Toyota Yaris

In what could become the next chapter of the hybrid car saga, Toyota is planning to produce small, affordable high-mpg hybrids. The downsizing of hybrids, at first in Europe and Asia, could represent the technology’s shift to mainstream global markets where economies of scale would mean dramatic increases in hybrid production.

The Mid-Japan Economist newspaper today reported that Toyota plans to produce a hybrid version of the Yaris subcompact at its factory in France starting next April. This report follows at least a year’s worth of rumors about a small hybrid slated for production at Toyota’s Valenciennes factory.

Honda is the only other carmaker with concrete plans to produce small affordable hybrids. The Honda CR-Z coupe went on sale last month, and at next month’s Paris Motor Show the company will unveil the Honda Fit Hybrid, which could come to the United States in the next year or two.

Critics argue that hybrid systems do not make sense for small cars, which are already relatively efficient. But tougher environmental laws throughout the world will require lower emissions for cars of all sizes.

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Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency submitted three fuel economy label concepts for public review. One of those designs—referred to in the agency's seven-page brochure as "Label 1"—was a large sticker with a prominently displayed letter grade that would be given to every auto model that goes on sale in the United States. The grades range from D to A+ based on a fuel economy grading system whose details aren't available and are probably yet to be finalized.

Today, the National Automobile Dealers Association came out against that option, saying that the letter grades would confuse consumers and be unfair because they are "imbued with schoolyard memories of passing and failing."

The EPA is determined to move forward with some form of new labeling scheme and is currently reviewing feedback for the three proposed designs during a 60-day public comment period. “New fuel economy labels will keep pace with the new generation of fuel efficient cars and trucks rolling off the line, and provide simple, straightforward updates to inform consumers about their choices in a rapidly changing market," said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in a press release.

But whether a letter grading system is the best way to do that is a question that has yet to be answered. Of the NADA's two chief criticisms, the possibility that consumers could be confused by letter grades or an overabundance of information on the stickers is the most valid. For example, if a shopper is in the market for an SUV and finds that all of the vehicles he is considering have the same vaguely-defined rating, would he be inclined to ignore fuel economy entirely in his decision process—even when an extra 2 mpg could pay significant dividends in terms of fuel costs and emissions?

The EPA does have an interest in alerting consumers to which vehicles pass, fail and lead the class in fuel economy, but in order for a letter-grading system to be successful it would have to be designed to be straight-forward and understandable to consumers that aren't used to relying on fuel economy as one of their chief considerations in purchasing a new car or truck. If the EPA fails to accomplish this, letter grades—or even the stickers themselves—risk following in the path of the DHS's all-but-forgotten color-coded terrorism alert system.

The EPA is encouraging anyone interested in weighing in on the new labels to do so on its website.

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The U.S. auto market experienced its weakest August sales since 1983. Overall sales dropped by 21 percent compared to last August, when the Cash for Clunkers programs gave an all-too-brief boost to car sales.

Sales of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI were up nearly 30 percent compared to a year ago.

Gas-electric hybrids, which disproportionately benefited from Clunkers a year ago, took a harder fall in August, dropping by 38 percent compared to last year. In a rare bright spot, the Ford Fusion Hybrid—a vehicle that racked up numerous “Car of the Year” awards in 2010—saw big gains in sales in August. Ford sold 3,010 Fusion Hybrids—up from 1,226 a year ago and nearly double from last month’s sales.

While less than one-third the size of the hybrid market, sales of clean diesels fared better compared to a year ago. The dozen clean diesel vehicles we are tracking are up by 52 percent compared to last August, and up by 20 percent compared to last month. While the iconic Prius fell by 37.5 percent since last year when Clunkers was in full swing, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, the quintessential clean diesel, is up by nearly 30 percent from a year ago. Nonetheless, hybrid technology is expected to spread faster and grow much bigger than clean diesel in the U.S. in the coming years.

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Craneway Pavilion

Every major global automaker, without exception, is making a shift to hybrids, electric cars, and alternative fuels. Not because it was their idea. They were forced in that direction by a growing group of passionate consumers fed up with the status quo of petroleum dependence. When carmakers didn’t move fast enough, these consumer-activists converted their cars to run on batteries or alternative fuels.

