Toyota Green Car Advisor Blog on Edmunds' Inside Line

November 6, 2009

Green Cars Get Green Light, Hybrid Sales Outperform Overall October Market

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Spurred by factory incentives, replenished stocks and the relative freshness of several models, sales of hybrid-electric cars and SUVs soared in October, easily outperforming the market as a whole.

Compared to October '08 - a month with six fewer hybrid models available - sales of Ford, General Motors, Honda, Nissan and Toyota hybrids were up 12.1 percent, while sales of conventionally powered cars and trucks were flat.

The one-month picture was even rosier, as October hybrid sales jumped 22.5 percent from September's, versus a 12.1 percent hike in sales of conventional models.

Nissan, which has only one model - the Altima hybrid, - and sells it in just the nine states with the toughest emissions standards, was the only hybrid maker to record a sales decline for both periods, dropping 46 percent from a year earlier and 13 percent from September.

As with most hybrids - Toyota's Prius excepted - Nissan's actual numbers are quite small because of low sales volumes. October's sales drop represented just 46 fewer Altima hybrid sales than in September.

Toyota's redesigned 2010 Prius, sweetened by a small factory incentive, remained by far the segment leader, accounting for 55 percent of all hybrid sales for the month.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 6, 2009, 1:18 PM
Categories:: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Lexus, Mercury, Nissan, Saturn, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Hybrids

November 2, 2009

Toyota Dusts Off Camry CNG Hybrid For SEMA Show...Hmmmm

Just wondering here, but Toyota rarely doesn't do much anything unless it has a meaningful money-making or image-enhancing possibility attached.

The company showed a neat compressed natural gas hybrid Camry last year at the 2008 LA Auto show, and said it was just a study.

It sort of disappeared, but it now being resurrected- and redesigned as a cool, green surf buggy - as the Surfrider Foundation Camry CNG Hybrid concept for an environmental lifestyles display at Toyota's stand at the 2009 SEMA show in Las Vegas this week.

With all the talk about vast new natural gas resources (albeit obtainable through the controversial hydro-cracking method of fracturing gas-bearing shale with high-pressure injections of water in a process that can release toxic chemicals that affect drinking water in areas that don't pre-treat it ), we can't help but think Toyota might be a little more devoted to the idea of a CNG-electric hybrid than it has been letting on.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 2, 2009, 12:20 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Hybrid, Natural Gas, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: 2009 SEMA Show

October 28, 2009

Debate on Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Regulation Rages On

Automakers, Green Groups Debate Standards, California's Role at Los Angeles Hearing

By Danny King, Contributor

California's efforts to continue imposing more stringent greenhouse gas standards than federal rules require continued coming under fire from industry groups Tuesday as the Environmental Protection Agency held the last of three hearings on implementing proposed national standards for average passenger vehicle fuel economy.

Ford, Toyota, the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers and the Sierra Club were among the groups whose representatives offered a wide range of opinions during the day-long meeting in Los Angeles.

Federal officials are trying to determine how best to reach gas mileage and tailpipe-emissions standards within the next seven years that are about 30% more stringent than they are now.

California, which has authority to set its own standards, is in agreement with the federal proposals through 2016 but already has started working on tougher state standards for 2017 and beyond - a move that automakers oppose, claiming that separate state and federal rules will impose severe economic hardships on an already beleaguered industry.

Looking Forward

So while Tuesday's hearing ostensibly was about present regulations, many in the audience were more concerned with what happens eight years from now.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell October 28, 2009, 6:00 AM
Categories:: Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, Honda, Legislation, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: CAFE Standards

October 27, 2009

Hybrid Models Dominate Consumer Reports Annual Reliability List for Family Cars

Consumer Reports readers have spoken - as the do this time every year -and come down hard in favor of hybrids as family cars.

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Toyota Prius rates tops among family cars for reliability in annual consumer survey.
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In the widely read magazine's annual rating of auto reliability, five of the eight most reliable 2009 model year family cars in the CR report use gas-electric powertrains.

In the order CR lists them, they are:

Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion hybrid, Mercury Milan hybrid, Nissan Altima hybrid, and Toyota Camry hybrid.

All five also are rated as CR recommended, meaning they scored well in the magazine's internal testing and driveability ratings as well as in the consumer-driven reliability survey.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); John O'Dell October 27, 2009, 12:18 PM
Categories:: Ford, Hybrid, Mercury, Nissan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Consumer Reports

October 26, 2009

Toyota's Corporate 'Green' Effort Flowering at Prius Plant in Toyota City

We know that Toyota Motor Co., interested in all things renewable and sustainable, has an agricultural operation in Japan where it grows plants for use in the manufacture of bioplastics.

Now comes word that the giant automaker also has developed two new flowering species for the purpose of absorbing nitrogen oxides (NOx) from the atmosphere and lowering the temperature of the grounds surrounding its Prius factory, reducing the energy used to cool the building.

The "Toyota flowers" are derivatives of two existing plans - the cherry sage (left) and the gardenia.

Richard Blackburn, who tells the tale in Drive.com Australia, says the Toyota sage has leaves that absorb harmful gases such as NOx, while the Toyota gardenia has leaves that produce water vapor, which helps lower the ambient temperature.

When planted in large beds surrounding the Prius factory in Toyota City, the gardenias can make enough of a difference that the company can use less energy to run air conditioning to cool the factory.

Of course, Toyota already uses solar power for a lot of the plant's energy and has painted the exterior walls with a special paint that absorbs NOx and other gases.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 26, 2009, 8:38 AM
Categories:: Emissions, Japan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Prius

October 22, 2009

2009 Tokyo Auto Show: Subaru Has Hybrid Plans Beyond Tourer Concept

Subaru, which is displayed a concept hybrid touring car at the Tokyo Auto Show this week, plans to have several hybrids in the market in the next few years, Fuji Heavy industries President Ikuo Mori told reporters at the show.

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Hybrid Tourer concept is Subaru's interpretation of a gas-electric car. The grille, at least, is likely to see production - on other Subaru models if not on this gull-winged four-seater.
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Fuji is Subaru's parent company.

Mori declined to say whether the hybrid would be based on the "Subaru Hybrid Tourer" concept at the show and wouldn't say whether it would be a model developed with technology partner Toyota, or would use a design and a hybrid system of Fuji's own making.

The Tourer concept uses a Fuji-developed system that mates Subaru's 2.0-liter horizontally opposed "Boxer" engine with a pair of electric motors.

But Subaru is expected to launch a hybrid version of its redesigned Legacy in Japan in 2011, using technology licensed from Toyota - Fuji's largest shareholder.

A Legacy hybrid could easily make its way to the U.S.

Ignored in all the hybrid talk was the fact that Subaru also has recently unleashed a battery-electric version of its boxy Stella subcompact. Although mainly used for testing purposes, the Stella EV is likely to lead to a retail model and that could lead to an EV for at least limited sales over here in the states that have adopted California's zero emissions vehicle mandate.

The more, the merrier, we say.

How 'bout a hybrid WRX? Better yet, why not an all-electric WRX featuring independently driven electric wheel-motors in each hub?

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 22, 2009, 8:11 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Hybrid, Japan, Subaru, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: 2009 Tokyo Auto Show

October 20, 2009

Toyota To Place 10 Prius PHEVS in Boulder, Colo., Smart Grid Program

The city of Boulder, Colo., and its power provider, Xcel Energy, have launched a long-term "smart grid" project and Toyota Motor Co. wants to be a player.

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Toyota's prototype Prius Plug In Hybrid pictured in Japan last year.
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The automaker and world's leading seller of gas-electric hybrid vehicles is announcing this afternoon that it will place 10 of its experimental Prius plug-in hybrids in service in Boulder next year as part of the project.

The Prius PHEVs are part of a fleet of 500 of the cars to be placed into service around the globe in 2010 as Toyota begins testing for possible retail sales of a hybird with extended all-electric range and rechargeable batteries.

First Smart Grid City

Xcel has begun what it calls the SmartGridCity project in Boulder, making the university city - already one of the greenest in the nation - into the world's first smart grid enabled municipality.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); John O'Dell October 20, 2009, 3:00 PM
Categories:: Energy Companies, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Boulder Smart Grid Program

Toyota To Begin Selling New Sai Hybrid December 7 - in Japan Only

Toyota made it official today - the new Japan-only Sai hybrid goes on sale Dec. 7.

The gas-electric sedan, based on the Lexus HS 250h, will be priced at 3.38 million yen ($37,500), well above the Prius' starting price in Japan of just over 2 million yen ($22,000).

Toyota, which has benefited from Japanese government incentives aimed at increasing the number of fuel-efficient vehicles on the road, said it's goal is to sell 36,000 Sai sedans a year.

The new hybrid is rated at 54 miles per gallon in the Japanese combined city-highway test cycle, well below the new Prius' 90 mpg rating. (The U.S. rating for the near-identical Lexus HS 250h is 35 mpg while the 2010 Prius gets a 50 mpg EPA rating.)

The company hasn't said whether it intends to broaden Sai sales beyond Japan, but if there are U.S. plans it would have to come in at a much lower price as the Lexus version starts here at $35,075 and hasn't been a particularly hot seller.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 20, 2009, 11:47 AM
Categories:: Hybrid, Japan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Hybrids

October 12, 2009

Hydrogen Cars Getting Closer, More Affordable; Lack of Fuel Network Threatens

U.S. Trails Asia, Europe in Providing Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure, Automakers Warn

Automakers aiming to meet California's revised Zero Emission Vehicles mandate requirements have pushed the fuel-cell electric car much closer to reality than many realize, according to a report by Bloomberg news service.

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Rendering of advanced fuel station near Los Angeles International Airport touts hydrogen as the fuel of tomorrow.
Automakers say that without more such stations, that vision won't be realized.
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Not only is the technology almost ready for prime time, reporter Alan Ohnsman found that automakers such as Toyota, Daimler, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Renault, Nissan and General Motors now believe they can bring fuel cell vehicles to market by 2015 with price premium of just $3,600 over the average price of a comparable midsized gasoline model.

But the technology and price breakthroughs won't mean much if the U.S. government's infrastructure priorities aren't altered to include encouragement of a hydrogen fueling system

If the U.S. doesn't get moving, it will fall behind Europe and Asia - where governments are actively promoting hydrogen fueling - in the race to replace oil as a motor vehicle fuel, GM and others warn.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 12, 2009, 10:23 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Daimler, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Honda, Hydrogen, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Renault, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars

October 7, 2009

It's Diesel Vs. Hybrid in Annual Green Car of the Year Nominations

Audi's A3 TDI diesel and Mercury's Milan Hybrid are two of the contenders in LA Auto Show's green car face-off.

It will be diesel vs. hybrid and luxe models vs.standards in Green Car of the Year judging for December's 2009 Los Angeles International Auto Show. The five finalists in the annual competition, announced today, are the Toyota Prius (left), Honda Insight (below, right) and Mercury Milan hybrids on the gas-electric side and the Audi A3 TDI and Volkswagen Golf TDI (below, left) on the diesel side.

Judges picked the VW Jetta TDI last year, so if either the Golf or A3 win it will be two-in a-row for the fuel that most Americans still equate with big-rigs and giant bulldozers. There could be sentiment of the small luxury-performance car, which would help the Audi, but the engine in both the A3 and the Golf is the same that won it for the Jetta TDI in 2008.

Our handicapper at Inside Line's Straightline blog seems to be betting on the redesigned 2010 Prius, reasoning that the Milan Hybrid doesn't stand much of a chance because its twin, the Ford Fusion Hybrid, was nominated but didn't win last year, and that the judges will be loathe to salute diesel for a second consecutive year.

That leaves the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius, and the Pruis is the greener of the two by dint of its greater fuel economy.

How would you handicap the contest?

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell October 7, 2009, 3:32 PM
Categories:: Audi, Auto Shows, Diesel, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Mercury, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: Diesel

October 6, 2009

2009 Tokyo Auto Show: Toyota Upgrades FT-EV City Car Concept

Judging from the amount of copy they fed us in advance, Toyota is a whole lot prouder of the rear-wheel drive "Toyobaru" sports coupe it is showing at this month's 2009 Tokyo Auto Show than of the FT-EV II electric city car concept (above) that also will be there.

But an electric city concept there will be - based off the hot-selling toyota iQ micro-mini and an "upgrade" of the FT-EV city car concept that debuted in January at the Detroit Auto Show.

Toyota's not let much out about the new city EV, but what we can tell you is that that it has a lithium-ion battery pack installed under the floor that can deliver about 56 miles on a single charge and a top speed of 62 miles an hour (that's a nice round 100 kilometers an hour in metrics.)

There are no brake, clutch or accelerator pedals - it's all operated by hand with the levers on a futuristic steering wheel, although "control apparatus" might be a better way of describing it.

The reason for the lack of foot controls? Toyota has envisioned a day when radio signals, perhaps from cables embedded in the road, will guide cars and this equips the concept with an "auto mode" for those city commutes when you'd rather spend the time reading the morning paper.

We can also say that it seats four people despite an overall length of just 107 inches long, and those people would climb in through a pair of sliding doors (one on each side).

And that's about it -except that Toyota hopes to have a real battery-electric city car in the market by 2012.

As for that 'Toyobaru" that's stealing the little EV concept's thunder - it's the FT-86 (left), fruit of a collaboration between Toyota and Subaru, in which Toyota now holds a stake. It is intended to replace the MR 2 as Toyota's fun car, will use Subaru's 2.0-liter horizontally opposed, flat-four engine, reportedly handles like a dream and is due to hit the streets in late 2011. You can read more about it on Inside Line.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 6, 2009, 10:31 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Japan, Plug-ins and Electric, Subaru, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: 2009 Tokyo Auto Show

October 5, 2009

Toyota Faces International Trade Hearing over Hybrid Patent Infringement Claims

A Florida company that already has won a judgment against Toyota in a hybrid technology patent infringement case, will get a hearing before the U.S. International Trade Commission on its claim that the company's newer hybrids continue to infringe on the same patent.

And whereas the federal court that found for Paice LLC in the earlier Toyota patent infringement case refused to grant the company's request to bar Toyota from selling its Prius, Highlander and Lexus RX 400 hybrids in the U.S., the trade commission's only power, should it also find for Paice, is to block Toyota's imports.

Paice requested the hearing last month.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 5, 2009, 5:17 PM
Categories:: Courts, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Paice

October 2, 2009

Hybrids Down, But Not Out In September as Clunker Cash Flees Market.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

The cash for clunkers frenzy that pulled many hybrid shoppers into the market earlier than they'd intended in July and August caused a big letdown in September as sales of gas-electric cars and trucks, which had been rising steadily all year, plunged 48.4 percent.

Only 19,977 hybrids were sold in September, down from 38,701 in August. The sales slide was the first in several months and was worse that that of the far larger conventional vehicle segment, which dropped by 40.9 percent from August.

Falling sales of the Toyota Prius - they were down 42 percent for the month - contributed heavily to the numeric decline although almost every hybrid model lost ground.

On a month over month basis there were no corporate winners in the hybrid segment as even Toyota - the industry leader with three out of every four hybrid sales - saw a 39.7 percent decline in its Toyota and Lexus hybrids.

And that was the segment's best performance.

Lots of Losers

Nissan, which has been on a tear with its single offering, the Altima hybrid sedan (helped by generous incentives in recent moths), saw its hybrid sales plunge 89.1 percent in September; Honda, the number two hybrid company, saw sales fall 61.6 percent; Ford, which had been rising since the March introduction of its Fusion hybrid sedan, was off 54.5 percent, and GM's hybrid sales fell by 40.8 percent.

