The independent and nonprofit Hybrid Owners of America organizes and advocates for the interests of the 500,000 Americans who are saving money on gas, reducing America's dependence on foreign oil, and cutting global warming pollution by driving hybrid cars and other gas/electric vehicles. http://www.hybridownersofamerica.org/ en-us Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:49:15 -0500 a hybrid version of the RAV4.  The larger Highlander Hybrid gets 27 MPG city and 25 MPG highway so it is assumed the smaller RAV4 will get over 30 MPG.   But the question is ... how much over 30 MPG?  The Ford Escape Hybrid currently holds the best fuel economy numbers for its size class at 34 MPG highway and 31 city.  The RAV4 Hybrid will be available in spring 2012.  If it's top in MPG, it could be a real shot in the arm for recall-plagued Toyota  ...  Thinking about going hybrid or electric?  You'll want to know the current status of federal tax breaks. You have until March 31 to get a Ford or Mercury hybrid and still get a tax break before their credit expires, as it already has gone bye-bye for Honda and Toyota. Credits are still available for GM, which includes Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan. Additionally, tax credits are available for electric vehicles, including plug-in hybrids.  The credit is even good for plug-in electric drive conversion kits so if you already have a hybrid and want to get even more MPG, maybe a conversion is the way to go  ...  There has been a lot of hubbub about the mileage of the Toyota Prius and Ford Fusion, and rightly so.  But if you want a hybrid that still gets the high mileage numbers but isn't the same as everyone else, you might want to check out the Mercury Milan Hybrid. It still gets 41 MPG highway and 36 MPG city but in a more unassuming package. It's also recommended by Consumer Reports ...   ]]> http://www.hybridownersofamerica.org/backpages/HOAblog.cfm#174 Black Widow's 2,572 MPG still blows us away!  (Of course it helps when the "vehicle" only weighs 96 pounds and runs on a three horsepower engine!) As Wired magazine points out, that is "more than 13 times higher than the 230 mpg General Motors claims the Chevrolet Volt will deliver - and Cal Poly car doesn't even need batteries."  Even better - the California Polytechnic State University Supermileage Team's work on the vehicles trains engineers to push the boundaries of fuel efficiency so it stays key in their mind as they enter the working world, where they may work on mass market vehicle design. The ultra high-mileage 3-wheeled vehicle will compete in the upcoming Shell Eco-Marathon.  If you want to check out the Black Widow and other high MPG vehicles, the event is being held in downtown Houston from March 26-28, 2010 ... Could consumers benefit from a glut in the battery market for hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles? While there are some warnings circulating for investors that the construction of new factories across the U.S., Asia and Europe to manufacture batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles will lead to a capacity glut, which would also not be good for some of the companies themselves, basic economics would lead us to believe that more supply than demand would equal lower prices. That sounds good to us as more hybrid and electric vehicles on the road equals less greenhouse gas emissions and decreased dependence on foreign oil ... It looks like acceptance of electric vehicles in India is on the rise, according to a recent survey by Frost & Sullivan.  And of those that are very likely to purchase an electric vehicle in India, they are willing to pay a premium ... ]]> http://www.hybridownersofamerica.org/backpages/HOAblog.cfm#173 Porsche's racing team has developed a novel adaptation of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) technology first built into Formula 1 race cars for use in its Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid.  "Rather than a battery, that system is based on a flywheel, mounted where the passenger seat would normally sit and spinning at speeds up to 40,000 rpm, to capture energy reclaimed from braking. At the press of a button, the flywheel releases its kinetic energy to power a generator that provides up to eight seconds of electricity to two 60-kilowatt electric motors in the front wheel hubs. The boost serves to maximize exit speed from a corner or to pass another car." The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid is expected to compete at the "24 Hours of Nürburgring" this May.  We will see a more conventional hybrid battery make it into Porche's 2011 Cayenne Hybrid, to show up by the end of this year, and the company has said it will offer a hybrid version of its new 2010 Panamera four-door luxury sedan ... Not surprisingly, almost half the this year's greenest cars, as ranked by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), are hybrids.  