Green Drive Expo, the Bay Area’s first consumer eco-car expo, will provide an unprecedented opportunity for owners of unique green car creations to show off their work and express their desire for change. The event will take place at the waterfront Craneway Pavilion in Richmond—a renovated 1931 Ford Motor Company assembly plant, sporting a 1-megawatt solar array and stunning views of the San Francisco skyline.

The event will take place on Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door, or you can register for free admission by using this discount code: HYBRIDCARS on this page:
http://greendriveexpo.com/greendriveexpocoupon

Attendees will be offered free public test drives of prototypes of Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid and other hybrid and electric cars. Ford, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Think will display their latest green vehicles. Auto company representatives will be on hand to discuss future products. But in many ways, the most exciting part of the show will be owners showing off their vehicles and discussing the issues with one another.

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Lexus has released details about the four driving modes that will be included in its forthcoming CT 200h hybrid. The sporty compact is the second dedicated hybrid offering from the carmaker and is intended to boost the fun factor for luxury hybrid drivers—while still being capable of delivering fuel economy approaching the Toyota Prius's 50 MPGs.

For the CT 200h, Lexus will essentially replace the Power mode found in its other dedicated hybrid, the HS 250h, with a new Sport mode which will be tooled towards maximum performance and handling. In Sport mode throttle is cranked up considerably, power control from the battery increases by about 15 percent, and the CT's Electronic Power Steering is adjusted to be more responsive. Lexus will also make its Vehicle Stability and Traction Control systems more passive, allowing for more driver control.

These adjustments obviously cut into fuel economy, but much of the joy of owning a car like this isn't so much the extra performance it provides in all driving situations but the knowledge that it's there if you're in the mood for it.

The three more efficient driving modes are called Normal, Eco, and EV. EV mode allows drivers to go all-electric for up to a mile—so long as the car is kept below 25 mph. Normal mode utilizes Toyota's Electronically Controlled Continuously Variable Transmission, allowing the car to respond to changing driving conditions by instantaneously adjusting its gear ratios. Eco mode alters that formula to provide maximized fuel economy for gas-electric driving—slowing cabin cooling, limiting throttle and accelerating battery charging.

The CT 200h will essentially be smaller, more aerodynamic, 5-door hatchback version of the HS 250h—which had the same sized wheelbase as the Toyota Prius but dialed-down aerodynamics for the sake of a roomier, more luxurious interior—at the expense of about 15 MPGs of fuel economy. Lexus has essentially reversed that process for the CT 200h, with the result being a smaller, more efficient luxury small car that can still pack a punch when needed.

The car will hit dealerships in the United States early next year.

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By Roland Hwang

Today, a consumer group, Consumer Federation of America, released a new study that clearly shows stronger pollution and fuel efficiency standards that result in 60 miles per gallon by 2025 is good for consumers’ pocketbooks. But not only do consumers win, it also means less pollution, less oil dependency, and a stronger, more competitive auto industry. It’s one of the best examples of why good environmental and clean energy policy goes hand-in-hand with lowering consumer fuel bills and restoring American industry to a leadership position.

Achieving 60 mpg by 2025 can be done by using and improving on technologies that already exist, such as hybrid electric cars and electric vehicles. In fact, according to a new study released yesterday by the University of Michigan, the technical potential is to triple fuel economy to 74 mpg, even before considering plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles. We have learned from cell phones, microwaves, and computers that higher volumes can lead to dramatic improvement in innovation and drive down costs.

Raising standards to 60 mpg is good for consumers, good for the environment and good for jobs. Here are the top three reasons why we need stronger pollution and fuel efficiency standards:

Reason #1: Pays for itself. According to the consumer group Consumer Federation of America, cost of fuel savings technologies pays for itself in the first year of ownership.

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Ford Fusion Hybrid

The U.S. auto market experienced its weakest August sales since 1983. Overall sales dropped by 21 percent compared to last August, when the Cash for Clunkers programs gave an all-too-brief boost to car sales.