Compared to sales at the end of the third-quarter last year- when the financial industry collapse began and the bottom fell out of the auto market, the picture was a little better as hybrid sales last month were down just 4.1 percent from September '08.

In contrast, conventional car sales fell 22.5 percent in the September-September comparison.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell October 2, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Lexus, Mercury, Nissan, Saturn, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: September 2009 Hybrid Sales

October 1, 2009

2009 Tokyo Auto Show: Toyota's Newest Hybrid, the SAI Sedan, to Bow This Month

Despite reports that Toyota intends to spread its Prius nameplate across multiple models, including a Subaru, the Japanese automaker announced today that its only other dedicated hybrid will debut at the Tokyo Auto Show later this month without the P word anywhere on it.

As we reported previously, the SAI (an artist's rendition of which is shown here) is a medium-size sedan based on the Lexus HS250h hybrid.

The SAI's starting price will likely fall between the HS250h's $41,751 and the new Prius hatchback's $21,668. The sedan will reportedly go on sale in Japan later this month.

The Lexus has a 2.4-liter gasoline engine, more powerful than the Prius's 1.8-liter power plant. It is less efficient, too. The EPA rates the HS250h's fuel economy at 35 mpg in combined city-highway driving, compared with 50 mpg for the new 2010 Prius.

There's no word yet on the SIA's fuel efficiency, nor is Toyota saying where it intends to offer the vehicle, although we assume it will be available in the U.S., which is the world's largest automotive market behind China.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett October 1, 2009, 10:45 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Fuel Economy

September 28, 2009

No Truth In Rumor of 'Prius' Nameplate on Subaru Hybrid, Toyota Spokesman Says

It's no secret that Subaru is working on a hybrid, using technology licensed from Toyota Motor Corp., which has acquired a 16 percent stake in Subaru over the past year largely to tap into the lithium-ion battery development work being done by the all-wheel-drive specialist's parent, Fuji Heavy industries.

But now there's rumor circulating that the new Subaru hybrid, when it gets here, will be called the Subaru Prius as part of an effort by Toyota to broaden use of the Prius name and further ensure that it is synonymous with "hybrid" the world over.

Discussion with a posting yesterday evening on PriusChat.com by someone claiming to be a Subaru salesman who said he recently attended a corporate briefing on the new hybrid at which the "Subaru Prius" name was used.

It might have been used as a tongue-in-cheek reference to Subaru's intent to license Toyota hybrid technology for its upcoming hybrid vehicle, but we though it highly unusual that Toyota would let such a valuable brand name out of the Toyota fold.

Our own Subaru sources say they hadn't heard of a Subaru Prius, and now John Hanson, head of Toyota's U.S. environmental products communications team, tells us that there's no way anyone but Toyota will be able to use the Prius name.

"Absolutely not. That's a model reserved exclusively for Toyota," Hanson said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 28, 2009, 1:30 PM
Categories:: Hybrid, Subaru, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Subaru Hybrid

September 18, 2009

Mazda2 Coming to America; Fuel Economy Likely 35+ MPG, Price Around $16,000

After wavering awhile, Mazda has decided to jump into America's rapidly growing small-car segment with the company's fuel-efficient Mazda2 model.

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Right, the current Mazda2. The U.S. version will debut in L.A. in December.
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The five-door hatchback, which is currently sold in Europe, will begin appearing in U.S. showrooms during the fall of 2010, company officials told Mazda dealers at the automaker's annual meeting this week.

The vehicle will share a platform as the Ford Fiesta, which is scheduled to launch in America next summer. In addition to the Fiesta, the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris and Chevrolet Aveo will provide the Mazda2 with some stiff competition.

The U.S.-spec Mazda2 will be unveiled at the Los Angeles auto show in December. The current version of the Mazda2 has been on sale in Europe and Japan since 2007. In Japan, it is known as the Demio.

In Europe, the Mazda2 is offered with several gasoline and diesel engines. The U.S. edition will feature only a gasoline-powered, 1.5-liter four-cylinder.

That version in Europe delivers 103 horsepower and 101 pounds-feet of torque. It propels the Mazda2 from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 10.4 seconds while delivering 41 miles per gallon in Europe's combined driving cycle test; in the more real-world American combined driving cycle test, fuel economy should be 35-38 mpg.

The Mazda2 is offered as both a three- and five-door in Europe, but only the five-door will be available in the U.S. It comes only with a five-speed manual transmission in Europe, but the U.S. version will be available with a five-speed automatic.

Mazda would not disclose U.S. pricing, but in the U.K. it's priced around $16,750 not including taxes and fees. A Mazda source said the U.S. version will be priced somewhat lower.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett September 18, 2009, 2:41 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Chevrolet, Ford, Fuel Economy, Honda, Mazda, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Chevrolet Aveo

September 17, 2009

Toyota Tells Dealers It Will Use Prius Name on 'a Family of Models' to Drive Sales

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose."

Shakespeare wrote that for Juliet in his lyrical tale of star-crossed lovers, but Toyota dealers are -- in their own words -- saying the very same today.

That's because the Prius name possesses magical sales powers for the Japanese automaker. As a result, it has decided to sprinkle the name across more hybrid models in its U.S. lineup to boost their sales.

At a meeting in Las Vegas earlier this week of the 60 largest Toyota dealers in the U.S., Toyota executives announced the name Prius would be attached to "a family of models" using similar hybrid powertrains, veteran Toyota dealer Earl Stewart said.

"The Highlander hybrid and Camry hybrid do OK, but calling it 'Synergy Drive' never resonated with consumers," Stewart sad. "But they can make hay on the Prius name. It's a magic name. If somebody says 'I drive a Prius,' everybody knows what he means."

Romeo couldn't have said it better.

Toyota will have a range of Prius hybrid models "but Prius won't be a separate sub-brand like Scion," Stewart said.

A Thorny Issue

Separately, Toyota is launching a $1 billion fourth-quarter marketing campaign, its biggest ever for that period, to boost weak U.S. sales.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett September 17, 2009, 2:39 PM
Categories:: Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Japan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Fuel Efficient Cars

2009 Frankfurt Motor Show: Toyota Unwraps Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept

Toyota today continued to release a slow trickle of information concerning its all-new Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept, which debuted this week at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

In addition to details about the car that we've previously reported, now know this concept vehicle with an absurdly long name uses the same Hybrid Synergy Drive technology that can be found in the new Prius.

In other words, it's also equipped with a 1.8-liter gasoline engine working with an electric motor and an engine stop-start system to help cut emissions and improve fuel economy.

The Auris HSD produces 97 horsepower, accelerates from 0-62 miles per hour in about 10 seconds, and has carbon dioxide emissions of less than 100 grams per kilometer.

The Auris HSD differentiate itself from the standard Auris in many ways. Its front end styling is entirely fresh, headlights, hood, bumper and grille. Various aerodynamic tweaks and special badging also set it apart from the regular Auris.

Although Toyota has included "Concept" in the car's name, a new Auris hybrid looking identical or nearly identical to the one shown here is scheduled to enter production next summer and begin shipping toward the end of the year.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 17, 2009, 10:26 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept

September 14, 2009

Toyota Reportedly Sticking With Nickel Battery After Testing Lithium-Ion in Priuses

Toyota Motor Corp. is sticking with nickel as the preferred battery material for most of its hybrid vehicles after three years of secretly testing Prius hatchbacks with lithium-ion packs, Bloomberg reported today.

Toyota last month ended road tests of 126 Priuses in the U.S., Japan and Europe that began in 2006, Jana Hartline, a company spokeswoman said in an interview with the news service. Details of the program, in which the cars' nickel metal hydride batteries were replaced with more expensive lithium models, weren't released.

Automakers are introducing models all or partly powered by lithium-ion batteries holding twice the energy of nickel packs. While Toyota's lithium version performed well and gave "small" fuel-economy gains because of lighter weight, nickel is favored for conventional, mass-market hybrids for its cost, said Kazuo Tojima, the carmaker's senior staff engineer for batteries.

Lithium's "durability, stability and safety are assured," the company's tests showed, Tojima told Bloomberg.

The tests appear to be among the most thorough done by companies planning to introduce the batteries, said Menahem Anderman, president of consulting firm Advanced Automotive Batteries in Oregon House, California.

"We now know that a lithium-ion battery can work; that's not really the question," he said. "Cost is critical, and we still don't know enough about long-term durability."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 14, 2009, 12:31 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Frankfurt Motor Show

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Greenest Car Show Begins Previews Tuesday

Hyundai Motors' ix-Metro Hybrid city car is one of several dozen 'green' cars and concepts debuting at Frankfurt show.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

This week's Frankfurt Auto Show promises to be the greenest major auto show to date - a showcase for fuel efficiency improvements and alternative powertrains that are coming to the forefront as the mainstream auto industry finally begins coming to grips with the need to begin weaning itself - and us - from petroleum.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 14, 2009, 1:49 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Audi, Auto Shows, BMW, Citroen, Diesel, Fiat, Ford, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, MINI, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show

September 11, 2009

Toyota Provides More Details Regarding Auris Hybrid Concept to Debut at Frankfurt

Toyota today provided more details regarding the Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept it will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week, including word that the vehicle marks a milestone in Toyota's plan to deploy full hybrid technology across the automaker's entire European model line-up.

"Full hybrid" means the car can be propelled by gasoline engine alone, electric motor alone or a combination of both. Most hybrids cannot do this.

Earlier this month we reported that, according to Toyota, the Auris hybrid uses 19 percent less fuel and emits 17 percent less climate-changing carbon dioxide than the standard Auris. We can now report that the five-door hatchback is slated to go on sale in Europe starting the second half of 2010, but there's no word on plans to send the car to North America.

In a statement, Toyota reported that the hybrid "marks a significant milestone in Toyota's plan to equip its mainstream European models with full hybrid technology. Toyota is committed to making the environmental benefits of its Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) accessible to a wider customer base and it is on track to offer a hybrid version of every model in its range by the early 2020s."

A five-door hatchback is the best selling type of car in Europe and consequently the installation of HSD in Auris is the logical first step in deploying full hybrid technology across Toyota's entire European model line-up.

By introducing the Auris concept, Toyota also aims to shift customer perceptions of hybrid technology. The obvious advantages are improved fuel efficiency and low CO2 emissions, but the automaker said customers will also experience smooth and sophisticated driving unlike any other family hatchback, thanks to the everyday usability, comfort and quietness of the Toyota full hybrid powertrain.

The Auris concept will be built by Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK at the Burnaston factory, near Derby. The manufacturer's suggested price for the vehicle has not been revealed.

In addition to changes to the Auris's powertrain for the concept car, Toyota says subtle changes have been made to Auris's styling to improve aerodynamic efficiency. The front end is designed to optimize airflow and so help maximize fuel efficiency. The front and rear bumper corners have flat surfaces, a feature that not only accentuates the car's wide and solid stance, but also smooths the flow of air over the vehicle's flanks, minimizing turbulence and drag.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 11, 2009, 11:53 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: C02

September 9, 2009

9 Major Automakers Sign Letter Agreeing to Develop and Launch Fuel-Cell Vehicles

Perhaps motivated by U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu's proposal last May to slash more than $100 million in federal funding for hydrogen-vehicle research, nine major automakers today issued a joint statement announcing that they had signed a letter of understanding to develop and launch fuel-cell electric vehicles.

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A trio of Ford FCEVs get pumped up.
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FCEVs use an on-board fuel cell stack to convert hydrogen and oxygen to electricity that powers an electric drive system.

Today's announcement came one day after Chu said in an interview that he will no longer seek to eliminate federal funding for the R&D of hydrogen cars, but instead will work with lawmakers to ensure the money is "invested wisely."

The automakers' announcement states that they "strongly anticipate that from 2015 onwards a quite significant number of electric vehicles with fuel cell could be commercialized. This number is aimed at a few hundred thousand units over life cycle on a worldwide basis."

It continued: "As every vehicle manufacturer will implement its own specific production and commercial strategies as well as timelines, commercialization of electric vehicles with fuel cells may occur earlier than in the above-mentioned expected year."

Beyond those statements, the announcement -- signed by Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Renault, Nissan and Toyota -- offered little more information regarding the automakers' plans.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 9, 2009, 12:04 PM
Categories:: Daimler, Emissions, Energy Companies, Ford, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hydrogen, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: California Air Resource Board

September 4, 2009

Toyota Passes 2 Million Total Hybrid Sales Worldwide; Most Were Sold in America

Toyota Motor Europe announced today that cumulative hybrid sales in Europe have topped the 200,000 mark, with 50 percent of the sales recorded in the last 24 months.

TME has sold a total of 202,126 Toyota and Lexus hybrids since introducing Europe's first commercial hybrid in 2000, the company said in a statement.

"The breakthrough result coincides with news that Toyota has sold over 2 million hybrids globally since launching the world's first mass-produced hybrid, Prius, in 1997 to critical acclaim," the company said.

Moveoever, Edmunds.com data put Toyota hybrid sales in the U.S. through August of this year at 1,106,203 vehicles sold, accounting for a 73 percent share of the U.S. hybrid market and a 0.6 percent share of the overall U.S. passenger vehicle market (cars and trucks combined).

Prius accounted for 768,638 sales, or 69.5 percent, of Toyota's total U.S. hybrid sales. The popular model accounted for 50.8 percent of the overall U.S. hybrid market and 0.45 percent of the overall U.S. passenger car market.

Toyota has a global target of 1 million hybrid sales per year by the early 2010s, with European sales representing up to 10 percent of this target.

In July, TME announced that it would manufacture a hybrid version of its C-segment hatchback, Auris, in the United Kingdom from mid-2010. That would mark what Toyota referred to today as "a critical first step" in the company's plans to offer a hybrid version of every model in the early 2020s.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 4, 2009, 12:30 PM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Edmunds.com

September 3, 2009

Toyota Faces Patent-Violation Claims That Could Ban Import of Its Hybrids Into U.S.

Toyota Motor Corp. faces a patent-infringement claim that may result in a U.S. import ban on its Prius and other hybrid models, the Bloomberg news service reported today.

Closely held Paice LLC filed a complaint today with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington, claiming Toyota is infringing its patents. It seeks an order to ban imports of products using its inventions.

Even if Paice were to prevail, Toyota would likely be able to keep selling its hybrids while it mounted a lengthy and vigorous challenge to the decision.

Paice won a jury verdict in 2005 that the Prius, Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX400h hybrid vehicles used Paice inventions related to drivetrains, Bloomberg reported. The new ITC complaint claims the hybrid Camry, third-generation Prius, Lexus HS250h and Lexus RX450h infringe the same patent.

In the complaint, Paice said Toyota is precluded from arguing that the additional vehicles don't infringe the patent or challenging its validity because of the 2005 verdict, which was upheld on appeal. The drivetrains of the vehicles in the ITC case "are materially the same" as those in the Lexus and Highlander vehicles in the civil case, Paice said in the complaint.

That same patent will be at the center of another trial set to begin Oct. 1 in federal court in Marshall, Texas, involving the Toyota Camry. Paice claims the Camry also infringes two other patents. A second case, also pending in Marshall, involves claims of infringement of another patent by the Highlander and Lexus models.