Hybrids in the top 12 include: Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Insight, Ford Fusion Hybrid/Mercury Milan Hybrid, and Nissan Altima Hybrid ... More competition in the midsize sedan hybrid market? Bring it on. Hyundai will unveil its new 2011 Sonata Hybrid in a few weeks at the New York Auto Show, adding more choice to the midsize sedan hybrid market, which currently only sports the Camry Hybrid and Ford Fusion Hybrid.  Although they haven't announced the fuel economy yet, the standard version already gets a best in class 35 MPG highway and 24 MPG city so we can't wait to see how the hybrid does ... ]]> http://www.hybridownersofamerica.org/backpages/HOAblog.cfm#172 Toyota is finally recalling more than 400,000 Priuses.  In theory, the fix will take care of a software glitch in the brake systems of the Prius and other hybrid models that apparently has caused brief and sometimes frightening delays in braking capacity on icy or bumpy roads. It will apply to 223,000 hybrids sold in Japan, along with 133,000 Prius cars and 14,500 Lexus HS 250h vehicles in the United States. As we commented last week, it is unclear what the long term repercussions of this and other wider recalls will be on Toyota's reputation.  Current recalls notwithstanding, a recent study by Edmunds.com of complaints submitted over the past 10 years to the U.S. Department of Transportation shows that Toyota actually gets fewer complaints per car than a number of other car companies.  It also does appear the company is making some effort to reach out to customers.  Digg invited questions to be used in an interview with Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer (COO) of Toyota Motor Sales.  You may want to check out the interesting submissions.  Our guess is that Toyota will bounce back from this in the hybrid space and keep on humming right along ... Since the federal government has not yet modified its policy of phasing out tax credits for hybrids, it looks like states continue to take matters into their own hands. New Jersey residents may soon be eligible for a sales tax break on purchases if hybrid vehicles that get more than 35 MPG, if new legislation is approved.  It's nice to see someone is looking to reduce tailpipe emissions through expanded sales of hybrids ...]]> http://www.hybridownersofamerica.org/backpages/HOAblog.cfm#171 Other carmakers had already started taking advantage of the earlier defect plaguing Toyota so we can only imagine they will jump on the opportunity to try and unseat the world's hybrid leader. A formal recall has not yet been issued for the Prius but the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a formal investigation into the complaints about Prius brakes as the model has significantly more complaints than the models which generated the two recalls of eight other Toyota models.   How the company reacts to the recalls and the investigation will lay the framework for whether their reputation can recover ... Just for fun - you may not be able to afford it (and it's not the greenest) but how much of a kick would it be to drive a hybrid Ferrari? Reports are a 599 Hybrid will be unveiled at the Geneva auto show in March.  Got a couple hundred thousand bucks lying around?  You could have the benefit of a Ferrari with 30 percent improvement in fuel economy (8.7 MPG to 13.8 MPG) while still getting 612 horsepower.  Vroom! ... Most people realize if they want to buy a hybrid, they will have to spend a little extra for the powertrain. But is that $3,000 extra what is preventing more people from making the switch to a hybrid?  It turns out extras like leather seats and keyless entry, which also add to the price of the vehicle, are being automatically included in the  base models of hybrids and increasing their prices further.  Since most consumers who buy a hybrid are primarily focused on better fuel economy and reduced emissions, we have to wonder why some of these pricy add-ons aren't offered as options, as with most vehicles. If car companies are including these options to drive up the price and increase the profit, which makes them inaccessible to many, wouldn't it make more sense to offer extras as options and perhaps sell more vehicles? More hybrids on the road = reduced global warming emissions as well. And, as USA Today points out: "Toyota had promised to make a lower-priced, no-nonsense Prius when the new version was introduced last year, but delayed it and is talking as if it won't be available for direct sales to consumers, only fleet buyers."  What gives? ...   ]]> http://www.hybridownersofamerica.org/backpages/HOAblog.cfm#170