Energy cost is relative. When you plug in your hair dryer, do you ever consider the pennies it’s costing you to look your best? When you toast your morning bread, does it even register that some small price is being paid for the convenience? How about when you go to fill up the gas tank of your car? I imagine this is the point when energy costs begin to enter the minds of most of us. One U.S. company would like to see all of that change, so that in the future you think no more about your vehicle’s energy consumption than you would your refrigerator’s, possibly even less.

Google charged into the green movement yesterday, announcing one million dollars in grants for the development of plug-in hybrid vehicles capable of achieving fuel efficiencies between 70 and 100 mpg. Along with the initial moneys being paid out, the company also plans on offering up to an additional $10 million dollars for future proposals advancing the technology.

The target fuel efficiencies would be four times that of the average non-hybrid car on the road today, and twice that of standard hybrids. The increased fuel efficiency comes from higher capacity batteries in the vehicles. These batteries are left to charge overnight, and can run without gasoline assistance for the first 20-40 miles of a trip. On average, Americans commute 33 miles a day, meaning that most people would not use any gas going to or from work.

In addition to the plug-in hybrid technology, Google hopes to develop vehicle-to-grid technology that would allow drivers to sell their unused power back to the electricity grid. In other words, drivers could actually be paid for their morning and afternoon commutes.

Google states that the integration of plug-in hybrid vehicles could save the United States 85 billion gallons of gasoline per year, equaling a 27% reduction in greenhouse emissions, and a savings of $270 billion in gasoline.

An additional bonus that that these cars bring is that they charge at night, while power consumption is low, so the effect on the power grid would be minimal.

Hybrid technology has come a long way quickly, but with Google’s announcement it looks as though it’s about to take another giant leap forward.

(NC)-Hybrid vehicles have caused a stir, and speculation abounds about how they work, how much they cost to buy, maintain and insure. Some of it is fact, but some of it is simply rumour.

A hybrid has to be plugged in

Rumour. The current available hybrids do not need to be plugged in. Basically, the way it works is the battery is recharged while you drive, from energy normally lost over the course of operating the car.

Hybrid batteries need to be replaced frequently

Fiction. Hybrid batteries are designed to work for the lifetime of the vehicle which is why many manufacturers offer impressive warranties. Toyota for example, offers an 8-year (or 160,000 km) warranty coverage on their Prius and Highlander hybrid-related components.

The only hybrids available are the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Prius

False. There are a number of hybrids to choose from, including cars, SUVs and pick-ups. Whatever your preference, chances are you can find a hybrid version. The most popular hybrids, as quoted online for auto insurance through http://www.kanetix.ca/, show how diverse the selection is:

1. Honda Civic Hybrid

2. Toyota Prius

3. Toyota Camry

4. Lexus RX 400h

5. Ford Escape Hybrid

6. Toyota Highlander Hybrid

7. Honda Accord Hybrid

8. Honda Insight

9. Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid

10. Lexus GS 450h

11. Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid

12. GMC Sierra Hybrid

Hybrids cost more to buy

True. While fuel efficiency is a bonus at the pumps, it comes at the cost of a slightly more expensive vehicle, usually several thousand dollars. The good news here though is if you live in British Columbia, Ontario or Prince Edward Island you may be eligible to receive a tax rebate varying from $1,000 to $3,000.

Hybrids cost more to insure

Not necessarily. After comparing online quotes at http://www.kanetix.ca/, for the Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid it appears there is no one particular insurance trend when it comes to hybrid insurance rates. Compared to their gas-powered alter-egos, the cost to insure a hybrid vehicle was neither consistently higher nor lower.

Credit: http://www.newscanada.com/

You are driving an expensive hybrid car… you are already contributing your bits to the environment.

You deserve some luxury man!

Relax!!…of course not at the cost of precious fuel.

Do you know it is now possible to tap all the luxury amenities into your car with the car taking it easy on the environment all the while! After all, the Lexus RX is here to change the notion for once and for all that only hardcore environmentalists drive hybrid cars. A man with a penchant for the fine things in life no longer has to suffer from guilty pangs for his indulgences with car-luxuries; leading hybrid models are all getting upscale makeovers! With the launching of  such chic hybrid cars like Lexus, Honda Accord or Civic and Toyota highlander…the auto-manufacturers are all cramming for attention of the high end customers.

Luxury car owners have always been looked upon as a creed for whom, the subject of fuel efficiency is a matter of little importance! But think about it! Today it is no longer fashionable to be regarded as a person who cares a hoot for environment and precious national assets! So drive in style but also stay concerned about your surrounding….the luxury hybrid cars are there to pamper you with the range of amenities while helping you to stay true to your conscience.

