Hybrid Trucks

Unlike hybrid cars and SUVs, the hybrid truck has had a limited consumer response and a limited production. There are several reasons for this, but it really is a shame. Hybrid technology is designed to improve fuel economy and like SUVs, trucks don't have very good mpg. They are designed for other things, towing, drafting, carrying. In other words, they are the workhorses of the vehicle family. the people who buy trucks aren't as concerned with the fuel consumption, so much as the towing capacity for instance.

But hybrid technology can improve both fuel economy and power at the same time. The problem is the price tag. It's too easy for someone who is purchasing a truck to convince themselves the extra price for the electric motor just isn't worth it. If you're running a business, the bottom line is the bottom line. And the $4,000 extra you pay for the hybrid motor is hard to justify.

There are counterarguments, however. Along with the electric motor, you also get a large battery pack that you can run electric hardware off of. And the hybrid trucks come with plugs to make it easy.  You also get higher towing capacity and more power even at low speeds.

You also get the already mentioned higher fuel economy and more power at lower speeds than you might expect. Going from 15 mpg to 20 mpg is worth more than going from 40 to 45 mpg. If your hybrid truck is being driven 12,000 miles a year, you'll be buying 200 gallons less every year. At today's gas prices (say $3.75/gallon) you'll spend $750 less a year. That means even at $4,000 extra you have to pay for the hybrid motor, you can still make that up during the life time of the car. And the more you drive, the quicker you'll make the hybrid truck pay for itself.

Unfortunately, even if you are interested, there aren't a lot of choices out there in hybrid trucks. There's the Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid and GMC Sierra Hybrid.  Dodge also has the Ram Pickup Hybrid. But that's it.  With so few options, it's not hard to wonder why not many are opting in.  Other car makers have dabbled in the field with demonstration hybrid trucks, but no one else has followed up with it. I'm hopeful, like hybrid minivans, more will start coming out sooner rather than later. But with everything else going on right now in the automotive field, I get the feeling there's just not enough of a demand.

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Prius V Launch Delayed

Not surprisingly, the Prius V launch for April has officially been delayed.  No word on when the launch will happen, but it was scheduled for April in Japan.  No decisions have been made about the summertime launch in the US.

Something to keep in mind is the delay in production for all hybrids (really, all vehicles depending in any way on supplies from Japan) is going to be affected in the coming months, which will affect pricing and supply.  It's already hitting the used hybrid marketplace, and it won't be long before dealers start worrying about when they're going to get another vehicle in.


Press Release from Toyota:
Toyota Motor Corp. announced today that it decided to postpone launch of the Japan-market Prius-derivative vehicle originally scheduled for launch in late April. No decision has been made at this time on when the launch will be rescheduled.

As announced at the North American International Auto Show (Detroit) in January, the Prius v – as the vehicle is known in the U.S. market – is scheduled to launch the end of summer 2011. No decision has been made in regards to a possible need to change the launch timing.

We're making every effort to minimize disruptions to our overall operations

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New York Loses Out on Hybrid Taxi

After years of courtroom battles, NYC has lost out on their bid to force all taxis to go hybrid.   The Supreme Court has refused to hear their argument, letting the ruling from the lower court stand. 

Taxi owners argued the city was regulating fuel economy, something only the federal powers are allowed to do.  And although some states have created emissions and fuel standards, those have come by a waiver issued by the EPA.

Really, taxi owners simply don't want to pay extra to purchase the hybrid cars.  Taxi drivers love them because of the lower fuel costs and because customers have shown a preference for riding in them.

Still, a large percentage of NYC taxis have already gone hybrid.  And more are expected to, so the effort by the city has not been wasted.

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Honda Civic Hybrid Recall 2006 - 2007

Honda is recalling MY 2006-2007 Honda Civic Hybrid to replace a DC to DC converter.  The DC-DC converter is part of the IMA system and may experience an internal failure leading to stalling and malfunction of the headlights.

Around 37,000 Civic Hybrids are being recalled for the repairs.  Notification should start on March 18.

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Is the EPA Setting Us Up?

The EPA is currently working out the EPA standards on electric and plug-in electric vehicles and there's been quite a lot of debate on how, why, who, what, etc... But this is the first time I've seen the values being labeled as outright fraudulence:

Using the DOE’s apples to apples methodology, the MPGe of the Nissan Leaf is not 99 but 36! Now, 36 is a good mileage number, but it is pretty pedestrian compared to the overblown expectations for electric vehicles, and is actually lower than the EPA calculated mileage of a number of hybrids and even a few traditional gasoline-powered vehicles like the Honda CR-Z. (Source: Forbes blog)

I don't agree with his argument at the end on tailpipe emissions, although I understand it. But in the long run, it's actually easier to mandate the power sources for emissions than it is each car.  And the analogy he uses for the main subject matter is definitely stretching things...

So is the EPA setting us up for a long term failure? Are we being fooled by the electric dream?

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Do We Really Want Green Cars

According to US News and World Report, "Despite all the hype surrounding hybrid and electric cars, some people just aren’t buying it. According to a new study, “some people” are most consumers."

That really doesn't cut it with me. Despite the hype and the hysteria surrounding the sales of hybrids, most people don't take into account hybrid car costs. But even though hybrid cars and SUVs are still luxury items, over 1% of the US market comes from Prius sales.

Let me repeat that in a slightly different way: 1 out of every 100 cars sold is a Prius.

There are very few cars that can say they make up such a large percentage of US consumers.  There are even fewer luxury cars that even come close to it.  Other hybrid cars aren't as fuel efficient, aren't as inexpensive and just plain aren't as good as the Prius. Which is why the Prius still dominates the hybrid car market place.

In the same article, JD Powers and Associates predicts that by 2020, over 7 percent of the passenger vehicles sold will be hybrids. Do you know of any other luxury option that will be doing as well?

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Federal Tax Credit for the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

The 2011 Sonata Hybrid will come with a $1,300 tax credit (if you qualify). Unfortunately, if you're interested, you need to get it now. The tax credit expires at the end of the year. Which means you only have one month to buy the new hybrid which will be available in the beginning of December.

The Hyundai Hybrid received an EPA rating of 36/40 mpg city/highway. That put it below the Ford Fusion Hybrid, which got the full tax credit of $3,400. But then, Ford has already sold the 60,000 hybrid cars that put it over the limit, forcing the tax credits to phase out back in April. Toyota and Honda hybrids ran out of tax credits much sooner than that.

The price has not been released yet on the Sonata Hybrid.

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