Hybrid News

Blame it on the surge in the fuel prices or the increased consciousness among the consumers about environmental pollution caused by auto emissions…the last year saw an unprecedented fall in the performance of the three US automobile giants, Ford, General Motors (GM) and Chrysler.

Consider these stats:

Total sales of Ford fell by 8%, GM’s  8.7% and Chrysler’s 5%. On a contrasting note the Japanese duo the Toyota and Honda turned out to be the winners with 12.9% and 3.5% annual rise in their sales respectively.

In order to maintain the rate of profitability, both Ford and GM resorted to huge restructuring: in an unprecedented move, GM sold off a majority stake in its GMAC finance unit to counter  its financial losses. In addition to that GM plans to cut 30,000 jobs and close several factories by 2008, while Ford plans to cut around 38,000 jobs.

In an contrasting move, Toyota however announced plans to establish six more factories around the world by the end of the 2010.

In the world auto market, Ford has recently been defeated by Toyota. The 2007 is also expected to belong to Toyota as the crown of leading automaker of the world is expected to go down to Toyota from GM. Toyota and other Asian car companies are also expected to grab increased  share of the pie in US domestic market… industry experts predict.

Although GM has emphasized on the improvements of battery technology, industry experts are not actually convinced that GM could do much to give a close competition to the hybrid giants like Honda and Toyota.

Toyota is already making profits by selling its hybrid cars; the profits on its Prius hybrid are believed to fall between 3 percent and 5 percent. For the models like the Lexus RX 400h, margins are expected to be even higher.

But Toyota is not content with its success so far; Toyota undergoes a constant upgradation…in late 2008 or early 2009, it is expected to unveil the third-generation hybrid system using the Li-ion batteries instead of the current nickel metal hydride cells. The new hybrids will be smaller and also cheaper by half the current price. Fuel efficiency is also expected to improve by 20 percent to 30 percent.

Honda is not much far behind…in gas-electric hybrids segment, a new subcompact model is on the way to make appearance as early as 2009. The plug-in hybrids of its own are also on the anvil.

The key factor for the coming years is going to be the breakthrough in the Li-ion battery technology. However, the American auto giants are also lobbying for getting governmental subsidies for battery researches. Even then it is the Japanese hybrid leaders that are predicted to start the first commercialized production of li-ion batteries for their hybrid cars.

So it can be safely predicted that it is the Japanese auto leaders that are going to dominate the hybrid market in the coming years.

Original post by 2Pixels

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Original post by Bill Wrinn

“With America now importing 60% of the oil we use and a national bill for this habit that came to $250 billion last year, there is simply no time to waste. With worldwide demand growing rapidly, and with concern about the environmental impact of greenhouse gases rising, the deployment of clean, reliable sources of energy is clearly in our national interest.” - Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman

So it was in complete lieu with the comment of Bodman when U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a disbursement of a princely sum of $17 million with an aim to improve automobile efficiency and reduce the nations dependence on imported oil.  The announcements was made at the Washington Auto Show, by assistant secretary, Alexander Karsner before the senior executives from General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler.

The total fund will be broken into two separate segments: $14 million will go to support the researches relating to plug-in hybrid electric vehicle technology. The rest $3 million is intended to encourage researches in the fields of E-85 engine performance.

Karsner emphasized on the development of commercially viable fuel-efficient cars…not just the concept cars. According to Karsner, this can be achieved by improving battery technology and engine efficiency….・

Here is a summary of the DOE plan:

The first and foremost aim of DOE is to encourage efficient and marketable researches relating to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and E85-blended fuel. The FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Programs of DOE are supposed to take the lead role in these efforts of DOE towards energy independence.

The second aim is to achieve a breakthrough in battery technology so that it becomes possible for the plug-in hybrid vehicles to deliver a performance as efficient as the 40 miles of electric range to facilitate usual roundtrip daily commutes.

On a practical note, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle test bed at DOE Argonne National Laboratory has been created to allow scientists carry on with their experiments with advanced hybrid vehicles.

The concluding part of the fund comprises $3 million. This money is to be expended on the researches on the improvement of the fuel economy of E85 engines and reduction of vehicle emissions. E85, which is a gasoline-ethanol blend of motor fuel contains 85% ethanol and can be used in flex-fuel vehicles. Because of its enormous oxygen content, the E85 fuel burns out more completely, thus providing a cleaner fuel option than conventional gasoline.

It also welcomes the projects aimed at development of flex-fuel vehicles depending on the favorable properties of ethanol gasoline blends.

Original post by 2Pixels