is certainly an alternative to your gas guzzler of a car!
Hybrid vehicles are generally powered by two separate power sources such as an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. They are also known as hybrid electric vehicles (HEV's)
Hybrids from different manufacturers differ in the design of their power train. Your options as a consumer are:
- Parallel/Mild Parallel Hybrids - An electric motor and internal combustion engine can individually or together power the vehicle. The electric motor puts out extra power on acceleration and generates power for future use on deceleration. Thus, fuel savings are achieved through the use of a smaller internal combustion engine because of the electric motor's support. Electric power also runs the traditionally belt-driven applications such as a/c, power steering,and other auxiliary systems to reduce mechanical loss and fuel consumption.
The first mass production parallel hybrid is the Honda Insight starting at
(2010 model) $18,500 with 60 mpg!
(2010 model) $18,500 with 60 mpg!
- Powersplit Hybrid - Toyota, Lexus and Ford all have their designs based on a template of two electric motors and one internal combustion engine. One motor acts as a generator primarily while the other is either a motor or generator at times. When more power is needed, the electric motor can supplement the engine for additional power short-term.
The most popular powersplit hybrid:
The Toyota Prius with 2010 models starting at
$22,000 with 51/48 mpg.
Hybrid vehicles have a definite place in the 21st century to wean the world and especially Americans off their furious consumption of petroleum.
More than the miles per gallon saved (which is immense), the commonplace appearence of a Toyota Prius at the streetlight or on the highway as stirred up a general acceptance and thriving awareness of our consequences as consumers of automobile technology and products.
To have the paradigm shift to say, "Maybe I don't need that V-8 tank," is an incredible achievement, especially for a nation of three hundred million citizens that consumes the bulk of the total available resources while the 1 billion people live on less than $1 dollar a day.
As the title of this posting suggets, the hybrid vehicle is a transition stage to go from 100% petroleum dependence to eventually virtually nil.
Thankfully, one doesn't have to be a martyr to be a hybrid. You shall be financially rewarded in your fuel savings. But most importantly, it is certainly progress!
The Toyota Prius with 2010 models starting at
$22,000 with 51/48 mpg.
- Series Hybrid - The single-speed internal combustion engine is the source of power. The engine (at its most efficient speed) powers a generator rather than applying power to the actual wheels. The engine serves to either charge the battery, charge a capacitor or directly power the electric motor. When more power is needed, power can be drawn from the batteries, capacitors, and generator. Unique in the series hybrid design is that it does not require a battery, but a capacitor to store energy instead.
Though none are in production yet, Chevrolet is the closest
to mass-producing their concept car, the Volt, in about 2-3 years.
Potential sticker price at $35,000 with 100++ mpg!
While hybrid cars consume far less petroleum, there is still the problem of the hybrid car battery. Though they are far less toxic to the enviornment and ourselves than lead-based batteries, hybrid car batteries made of either nickel metal hydride or lithium ions are still known carcinogens with also many teratogenic effects to result in physical abnormalities.
Though the lead recycling industry is strong and mature, not every conventional lead-based battery is salvaged. Most end up in the landfill to end up poisioning soil, water and air.
But Don't Fret!
to mass-producing their concept car, the Volt, in about 2-3 years.
Potential sticker price at $35,000 with 100++ mpg!
- Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV's) - Generally it is a fuel-electric hybrid (either serial or parallel drivetrain) with increased energy storage capacity. It has the ability to be connected to a electricity supply to recharge it batteries rather than to do it with its internal combustion engine.
Though not in mass-production yet, the closest one is the Chevrolet Volt
as mentioned in the previous category alongside some other competitors:
as mentioned in the previous category alongside some other competitors:
- Fuel-cell, electric hybrid - Generally it is a electric vehicle that derives its power from a fuel cell. The fuel cell would use hydrogen as the fuel to power the battery when it is depleted.
Examples include the Ford Edge Hseries Drive
and the Honda FCX.
With fuel-cell technology still developing,
Honda plans to mass-produce by 2018
with EPA rated 170 mpg with zero-emissions!
and the Honda FCX.
With fuel-cell technology still developing,
Honda plans to mass-produce by 2018
with EPA rated 170 mpg with zero-emissions!
So what's the downside?
Though the lead recycling industry is strong and mature, not every conventional lead-based battery is salvaged. Most end up in the landfill to end up poisioning soil, water and air.
But Don't Fret!
Hybrid vehicles have a definite place in the 21st century to wean the world and especially Americans off their furious consumption of petroleum.
More than the miles per gallon saved (which is immense), the commonplace appearence of a Toyota Prius at the streetlight or on the highway as stirred up a general acceptance and thriving awareness of our consequences as consumers of automobile technology and products.
To have the paradigm shift to say, "Maybe I don't need that V-8 tank," is an incredible achievement, especially for a nation of three hundred million citizens that consumes the bulk of the total available resources while the 1 billion people live on less than $1 dollar a day.
As the title of this posting suggets, the hybrid vehicle is a transition stage to go from 100% petroleum dependence to eventually virtually nil.
Thankfully, one doesn't have to be a martyr to be a hybrid. You shall be financially rewarded in your fuel savings. But most importantly, it is certainly progress!
Remember that as a consumer, your dollars vote the loudest!
For more information and find our available tax credits for your future hybrid vehicle, visit:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm
(Uncle Sam will put $$$$ in your pocket to upgrade green!)