The commission in Washington is set up to protect U.S. market from unfair trade practices, including patent infringement. If it agrees to investigate Paice's claims, the investigation could be completed in about 15 months. It has the power to order U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials to block infringing products from entering the country.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett September 3, 2009, 3:46 PM
Categories:: Courts, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Court

Tokyo Denies Chrysler Claim, Says Toyota Received No Aid in Development of Prius

Back in March, Jim Press, vice chairman and president of Chrysler, was quoted in a Business Week report as saying, "The Japanese government paid for 100 percent of the development of the battery and hybrid system that went into the Toyota Prius."

Toyota quickly denied the allegation, stating that it got no such help in developing the gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle.

Well, it took the Japanese government more than five months to respond, but today it announced that Press (pictured) was wrong.

Sosuke Tanaka, an official at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said today that Toyota had not received financial aid from the government in developing the Prius, according to ministry records.

"Toyota developed its own technology," Tanaka said in an interview with The New York Times. "So please talk to Toyota about research and development."

Chrysler defended Press, who worked at Toyota for 37 years before joining Chrysler in September 2007.

On its media blog, Chrysler said Press "was not speaking negatively of Toyota" but "referenced the close cooperation between the Japanese government and Japanese industry."

Chrysler said Press would like to see similar cooperation between government and industry in the U.S.

Didn't the U.S. government just save Chrysler's trunk, so to speak? For a second time? Jim Press, this would be a good time to reflect on the proverb, Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (4); Scott Doggett September 3, 2009, 1:03 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

China Denies Hoarding Metals, Says It Just Wants to Create Jobs in Inner Mongolia

China's moves to tighten control on the mining and export of a class of metal ores called rare earth are aimed at attracting high-tech manufacturing to Inner Mongolia, and not at dominating the market, The Wall Street Journal reported today, citing a senior Chinese official.

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The rare-earth element lanthanum, right, is used in the manufacture of hybrid-car batteries.
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As we reported earlier this week, a number of those rare metals are used to make the high-power, lightweight magnets for electric motors of hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Ford Fusion. Others are major ingredients for batteries used in hybrid cars.

Wednesday's comments by Zhao Shuanglin, vice chairman of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, appear aimed at quelling concerns that China is trying to dominate the global market for rare-earth resources.

China produces more than 90 percent of the world's output of the metals. Recent steps by Beijing toward tightening export restrictions have sparked concern in other countries.

There also appear to be concerns about China's investment in rare-earth producers in other countries.

In Australia, the government has delayed yet again consideration of a $210 million investment by China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group Co. in Lynas Corp., an investment that would give the Chinese company a majority stake in the biggest new rare-earth mine currently under development.

Lynas, which unveiled the planned investment in early May, said Wednesday a 30-day review period by the Australian government's foreign investment review board had again been reset so that the board has until early October to consider the deal.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 3, 2009, 1:01 AM
Categories:: Batteries, China, Ford, Honda, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Battery Manufacturing

September 2, 2009

Hybrid Sales Up Again in August, Carried By Clunker Cash and Slow-Growing Acceptance

Nissan Altima hybrid was one of the stars of August, more than tripling sales for the month despite limited availability.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

The federal Cash for Clunkers program may have been good for conventional cars in August, but monthly sales performance was a letdown for hybrids after an explosive July.

Oh, sales of gas-electric cars and SUVs were up last month - a 9.2 percent gain from July, but that pales by comparison to the 35 percent gain the segment recorded in July over June and doesn't stand up well, either, against the 26.6% August increase posted by conventionally powered vehicles (cars and trucks except hybrids).

Overall, however, August 2009 hybrid sales of 38,701 gas-electric cars, SUVS and pickups were up 48.6 percent from 26,044 in August '08 - a significant gain explained in large part by the addition of half a dozen new hybrid models, including the Honda Insight, Ford Fusion and Lexus HS250, that weren't available a year earlier.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 2, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Lexus, Mercury, Nissan, Saturn, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: August 2009 Hybrid Sales

September 1, 2009

Toyota to Unveil Auris Hybrid and Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept at Frankfurt Show

Toyota will unveil a gasoline-electric hybrid concept of it Auris compact car as well as a Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the automaker announced today.

Toyota said the Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept (right) is a step forward in the company's plan to expand its hybrid lineup. The world's largest automaker will begin production of the Auris hybrid at its factory near Derby, about 120 miles north of London, starting mid-2010.

Toyota said the Auris hybrid uses 19 percent less fuel and emits 17 percent less climate-changing carbon dioxide than the standard version.

The company builds most of its hybrid vehicles in Japan, but also produces a small number of Prius hybrids in China and the Camry hybrid in the United States.

In July, Toyota President Akio Toyoda said the carmaker would shift its focus in the diesel-heavy European market to hybrid vehicles as part of a new effort to use its resources more selectively.

Toyota Europe CEO Tadashi Arashima said making hybrids in Europe would help ensure that full hybrids "become more accessible to a wider range of customers."

Toyota has a goal of selling at least 1 million hybrid vehicles a year within the next few years.

Toyota also will give its Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept a world debut in Frankfurt. The low-emissions car is based on the new, third-generation Prius.

An artist's rendering of the Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept appears at left. A photo of the vehicle has yet to be released.

The carmaker said it will offer 150 of the fuel-efficient Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concepts to fleet customers to test next year.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 1, 2009, 9:28 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Carbon Dioxide

August 31, 2009

As Hybrid Cars and Electric Vehicles Gobble Rare Metals, Global Shortage Looms

The Toyota Prius hybrid automobile is popular for its fuel efficiency, but its electric motor and battery guzzle rare earth metals, a little-known class of elements found in a wide range of gadgets and consumer goods.

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Neodymium: A key component of EV motors.
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That makes Toyota's market-leading gasoline-electric hybrid car and other similar vehicles vulnerable to a supply crunch predicted by experts as China, the world's dominant rare earths producer, limits exports while global demand swells, Reuters news agency reported today.

Worldwide demand for rare earths, covering 15 entries on the periodic table of elements, is expected to exceed supply by some 40,000 tons annually in several years unless major new production sources are developed. One promising U.S. source is a rare earths mine slated to reopen in California by 2012.

Among the rare metals that would be most affected in a shortage is neodymium, the key component of an alloy used to make the high-power, lightweight magnets for electric motors of hybrid cars, such as the Prius, Honda Insight and Ford Fusion ~~Focus~~, as well as in generators for wind turbines.

Close cousins terbium and dysprosium are added in smaller amounts to the alloy to preserve neodymium's magnetic properties at high temperatures, Reuters reported. Yet another rare earth metal, lanthanum, is a major ingredient for hybrid car batteries.

Toyota has 70 percent of the U.S. market for vehicles powered by a combination of an internal-combustion engine and electric motor. The Prius is its No. 1 hybrid seller.

Reuters reported that Jack Lifton, an independent commodities consultant and strategic metals expert, calls the Prius "the biggest user of rare earths of any object in the world."

Each electric Prius motor requires 2.2 pounds of neodymium, and each battery uses 22 to 33 pounds of lanthanum. That number will nearly double under Toyota's plans to boost the car's fuel economy, he said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett August 31, 2009, 3:40 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Energy Companies, Ford, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: China

August 26, 2009

Air Line Pilots Association Seeks Ban on Lithium-ion Battery Shipments on Jetliners

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

An airline pilots union is calling for a government ban on shipments of lithium batteries aboard passenger and all-cargo planes after a series of fires in recent years involving aircraft.

This development might have an adverse affect on electric vehicles and most hybrid vehicles because lithium batteries are widely regarded as the best type to propel the vehicles.

At the very least, reports of a link between lithium batteries and fires aboard aircraft won't help public perception that such batteries are safe.

In statement released Tuesday, the Air Line Pilots Association said that federal regulators have been slow to act on the issue and that "the evidence of a clear and present danger is mounting."

The ban would not apply to devices containing batteries brought aboard by passengers, but as you can read in the adjacent boxed text, there has been at least one instance of a passenger reporting that his laptop computer was emitting smoke.

Since March of last year, six fires have been reported on board passenger and cargo jets linked to lithium-based batteries, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. None of the incidents resulted in deaths or serious injuries.

In a recent letter sent to Cynthia Douglass, acting deputy administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Captain John Prater, head of the pilots' union, pointed to three recent incidents as proof positive of the urgent need to prohibit lithium-battery shipments.

During just the past two months, fire, smoke, or evidence of fire associated with battery shipments has occurred aboard three separate U.S. airliners, he wrote in the letter.

The incidents, which took place in Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and Honolulu, Hawaii, were similar to a 2006 battery fire aboard a DC-8 in Philadelphia, he wrote.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett August 26, 2009, 11:53 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Air Line Pilots Association

August 24, 2009

Toyota Says It Will Produce 216,000 4-Cylinder Engines Annually at Alabama Plant

In a positive development for American autoworkers, Toyota Motor Corp. has decided to shift more production of its fuel-efficient four-cylinder engines from Japan to Alabama.

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Right, the 4-cylinder engine that appears in the 2010 Camry. Below, an information box about that engine. Click on the box to enlarge it.
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The company announced that it will spend $147 million to add 216,000 four-bangers a year to engine production at Huntsville, where it already makes V-6 and V-8 light-truck engines. As part of the expansion, Toyota will hire 240 workers.

The four-cylinder engines will go into Toyota Camrys built in Princeton, Indiana, and RAV4s built in Woodstock, Ontario. The engines for those models have been coming from Japan.

The Huntsville plant was built to produce V-8 engines for full-sized Toyota Sequoia SUVs and Tundra pickups. The collapse of those segments prompted the company to merge two V-8 engine lines at Huntsville, leaving part of the plant unused.

Both Toyota and Nissan Motor Co. have struggled to free up North American capacity for smaller engines as consumers have shifted to more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Toyota recently boosted four-cylinder Camry engine production at Georgetown, Kentucky, by making layout changes to an existing assembly area.

The new investment at Huntsville also will require Toyota's Bodine Aluminum Inc. subsidiary to expand output of engine heads and blocks at Troy, Missouri.

Toyota said that Bodine will spend $25 million and hire about 60 employees as a result.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett August 24, 2009, 1:18 PM
Categories:: Fuel Economy, Japan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: 4 Cylinder

Report: Honda to Show Prototype Electric Car in October, Export EVs to U.S. in 2015

Honda Motor Co. plans to develop an electric car to debut in the U.S. market by around 2015 as tighter environmental regulations push demand for zero-emissions vehicles, the Nikkei business journal reported Saturday.

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2015 wouldn't mark the first year a Honda electric vehicle appeared in the U.S. Right, the Honda CUV-4 test EV in California two decades ago. It led to the Honda EV Plus, below, shown at a line-off ceremony in Japan in 1996.
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A spokesperson for the company, Japan's No. 2 automaker, said it was developing an electric vehicle but had not decided when to launch it.

The company would not comment on a Nikkei report, published without attribution to any sources, that a prototype of the car would be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in October.

The vehicle is expected to be about the size of a minicar, the Nikkei said.

Nissan Motor Co., Japan's third biggest automaker, unveiled its electric car "Leaf" earlier this month with plans to begin selling it in the United States, Japan and Europe towards the end of 2010.

Other major automakers such as Toyota and Volkswagen have also announced plans to launch electric cars in the next few years.

Tesla Motors, a small California electric-vehicle maker, has sold more than 700 highway-capable EVs since it began producing them last year.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 24, 2009, 11:46 AM
Categories:: Emissions, Honda, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: Emissions

August 21, 2009

Toyota Medium-Sized Hybrid Sedan Reportedly Coming to Japan Later This Year

Toyota Motor Corp plans to release within this year a new medium-sized hybrid sedan, the SAI, that is bigger than the current best-selling Prius as it seeks to expand its lineup of electric-gas hybrids, sources familiar with the matter said Friday.

The SAI will be positioned as a Toyota brand-version of the luxury Lexus HS250h hybrid sedan released in mid-July. It will have the same basic structure but different exterior and interior designs, the sources said, according to a report in tomorrow's Japan Today.

The SAI's starting price is expected to fall between the HS250h's $41,751 and the new Prius' $21,668, the sources said.

Toyota also plans to release a cheaper compact hybrid based on its Vitz model with better fuel efficiency than the new Prius and a minivan-type hybrid as early as in 2011.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 21, 2009, 2:32 PM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Hybrid

August 20, 2009

Report: Toyota Breakthrough May Improve Li-ion Battery Storage Capacity Tenfold

Toyota Motor Corp. has developed a new technology that may dramatically boost the storage capacity of lithium-ion batteries and thus open the door to more practical electric vehicles, according to a Japanese press report.

The advance - the fabrication of single crystals of lithium cobalt oxide - grew out of joint research with Japan's Tohoku University, Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said.

The new technology is a step toward creating a more powerful battery, but Nolasco declined to estimate the potential increase in a battery's storage capacity or an electric vehicle's range.

Japan's Nikkei business newspaper said the technique eventually would allow lithium-ion batteries to store 10 times the energy of current ones. The development would roughly translate into a tenfold increase in driving range, the newspaper said.

The greater storage capacity could also enable Toyota to reduce the size, weight and possibly the cost of the battery pack.

Lithium-ion batteries are seen as key to the mass marketing of electric vehicles because they are lighter and more powerful than the nickel-metal hydride batteries now used in hybrid cars.

Yet Toyota has largely steered clear of electric vehicles, arguing that the current generation of lithium-ion batteries is still too weak to provide a sufficient range for all-electric drivetrains.

The cathodes of Toyota's current lithium-ion batteries are typically made from a polycrystalline form of lithium cobalt oxide that connected with grains of graphite, the Nikkei said.

By using a single crystal form, however, Toyota can use less graphite and create more room for the storage of the lithium ions that create the electrical charge.

The newspaper said it will take another decade to develop a cathode that contains no graphite and that version should be able to store 10 times today's electrical charge.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 20, 2009, 2:36 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Japan, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Electric Car

NYT Says Toyota Losing EV Race, but Fails to Mention Automaker's Battery Deals

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

The New York Times is reporting today something we've been saying for months: That Toyota, maker of the mighty Prius hybrid and the No. 1 automaker worldwide by volume of units sold, is falling behind in the race to bring all-electric vehicles to market.

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Right, Toyota sold the RAV4 EV sport ute from 1997-2203.
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The article notes that Mitsubishi Motors has begun leasing its i-MiEV and that Nissan is set to leave its EV next year. But when oh when is Toyota's? 2012 is the answer the automaker gives.

The article quotes Masatami Takimoto, Toyota's executive vice president, as saying earlier this year that the electric car's "time is not here."

Electric cars "face many challenges," he said, adding that "to commercialize pure EV's, we need a battery that far exceeds the current technology."

Predictably, the Times reporter turned to EV proponents and analysts who have no experience running an automaker, let alone one that manufactured and sold an all-electric SUV from 1997-2003; that would be Toyota's RAV4 EV, many of which are still going strong and enjoy great popularity with their owners.

Which isn't to say the analysts weren't good for some interesting speculation.

"In a world where vehicles run on electrons rather than hydrocarbons, the automakers will have to reinvent their businesses," Russell Hensley, an analyst at the consulting company McKinsey, told clients in a recent report, the Times reported.

The newspaper also quoted analysts as saying that Toyota would like to profit all it can from the current technology before shifting to a new one - which makes sense, doesn't it? - especially because the company is facing a second down year after a loss last year of about $4.4 billion.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett August 20, 2009, 1:29 AM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Electric Cars

August 19, 2009

Toyota Reportedly to Buy Lithium-Ion Batteries for Hybrid Vehicles From Sanyo

Toyota Motor Corp. will buy hybrid-car batteries from Sanyo Electric Co. as the automaker struggles to meet growing demand for the fuel-sipping vehicles due to a shortage of battery supply, Reuters news service reported today, citing an unidentified source familiar with the matter.

