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Hybrid Cars
Hybrid Cars (hybridcarblog.com) has great Toyota news, photos, videos and more
Tuesday, Nov 17
Prius impresses MT judges
MT judges have released some of their notes on the cars reviewed and both the Honda Insight and the Lexus HS 250 h were reviewed rather harshly. The 2010 Toyota Prius, on the other hand, impressed the judges with its "single-minded devotion to high technology and its refinement".
Thursday, Nov 12
Ford Fusion shows reality of hybrid car sales
Here's the good news. The Ford Fusion hybrid has helped the Fusion achieve a record year in sales for Ford, while stealing hybrid consumers away from Toyota and Honda. Here's the bad news. Overall, total hybrid sales are still under 3 percent of total market share, and half that share is the To...
Tuesday, Nov 10
The Toyota Sienna hybrid minivan
Last week, while announcing that a new, totally redesigned Toyota Sienna minivan would make its world debut at the LA Auto Show, Toyota hinted that there would be a fuel efficiency surprise. Certainly, that doesn't mean that the Sienna will finally come with a Hybrid Synergy Drive option...
Monday, Nov 9
Cadillac Converj could be Volt's best friend
Already Toyota has proven that there is a market for luxury hybrid vehicles, and it seems the market for the Converj hybrid could be even far riper. American-made and green, this plug-in might just be the ultimate bling for luxury consumers.
Thursday, Nov 5
Panasonic/Sanyo deal means cheaper Toyota hybrids?
However, to offset anti-trust issues, Panasonic is now going to pare back its partnership in Panasonic EV Energy from 40 percent to 20 percent, while Toyota will increase its share to 80 percent. Will that affect the prices of Toyota's current hybrid cars? That sure seems a possibility.
Tuesday, Nov 3
Toyota hybrid sales up 10.9 percent
Led by the Prius In October Toyota sold 18,757 hybrid vehicles, up 10.9 percent over the same period last year according to the company. The Prius posted October sales of 13,496 units, up 10.3 percent over the year-ago month. Interestingly, Toyota light truck sales were down 10 percent.
Toyota keeps natural gas hybrid idea alive
Next job: Surfrider Foundation outreach At SEMA Toyota is showing off a natural gas Toyota Camry hybrid that will be used by the Surfrider Foundation for various public outreach programs. So, how will the CNG hybrid perform?
Monday, Nov 2
NiMH hybrids a long way from dead
Even more interesting, however, is the fact that Sanyo is coming under the control of Panasonic. For more than a decade Panasonic has partnered with Toyota to develop and produce NiMH batteries, a partnership that is now increasing NiMH production to more than 1,000,000 battery packs pe...
Thursday, Oct 29
Funding change: $42,000 tax credit for the Tesla Roadster?
The majority of American auto consumers, according to several studies, are interested in hybrid cars and plug-in vehicles. Unfortunately, however, most interested in such vehicles are not willing to pay much extra for those vehicles.
Wednesday, Oct 28
Consumer Reports - Hybrids very reliable
Looking for a safe family car? Then you might want to consider a number of hybrid cars, at least if you believe in Consumer Reports. The Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius scored extremely well according CR, followed by the Ford Fusion hybrid, the Mercury Milan hybrid, the Toyota Camry hybr...
Prius receives Popular Mechanics Excellence Award
50+ mpg Popular Mechanics has released their Automotive Excellence Awards and the Toyota Prius took the award for innovation and foresight in fuel efficiency.
Monday, Oct 26
Gassy: Making sense of Fisker plug-in hype
Or, perhaps these luxury plug-in automakers are simply using luxury plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles to bridge to $50,000 'economic' versions that can compete with a Chevy Volt, a plug-in Toyota Prius, or a Nissan Leaf, etc in 2015?
Wednesday, Oct 21
Hybrid cars 30 percent of Toyota sales by 2020
By 2020 Toyota will offer a hybrid option on every vehicle it sells, according to Takeshi Uchiyamada, Toyota executive vice-president in charge of product development. Currently, hybrid cars represent 8 percent of all Toyota vehicles, largely led by the Prius hybrid. However, by 2020 T...
Tuesday, Oct 20
3 - 5 plug-ins in one neighborhood could "overwhelm" grid
A solar-powered Prius The Toyota Prius is hot in California. So, as they become available, it isn't hard to imagine some wealthier California neighborhoods sporting multiple plug-in vehicles.
Monday, Oct 19
The perfect hybrid
And the winner is..... Is the Toyota Prius the perfect hybrid? What if you added some extra batteries and a plug, would that make the Prius the perfect hybrid? How much electric range should it have, as much as possible?