~ ~ ~ ~
-BioDiesel/Diesel! - A rediscovery of the power of internal combustion engines without spark plugs
-Ethanol - your gas tank right now has probably 10% of this in there
-Natural Gas - your neighborhood garbage truck runs on this!
-Propane - that's right, propane and propane accessories
-Hydrogen - delving into the infancy of fuel-cell technology
-The Tesla Car - 100% electric, 100% instant peak hp and torque! Is this really a sports car?!
-Diesel conversions - Want to really save money and power your ride for far less or free?
Also, please feel free to drop questions or suggestions for future topics where you have a definite interest in and feel that sharing the research would be most valuable.
Great information in this blog. I didn't know that the cost of hybrids have dropped so much. I hope that the American consumers will continue to adapt to this next transition vehicle. I wonder after the transition, what "the" vehicle and fuel source will be after hybrids/fuel cell cars. I have a friend who is an environmentalist and she stated that the hybrid cars are actually not environmentally friendly because the amount of energy consumption to mine the battery packs for the hybrids takes a lot of energy, compared to regular vehicles. I thought that was an interesting point. I hope the government can start to adopt more incentives to encourage American's to trade in their cars for fuel efficient cars, such as tax breaks, rebates, etc. I really like your post. It is quite informative as well as engaging.
ReplyDeleteRespectfully, Hybrids are the not-such-a-worthwhile-transition at all. Why? For quite a few reasons. Even though these new Hybrid technologies purport to solve environmental problems, like reducing our dependence on fossil fuels as energy, I can’t help but wonder at the millions upon billions of dollars being pumped into these failing programs! I think it is very astute to raise the question of Battery options because, as anyone knows who understands Hydrogen as a POTENTIAL fuel, this is where our investment dollars should be going. It is well understood just how inefficient combustion engines are, and how inefficient systems can become which try to rely too heavily on wide sweeping integration efforts.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me wonder about Tesla Motors, a company which has developed an entirely electric car run on its own PRIVATE battery technology and drive train system, and how this company continues to grow and obtain private capitol while it’s Hybrid competitors get bailed out by huge National governments. But then again, the idea of an entirely electricly powered vehicle raises a whole new set of related questions about environmental sustainability and CO2 production. How do we produce the Electricity needed, especially in the state of California which has so many laws against land development and procurement, to support not only an already overtaxed and antiquated electricity grid, but also to support a whole new fleet of automotive vehicles. I can tell you that California, as well as the rest of the United States, really has to face music that either Nuclear Power and Clean Coal technologies as well as huge solar initiatives will be invested in and brought to the table, or America will go bankrupt (if we aren’t already) trying to save the world while China and India continue to PROGRESS (oh how I love to hate that word) technologically while we continue to tax each other into oblivion.
It is interesting that you also mention diesel, or way better yet bio-diesel. This makes me think about the whole ethanol debacle in the U.S. Some countries, like Brazil, and some states like Iowa or Nebraska, could potentially support their automotive needs (and actually do as in the case of Brazil) with ethanol made from corn or sugarcane. However, it is a very nearsighted and narrow-minded view that Amercian cars, or a large majority of future cars in general, might ever run on ethanol, simply due to the huge processing costs. This is also very interesting when looking at biodiesel because automobile manufacterors have understood for a long time the plethora of benefits stemming from the use of diesel as a fuel instead of gasoline. Is it any wonder that huge companies that look closely at their bottom line have chosen the diesel engine as the most reliable and cost effective method of conveyance of their products worldwide? So why weren’t cars always made with diesel engines? It was understood that diesel engines could EASILY be converted to running on biodiesel, and that biodiesel would be a very cost effective fuel for the average consumer back in the day, and also that huge companies like Standard Oil and Dupont had a huge stake in the refining of petroleum products, of which gasoline was a byproduct, and that they would surely stand to miss out on huge profits. This brings us to today, where the technology is staring us in the face, yelling at us. Then it will laugh at us.
So, in closing, I would greatly admonish you to look not at what politicians or media talking heads, or better yet, owners of huge multinational automobile manufacturing corporations are telling you will Save the World, or contribute to the “common good”, because ultimately none of these people are truly looking out for your best interests, or even the best interests of those that they purport to represent; they are looking out for numero-uno, like everyone else, they are looking out for themselves. And that is the … rest of the story.
You bring up some great points Matt.
ReplyDeleteObviously the situation is not nearly as simple as getting a Prius to save the world. However, the goal is to at get people conscious of their relationship to the natural world.
If you want to start talking conspiracy theories and political/corporate agendas, then environmentalism is the least of your worries. This is the not part of the blog but if you delved into monetary policy and the grim reality behind the Federal Reserve/IMF/World Bank, you would think multi-billion dollar bail-outs are a joke compared trillion dollar Ponsi schemes orchestrated by Uncle Sam and the Federal Reserve.
I guess in all of this is to still realize the power and influence of our example and to not let the apathy of the surrounding environment cloud your decisions. I'm even looking to getting a diesel truck so I can run biodiesel or used vegetable oil.
Truth be told, going vegan is 50% more effective than getting a hybrid in relation to the global net effect according to the University of Chicago.
The point is to at least make the attempt to bridge the gap and at least do something.
Cheers again for your points,
-Warren