Toyota now procures its batteries from Panasonic EV Energy Co, a joint venture with Panasonic Corp. Panasonic plans to take control of Sanyo and is awaiting regulatory approval.

Demand for gasoline-electric vehicles has surged in Japan, helped by tax breaks and subsidies under a government initiative to promote fuel-efficient automobiles, but Toyota has said production of its hybrids is being held back by a supply bottleneck for batteries.

Its Prius hybrid was Japan's best-selling car in July for a second straight month, but customers placing orders have to wait about eight months before delivery.

Toyota also said this week that it had received about 10,000 orders for the Lexus HS250h sedan, the premium brand's first dedicated hybrid car, in its first month of sale in Japan. It aims to sell an average 500 units a month.

Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, will first use Sanyo's lithium-ion batteries from around 2011, said the source, who confirmed a report in the Nikkei business daily and spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is not yet public.

Toyota will first procure about 10,000 battery units per year from Sanyo, the world's biggest rechargeable battery maker, the source said. Toyota aims to sell at least 1 million hybrid vehicles a year in the early 2010s.

A Toyota spokeswoman said nothing had been decided about procuring lithium-ion batteries from Sanyo. A Sanyo spokesman declined comment, citing company policy on deals with potential and existing customers.

Toyota Improves Batteries

In a related development, Toyota announced that has developed a new technology that may dramatically boost the storage capacity of lithium-ion batteries and thus open the door to more practical electric vehicles.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 19, 2009, 11:10 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Lexus, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Batteries

August 17, 2009

Suzuki May Unveil Gasoline-Electric Hybrid Sedan in U.S. in 2011, Nikkei Says

Suzuki, which said last month that it would start selling its all-wheel-drive sports sedan in the U.S. by the end of the year, may unveil a gas-electric hybrid version in the country as soon as 2011, the Japanese newspaper Nikkei reported Sunday.

The carmaker, which would follow fellow Japanese carmakers Toyota and Honda into the hybrid vehicle market, will use a powertrain it's developing with General Motors for the hybrid version of its Kizashi, Suzuki's first mid-sized sedan, Nikkei reported.

The hybrid will get about 20 percent better gas mileage than its gas-powered equivalent, which will be powered by a 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine, according to Nikkei.

Suzuki, which announced late last month that it would begin selling the gasoline-powered version of the Kizashi in North America this winter, also said it would make a hybrid version of the sedan, although it declined at the time to estimate when the hybrid would be available.

American Suzuki Motors Corp. spokesman Jeff Holland declined to comment on the Nikkei report.

GM, which first invested in Suzuki in 1981 and owned as much as 20 percent of the company in 2001, sold its remaining 3 percent of the company last year. Suzuki sold about 26,000 vehicles in the U.S. from the start of this year through July, down 60 percent from a year earlier.

Danny King, Contributor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett August 17, 2009, 5:35 PM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Suzuki, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Honda

Lexus to Reveal Premium Compact Concept at Frankfurt Motor Show Next Month

In an uncharacteristically succinct statement issued today, Lexus announced that it will introduce a premium compact concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 15th and it unveiled an official sketch of the car.

"The concept will demonstrate a mix of technical innovation and ground-breaking design that promises to raise the bar in the premium compact segment," the statement said, adding that further information about the unnamed vehicle won't be available until the show.

That said, we have to assume that by "technical innovation and ground-breaking design" the new model will feature some of green innovations found in Lexus's low-emissions, fuel-efficient hybrid models.

Among those innovations: A rear-wheel-drive hybrid powertrain featuring a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline-fuel internal combustion engine mated to a high-output electric motor.

The vehicle, which will likely represent Toyota's effort to compete with Audi's A3 and BMW's 1 series cars in Europe, might be destined for U.S. showrooms.

Unfortunately, that bit of wishful thinking won't likely be confirmed or denied before the Frankfurt show.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett August 17, 2009, 10:47 AM
Categories:: Audi, Auto Shows, BMW, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Lexus, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Audi

August 14, 2009

Toyota Plans 'Ultra Fuel Efficient' Hybrid Based on the Yaris, Newspaper Reports

Toyota Motor Corp. plans to launch a hybrid vehicle that is cheaper and more fuel efficient than the Toyota Prius as early as 2011, a Japanese newspaper reported today.

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Right, the 2010 Toyota Yaris.
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The car will share key parts with the Toyota's Yaris and will get double the fuel economy of the Yaris, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported. It will be sold in the United States, Japan and Europe.

The vehicle would be priced around 1.5 million yen ($15,650) and deliver 94 miles per gallon, the newspaper said, without revealing how it got the information.

"The 'ultra-fuel-efficient' car will surpass in terms of fuel efficiency the latest model of Toyota's top hybrid car, the Prius," the newspaper reported. "The envisaged model will be the world's most fuel-efficient mass-produced hybrid car, whose main power source is gasoline."

Toyota spokeswoman Yoshie Matsuura said she could not discuss future product plans. But Toyota is known to be planning a small, inexpensive Yaris-based hybrid to compete with Honda Motor Co.'s plans for a hybrid version of the Fit/Jazz

The current Prius gets about 89 miles per gallon under a Japanese mileage test that is not comparable to U.S. or European tests.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett August 14, 2009, 10:12 AM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Japan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Emissions

August 13, 2009

Honda Insight, Toyota Prius Hybrids Named 'Top Safety Picks' by Insurance Group

The Honda Insight and Toyota Prius hybrids received "top safety pick" labels from the non-profit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, bolstering sales prospects for two of the industry's most fuel-efficient vehicles.

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Right, the Honda Insight dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that his survival space was maintained well.
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Today's designations for the 2010 Insight and Prius along with the non-hybrid Kia Soul mean about a third of the small cars tested by the non-profit insurance group carry its highest rating.

Vehicles with that label have posted "good" scores in front, side and rear crash tests. Top safety picks also must have electronic stability control.

"The latest results show that consumers who want good fuel economy can also get a high level of safety," said institute spokesman Russ Rader. "Because there are so many small cars that test well, there's no reason to settle for a small car with less-than-stellar safety ratings."

The insurance group's side test simulates a collision with an SUV or pickup truck moving at 31 mph. The frontal trials mimic 40 mph offset crashes with vehicles of the same weight as the test car. The institute also simulates a stationary vehicle's being rear-ended by a vehicle going 20 mph.

Today's top-safety-pick designations for the Prius, Insight and Soul put the number of top-rated small cars at 10, out of the 27 the group has tested. Other small cars with the rating are the 2009 Subaru Impreza, 2009 Scion xB, four-door 2009 Honda Civic, 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer, 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit, 2010 Toyota Corolla and two-door 2009 Ford Focus.

In April, the insurance group said the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit and Smart ForTwo minicars performed poorly in frontal crash tests with mid-sized vehicles. Upon impact, the three cars all collapsed into the space around the driver dummy.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett August 13, 2009, 5:10 PM
Categories:: Honda, Hybrid, Kia, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer

2009 Edmunds Fuel Sipper Smackdown: Hybrids Versus Diesel and Mini

The fuel economy rule of thumb used to be that a full hybrid like the Toyota Prius was great for city driving but not so much better than other cars on the highway; that smaller cars were more fuel efficient than larger cars, and that diesels kicked butt in mileage contests.

Edmunds.com's crack(ed) team of testers set out last month to see if that's all still true with the new crop of cars and came to some surprising conclusions in what is becoming our annual Fuel Sipper Smackdown.

Over two days and 700-plus miles of driving, from Southern California to and around Las Vegas and then back, the team put the 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid, 2010 Honda Insight, 2009 Mini, 2010 Toyota Prius and 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI through a series of driving conditions, tracked fuel costs and computer CO2 output.

You can read the results here, and watch the video, above, for a 5-minute summary, but we'll give you the boil-down now:

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell August 13, 2009, 12:03 PM
Categories:: Diesel, Ford, Honda, Hybrid, MINI, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: Diesel

August 10, 2009

Smart Is Reportedly Working on Radical Design for New, 3-Seat Sports Car

Smart is reportedly working on a radical design for a new three-seater sports car that will form part of a new model assault, as well as a more conventional four-seat car to be produced in co-operation with Renault.

According to an Automotive News Europe report (subscription required), Mercedes is developing the three-seater partly in reaction to Toyota's iQ, which has gained plaudits as a fashionable and innovative urban city car.

The model has been conceived as a sportier alternative to Smart's upright second-generation ForTwo model, although the ForTwo will be retained in the Smart model line-up.

The model is likely to take the "ForThree" nameplate, although nothing has yet been decided by Smart's owner, the Mercedes-Benz Car Group.

Plans for the car were uncovered in European patent-application sketches (pictured, click to enlarge) obtained by Automotive News Europe sister publication AutoWeek.

The new three-seater model will draw heavily on the architecture and basic layout of the famous McLaren F1 supercar, which had a central driving position flanked on either side by two passenger seats.

The model is also likely to contain a number of innovative packaging concepts to accommodate three people in what will is likely to be a highly compact passenger car. These include a swivelling seat base as well as a transverse runner within the floor that allows the driver's seat to be adjusted out towards the door.

Although the patent applications do not mention the new car's proposed mechanical package, Mercedes is well advanced on a new line-up of modular three-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines as large as 1.4 liters.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett August 10, 2009, 11:35 AM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Smart, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Daimler

August 6, 2009

Toyota Says Hydrogen Fuel Cell SUV Has 431-Mile Range at Equivalent of 68 MPG

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Let the rest of the world talk about batteries, Toyota Motor Co. wants us to know its got fuel-cell electric vehicles and that it believes they're a viable technology.

The automaker said this morning that in a real-world driving test of a pair of its second-generation Toyota Highlander fuel cell vehicles, they averaged 431 miles on Southern California roads on their approximately 6-kilogram tanks of compressed hydrogen gas .

Average fuel economy was 68.3 miles per kilogram - the hydrogen equivalent of a gallon of gasoline. That's more than 2.5 times the fuel economy of the 2010 Toyota Highlander gas-electric hybrid.

Toyota previously had estimated the second-generation Highlander fuel cell SUV's range at 516 miles. But that was based on an estimate derived from a Japanese fuel economy test cycle that has much lower top speeds and acceleration rates than used in the U.S. test, said Toyota spokeswoman Jana Hartline.

The automaker didn't comment on the timing of the annoiuncemen but the numbers apparently have been released to respond to Energy Secretary Stephen Chu's recent comment that hydrogen fuel cell cars won't be a viable transportation alternative in the next 20 years - and to help keep us thinking about Toyota's previously announced intent to launch a retail fuel cell vehicle in the U.S. by 2015.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell August 6, 2009, 8:00 AM
Categories:: Fuel Cell, Hydrogen, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Fuel Cell Cars

You're Invited! Two California Events Offer Public Up-Close Views of Plug-In EVs

The public is invited to attend two major plug-in electric vehicle events in California in coming days.

The more newsworthy of the two will likely be the Plug-In 2009 Exposition held at the Long Beach Convention Center. It's there that green-car reporters from around the world will descend for more than three days of speeches, discussions and demonstrations revolving around plug-in electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

The public is invited to attend a slice of the event - from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11. The public portion will consist of vehicle displays (Chevy Volt, Ford 550 plug-in hybrid truck, Ford Escape plug-in hybrid, and a plug-in Toyota Prius to name a few), followed by a panel discussion.

Panelists will include: Peter Horton, writer/director, "Grey's Anatomy" and "The Philanthropist"; Bill Nye, "The Science Guy"; Chris Paine, director, "Who Killed the Electric Car?" and "Revenge of the Electric Car"; Chelsea Sexton, founder, The Lightning Rod Foundation and a former General Motors EV1 specialist.

Cost is $10 and tickets can be purchased at the door. Visit the Plug In 2009 Website for additional information.

The lovelier of the two events will be the 2nd Annual Benefit Party for Plug In America, a respected nonprofit organization that promotes PEVs and PHEVs, held this coming Sunday from 4 p.m. till 8 p.m. at the Thomas Fogarty Winery in Woodside.

Among the vehicles on hand will be the pre-production Aptera 2e, a Tesla Roadster, a BMW Mini E, a Tango, a Tzero, an A123 Hymotion Prius conversion, electric motorcycles from Mission Motors and Zero Motorcycles, plus some one-off conversions and plenty of RAV4 EVs.

The event, titled "Plug-Ins, Pinots and Progress," will make for an excellent and informative afternoon-evening and, as benefits often do, will contain a spectacular auctions portion. Among the items that will be going to the block: a week's stay at a Hawaiian resort for 2-3 people, a Zero X electric motorcycle, and an A123/Hymotion L5 Plug-in Conversion Module (a $10,000 value) for all you Prius owners.

Bids can be submitted online. Tickets to the event start at $120. Visit the Plug In America Website for more information.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 6, 2009, 1:01 AM
Categories:: Aptera, BMW, Batteries, Chevrolet, Emissions, Ford, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: 2nd Annual Benefit Party for Plug In America

August 5, 2009

Toyota Reports Battery Bottleneck Is Preventing Desired Production Prius Hybrid

A battery bottleneck is hurting efforts to boost output of the Prius to meet booming demand for the hybrid, and the problem will likely persist into next year, according to a senior Toyota official.

"The new Prius model has been excessively popular, inconveniencing some of our customers, and the factories are working overtime at full capacity," Takahiko Ijichi, Toyota senior managing director, said Tuesday at the company's quarterly earnings announcement.

"Unfortunately, the batteries are not catching up with demand. Production of the batteries needs to be increased in order for our production to go up."

Toyota has an annual Prius capacity of 500,000 cars. Panasonic EV Energy Co., which makes the nickel-metal hydride batteries for the gasoline-electric hybrid car, can't churn out more than that right now, Ijichi said.

The third-generation Prius hybrid is a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy year for the world's biggest automaker. The car is facing months-long waiting lists at dealerships and is easily outselling Honda's rival Insight hybrid in Europe and the United States.

The success of the Prius in Japan is one reason Toyota says it will post its first domestic sales increase in five years.

"The new Prius model is selling quite well," Ijichi said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 5, 2009, 6:32 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Battery

August 4, 2009

July Hybrid Sales Explode With Clunker Cash and New Prius Excitement

Toyota's Perennial Best-Seller Records 48% Sales Jump For Month; Honda Hybrids Flat

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

If Cash for Clunkers lit a fire under July's auto dales in the general market, it apparently set off a rocket booster under the hybrid market.

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It was blue skies for Toyota as its 2010 Prius rebounded in July.
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Sales of gas-electric cars, SUVs and trucks were up an impressive 35 percent in July - for the month and from a year earlier. Almost all hybrid cars best the 22 mph minimum combined EPA mileage that qualifies a vehicle to be purchased using a cash for clunkers voucher. By comparison, sales of conventional new vehicles rose 15.4 percent for the month and were down 13 percent from July '08.

The explosive performance was led almost single-handedly by Toyota's 2010 Prius, which saw its first full month of sales with an adequate supply on hand at dealerships.