Thursday, Oct 15
GM's shock and awe campaign
Several years ago, Bob Lutz claimed it would have been smart for GM to utilize just a fraction of one year's multi-billion dollar marketing budget to fund the production of a Toyota Prius-contender. Eventually, Lutz's realization evolved into the Chevy Volt, however, the Volt won't com...
Wednesday, Oct 14
Ford hybrid sales up 73 percent
For comparison, Toyota has sold 144,351 hybrids in the US through September, down 28 percent compared to last year.
Monday, Oct 12
Prius still the best selling vehicle in Japan
An investment in Japan's future For five straight months, the 2010 Toyota Prius has been the best selling vehicle in Japan.
Friday, Oct 9
Prius supplies down to about a week
Because of yen-dollar rates, it is becoming much more costly for Toyota to export vehicles from Japan to the US. As a result, Toyota is close to a decision on building the Toyota Prius in the U.S., company spokesman Irv Miller said on Toyota's monthly sales call.
Wednesday, Oct 7
The irreconcilable EV dichotomy?
Sure, the Toyota FT-EV II electric car is odd, but is it practical? Is it cost-effective compared to other electric vehicles or even gasoline vehicles?
Monday, Oct 5
Toyota: Fuel cell hybrids ARE the best hybrids
While demonstrating how Toyota plans to cut fuel cell costs, the company noted that plug-in vehicles will be used for small, short range intra-city vehicles. However, for larger vehicles and longer ranges, Toyota believes that fuel cell hybrids are the most well-to-wheel efficient au...
Friday, Oct 2
3 Hybrids up for 2010 North American Car of the Year
Ford's Car of the Year? Three hybrid cars have been picked as candidates for the 2010 North American Car of the Year. The Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight and the Ford Fusion hybrid are among the 15 contenders picked by automotive journalists from the US and Canada.
Thursday, Sep 24
Toyota: It won't be easy to scale down lithium, plug-in costs
Not according to Toyota. Is Toyota a lithium and plug-in vehicle laggard? Does Toyota have the wrong lithium technology? Is Toyota too vested to NiMH? Or, is Toyota simply being honest about the realities of lithium and the plug-in revolution?
Thursday, Sep 3
Could REM kill the hybrid?
Toyota is facing a potential shortage of rare metals that could limit production of hybrid cars according many news stories recently. As it turns it out, China is hording natural resources, rare earth metals in this instance, it deems important to long term viability. Likewise, there are...
Tuesday, Sep 1
Auris hybrid more advanced than the Prius
Unlike the Toyota Prius, the Auris hybrid will be based on Toyota's first HSD Full hybrid technology that enables the Auris to run solely on electric power, gasoline or a combination of the two. Likewise, according to early reports, the Auris hybrid will then be able to use the engine as a ge...
Monday, Aug 31
Prius: Biggest rare metal guzzler
Soon to face a rare metal shortage? By next year, the Prius hybrid car could help Toyota sell 1 million hybrid cars per year, if there are enough rare metals available for such an output.
Monday, Aug 24
Help: Best and worst tires for hybrid cars
Unfortunately, many hybrid cars were outfitted with low resistance tires that simply haven't performed well. In the post Toyota Prius hybrid and unusual tire wear, Prius owners have provided a number of tips for buying and maintaining tires.
Tuesday, Aug 18
Energy independence: Tax credits for the Volt forever?
Moreover, if the Prius and similar hybrid cars are only able to achieve just a few percent of market share, how are even less-cost effective plug-in vehicles supposed to significantly increase this share?
Wednesday, Aug 12
Lutz on Fast Money: Dodging questions on Volt viability?
I don't know. $10,000 + a $7500 tax credit sounds a little expensive to me, especially considering that the Toyota Prius is already a tough sell for the far majority of Americans. Most Americans want an even faster payback, an even cheaper clean and green option.
Is the Volt a Leaf over the Toyota Prius?
Leaf to get 367 mpg!? So, which vehicle is better: the Chevy Volt, the Nissan Leaf or the Toyota Prius?
Thursday, Aug 6
Lutz: GM must respond to demand for gas guzzlers
Lutz at the Volt debut It remains a fact that the American public buys big, high consumption, cars," claims GM's Bob Lutz in a recent interview. Moreover, Lutz goes on to state, "The mass movement towards 'green cars' is only taking place in the media". Except for the Toyota Prius of course.
Wednesday, Aug 5
Cash for clunkers drives Prius sales
Cash for clunkers worked? According to the National Transportation Safety Administration the 'Cash for Clunkers' program led to a sales surge in small vehicles and hybrid cars, particularly the Toyota Prius. The Prius was the 4th most purchased vehicle via the clunker program.
Battery grants: Tiptoeing around reality?
Even worse, ironically, according to the Volt's father, Bob Lutz, energy prices don't support hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius. Well, the economics of plug-ins like the Volt require significantly higher energy prices than conventional hybrids to achieve cost-effectiveness.