Just take the example of this car: the Lexus that pioneered the concept of a luxury hybrid vehicle. Built on a Toyota Camry platform, the Lexus hybrid models offer you the ultimate indulgence in luxury. The plush interior includes leather upholstery, reclining second-row seats, moon roof, heated front seats, a DVD entertainment system and a high quality audio system. Alloy wheels and traction control ensure better stability and smooth ride. Navigation system with voice recognition takes off loads from your driving efforts.

Yet, the car is environment friendly; it has been certified to be the ultra Low emission vehicle; the feature of Dual Variable Valve Timing continuously adjusts the engine’s valve timing to provide optimum power at any speed; an Electronically Controlled Transmission (ECT) accounts for a smoother ride. In ultimate term, this luxury hybrid car combines the comfort of a luxury Sedan and concerns of an environmentalist!

There is good news for those who want a bit of luxury while riding a green car.

In the New Year, Lexus has become even better.

The 2007 Lexus RX 350 comes with 270-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine. That means higher performance and greater fuel economy!

On the luxury side you get this new viscous limited-slip center differential. This allows you to stay connected to your favorite tunes emanating from a Mark Levinson audio system with 11 speakers. In addition to that you get 6-disc in-dash DVD/CD changer, DVD audio playback and DVD video playback.

Now the navigation system also comes with a back-up system that projects an image on the navigation screen when the vehicle is in reverse gear.

So, no more guilty complex for riding a fuel sucking luxury car! Ride a Lexus hybrid car and go green in style.

They are environment friendly!!

They are cheaper to maintain on the long haul!!

They help you to save on your tax payment!!

….There were myriad reasons why so many people thought it worthwhile buying a hybrid car!

The net result is: Starting from the year 2000, till mid- 2006, the sales curve of hybrid cars depicted a definitive upward trend. However a fall in the fuel price had somewhat interfered with this steep growth (within August to November the sales fall to 19,000 to 32,000).

Cut to 2007. Scenario has changed a bit…tax incentives, at least for Toyota cars are fading out, but people have started to take environmental factors more seriously. Under this circumstance there zoomed in another factor in a rather big way and that relates to the gas price!  According to a survey conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), Gas prices will average slightly more than $4 a gallon by 2015 and just over $5 a gallon by 2020.

With soaring gas price, the fuel economy and emissions regulations are going to be even stricter over the next decade, not in the USA alone, but also in Japan and in the EU countries.

And gas prices during the next few years are going to determine the fate of hybrid cars in a big way.

Keeping with the gas price/pollution control regulations factors, the leading auto manufacturers, especially Toyota and Honda…two world leaders in manufacturing hybrid cars are going to give special emphasis on more environment-friendly greener and cleaner cars, reports Japan Times.

The three US biggies— GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler unit are also planning to take green route for competing with Japanese manufacturers in the face of soaring fuel prices in the forthcoming decades.

However, Toyota is one step ahead: It has already started thinking about incorporating alternative technologies apart from their usual gasoline-electric hybrid. As the experts predict; the environment protecting technologies will emerge as the ultimate winners. While fuel cell vehicles hold no such hope for commercial viability in the near future, the ethanol powered cars have earned relatively greater popularity particularly in the countries like USA.

The ‘J’ factor is expected to rule the hybrid market in these coming years too with the Japanese automakers fast catching up with the new technologies. “(Japanese automakers) are working to develop the technologies, but it is too heavy of a burden to pursue all of them,” as declared Fujio Cho, vice chairman of Toyota and chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, in the recent past. The survival secret of hybrid cars in the following years lie in better gas mileage (as for instance, the next generation Prius can offer you a princely 90+ mpg) and in the plugging in technology.

To summarize it all, the future hybrid cars are going to retain their popularity over the coming years with their green features such as ultra-low emissions and fuel efficiency. And the next generation hybrid cars are targeted at the consumers who are more sensible towards environment and for whom hybrid means necessity, not indulgence in luxury.

Cars have always been the hottest in the boy’s toys list. Whizzing past in a fast-moving car might have been the ultimate fashion statement for the men of past century. But today if you want to be regarded as stylist, you have to be politically correct even with your car and one aspect of political correctness is environment-consciousness. So today when we are fast moving towards a post-petroleum era, you can not afford to ride a fuel-sucking conventional SUV and claim yourself to be trendy. A cool dud like you should go green in a true blue way….you must drive a hybrid car!

