Hybrids

 Generally, hybrids are any vehicles that use more than one source of power. This usually entails using a traditional gasoline engine as well as an electric battery or engine. The car can often switch between gas and electric mode as needed to save energy depending on the conditions, providing a much more efficient driving experience. (Full Disclosure: I drive a 2002 Toyota Prius Hybrid, one of the first hybrids to be sold in the U.S. The car’s mileage varies depending on who is driving it; I usually get more miles to the gallon than do my (hotrodding) kids. Overall, I average around 40-42 mpg driving in the city. My car easily gets over 50 mpg on the highway.)

  How do Plug-Ins Work?

 In a conventional hybrid vehicle, the car carries a battery pack that can be charged by additional components already carried within the vehicle. These could include electric generators, or power derived from actions like braking. For example, the car brakes; that braking energy is captured and stored in a battery pack as electricity; the stored electricity can assist the vehicle’s gasoline engine, usually giving it a boost during acceleration. The gasoline engine remains the primary source of power in a hybrid car.

 In a plug-in, the electric motor is the primary power source, with the gasoline engine providing back-up. Once the electric charge is depleted, the gasoline engine kicks in. A plug-in hybrid can be charged in any wall outlet, whether at your home or at a charging station. A plug-in’s additional battery power allows it to travel longer distances without the need to burn any gasoline. As a result, plug-ins are often more efficient than traditional hybrids.

Advantages of Plug-Ins

 The extra electric capacity of a plug-in hybrid means that its primary advantage is that it can cover greater distances than a regular hybrid without using a drop of gasoline. Burning no or little gasoline helps protect the environment by reducing the pollution that causes smog and climate change. Because electricity is cheaper than gasoline, a plug-in hybrid should also save you money at the pump. If you keep track of the latest plug-ins through sources like Car Sales, our sponsors for this post, you’ll see that many of the recent models like the Chevy Volt can travel in all-electric mode for an EPA-estimated 38 miles at a time. The Volt actually can cover up to 380 miles on the combined energy provided by a fully charged battery and a full tank of gas. (See my test drive of the Volt here.)

 Disadvantages of Plug-Ins

 Although you’ll save money driving a plug-in hybrid, they do cost more upfront. For example, the Ford C-Max Hybrid gets around 45 mpg in the city, 40 mpg on the hwy, and costs around $21,000 USD. The Ford C-Max Energi Plug-in (pictured above) gets around 108 mpg in the city, and 92 mpg on the highway, but costs around seven thousand dollars more. One way to decide if the extra cost is worth it is to calculate how many miles you drive and how much money you’ll spend or save on gasoline by purchasing either vehicle.

 Plug-in hybrid batteries, which are lithium ion batteries, cost more to manufacture than regular hybrid batteries and need to be replaced more frequently, so that is another expense to calculate when considering your options. And remember: neither vehicle is fully electric, so you will still need to use gas from time to time, and take care of regular engine maintenance issues such as oil changes. Plug-ins are great for saving money around town, but if you’re planning a long-distance road trip or have a long commute, you’ll need to switch to gasoline mode, which means you’ll still be buying some gas.

 The Bottom Line

 Both hybrids and plug-in hybrids offer a wide range of advantages. They often come with outstanding mileage rates, and can save you money at the gas pump over time. Plus, they reduce air pollution and climate change, making them better for people as well as the planet. My suggestion is to go to a dealer who sells both hybrids and plug-ins. Take them both for a test drive, then do some calculations to figure out how much money and gas you’ll save with each vehicle. Choose the vehicle that best matches your desire to be a good green citizen as well as your pocketbook.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons; Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz  

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1. Drive smart – Avoid quick starts and stops, use cruise control on the highway, and don’t idle. (Using cruise control alone can improve fuel efficiency by as much as 14%!).

2. Drive the speed limit – Remember – every 5 mph you drive above 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.10 per gallon for gas.