Tuesday, Aug 4
Chevy Volt: Lutz's biggest blunder?
Several years ago Lutz stated that GM could have easily developed a Prius-like hybrid using just a fraction of one year's marketing budget - since Lutz believed, maybe still believes, that the Toyota Prius was only a PR gimmick, not a real product. Instead, however, GM chose the latest gas...
Prius proves hybrids aren't just a fad, even with cheap gas
Hybrid sales are dead. According to a number of the auto rags consumers don't want hybrid cars when gas prices are low. Period. Well, despite gas prices that are far cheaper than last year - about $1.50 less - the Toyota Prius is the 10th best selling vehicle in America.
Wednesday, Jul 29
Political leadership? Congress set to offer up another $1/2 billion for hybrid research
Why? Is there really any mystery? No. I'm not referring to the fact that Toyota has sold more than a million Toyota Prius hybrids. Regardless of Toyota's Prius success it's obvious that hybrids and electric vehicles are over-hyped niche vehicles. They are going nowhere fast.
Tuesday, Jul 7
Can GM's hybrids live up to the hype?
In the last several years GM has gone from slamming hybrids like the Toyota Prius to claiming that their hybrid technology was better than Toyota's to even claiming they could totally leapfrog a hybrid like the Prius.
Friday, Apr 3
Prius, Volt and some simple EV economics
Plain and simple cost effectiveness Later this Spring Toyota will begin rolling out the much anticipated 2010 Toyota Prius. At 50 mpg, the average Prius driver will spend less then $600 per year on fuel. After 5 years that's less than $3000. After 10 it's less than $6000.
Tuesday, Sep 2
Family of 5 at 50 mpg
According to US Census Data the average household size is 2.61 people and the average family size is 3.20 people. So, what percentage of American families really need SUVs? 50 mpg for a family of 5. And critics still don't get hybrid cars?
Saturday, May 10
Camry hybrid: Best hybrid for the money?
According to Edmunds, the Toyota Camry hybrid recovers its costs compared to the the base 4 cylinder Camry in just 18 months. The Chevy Malibu hybrid was second at 2.7 years, although it won't save as much money over the long run as other hybrids. Thus, the Toyota Prius at 3.5 years will save more...
Wednesday, May 7
Don't wait for a plug-in hybrid?
Already, hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius can be converted into plug-in hybrids, but such conversions aren't cheap. The important thing is that it's technologically feasible. So, for now, just leave your hybrid as is, but in the future you can replace your NiMH pack with a lithium pack. O...
Tuesday, May 6
Make your hybrid a plug-in with a removable MIRA battery?
It's 2011 and you're ready to go shopping for your first plug-in hybrid vehicle. Suddenly, however, you realize your biggest problem isn't whether you should buy a Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid or a Chevy Volt. You don't have a driveway, so where are you going to plug-in?
Thursday, May 1
Prius sales keep cruising in April
Toyota Prius sales were up 54 percent in April, as Toyota truck and SUV sales dropped 8 percent. Boy, if oil prices hit $200.00, as Opec has suggested as a possibility, the Prius might just become America's best selling vehicle. Hopefully, such success pushes more and more automakers to deve...
Camry hybrid: Toyota bucks the trend again
Still, Toyota sold almost 55,000 Camry hybrids last year. This year it might be 60,000. So, it's not as if the Camry hybrid is just starting to sell. More interesting, if the Camry hybrid had qualified for the full hybrid tax credit for as long as the Prius hybrid, I'll bet Camry hybrid sales wou...
Thursday, Feb 21
A Prius shortage caused by lithium?
Could it be lithium? Is lithium forcing NiMH battery manufacturers to scale back their NiMH manufacturing in favor of lithium-ion research and development? Believe it or not, but has Toyota actually perfected the lithium battery for the third generation Toyota Prius and the third gen...
Saturday, Nov 10
Toyota delivers plug-in hybrids to California Universities
IMG ]A Prius before being converted into a plug-in hybrid Toyota delivered two Toyota Prius hybrid cars that have been converted into plug-in hybrid vehicles; one to the University of California-Irvine, the other to UC-Berkeley. While the hybrid cars use NiMH batteries, rather than li...
Thursday, Feb 22
LiIon will power third generation Prius
Lithium ion batteries will power the third generation Toyota Prius hybrid according to Toyota CEO Katsuaki Watanabe. "We will change the battery from nickel hydride to the lithium battery," stated the CEO in a recent BusinessWeek ...
Thursday, Feb 1
Hybrid Vehicles Dead? Toyota Prius sales soar in January
So, if Toyota sold more than 14000 hybrid cars in January with only a reduced tax credit, how many more would Toyota have sold if it still qualified for the full tax credit? ... More on Hybrid vehicles dead? Prius sales soar in January.