If hybrid car has not been in your agenda so far, first of all you must get yourself acquainted with the top picks of the pack; much have changed since 1997, when the Toyota Prius hybrid first hit the roads of Japan. The latest hybrid models took the design and innovations to an unbelievable degree of excellence where concept and reality merge into one!

Take the example of General Motors’ latest concept vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt. Combined with Volt’s E-Flex flexible propulsion system, this new generation hybrid car is all set to offer the world the most efficient energy solutions.

Toyota has really moved beyond its Prius model that is already an icon in the green-car segment. The latest offerings from Toyota are the Camry and the Highlander respectively. The new Toyota Camry hybrid is a midsize car with a 4-cylinder engine and armed with a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

For the lovers of more compact cars, there is this Lexus GS 450h which comes with a 6-cylinder engine and 6-speed automatic transmission. 

Then of course the Honda —-once a king in hybrid segment and still is. In place of Honda Insight, you now get these two highly sophisticated hybrid models…the Accord Hybrid and the Civic Hybrid. The bonus points include the futuristic designs and other hi-tech amenities.

All the leading automakers are scurrying about to gab the market of more environment friendly cars. The consumer thrust also is definitely towards greener cars.

The future of the world seems to ride on these new generation hybrid cars; what about you?

In this high paced twenty first century world, who cares to listen to conscience?

Well, a sizeable section of the population seems to be doing exactly that.

How? —Simply by investing in a hybrid vehicle!

After all, we all should contribute something for making the environment better; at least we can help prevent its further deterioration. A hybrid car can help you to do your bit! And as we all have been taught in our school days that rewards await those who listen to their conscience; it really does pay owning a hybrid car. Some of the recent studies confirmed the fact that you can actually save lot of cash in the long haul if you opt for a hybrid car instead of an ordinary vehicle.

Soaring gas prices; add to it the stricter environmental rules; owning car—cause enough for a big headache! Now there is no doubt that a hybrid car is all politically correct as it helps you to go green. But people are still doubtful whether it will be monetarily beneficial to purchase and own a hybrid car with all its hi-fi range of electronics and oversized banks of cutting edge batteries plus an electric motor in addition to internal combustion engine!

Here is the good news for the doubting Thomases!

The latest report by Los Angeles-based IntelliChoice—one of the most reliable auto buyer’s guide— tend to clear all your dilemmas regarding a hybrid car. Their latest report based on automotive cost of ownership data revealed that hybrid cars will give you better cost-effectiveness than their conventional cousins over a five year/70,000 mile period.

In spite of their greater upfront costs, the hybrid cars save on cash as you consider the cumulative factors of

• Fuel cost
• Federal tax credits,
• License fees
• Moderate maintenance costs

But the real catch however lies in hybrid cars’ lower depreciation value/greater abilities of retaining values which is almost five and ten percent than the conventional vehicles.

Still not convinced? Consider this: a Prius owner over a five years period will save $13,408 more than the owner of a similar-size sedan. The rest 21 hybrid models on the market today are not far behind in performance either.

So why not stay true to the old planet while saving on some good cash all the way?

Hybrid vehicles are a cross between traditional fuel-powered vehicles and electric vehicles. Combining an electric motor, a battery pack, as well as an internal combustion engine, these components work together to deliver power to a hybrids wheels. Common technologies include idle stop which allows the engine to automatically shut off and restart while the electric motor take’s over to prevent unnecessary idling and regenerative braking which harnesses the energy used while braking to recharge the batteries. In many hybrids, the electric motor also provides added power during acceleration and when added performance is needed. Some hybrids can also operate using only the electric motor and battery pack at low speeds. Because the electric motor replaces some of the work done by a traditional engine and some hybrids can run as electric vehicles at low speeds, hybrids are ideal vehicles for individuals who travel predominantly in the city under stop and go conditions.Anyone interested in reducing their fuel consumption, their emissions and impact on the environment and the price they pay at the pumps may find hybrids to be the answer. And the good news is hybrids are also making the grade with Natural Resources Canada in its annual rating of the most fuel-efficient vehicles in Canada. In fact, over the past several years, hybrids have been winning the annual EnerGuide Awards for a variety of different vehicle classes. Visit Natural Resources Canada’s website at vehicles.gc.ca or call 1-800-387-2000 to learn about the EnerGuide Label for Vehicles, the Fuel Consumption Guide and for other tips and tools to encourage fuel efficiency..

Credit: www.newscanada.com