"I think hybrids are benefiting from the buzz of new models such as the 2010 Prius and Honda Insight and fresh models in segments other than compact car, as well as from Cash for Clunkers," said Edmunds.com industry analyst Jessica Caldwell.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell August 4, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Lexus, Mercury, Nissan, Saturn, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: CarSales

July 31, 2009

Still Shopping? With Big Rebates, Hybrids and Diesels Can Be Attractive

If C4C Comes Back, Tech Premium For Many Could Be Offset; Manufacturer Rebates Would Do Same

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Got a gas guzzler that would qualify under the cash for clunkers program for a federal credit toward a new, more efficient car or truck? (That's if we still have a cash for clunkers program when the dust settles from Thursday's reveation that the programs's initial funding apparently has run dry.)

The situation's up in the air right now, but if you are in the mood to keep doing research, or perhaps have had the car-buying impulse jump-started and have decided to take the plunge - clunker incentive or no - this is a good time to look at hybrids and diesels.

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2009 Camry Hybrid has lowest technology premium, $239.

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If Congress keeps cash for clunkers going, or automakers step up with bigger incentives of their own to keep the market moving, the credits - ranging in the C4C program from $3,500 to $4,500 depending on the fuel economy of the new car or truck - could help make a previously unaffordable hybrid or clean diesel a lot more compatible with your budget.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell July 31, 2009, 7:09 AM
Categories:: Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Diesel, Ford, Honda, Hybrid, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, Nissan, Saturn, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: Cash For Clunkers

July 30, 2009

Honda's Prius-Killer Resembles Road Kill 4 Months After Entering U.S. Market

Honda had hopes its retooled Insight (right ) would eventually overtake the Toyota Prius as America's top-selling hybrid when it began selling the model last March.

But four months after entering the U.S. market, it's not even a close race.

Nationwide, Americans bought 2,079 Insights in June, bringing total sales of the streamlined hatchback since March to 7,524. At that rate, Honda will sell less than a third of its goal of 90,000 in the first 12 months.

By comparison, the higher-priced Prius was snapped up by 12,998 drivers last month. Since March, Toyota has sold 40,398 of the gas sippers.

And reviews of the Insight have been dismal. Typical of them is last month's Consumer Reports review, which decided that the new Honda fell short in ride quality, handling, interior noise, acceleration, rear-seat access and visibility.

America's rejection of the fuel-efficient model must be all the more humbling because Honda was the first automaker to bring hybrids to the U.S. It did that a decade ago with an earlier version of the Insight.

And get this: The Ford Fusion Hybrid is selling as well as the Insight in the U.S. even though it costs nearly $10,000 more.

It'll be interesting to see how the Honda CR-Z -- the automaker's next hybrid -- competes when it comes to America next year. As a two-seat sport coupe, it will be entering one of the smallest-volume segments of the market.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (11); Scott Doggett July 30, 2009, 11:20 AM
Categories:: Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Ford Fusion

July 28, 2009

Report: Toyota Plans Yaris-Based Hybrid Subcompact for Japan, Europe in 2011

New Gas-Electric Car Could Be Intended To Battle Honda Fit, CR-Z Hybrids Due in 2010

2009.toyota.yaris.20244849-396x249.jpg Toyota Motor Co. plans to launch a new small hybrid, based on the Yaris platform (it's the Vitz in Japan and Europe) and priced at under $16,000, according to a report in the Asahi newspaper.

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Toyota's Yaris could be the basis for a new small hybrid.
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The car, to be launched in late 2011, will be a unique model - not a hybridized Yaris/Vitz, the report says, and will be built in Japan and, possibly, Europe.

Toyota upheld its policy of not commenting on unauthorized reports of future products.

The idea isn't far-fetched. Toyota as said for years now that it plans to be able to offer a hybrid version of every vehicle in its lineup if it senses market demand.

A new subcompact Toyota hybrid would be just the ticket to battle rival Honda Motor Co., which has already said it will launch a hybrid version of its subcompact Fit (the Jazz in Europe) and a new hybrid sport car, the CR-Z, in late 2010.

"It is no surprise that Toyota is also looking to add this technology to the smaller end of its model range," IHS Global Insight said in a European analysts' report.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell July 28, 2009, 10:43 AM
Categories:: Hybrid, Japan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Hybrids

July 22, 2009

Ford Puts Pedal to the Metal on Green-Car Features During 2010 MY Presentation

Above, a slide in a Ford presentation Tuesday spells out the new importance the automaker gives green cars.

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

In its bid to survive myriad threats in a volatile automotive industry, Ford Motor Co. is pulling out all the stops.

Perhaps that has never been more evident than it was Tuesday, when the century-old automaker hosted a 2010 model-year news conference and driving event at its sprawling Dearborn Development Center.

Led by Derrick Kuzak (left ), Ford's global product development chief, and Barb Samardzich (below ), head of Ford's global powertrain R&D efforts, the event offered a deep look into the verdant future of Detroit's healthiest automaker less than a month after it unveiled plans to spend $14 billion on advanced-technology vehicles.

The company's recently released EcoBoost engine forms the core of Ford's survival strategy, they said. The engine uses gasoline turbocharged direct-injection technology for, the company claims, up to 20 percent better fuel economy and 15 percent fewer greenhouse-gas emissions than like-sized regularly aspirated engines of similar horsepower.

EcoBoost V6 engines will debut in the 2010 model-year Ford Flex, Taurus SHO, Lincoln MKS and MKT; as we reported, the company provided details Tuesday regarding a four-cylinder version slated to appear in Fords starting next calendar year.

By 2012, Kuzak and Samardzich said, the company will produce a combined 750,000 EcoBoost V6 and I4 engines annually in the U.S. and 1.3 million globally.

The executives also said Ford will offer EcoBoost engines in 90 percent of its vehicles by 2013. It's clear from the figures that EcoBoost engines won't be an option, but rather will constitute the stock engines found in most of Ford's lineup less than five years from now.

And Hybrids!

But there's more to the green 2010 MY offerings from Ford than vehicles fitted with EcoBoost engines. Ford is also offering two new hybrids: the Ford Fusion Hybrid ($27,270 base) and the Mercury Milan Hybrid ($27,500 base), both of which impressed us with their acceleration and handling Tuesday on the development center's high-speed track.

Both hybrids average an EPA-rated 41 miles per gallon in the city - that's 8 mpg more than the 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid, which starts at $26,150 - making them the most fuel-efficient midsize sedans currently available in America.

Speaking of Toyota: For the first time in the 28-year history of the Global Quality Research System, a study conducted quarterly by the independent RDA Group of Bloomfield, Michigan, Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles recently obtained customer-satisfaction levels on par with the Japanese car maker's.

That's important, because it's one of a spate of recent internal and external studies that show a positive trend in the percentage of consumers with favorable opinions about Ford and growing numbers of consumers who are willing to consider purchasing a Ford product, thanks in no small part to improved fuel economy.

Avoided Bankruptcy

Of course, it also helps that Ford didn't just emerge from bankruptcy, as did Chrysler and General Motors. Those companies now have to win back consumer confidence, while Ford - though driving to improve its ratings - is starting form a much higher level.

The studies also show that vehicles such as the Fusion Hybrid (left, at Ford's Dearborn Development Center on Tuesday ) are bringing new customers to Ford: 54 percent of the hybrid's buyers thus far did not previously own Fords and 66 percent of those buyers are coming out of foreign vehicles, company spokesmen said.

That's crucial as Ford tries to win back some of the market share it's lost to Japanese and European automakers in recent years.

On that chord, it's worth noting that before he assumed his current position as Ford's head of global car development, Kuzak ran the automaker's European small-car operation for five years. People within and outside Ford who are familiar with Kuzak's European efforts say the man knows what Ford needs to do to compete with fuel-efficient subcompacts produced by Old World automakers.

That knowledge includes designing vehicles that not only get excellent mileage, but that are also a blast to drive. Quickness and major fun factor are characteristics Kuzak is constantly stressing to Ford engineers, they say.

EcoBoost Just a Start

But there's more to Ford's fuel-efficiency efforts than EcoBoost.

When you factor in the incremental fuel-saving gains Ford's made with electric power-assist steering (which reduces the load on the engine since a belt-driven power steering pump is no longer required), aerodynamic modifications, six-speed transmissions, reductions in electric-system loads via electric air-conditioners, minute transmission tweaks that reduce friction - and a host of other mileage-enhancers - the fuel-economy benefits of vehicles the automaker has in the works for the short term approach 40 percent.

"We are absolutely committed to delivering new products with the best fuel economy in every segment in which we compete," Samardzich said.

We look forward to posting more Ford green-car news from Tuesday's event later today.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett July 22, 2009, 1:58 AM
Categories:: Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

July 14, 2009

Toyota to Build Auris Hybrid in UK; Will Be First Gas-Electric Hybrid Made in Europe

Japanese industry daily Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun reported today that Toyota has decided to produce a gasoline-electric version of its Auris hatchback (right ) at its British factory around 2012, in what would mark its first locally produced hybrid car in Europe.

Calls to Toyota for confirmation were not immediately returned.

The Auris, part of the popular Corolla series, was Toyota's third-best-selling model in Europe during the first five months of this year after the Yaris and Aygo subcompact models.

Toyota builds most of its hybrid vehicles in Japan, but also produces a small number of Prius cars in China and the Camry hybrid in Kentucky.

It is scheduled to begin production of the Camry Hybrid in Thailand later this month, and in Australia next year. The Prius is also planned for production at a new Mississippi plant but has been delayed due to the economic crisis.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett July 14, 2009, 2:35 PM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Camry

In Japan, Toyota Launches First Lexus Hybrid; Model Coming to N. America This Fall

Toyota Motor Corp. today launched its first dedicated hybrid model under the premium Lexus brand, saying it had received orders worth six months of targeted sales in Japan.

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Right, Lexus GM Mark Templin introduces the 2010 Lexus HS 250h at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
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The launch of the HS 250h sedan, which like the Prius is only available as a gasoline-electric hybrid, marks the latest push by the Japanese automaker to drive hybrids into the mainstream as governments worldwide tighten emissions and fuel-economy regulations while offering consumers incentives to purchase less-polluting cars.

Toyota said it has already received 3,000 orders for the vehicle in Japan and expects to sell an average of 500 of them each month domestically.

The model will be sold in the United States and Canada from September, Toyota said, adding that its plans to produce about 3,000 of the vehicle a month through the rest of the year.

Senior Managing Director Toshio Furutani said hybrids had become a major driver for the Lexus brand, which has struggled to sell in Japan since its domestic launch in 2005.

In the first six months of 2009, Lexus sales plunged 38 percent from the year-earlier period to 9,293 vehicles. About 30 percent of those were a hybrid, a Toyota spokesman said.

The HS 250h, powered by a 2.5-liter engine, starts at $42,460 in Japan, making it the cheapest model in the Lexus line-up and eligible for a maximum $2,870 in "eco-car" tax breaks. The HS 250h has listed mileage in Japan of 35 miles per gallon.

Toyota has a goal of selling at least 1 million hybrid vehicles a year within the next few years and has said it would offer the hybrid option on all of its models by around 2020.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett July 14, 2009, 12:24 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Lexus, Tax Incentives, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Emissions

July 13, 2009

Honda Announces CR-Z and Fit Hybrids to Go On Sale in Japan Next Year

UPDATE: But the automaker says it has no plans to bring Fit Hybrid to U.S.

Honda Motor Co. announced today that it plans to begin selling the sporty CR-Z hybrid (above ) in Japan this coming February and release a hybrid version of its popular Fit five-door subcompact (below ) domestically by the end of next year.

By "combining these two models with the currently available Insight and Civic Hybrid, Honda will further enhance its lineup of compact hybrid models, which leverage the unique characteristics of Honda's Integrated Motor Assist, including compact size, lightweight and high efficiency," the company said in a statement.

Honda spokesman Chris Martin told Green Car Advisor that the CR-Z "will come to the United States within the calendar year of 2010," but he would not be more specific. As for the Fit Hybrid, he said Honda currently does not have any plans to bring it to the U.S.

The CR-Z concept vehicle made its world debut at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show in 2007. The car, which takes its looks from the CRX-style three-door hatchback of the 1980s, will feature a hybrid system similar to the one found in the current range of Honda hybrids.

As for a hybrid version of the Fit, American Honda spokesman Sage Marie insisted last September that it was years away. We're delighted that Honda gave that timeframe more thought.

Prices for the CR-Z and Fit Hybrid have not been announced, but the CR-Z is likely to be priced around $20,000 to compete effectively against Toyota's hybrid lineup and the hybrid Fit will likely come in much lower.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett July 13, 2009, 12:52 PM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Japan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Fuel Economy

July 6, 2009

Toyota Reported Ready To Launch Plug-in Prius for Masses in 2011

Toyota has long kept quiet about when it would turn its plug-in hybrid Prius from test car to retail vehicle.

But the Nikkei business newspaper now reports that the answer is 2012.

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Plug-in Priuses already are being tested in Europe.
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That, said the Japanese paper, is when Toyota will begin series production (the auto industry term for production for mass market sales) of the plug-in Prius models it will begin leasing late this year to select fleet customers for real-world testing late this year.

Nikkei, according to a report by Reuters news service, said Toyota plans to build 20,000-30,000 plug-in Priuses a year and intends to price them at about $48,000 -- twice the price of a conventional Prius hybrid and about $8,000 more than the Chevrolet Volt, which will hit the market at the tail end of 2010.

Nikkei did not identify the source of its information about Toyota's plug-in plans and pricing and a Toyota spokesman told Reuters the company would not comment on future product plans.

As Toyota engineers and executives have said in the past, the plug-in Prius is expected to deliver about 12 miles on all-electric range using the lithium-ion battery pack produced for Toyota by Panasonic EV energy Co, a joint venture of Toyota and Panasonic.

We're not sure if Nikkei has its facts straight on this one. Although Toyota is widely expected to launch retail sales of the plug-in hybrids by 2011, the pricing seems a bit high -- at least for the U.S. market where a plug-in Prius would compete directly with the Chevrolet Volt, which promises 40 miles of all-electric range for around $40,000 before a $7,500 federal tax credit.

Additionally, a top Toyota executive in the U.S. has questioned whether a plug-in Prius would have much consumer appeal given its relatively short all-electric range, high price and the durability of the new lithium ion batteries.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); John O'Dell July 6, 2009, 12:02 AM
Categories:: Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Chevrolet Volt

July 2, 2009

While Most of Car Market Tanks, Hybrid Sales Gain for Sixth Consecutive Month

The Ford Fusion (above) and Toyota Prius help propel hybrid sales gains despite weak economy and credit woes.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Led by strong showings from both third-generation Prius and the gas-electric version of Ford's Fusion, hybrid car sales in June were up 9 percent from a year earlier and rose 2 percent form May's tally to mark the sixth consecutive monthly increase in sales volume for the segment.

Hybrids, which gained traction from the June introduction of the new 2010 Prius and continued consumer interest in the well-reviewed Fusion hybrid that was introduced in March, outperformed the new-car market as a whole - which was down 28 percent from June of 2008 and off 7 percent from May.

It's too early to declare a recovery in the segment, but rising gasoline prices and renewed public awareness of the importance of improved fuel economy in addressing climate change issues seem to be underlying a gradual strengthening of market performance.

"The most important thing is that there have been a couple of new models that are putting some excitement into the segment, said Edmunds.com industry analyst Jessica Caldwell.

"Then there's all the news of government fuel efficiency and emissions initiatives, and some pretty generous incentives in a segment that really hasn't seen many incentives in the past."

Caldwell doesn't think gas prices were a significant factor in June's hybrid market, but says "they certainly are on people's radar, with a broad expectation that they'll keep going up."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell July 2, 2009, 1:24 PM
Categories:: Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Nissan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Cadillac Escalade

June 30, 2009

Consumer Reports Rips Honda Insight for Ride Quality, Handling, Acceleration, Etc.