3. Drive less – Traveling a mile or less? Walk, bicycle, use a scooter or moped. Have lots of errands to do? Combine trips. Researching, making conference calls, and writing? Telecommute, and do those jobs at home.

4. Drive a more fuel-efficient car – Consider one of the new hybrids; at the very least, choose from among the EPA’s “Fuel Economy Leaders” in the class vehicle you’re considering.

5. Keep your engine tuned up – Improve gas mileage by an average of 4.1 percent by maintaining your vehicle in top condition.

6. Carpool – According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, 32 million gallons of gasoline would be saved each day if every car carried just one more passenger on its daily commute.

7. Use mass transit and “Ride Share” programs – Why pay for gasoline at all? (Search “ride share + your city” on the Internet to find options).

8. Keep tires properly inflated – Improve gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Replace worn tires with the same make and model as the originals.

9. Buy the cheapest gas you can find – Buy gas in the morning, from wholesale shopper’s clubs, and using gas-company rebate cards. Track neighborhood prices on the Internet.

10. Support higher fuel-efficiency standards and the development of alternative fuels – Ultimately, our best hope for beating the gas crisis is to increase fuel efficiency while we transition to renewable and non-petroleum based fuels. Endorse efforts to boost average fuel efficiency to at least 40 mpg. Support programs that promote research and development of alternatives to transportation systems based on oil.

For more ways you can save gas and money, see Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World.

The post Beat High Gas Prices: Save $20-$50 Every Month on Gasoline appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Over at Grist, David Roberts noted,  “GM has been, and continues to be, a strongly reactionary force in American energy politics, thwarting progress at every juncture… the company, with Lutz’s vocal backing, has been a long-time opponent of any boost in U.S. fuel efficiency standards. Even now, as the Minnesota legislature considers signing on to California’s tailpipe standards, GM is working behind the scenes to stop them. Arizona has provisionally decided to adopt the standards, and will finalize them on March 3, but GM is leading a last-ditch, behind-closed-doors effort to stop it.”

Mary Hunt chimed in at In Women We Trust, asking, “Why would I support a company with such an idiot at the top of it? Especially when he goes on to say “I’m motivated more by the desire to replace imported oil than by the CO2…” Wait a minute, isn’t this the same company that killed the electric car?”

Lutz tried to douse the fires on his blog, claiming, “My opinion doesn’t matter.” He urged critics to look at what the company is doing on the ground.

“General Motors is dedicated to the removal of cars and trucks from the environmental equation, period. And, believe it or don’t: So am I! It’s the right thing to do, for us, for you and, yes, for the planet. My goal is to take the automotive industry out of the debate entirely. GM is working on just that – and we’re going to keep working on it — via E85, hybrids, hydrogen and fuel cells, and the electrification of the automobile.”

That may be their goal, but I attended several presentations by GM executives at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last month, and they gave far more lip service to their big gas guzzlers – Hummers, Cadillacs, light trucks and SUVs – than they gave to true energy-saving cars. And even the vehicles they trumpeted as energy-saving, like the 24/32 mpg Malibu hybrid, don’t compare to the fuel efficiency of the 50-mpg Toyota Prius.

In light of today’s news that gas prices could hit budget-busting $4 a gallon by spring,  and increasing research that the polar ice caps are melting beyond repair, General Motors should not only embrace climate change as a real motivating force for industrial innovation, but do everything possible to achieve vehicle fuel-efficiency gains that actually save Americans money and generate far less CO2.

And that’s not a crock of “s**t”.

Thumbs down, GM.

The post General Motors Shows Its True Colors – And They’re Not Green appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Here are a few comparisons of gas-saving vehicles in case you’re in the market for a car right now. Mileage estimates are taken from the federal www.fueleconomy.gov. (By the way, you can reduce exterior maintenance on your car by keeping it covered. Here are a variety of Honda car covers, courtesy of CarCovers.com.)

