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What's the deal with hybrids?
Could They Make a Difference? It is common knowledge among
car enthusiasts and car owners that the bigger the vehicle,
the bigger the amount of fuel it consumes. With this in mind,
several automobile producers have begun diverting a big chunk
of their efforts to producing more hybrid 4x4s in the year
2005.
Could They Make a Difference? It is common knowledge among
car enthusiasts and car owners that the bigger the vehicle,
the bigger the amount of fuel it consumes. With this in mind,
several automobile producers have begun diverting a big chunk
of their efforts to producing more hybrid 4x4s in the year
2005.
(PRWEB) January 15, 2005 -- Taking on the Fleet
First. The big three - Ford, Dodge and General Motors have
seemed to agree that 2005 is the perfect opportunity to
introduce the hybrid versions of some very popular vehicles.
Ford Introduces the Ford Escape Hybrid, the first vehicle
to combine SUV capability with the outstanding fuel economy
and low environmental impact of a full hybrid.
"Full" hybrid means it automatically switches
between pure electric power, pure gasoline or diesel engine
power or a combined operation to optimize efficiency and
performance. The no frills Escape Hybrid drives normally,
performs superbly and offers all the features you'd expect
from the SUV leader. The Hybrid Ford Escape features lots of
room, comfortable seating for five, an adaptable cargo area,
1000-pound towing capacity, and an optional Intelligent 4WD
System which produces the same all-weather grip and off-road
competence available in conventional Escape models.
Full hybrids can achieve 50% or more improvement in fuel
economy during traffic induced stop-and-go type of driving,
wherein the electric motor is most efficient. The Escape
Hybrid delivers more than 75% fuel economy improvement in city
driving when weighed against a conventional V-6 powered Escape
XLT. The Escape Hybrid can travel more than 400 miles in city
driving on a single tank of gasoline.
Ford has already manufactured and sold the 4,000 units Ford
Escape Hybrid in 2004 and its resounding success has prompted
it to build a “modest” 20,000 more for 2005. Ford wants to
make sure it is not just a fad and people would see the
practical, economical and environmental impact a Hybrid
vehicle can induce. The Escape Hybrid costs $3,300 more than
the V-6 powered Escape.
Dodge and General Motors follow suit. Ford has been the
first to produce and set the bar in the large vehicle Hybrid
market segment and Dodge and GM cannot afford to lag behind.
General Motors and Dodge are not that far behind though. In
the last quarter of 2004, General Motors introduced electric
hybrid versions of its 2005 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra
pickups. The trucks were only available to those who are in
Florida, California, Nevada, Alaska, Oregon, and Washington.
GM expects to produce about 2,500 units in 2005 - 1,875
Silverados and 625 Sierras - with the hopes of launching the
vehicles on a national scale by 2006. Dodge manufactured only
100 diesel-electric 2005 RAM pickups, targeted for utility
company fleets. The diesel will produce better fuel economy,
with an additional 15% mpg boost over the conventional diesel
Ram coming from the electric side. Diesels are generally
considered more “environmentally disastrous” on the
ecological front. The Dodge Ram Diesel Hybrid is expected to
sell for around $40,000 a somewhat larger cost than the
non-hybrid models.
Heftier Price Tags. Although the price tags may vary from
state to state, the average increase for the cost for a Hybrid
option may run well up to $3,000. The GM versions of the
Hybrid engine are soft-hybrids, which mean that an electric
motor provides a boost up on accelerations. The GM version of
a hybrid large vehicle has a stop-start system that turns off
the gasoline engine at traffic lights. It possesses a
120-volt, 2,400-watt generator system that can provide power
for electrical equipments. The Silverado and Sierra hybrids
also serves as power generators, with two conventional,
three-prong plug-ins that can be found under the rear seat,
two extra plug-ins can also be found in the rear bed of the
trucks. The four 120-volt, 20 amp electrical supplementary
power outlets can supply power for electric coolers, electric
ranges, sound systems video consoles and other electrical
equipments that can be lugged around. The power supply can be
utilized while the engine is running or even after the engine
is cut and the keys are taken out of the ignition. Ground
fault detection systems are installed in the power supply
circuits so that overloads and short circuits can be
prevented. According to General Motors, the new hybrid pickups
could sustain enough power to last for up to 32 hours non-stop
before needing to fill the tank again. This function new
feature proved to be very useful when GM loaned some of their
new Hybrids’ to hurricane stricken Florida when they were
used for some relief operations, they were vital in some areas
were electricity was incapacitated. The hybrid models of the
Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks are foreseen to develop
fuel savings of up to 10% over analogous trucks without the
hybrid benefit.
How exactly do Hybrids get such Fantastic Mileage? HV’s
(Hybrid Vehicles) are principally powered by an internal
combustion engine, much like any ordinary vehicles. However,
they also transform the energy that is normally wasted during
stop and go operations into electricity, which is stored in a
battery until the moment it is needed by the electric motor.
The electric motor is utilized to support the engine when
accelerating or doing some uphill driving and in low-speed
driving operations where internal combustion engines are least
efficient. Some Hybrid Vehicles also automatically shut off
the engine when the vehicle is idling and restarts the
internal combustion engine when the accelerator is depressed.
This avoids exhausted fuel when the vehicle is not in motion.
Unlike all-electric vehicles, HV’s that are being produced
today do not need to be plugged into an external source of
electricity to be recharged, the energy provided by the engine
and the braking force charges the batteries.
Is it worth the fuss and the costs? It all boils down to
one thing, Large Hybrid Vehicles cost more than their
non-hybrid counterparts. Deciding on the advantages though is
not that hard. You get better mileage, companies save on fuel
consumption, electric motors are all the rage plus you get to
help the environment. Also, the hybrid SUV’s pay for
themselves in the long run, costs may be cut through tax
incentives and decreased fuel consumption help to offset the
price difference. Determining the cost-savings ratio would be
one factor many car manufacturers will keep in mind while
keeping close scrutiny in their products. Nevertheless a large
hybrid vehicle may just be the thing the future needs.
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