Magazine says hybrid is the most disappointing Honda it has tested "in a long time."

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

The new Honda Insight posted a lackluster "Good" overall road-test score in Consumer Reports' testing for the August issue, and fell short in ride quality, handling, interior noise, acceleration, rear-seat access and visibility.

"The Insight is the most disappointing Honda Consumer Reports has tested in a long time," said David Champion, senior director of CR's Auto Test Center. "The Insight is a noisy, stiff-riding car with clumsy handling that is nothing like the Fit on which it is based. Also, Electronic Stability Control is only available on the highline EX version."

About the only thing CR seemed impressed with was the vehicle's fuel efficiency. The Insight achieved an excellent 38 miles per gallon overall in CR's fuel-economy tests.

In a ratings chart of small hatchbacks and wagons, the Insight was rated 21st out of 22 vehicles, with a road test score of 54 points. It was followed by the Dodge Caliber, which scored 49.

All vehicles in the test group are Recommended by Consumer Reports except for the Insight.

CR only recommends vehicles that have performed well in its tests, have at least average predicted reliability based on CR's Annual Car Reliability Survey of its more than 7 million print and Web subscribers, and performed at least adequately if crash-tested or included in a government rollover test.

Full tests and ratings of the test group appear in the August issue of Consumer Reports, which goes on sale June 30.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett June 30, 2009, 1:15 PM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Opinion, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: 2010 Honda Insight

General Motors Breaks Off JV With Toyota; GM-Badged Prius Possibly in the Works

General Motors has announced its intention to abandon its 25-year-old California joint venture with Toyota -- a move the Japanese automaker said would add to its own financial woes -- and Bloomberg has reported that Toyota may produce a hybrid for GM.

Only two weeks ago, Bloomberg reported that GM and Toyota were considering possibly of building Prius hybrids together at an existing plant in Fremont, California.

But in a statement released Monday, GM said it will place its 50 percent ownership stake in New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. -- or NUMMI, the GM-Toyota joint venture that consists chiefly of the Fremont factory -- in the "old GM."

The "old GM" will contain parts of the company that will remain in bankruptcy after a "new GM" exits court protection.

GM filed for Chapter 11 protection on June 1 and plans for its profitable assets to emerge, possibly by the end of summer, as a "new GM" with about $50 billion in financing from the U.S. Treasury.

"After extensive analysis, GM and Toyota could not reach an agreement on a future product plan that made sense for all parties," Troy Clarke, GM's president of North American operations, said in statement.

"Accordingly, NUMMI will end production of vehicles for GM in August, and there are no future GM vehicles planned for the joint venture at this time."

Earlier this month, GM said that production of the Pontiac Vibe at the NUMMI plant would end in August as the Pontiac brand is being eliminated. Toyota builds the Corolla small car and the Tacoma pickup truck at the plant.

In a statement released Monday, Toyota said it was sorry GM was withdrawing from NUMMI, "ending a long, successful partnership spanning 25 years."

"Our hope was for the 50/50 joint venture to continue," the statement said. "While we respect this decision by GM, the economic and business environment surrounding Toyota is also extremely severe, and so this decision by GM makes the situation even more difficult for Toyota. We will consider alternatives by taking into account various factors."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett June 30, 2009, 12:39 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Courts, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Bloomberg

June 29, 2009

A Japanese Mini-Martin From the Company That Put James Bond on Wheels?

Aston Martin Says It is Building a Commuter Concept Based -- Gasp! -- On Toyota's iQ

Aston Martin designers work on full-size clay model of Cygnet mini car concept. The designers' faces are deliberately blurred in this Aston Martin-supplied photo.

We're not sure if this is a validation of sorts for the idea that it finally is the right time for the small city car, but luxury performance carmaker Aston Martin is jumping on the bandwagon.

The marque famed for cars such as the DB5 that the fictional British intelligence agent James Bond made famous, and the new high-performance DBS, says it is developing a "luxury commuter car" concept based on Toyota's tiny IQ minicar.

It may not remain a concept for very long. Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin's chief executive, said in a statement released this morning that the "Cygnet," as the mini-Martin is being called, "could become reality in the not too distant future."

Aimed largely at Aston Martin owners who want something they can drive to work while leaving the big boy garaged until the weekend, the Aston Martin Cygnet would offer an "exclusive solution for urban travel in style and comfort," the company says.

It also would be "highly fuel-efficient," a clue that the tiny car would keep the IQ's tiny engine - the 1.3-liter, 70-horsepower, three-cylinder version in the production cars or the 1.4-liter, four-cylinder version shown in a Scion iQ concept -- could well be tuned by AM's engine people for better performance.

We wondered if the idea of a mini wearing the AM badge wasn't a bit silly, but Francesca Smith, the company's U.S. spokeswoman, said that it is being developed in response to requests from "many" existing Aston Martin customers.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell June 29, 2009, 8:43 AM
Categories:: Aston Martin, Fuel Economy, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Aston Martin Commuter Car

June 26, 2009

Despite Slow Start, Japan Wants to Promote Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles

Effort Comes as U.S. Plans to Drop Federal Funding For Fuel Cell Car Research

toyota.fchv.430.jpg Japan's Internal Affairs Ministry, dismayed that its goal of having 50,000 hydrogen fuel cell cars on the roads by the spring of 2011 isn't going to be achieved, has called for new measures to promote use of the vehicles.

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A Toyota Highlander fuel-cell vehicle.
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The government, which set the present goal back in 2001, also is expected to release a new target, given that here were only 42 fuel-cell electric vehicles in operation in Japan at the end of the 2008 fiscal year last March.

Already in place, as of April, is an exemption for fuel cell vehicles and other "new-generation" cars and trucks, from Japan's expensive vehicle weight and new-vehicle purchase taxes.

The Japanese government has invested the equivalent of $205 million in fuel cell development in the past five years, and Japanese automakers Toyota and Honda are among the industry leaders in the technology.

Honda's FCX Clarity (left) is the world's only purpose-built hydrogen fuel cell car.

It is a terribly expensive vehicle now (estimates of Honda's investment to build 200 of the cars range from $500,000 to $2 million per vehicle) because its body panels are all unique, requiring costly new tooling, and its power system is pretty much hand-built.

But Honda insiders say the car could be made affordable if there were sufficient demand to foster growth of a supplier industry to make fuel cells, batteries and other specialized components in volume.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell June 26, 2009, 12:27 PM
Categories:: Fuel Cell, Honda, Hydrogen, Japan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Fuel Cell Vehicles

June 23, 2009

Toyota Repeats Support of Fuel Cell Technology as U.S. Plans to Cut Funding

We expect a lot of blogger activity today on this morning's "announcement" from Toyota that it hopes to roll out an updated fuel cell car by 2015, even though it isn't news.

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Toyota has several Highlander SUVs outfitted with fuel-cell electric drivetrains in testing now.

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Toyota first made that promise five months ago at the Detroit auto show.

The real import of today's announcement at the company's annual shareholder meeting is that it comes just two days before Congress begins considering an Energy Department budget that would eliminate federal funding for automotive fuel cell research and development in the U.S.

So while Toyota - and Honda and South Korea's Hyundai and Germany's Daimler and Volkswagen - all continue pursing development of their fuel cell vehicles, doubtlessly with support from their governments, the Obama Administration wants to give up on the technology. That would leave Ford, GM and Chrysler to go it alone or drop their hydrogen fuel cell development programs after sending billions on them over the past decade.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu says he eliminated $100 million in previous budgets' funding for automotive-related hydrogen research because he and his advisers don't see an immediate return - that it will be a decade or more before there's sufficient hydrogen fueling infrastructure to make the vehicles viable.

The DOE instead will pursue funding development of plug-in electric cars.

We're all for battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars and trucks, but we think the decision this early in the game to bet the farm on them while ruling out hydrogen fuel cells is short-sighted.

Toyota's reiteration of its commitment to the technology, and Honda's repeated comments that the future will be one in which a number of alternative fuels and powertrains are in play, ought to be seen as a warning sign.

It will be interesting, if Congress acquiesces now and allows the tap for hydrogen fuel cell research funding to be shut off, to listen to the criticism that will be heaped on U.S. automakers a decade or so from now when it becomes apparent that Japan has corned the market on the technology and we're once again left to play catch-up.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell June 23, 2009, 10:25 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Fuel Cell, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Fuel Cell Cars

June 22, 2009

Report: Toyota's Green Cars Clash With Corporate Growth Plans in Japan

Is Toyota's Green Sheen Being Tarnished By Development Activity At Home?

Do as I say...

Toyota, noted for its environmental awareness and efforts, in the U.S. at least, to operate clean, green and sustainable facilities, has run afoul of the environmental community in Japan over its expansion plans.

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Rice growing near forested mountains in Japan.

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A new research center with more than 6 miles of test track and road courses that the automaker is planning in the country near its Toyota City headquarters threatens nesting areas of two endangered species of buzzards and the existence of nearly 700 acres of forests and 17th century rice paddies.

That's got area environmentalists in an uproar, Bloomberg news service reports.

Toyota, which did not respond to Bloomberg's request for comment, had said previously that the R&D center would help speed development of its hybrid models as well as other fuel efficient vehicles.

But to build it on the selected site in Aichi Prefecture - already scaled back by a third to help appease critics - the automaker will be cutting down cedar forests, filling in 400-year-old rice paddies and apparently leveling a mountain top or two. The process will destroy habitat for a number of bird species, local activists told Bloomberg.

"Most people think of Toyota as an environmentally friendly company," said Shigemi Oda, chairman of the Society to Consider the Large-Scale Development Project of the 21st Century. "Crushing mountains is environmentally destructive."

Toyota, according to Bloomberg, has spent more than 32 billion yen ($332 million) buying land for the $1.04 billion project.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell June 22, 2009, 11:00 AM
Categories:: Hybrid, Japan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Toyota Motor Corp.

June 17, 2009

VW Turbo- and Supercharged 1.4-Liter Engine Wins Top Honor for Greenness

When Volkswagen came out with its "twincharger" 121-horsepower 1.4-liter engine a few years back, its goal was to combine the low-end power boost provided by a mechanically driven compressor (supercharging) with the higher-end increase provided by an exhaust turbocharger (turbocharging).

That would, they hoped as the engine was being developed, result in a clean-burning, fuel-efficient and yet fairly high-performance engine. The system (pictured; click on it to enlarge) would force more air into the cylinder, enabling more combustion and delivering more power.

The higher consumption of fuel would, they hoped, be more than offset by the overall decrease in fuel consumption that results from using a smaller engine.

And they were right. The 1.4-liter engine delivers torque corresponding to a 2.3-liter engine, but with 20 percent less fuel consumption and fewer emissions.

Today, VW secured overall honors at the 11th annual International Engine of the Year Award ceremony took place at Engine Expo 2009 in Stuttgart. It was the first time the company had won the accolade.

The winning engine, which beat both Toyota's and Honda's new electric-hybrid powerplants, was selected by 65 automotive writers from 32 countries across four continents.

The engine is offered across much of the VW model range, including the Golf, Scirocco and Eos, and is used to good effect by Seat in the Ibiza Cupra.

Dean Slavnich, editor of Engine Technology International and co-chairman of the International Engine of the Year Awards, described the engine as "a masterstroke of downsizing technology and a real engineering showcase. I have no doubt that this engine will become the template for a whole new generation of high efficiency, small capacity engines in the years to come."

He might be right about that.

Scott Doggett, Contributor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett June 17, 2009, 2:06 PM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: Emissions

Bloomberg: Toyota Considering Making Prius at Calif. Plant It Shares With GM

But a spokesman for the automaker's production division denies the report.

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

Toyota is considering making Priuses at a California plant it shares with General Motors, not a factory in Mississippi where production of the popular hybrid had been planned, Bloomberg reported today, citing two unnamed sources.

But Mike Goss, external affairs manager with Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, or TEMA, said "we haven't changed our plans to build Prius in Mississippi. Nothing's changed."

TEMA is responsible for Toyota's engineering design, research, development and manufacturing activities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. It operates 14 parts and vehicle manufacturing plants across North America.

The Bloomberg report stated that "given the time and cost to finish the half-built Mississippi facility, it may be easier to make the car at New United Motor Manufacturing," a 380-acre factory Toyota shares with GM in Fremont.

The news service attributed the information to "people who asked not to be identified because the discussions aren't public."

Goss denied that the $1.3 billion plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi, is half-built, stating instead that construction is completed.

"At this point, we've finished the building," he said.

Goss said "the Bloomberg story says something about 'unnamed sources,' but we have not changed our plans."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett June 17, 2009, 11:10 AM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Fuel Economy

June 16, 2009

Honda Considers Offering Two Hybrid Cars Priced Lower Than Its Insight Hybrid

With Toyota's Prius proving strong competition to its recently released Insight hybrid, Honda says the automaker is weighing the possibility of introducing two hybrid cars that will be priced lower than the Insight (pictured ).

The low-emissions Insight, rated by the U.S. government as getting 41 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving, is priced from $19,800 to $23,100. By comparison, Toyota's 2010 Prius, which averages 50 mpg, sells for $22,000 to $31,770.

As we reported Monday, Honda said first-year U.S. sales of the fuel-efficient gasoline-electric Insight appears likely to miss the automaker's target by at least 30 percent.

U.S. sales of the model, which first started appearing in American dealerships in March, had been expected to reach 90,000 vehicles by March of next year. That forecast has been revised to no more than 60,000 vehicles.

Earlier today, Honda President Takeo Fukui told the Asahi Shimbun newspaper that Japan's No. 2 carmaker by volume was considering adding the cheaper hybrids to an already announced line-up of hybrid vehicles, including the CR-Z hybrid coupe, and hybrid versions of Civic and Accord. Fukui did not reveal the timeframe for the launch.

This news follows the announcement last month that Honda was expecting to launch a gasoline-electric hybrid version of its Fit B-segment model in fiscal year 2010/11. Since Honda launched its Insight it has enjoyed strong sales in Japan, despite declining demand for its other models.

However, the Insight has started facing strong competition from the Prius in Japan as well as in overseas markets, despite being cheaper than its rival model.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett June 16, 2009, 10:24 AM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Emissions

June 15, 2009

Honda Says U.S. Sales Goal for Insight Hybrid May Miss Mark by 30-plus Percent

In April, Honda's Insight became the first hybrid ever to top Japan's monthly car sales list , but first-year U.S. sales of the gasoline-electric car the model appears likely to miss the automaker's target by a wide margin.

In an interview with a Bloomberg News reporter last week, John Mendel, U.S. executive vice president for Japan's second-largest carmaker, said first-year American sales of the Insight may be no more than 60,000 vehicles.

U.S. sales of the model, which first started appearing in American dealerships in March, had been expected to reach 90,000 vehicles by March of next year.

Mendel attributed the disappointing sales to cheap gasoline, the economic slump and competition from Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius hybrid. Gasoline prices in the U.S. have fallen 35 percent over the past year. Meanwhile, Toyota plans to cut the base price of its new Prius by $1,000 to compete more effectively with the Insight.

The Insight, rated by the U.S. government as getting 41 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving, is priced from $19,800 to $23,100. By comparison, Toyota's 2010 Prius, which averages 50 mpg, sells for $22,000 to $31,770.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett June 15, 2009, 1:16 PM
Categories:: Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Fuel Economy

June 12, 2009

H2 Minus $ is an Equation Hydrogen Car Backers Say is Wrong Answer for Proposed Energy Department Budget

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Like every other alternative fuel, hydrogen has its fans and foes, its pluses and minuses, its ups and, recently, its downs.