Sedans

• Toyota Prius (left) – 48 mpg city/ 45 mpg hwy (some drivers report getting as much as 56 mpg on the hwy; some drivers report getting as “little” as 35 mpg in the city — which still outperforms most other models)

• Honda Civic Hybrid (right) – 40 mpg city/ 45 mpg hwy

• Camry Hybrid Sedan 33 mpg city/ 34 mpg hwy (some drivers report getting as much as 42 mpg on the highway
• Toyota Corolla 28 mpg city/ 37 mpg hwy
• Toyota Yaris 29 mpg city/ 36 mpg hwy  (manual transmission)
• Saturn Aura Hybrid Sedan  24 mpg city/ 32 mpg hwy

Mini Vans (still no gas-saving hybrids available; the companies are focusing their fuel-efficiency initiatives on sedans and SUVs)

• Honda Odyssey – 17 mpg city/ 25 mpg hwy

• Dodge Caravan – 17 mpg city/ 24 mpg hwy
• Toyota Sienna – 16 mpg city /21 mpg hwy

SUV Hybrids (from an environmental point of view, there’s no point in considering non-hybrid SUVs, all of which get less than 20 mpg, and many of which squeak by with a measley 10-15 mpg)

• Ford Escape Hybrid  29 mpg city/ 29 mpg hwy (right)
• Saturn Vue Hybrid 25 mpg city/ 32 mpg hwy
• Toyota Highlander  27 mpg city / 25 mpg hwy

Compare any of these to the best-selling Ford F-150 FFV 4WD pick-up truck. This gas guzzler gets a paltry 13 mpg in the city and 17 mpg on the hwy. And if you use the E-85 ethanol blend so many of the car makers are talking up, the fuel efficiency of the F-150 drops significantly: to 10 mpg in the city and 12 mpg hwy.

To compare other cars you may be considering, visit www.fueleconomy.gov.

To see the most fuel-efficient vehicles by class, visit http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/class-high.htm.

To take a peek at the new green cars you can consider buying in 2010, read the rundown at EcoGeeks.

The post Most Fuel-Efficient Cars Still the Prius and Honda Civic appeared first on Big Green Purse.

General Motors, Toyota, and other auto manufacturers hope to put their first plug-ins on sales floors by the year 2010 (see Saturn Green Live Vue hybrid, left). When they do, all you’ll have to do is plug your vehicle into a regular 120-volt electrical socket, charge the car for several hours overnight, and drive away. You won’t need a single drop of gasoline! In fact, because electricity is cheaper than gasoline, the fuel cost is expected to be the equivalent of less than $1/gallon of gas.

Here at the North American Auto Show, car makers are trumpeting their fuel-efficient plug-ins with the same zeal that’s being devoted to their gas-guzzling SUVs and luxury vehicles. Why?

Jennifer Moore, Corporate News Manager for Ford Motor Company, says, “Automakers respond to consumer choice. We wanted to do the right thing for the environment, but we also listened to what people said they wanted to buy.”  Score one for green consumer demand!

Still, plug-ins are at least two years away from occupying a spot on your driveway. What’s holding manufacturers up is their need to perfect the lithium-ion battery they’re all using to store the car’s electric power. The battery is complicated to engineer, expensive to make, and tricky to integrate with the rest of the car design.

At a press conference earlier today, I asked Tony Clarke, President for General Motors North America, why all the automotive companies couldn’t band together to pool research resources and accelerate battery development.

Clarke initially responded with the traditional corporate-think response: “The first company that brings the battery technology to market will have tremendous consumer advantage.” In other words, there’s a lot of money at stake.

But when pressed, Clarke acknowledged that the sooner all companies have the technology, the faster automakers will be able to profit from what is clearly the next wave in energy-efficient automotive technology.  If other companies collaborate, “we’d love to be a part of that,” GM’s Clarke said.

Clearly, the sooner that happens, the sooner the environment and public health will benefit as well.

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