After being the favored ground transportation fuel of the future for most of the last eight years as the Bush administration pushed development of hydrogen fuel cells for automotive use, nature's most abundant - albeit hard to isolate - element has been cast aside by the Obama administration.

The new president's Nobel-winning energy secretary, Steven Chu, has proposed in his 2010 departmental budget to eliminate funding for automotive hydrogen programs - that's $100 million - and instead to focus hydrogen research on fuel cells to generate power for homes, businesses and other stationary power users.

For transportation, his choice of fuel research programs to back is no surprise, he's long been a supporter of biofuels and electric cars.

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Honda says its FCX Clarity (below, right) is production-ready, lacking only a fueling infrastructure and lower-priced components that can only come with increased production of such cars.
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That's got the hydrogen car crowd - and we confess to a great fondness for fuel cell vehicles ourselves - up in arms and questioning the validity of Chu's apparent decision to "pick winners" by concentrating DOE research finding on biofuels and battery-electric, or plug-in, cars while announcing that his team doesn't see any short-term chance for hydrogen to emerge as a widely available and used fuel.

But Chu, powerful as he is sitting atop the nation's official energy policy agency and operating with the endorsement and backing of the president, isn't all-powerful. He has to answer to Congress, and Congress is subject to lobbying.

So the pressure politics have begun.

Short-Sighted?

With DOE budget hearings about to start, the chairman of the Senate's energy and Water Appropriations Committee - the committee that sits in judgment over the energy Department budget - has come out swinging.

A fan of hydrogen, Sen. Byron Dorgan recently called the DOE's budget recommendation to eliminate automotive hydrogen research funding "a very short-sighted recommendation." Hydrogen and fuel cells "are part of this country's future," said the North Dakota Democrat.

Backing Dorgan in support of restoring at lest some hydrogen programs funding for automotive research are automakers with huge investments in the technology.

They include Toyota and Honda, no slouches when it comes to making informed choices about technologies, as well as Daimler and our own General Motors Corp.

(We say "our own" because as part of the taxpaying public, we now share ownership of the faltering car company with the rest of America.)

Unlikely Allies

GM, in case you've been living in a cave or up in space for the past few weeks, is in bankruptcy now and the government, as its majority owner, has a rather big stake in the company's survival and future success.

Granted, GM hasn't been all that great at picking the proper trends and technologies as it looked to the future.

But this time the General is on the same team as Toyota and Honda rather than turning up its nose and sniffing that the Japanese car companies don't know what they are talking about.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); John O'Dell June 12, 2009, 5:15 AM
Categories:: Biofuels, Daimler, Ford, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Opinion, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: DOE Budget

June 10, 2009

Toyota Sees Recovery Signs, Predicts 25,000 Annual Sales for New Lexus Hybrid

Banking on a recovering economy to help things along, Toyota Motor Corp. says it expects to sell 25,000 of its new dedicated Lexus hybrid (left) in the first 12 months it is on sale in the U.S.,

The Lexus HS250 hybrid, scheduled to hit dealers' lots later this summer, is Toyota's first stab at a hybrid-only model for its luxury brand.

"More than 60 percent of entry luxury sedan buyers said they would consider hybrids, and this is a segment nobody's in right now," Mark Templin, group vice president of the Lexus Division for Toyota North America, said during an event in Rochester Hills, Mich., about 27 miles north of Detroit.

Templin didn't disclose pricing for the Lexus HS250, which he described as roomier, wider and longer than the 2010 Prius, with which it shares a platform. But we've previously estimated it at around $32,500, based on hints company executives made when unveiling the car at the Detroit auto show in January.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell June 10, 2009, 5:50 PM
Categories:: Hybrid, Lexus, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Lexus HS250 Hybrid

Canadian Electricity Producer Joins Ford's N. American PHEV Research Program

Ford Motor Co. this week delivered an Escape SUV plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to Canada's largest electricity producer, Hydro-Quebec, as part of the automaker's North American demonstration and research program on PHEVs.

Ford, in collaboration with the Electric Power Research Institute, which conducts research and development relating to the delivery and use of electricity for public good, is undertaking a three-year test program on the Escape PHEV designed to evaluate how the vehicle might best be integrated into existing electric grids.

In all, Ford will provide 21 vehicles for the real-world trials. EPRI has identified nine utilities across North America to test drive the vehicles and collect data on battery technology, vehicle systems, customer use and grid infrastructure. Hydro-Quebec is the only Canadian company participating in the North American program.

The standard Escape Hybrid is EPA rated at 34 miles per gallon in the city and 31 on the highway. However, the PHEV version can achieve up to 120 mpg during the first 30 miles following a recharge. After that, it behaves like a standard Escape Hybrid, consuming gasoline for energy.

The Ford Escape PHEV is a research vehicle that uses high voltage, lithium-ion batteries and common household current (120 volts) for charging. Full charge of the battery takes six to eight hours.

This week's annoucement came one week after Toyota announced that it would begin leasing 500 PHEVs globally by the end of this year as part of a test program, and less than three months since President Obama announced a $2.4-billion plug-in stimulus package to promote research into and develop of PHEVs.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett June 10, 2009, 11:51 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Ford Escape PHEV

June 9, 2009

Software Upgrade to Prius Conversion Kit Enables 70-mph All-Electric Driving

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

Plug In Conversions Corp. has completed a breakthrough software upgrade to its plug-in conversion kit that for the first time will allow all-electric mode driving at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour in a converted Toyota Prius.

Previous Prius conversion kits have been limited by Toyota programming to a top speed of 34 mph in all-electric mode.

The software upgrade also will allow Prius drivers with PICC conversion kits to boost highway fuel efficiency to 170 miles per gallon until the rechargeable battery is depleted, as recently measured by Argonne National Laboratory.

Chicago-based Argonne reported even higher all-electric mileage in city driving tests of vehicles equipped with the software upgrade and PICC's nickel-metal hydride battery conversion kit.

"What we're essentially offering is all-electric performance for about 25 miles at highway speeds," PICC President Kim Adelman said Tuesday. "The car is no longer limited to 34 miles per hour, all-electric. This also allows a Prius to perform much like the Chevy Volt, but for a much lower cost."

Fuzzy Math

Not so fast. A 2010 Prius starts at $22,000. Add the cost of the conversion kit ($12,500) and the software upgrade ($2500) and the cost of this impressive Prius starts at $37,000.

The Volt, which won't be available for at least 18 months, is expected to carry a price of about $40,000 before a hefty $7,500 rebate from Uncle Sam, which would bring its price down to $32,500 - or $4,500 less than the modified Prius.

When GreenCarAdvisor reached Adelman by phone Tuesday afternoon to point out the discrepancy, he said that most Prius owners who convert their vehicles don't do so when they are new.

He said their Priuses are generally used and worth $14,000 to $15,000 at the time of conversion, but we don't see how that changes things if the owner paid $22,000 for it new. The car has depreciated, but the out-of-pocket expense remains the same.

Adelman also said he believed that the conversion kit will soon be eligible for a 10 percent rebate, which would reduce its price to $11,250. That would still make the converted Prius $3,250 more expensive than the Volt.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett June 9, 2009, 12:45 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Chevrolet, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Cheverolet Volt

June 3, 2009

Toyota Faces $1 Billion Cost to Comply With California ZEV Mandate Says Report

It's still 18 months before California's revised zero emissions vehicle requirements kick in, but the lobbying, has quietly begun.

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Cars such as this plugin Toyota Prius are needed to meet California ZEV mandate, but increase automakers' operating costs.

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Toyota Motor Co. will be most impacted by the rules requiring major antomakers to provide electric and plug-in vehicles for at least 3 percent of their sales in the state from 2012 through 2014, and in an interview with Bloomberg reporter Alan Ohnsman last week a Toyota insider said the company faces $1 billion in new costs to comply.

There's no overt complaining in the article, published today on Bloomberg.com, but Toyota's meassage is clear: $1 billion is a lot of money anytime, and is a particularly sizeable pile of cash to come up with in the midst of a recession that is hurting the entire auto industry including the world's biggest car company.

In addition Toyota, which has the biggest share of the California new-car makert, the mandate would apply to Honda Motor Co., Ford Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and pre-bankruptcy General Motors Corp, and Chrysler LLC.

The two domestics have said that major production cuts are part of their recovery plans and if their sales in California drop below 60,000 a year as a result, they would no longer be bound by the mandate

Toyota, according to Bloomgerg's calculations, would have to produce 16,000 plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles to by 2014 to comply with the rules, which require major automakers to make non-polluting vehicles equal at least 3 percent of their sales for the 3-year period.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); John O'Dell June 3, 2009, 6:01 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: California Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate

Toyota to Lease 500 Plug-in Gas-Electric Hybrids Globally Beginning This Year

Toyota Motor Corp. on Wednesday announced that it would begin leasing 500 plug-in hybrids based on the Prius model globally by the end of this year, primarily for government and corporate use.

Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, said in a statement it would lease 200 in Japan and 150 each in the United States and Europe, including 100 in France.

Plug-in hybrid cars can be cleaner than regular hybrids because they can be charged to run purely on electricity, but the need for more batteries makes them expensive. Many companies are working to bring the price of the batteries down, which in turn would reduce the price of the low-emissions, fuel-efficient vehicles.

Toyota's plug-in cars would be the brand's first to employ lithium-ion batteries, which are costly but can store more energy than nickel-metal hydride batteries used in most gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles.

Among other carmakers, bankrupt General Motors Corp. is planning to launch its much-hyped Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid next year.

In the statement, Toyota said it is developing a plug-in hybrid vehicle based on the third-generation Prius and capable of being recharged via external power sources such as household electrical outlets.

A plug-in hybrid vehicle typically operates as an electric vehicle when used for short distances and as a conventional hybrid vehicle when used for medium- to long-distance trips. This means it can be driven regardless of remaining battery power or the availability of a battery-charging infrastructure.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett June 3, 2009, 11:51 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chevrolet, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Cheverolet Volt

Incentives, Concern Over Rising Fuel Prices Help Hybrids Outpace Market in May

Sales of hybrid cars and trucks outperformed the market in May, giving lie to the belief, popular among mainstream industry analysts and pundits, that Americans are only interested in the gas-electric vehicles when fuel prices are stratospheric.

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2009 Prius was top hybrid with best sales in 7 months.
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In a month when sales of non-hybrid vehicles rose 12.9 percent from the prior month, hybrid sales were up 18.2 percent. Incentives were applied liberally to hybrids and conventional vehicles alike during May, reducing the likelihood that cash-back offers or cheap interest rates unfairly boosted hybrid sales.

And while sales of both hybrids and conventional vehicles fell far short of matching year-earlier tallies, hybrid sales were off only 26.7 percent from May, 20008, compared to a 33.5 percent decline for non-hybrids.

At the same time, conventional small car sales fell short of overall market performance, indicating that shoppers had more than just fuel economy on their minds. The hybrid market may be benefiting from increased concern that fuel prices, which have been below $3 a gallon for nearly a year after approaching the $4-per-gallon mark last summer, are on the rise again and may be heading for new highs.

In all, dealers sold 25,693 hybrids last month, up from 21,735 in April but down from 35,042 in May 2008.

With the exception of Toyota's Camry hybrid, the top-selling Prius - which continues to dominate the U.S. hybrid market - and Honda's Civic hybrid, sales of individual models are low enough that it doesn't take much to cause a large jump in percent of increase or decline.

That said, Ford's new Fusion sedan hybrid scored an impressive 75 percent gain from April while sales of the Ford Escape SUV hybrid were up 62.2 percent for the same period.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell June 3, 2009, 5:00 AM
Categories:: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, General Motors, Lexus, Mercury, Nissan, Saturn, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo
Technorati Tags:: Hybrid Sales

May 29, 2009

Toyota Boosting Prius Production To Align Supply to Strong Demand

Toyota Motor Corp., taken aback by the volume of advance orders in Japan for the 2010 Prius, had been considering cutting down initial shipments to the U.S, where the redesigned hybrid is scheduled to go on sale within days.

That plan was jettisoned, though, and Toyota now is increasing production at its two Prius plants instead.

"We don't want the North American market to be hurt," said John Hanson, head of environmental communications for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. "We're upping production to protect allocations" for the U.S. and Europe while still satisfying home market demand.

Toyota, which launched the third-generation Prius in Japan earlier this month, had expected to sell 100,000 of the fuel-efficient hybrids there by December. Instead, its dealers took advance orders for 80,000 and have reportedly sold another 20,000 in the two weeks since the launch. That's 100,000 down with six months still to go.

The company is now pushing to increase annual Prius production to 500,000 cars -- up from 400,000 -- to keep adequate supplies flowing to all markets.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell May 29, 2009, 11:03 AM
Categories:: Hybrid, Japan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: 2010 Prius

May 27, 2009

Schwarzenegger: Calif. Committed to H2 Future Regardless of Washington Politics

AS-May-27,-2009.jpg By Scott Doggett, Contributor

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger joined the 2009 Hydrogen Road Tour today at Stop 6 of a 9-day, 28-stop, 1,700-mile road trip, telling a group of reporters at the site of the state's first integrated (H2 and gasoline) station that California remains committed to a future where hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles replace gassy rides regardless of what Washington does.

Speaking at a Shell station in West Los Angeles, Schwarzenegger reminded reporters that the California Air Resources Board, which sets vehicle-emissions standards for the state, recently passed a low-carbon fuel standard - the world's first such standard.

It will, he said, ensure that the cleanest fuels, including hydrogen, will always have a strong market in California.

"And the reason why this is so important is that on the federal level, they [politicians] make decisions based on where the oil price is. That means that sometimes the federal government, when the oil price goes up, they go in the direction of renewable energy and alternate fuels. And when the oil price goes down, they abandon those policies," the "Governator" said, his back to a row of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles made by Daimler, Honda, Toyota, KIA, Volkswagen and Nissan.

"Well we don't do that here in California. We only march in one direction and that is forward. And we're not going to slow down. In 2010, we will have seven new hydrogen refueling stations in California and we will invest another $40 million over the next two years in hydrogen stations."

The governor reminded the automotive press that 20 percent of the new vehicles sold in the United States are sold in California, which is home to 25 million cars and trucks. (Those vehicles, not incidentally, consume 50 million gallons of gasoline and diesel a day and produce 40 percent of the state's greenhouse gases.)

As a result of California's vehicle market share, and that fact that Washington often follows the state's lead regarding tailpipe-emissions regulations, automakers can count on there being a large market for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles and companies considering investments in an H2-refueling infrastructure can rest assured there will be vehicles requiring the fuel, he said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett May 27, 2009, 2:13 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Daimler, Diesel, Emissions, Energy Companies, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Honda, Hydrogen, Kia, Legislation, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: Biofuels

May 20, 2009

Toyota Questions Price, Recharge Time and Battery Durability of Plug-In Hybrids

Toyota Motor Corp., which recently posted its first financial loss in decades, said U.S. consumer demand for plug-in hybrids may be limited by the vehicles' price, recharge time and battery durability - nevermind their popularity with President Obama.

Toyota estimates sales of hybrids that can be recharged at household outlets may be 50,000 vehicles a year at most and could be as few as 3,500, Bill Reinert, the automaker's U.S. national manager for advanced technology, told a National Academy of Sciences panel in Washington, D.C., Monday.

Sales of Toyota's Prius - the best-selling gasoline-electric hybrid on the road, and a vehicle Reinert helped design - were almost 159,000 last year.

A market for the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles "will emerge, but their success depends on advantages over existing hybrids," Reinert said. "There is a great deal of variation on how current PHEVs perform in real-world conditions."

Interest in plug-ins surged after gasoline prices reached record highs last year and Obama campaigned on a goal of getting 1 million such vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015. The Energy Department has said it plans to begin awarding a portion of $25 billion in low-cost federal loans to companies that build plug-ins and other fuel-efficient vehicles at U.S. factories.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett May 20, 2009, 10:04 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Honda, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Chevy Volt

May 18, 2009

Are Automakers Finally Seeing the Light? Will Government and Greens See it Too?

Auto Industry Lines Up To Praise National Program Idea, Now the Hard Work Begins

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

The auto industry, tired of being seen as the bad guy whenever fuel economy and emissions regulation is on the table, is wasting no time lining up in support of tomorrow's White House announcement on development of a national carbon emissions and fuel efficiency program.

A cynic might think this doesn't bode well for the ultimate result of the rulemaking process that President Obama will outline at a press conference in Washington Tuesday morning: That the auto industry figures it has enough clout left to wring the life out of any effort to significantly improve fuel economy.

But we think it simply shows that an industry on life support and dependent on government largess here and overseas has finally read the writing on the wall and realizes that this is as good as it is ever going to get and that if it doesn't play ball it will have no say in the rules it eventually will have to live by.

Automakers also have been caught in a trap of their own making. They've been fighting California, the national leader in establishing greenhouse gas controls on motor vehicles, insisting that individual states shouldn't be able to set carbon emissions rules and that a national standard is needed.

Now the Obama administration has stepped to the table and said, as the president is wont to: "Okay, let's develop a national rule."

To oppose that would be political suicide.

In that vein, the two lobbying groups representing almost every car maker that does business in the U.S. have jumped on board and are voicing support for the so-called National Program for Autos.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell May 18, 2009, 6:00 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, BMW, Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Land Rover, Legislation, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opinion, Plug-ins and Electric, Porsche, Renault, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: National CAFE Plan

Toyota Rolls Out New, Less Pricey Prius in Japan and Claims 80,000 Preorders

Toyota rolled out the revamped Prius today, and the world's largest automaker said it already has 80,000 advance orders in Japan for the remodeled hybrid amid intensifying competition with Honda's rival offering, the Insight.

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Right, Toyota's Akio Toyoda speaks at the unveiling of the revamped Prius.
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That figure is remarkable, given that Toyota sold only 73,000 Priuses in Japan all last year.

The announcement came exactly one week after the Insight became the first hybrid ever to top that nation's monthly car sales list.

Toyota said it aims to sell up to 400,000 units globally a year of the new Prius.

"We are resting the future of cars in this model," said incoming president Akio Toyoda, the grandson of the company's founder, who drove the new model onto a stage at a packed Tokyo showroom.

Both Toyoda's presence and the revamped Prius are symbolic of Toyota's pursuit of a turnaround from its worst annual loss since its 1937 founding.

The Prius, now in its third generation since its 1997 introduction, is the best-selling gas-electric hybrid in the world, racking up a cumulative 1.256 million units sold in more than 40 nations and regions.

But now Toyota faces a challenge from Honda, whose more cheaply priced Insight has sold briskly since it was introduced in Japan in February.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett May 18, 2009, 10:35 AM
Categories:: Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Japan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Honda Insight

Energy Secretary's Proposal to Cut Hydrogen Fuel Cell R&D Is A Turn for the Worse

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

One week has nearly passed since Energy Secretary Stephen Chu proposed slashing more than $100 million from Uncle Sam's hydrogen research and development program, and all of us should still be mystified and bothered by his proposal.

Chu's rationale for cutting hydrogen funding by 59 percent to just $68 million: It's unlikely that the technology will become significant player during the next two decades.

In other words, Chu's litmus test for funding a technology that might avoid or at least delay the catastrophic effects of global warming is that the technology must be developed within, say, the lifetime of an old house cat.

If Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius applied the same rationale to drug research, she'd propose slashing federal funding for cancer, AIDS and influenza research, because cures for them are probably 20-plus years out. But tossing in the towel on those problems would be nutty, wouldn't it.

And just think where we'd be today if the Wright brothers, Ladislo Biro, Stephen Poplawski, Willis Carrier, Percy Spencer, and the banjo-playing, 3M engineer Richard Drew decided not to invent anything because it'll take too much time. We might never know airplanes, ball-point pens, kitchen blenders, air-conditioning, microwave ovens and, God forbid, Scotch tape.

Other things that took years to invent include: the telephone, the light bulb, the cotton gin, the sewing machine, the personal computer, television, the camera and, lest we forget, the automobile.

Shucks, a whole lot of things that shape the lives we lead today took a long time to develop.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (6); Scott Doggett May 18, 2009, 12:01 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hydrogen, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: Battery Electric Vehicles

May 12, 2009

Tom Hanks Tells All About His Toyota RAV4 Electric Vehicle

Toyota EV.jpg Though he's best known for his screen exploits , Tom Hanks also counts himself as a green car guy.

He still owns a Toyota RAV4 electric vehicle (like the one shown here) that has crossed 50,000 miles on the odometer. We know this courtesy of a letter that Hanks recently wrote to The New Yorker.

Hanks explains that he still has the car, which is driven daily (albeit by one of his employees) and that the vehicle still has its original battery.

Hanks wrote the letter to the editor to clear up a mistake made when Peter J. Boyer recently wrote about the country's financially troubled automobile industry. In his The New Yorker article (registration required), Boyer incorrectly stated that Hanks once owned a General Motors Corp. EV1.

Hanks said that there were no EV1s to be had in 2003 when he started looking for an electric car.

"Instead, I found what was purported to be the very last electric car available for sale in the state of California -- a Toyota EV," Hanks wrote. "It had four doors, a rear hatch, room for my family, including a dog in the back, power windows, A/C, a great sound system, and the fastest, most effective windshield defroster known to mankind. When the car companies collectively, and, to some, diabolically, decided to take these cars back, the electric vehicles disappeared. But not mine."

Toyota stopped manufacturing the RAV4 EV in 2003.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Greg Johnson May 12, 2009, 1:18 PM
Categories:: Batteries, General Motors, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Electric Car Batteries

Nissan Says Tough Economy Won't Stall Plans for Electric Vehicles

There was a bit of green news along with the river of red ink that Nissan Motor Co. reported earlier today in Tokyo.

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The Denki Cube, a concept Nissan EV.
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Nissan reported a $2.85 billion net loss for its fiscal fourth quarter ended March 31. The Japanese automobile company reported a full-year loss of $2.4 billion, down from a $4.9 billion profit for fiscal 2007.

Last week, Toyota Motor Co. reported a $4.5 billion loss, while Honda Motor Co. Ltd. posted a $1.4 billion profit.

"The global economic recession and financial crisis continue, but we are beginning to see some signs of improved access to credit, the impact of government stimulus packages and a gradual return in consumer confidence," Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn said in a statement. "We remain cautious about the economic environment and fully focused on our company's recovery efforts."

Now for the green.

Nissan said that the tough times in the automobile world won't slow its plan to start building electric vehicles at its Oppama plant outside of Tokyo in the fall of 2010. The plant's initial production capacity will be 50,000 units, but that volume will "continuously increase for the start of EV mass-marketing in 2012," according to Nissan.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Greg Johnson May 12, 2009, 8:06 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Honda, Japan, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Electric Car Batteries

Honda Insight Becomes 1st Hybrid toTop Japanese Auto Sales Charts

A little bit of news from Japan: Honda's Insight has become the first hybrid ever to top that nation's monthly car sales list.

The Japan Auto Dealers Assn. reported Monday that Honda dealers sold 10,481 Insights in April, making it the best-selling passenger vehicle in the country.

Honda's Fit subcompact was second with 9,443 sales, followed by Toyota's Vitz subcompact (it's the Yaris in the U.S.) with 6,341 sales and the Toyota Corolla with 6,341 sales.

April was not only the first time a hybrid has been the country's top seller, it is the first time since its February introduction in Japan that Insight sales have topped the 10,000 mark.

AS is the case in the U.S., sales of Toyota's aging Prius are slipping - badly in Japan with a 64 percent decline from April of '08 - as consumers wait for the introduction at the end of this month of the redesiogned and reengineered 2010 Prius.

That's helped Honda's smaller Insight jump to the top of the heap, as has the Insight's price, which at just about $19,500 U.S. (1.89 million yen) is almost $4,500 cheaper than the present generation Prius (2.33 million yen). In the U.S, the Insight launced in late March with a $20,470 base price.

Thje big price differential has led Toyota to green-light a stripped down version of the Prius that will be priced to compete with the Insight, and there's speculation in Japan that pricing for the 2010 Prius with a full standard equipment package will be about $1,500 (280,000 yen) less than the comparably equipped '09 model.

Toyota alrerady has said that in the U.S. it will launch the Prius at $22,000 plus delivery (which varies by region and can add $300 to $600 to the price), with a stripped "basic" model to foillow in the Fall at $21,000 plus delivery.

Isn't competition wonderful!

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell May 12, 2009, 6:14 AM
Categories:: Honda, Hybrid, Japan, Maserati, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid

May 11, 2009

Honda, Toyota and GM Pledge To Continue Hydrogen Fuel Cell R&D

Talk about a disconnect.

When the Obama Administration unveiled its proposed 2010 budget last week, Energy Secretary Stephen Chu had penciled in a proposal to cut more than $100 million from Uncle Sam's hydrogen research and development program.

Chu's rationale for cutting hydrogen funding by 59 percent to just $68 million? It's unlikely that the technology will become significant player during the next two decades.

In contrast, the California Fuel Cell Partnership in February predicted that 4,300 fuel-cell electric vehicles could be traveling California roads by 2014, and that the the hydrogen-powered fleet could grow to about 50,000 vehicles by 2017 as more manufacturers introduce their zero emission vehicles.

What's more, the partnership believes that, by 2017, Californians will be able to fuel their Honda FCX Clarity and other fuel cell vehicles at between 50 and 100 hydrogen refueling stations around the state.

'"Fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen stations are at the cusp of transition into the early commercial market," according to the organization's report that is titled "Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle and Station Deployment Plan: A Strategy for Meeting the Challenge Ahead."

So it's not surprising that the CaFCP, which counts auto manufacturers (including Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and General Motors Corp.), energy companies (Shell and Chevron), fuel cell technology companies (Proton Energy Systems) and government agencies (including the DoE, which is a dues-paying member!) on Friday called for Chu to reconsider the proposed budget cut.

"Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have progressed to the point where some automakers are ready to begin early commercialization," said CaFCP Executive Director Catherine Dunwoody. "Stopping federal investment at this point is like a coach pulling back an Olympic athlete who has trained for years, just as the trials begin. We can't wait for the next round. We're ready to go."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Greg Johnson May 11, 2009, 3:13 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Emissions, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Honda, Hydrogen, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota, Transportation Alternatives
Technorati Tags:: Fuel Cell

May 8, 2009

Toyota Losing Money but Vows To Continue Environmental R&D Efforts

Toyota reported its first financial loss in decades and is forecasting another hefty loss for this year, but the still world's largest automaker is protecting product development and R&D that pertains to small cars and advanced technologies, particularly those related to the environment and energy.

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Toyota says it won't abandon advanced vehicles such as this electric car concept.

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"We will maintain a high level of R&D in areas we consider indispensable to our future -- advanced, cutting-edge technologies in environment, energy and safety," Takahiko Ijichi, Toyota Motor Corp. senior managing director, said in a conference call Friday morning with analysts and media.

Ijichi said Toyota will continue work to cut costs in its development and production of compact vehicles and hybrids. The next-generation Toyota Corolla will be a model for such cost-cutting, he said. And lessons learned on the Corolla, which initially launches in Japan followed by the U.S. and Europe, will be transferred to all other Toyota and Lexus models.

He said Toyota is continuing cost reduction of its hybrid systems. He noted that size and weight reductions of the new third-generation Toyota Prius reduced costs by 30 percent compared with the second-generation model. Toyota has said it plans to introduce as many as 10 new hybrid models by 2010 and a battery-electric city car by 2012.

Not only will Toyota keep spending on green initiatives, it intends to accelerate development next-generation technologies in environment, energy and safety, with environmental goals topping its priorities list, Ijichi said.

Its goals include the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, mass-production of small battery-electric electric vehicles and the development of next-generation alternative fuel vehicles including fuel-cell electric cars and vehicles use biofuels.

Michelle Krebs, Editor, AutoObserver.com

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell May 8, 2009, 8:12 AM
Categories:: Biofuels, Fuel Cell, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Fuel Cell Electric Cars

May 7, 2009

Energy Department Slashes Hydrogen Transportation Funding in Proposed Budget

(Note: Updated 5 p.m. 5/7/09 to include link to Hydrogen and Fuel Cell groups' joint statement.)

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

In a huge blow to backers of fuel-cell electric vehicles, the nation's top energy official said today he sees little promise of the technology becoming a significant player in the nation's transportation system within the next two decades.

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Honda's FCX Clarity, now being tested in Southern California, uses a hydrogen fuel cell to provide electric power.
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As a result, Energy Secretary Stephen Chu is proposing that more than $100 million be cut from the Energy Department hydrogen program in the 2010 budget the administration is submitting to Congress.

The proposed budget slashes hydrogen fuel cell spending by 59 percent to just $68 million and focuses on programs for stationary power generation rather than for transportation.

"We asked ourselves, 'Is it likely in the next 10 or 15, 20 years that we will covert to a hydrogen car economy?' The answer, we felt, was 'no,'" Chu said in a briefing today.

The National Hydrogen Association and the U.S. Fuel Cell Coalition quickly issued a joint statement criticizing the program cuts.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (4); John O'Dell May 7, 2009, 3:49 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Honda, Hydrogen, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: 2010 Energy Department Budget

May 4, 2009

Honda, Ford Lead Hybrid Sales to Slight April Gain in Otherwise Dreary Market

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Hybrid sales in the U.S. rose in April for the fourth consecutive month and posted the highest monthly volume since October 2008.

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Honda's 2010 Insight was one of the bright spots in the U.S. hybrid market in April.
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The bump illustrates the influence that novelty and price still have on the market: Honda's new Insight, Ford's new Fusion and a heavily incentivized Honda Civic hybrid overcame slumping sales of many other gas-electric models to account for the gain.

But in a month when car and light truck sales overall still fell well below the one-million mark, the performance of the hybrid segment wasn't much to get excited about.

The month-over-month increase wasn't strong enough, for example, to put April's hybrid sales in contention with April 2008, when gasoline prices averaged above $3.50 a gallon, car buyers were scouring the market for fuel-efficient models and recession hadn't begun wreaking havoc with the economy.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell May 4, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Mercury, Nissan, Saturn, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: 2010 Honda Insight

April 28, 2009

Toyota Camry Hybrid Will Serve as Pace Car for Upcoming NASCAR Races

camry hybrid.jpg

A 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid will serve as pace car for NASCAR's upcoming Coca-Cola 600.

On May 24, the 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid will become the first hybrid vehicle to serve as the pace car for an entire NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

But it's also true that the first hybrid vehicle to serve as pace car for a NASCAR Cup race was a Ford Fusion Hybrid.

The distinction?

After serving as the pace car during the start of last November's Ford 400 NASCAR race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Ford&#