Gas-electric hybrids, which disproportionately benefited from Clunkers a year ago, took a harder fall in August, dropping by 38 percent compared to last year. In a rare bright spot, the Ford Fusion Hybrid—a vehicle that racked up numerous “Car of the Year” awards in 2010—saw big gains in sales in August. Ford sold 3,010 Fusion Hybrids—up from 1,226 a year ago and nearly double from last month’s sales.

As usual, any single month’s sales figures—whether way up or down—should not be taken as a long-term trend.

Yet, August once again proved that the fortunes of the hybrid market are dominated by the Toyota Prius. Sales of the iconic hybrid model fell by nearly 38 percent compared to a year ago—the same percentage drop as the overall hybrid market. Toyota sold 11,799 Priuses, well below the nearly 19,000 sales from August 2009, when the vehicle was one of the most popular models during Cash for Clunkers.

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A University of Michigan Auto Researcher says it’s possible to triple fuel economy of cars—without plugging them in.

In a new study released today, John DeCicco (who has been a contributor to this site) shows that optimizing internal combustion engines plus rising adoption of “grid-free hybrids” will enable new fleet efficiency to reach 52 MPG by 2025 and 74 MPG by 2035.

“To push efficiency really far, it means a lot more hybrids than previous studies have indicated,” DeCicco said, in an interview with HybridCars.com. “Hybrids are going to rule the world, that is, if we want to be serious about reducing oil use and greenhouse gases.”

DeCicco questions the prevailing wisdom of public support for cars that use energy from the grid. DeCicco, a senior lecturer at the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan, is apparently referring to plug-in cars when he advocates for avoiding “politically trendy breakthrough technologies” that will remain too expensive for most consumers. "If we really prioritize efficiency, we can get just as far with less sticker shock," he said, in a press release issued by University of Michigan.

It’s a Policy Thing

“I’m not opposed to plugging in, but there’s no justification for massive subsidies,” DeCicco told us. “Let automakers and willing customers explore this on their own nickel. We ought to have policies that give us the biggest bang for the buck, and most efficiency can occur without plugging in.

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Infiniti will debut the company’s first hybrid model at this fall’s Los Angeles Auto Show. The 2012 Infiniti M Hybrid goes on sale this spring.

The Infiniti M35 hybrid uses a front-engine rear-wheel-drive approach—with a one motor-two clutch system. The first clutch is installed between the engine and the electric motor. This clutch allows the full decoupling of the V6 when running in electric modes—in order to reduce mechanical drag and boost the efficiency of the electric motor. The M35 is one of the first hybrids to use lithium ion batteries.

Pricing, MPG and other details are not yet available. The base MSRP for the 2010 conventional M35 is $45,800. The M35 Hybrid should be priced just below $50,000 and will likely qualify for a tax incentive of about $1,000. Nissan first unveiled the Infiniti M35 Hybrid at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in March 2010

Infiniti touts the new luxury hybrid as giving V-8 performance with four-cylinder fuel economy.

Rear-Wheel-Drive Hybrids on the Way

As Infiniti prepares for the unveiling of the M35 Hybrid, Nissan engineers are already planning other hybrid models. Larry Dominque, Nissan North America's vice president of product planning for the Americas, says the M hybrid system was designed to fit all of Infiniti's rear-wheel-drive models, including the G sedan and coupe and the EX and FX crossovers.

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Will consumers stay away from cars that get a "D" on the environment?

After many months of deliberation, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have released proposed ideas for new fuel economy labels that consumers see on windows of new vehicles. The designs recognize that advanced technology vehicles, from plug-in hybrids to electric cars, require a modified approach to communicating the benefits of various fuel-efficient technologies.

The boldest scheme uses a prominent report-card-style letter grade, ranging from A+ to D, to communicate overall fuel economy as well as greenhouse gas emissions. A second tier of information assigns a dollar value to the anticipated fuel savings over five years of a vehicle compared to the average vehicle on the road. A third tier provides an entire set of efficiency numbers of varying degrees of complexity depending on the type of technology in use.

Conventional gas-powered cars will carry familiar metrics such as city and highway MPG, but also add gallons per 100 miles, CO2 per mile, and anticipated annual fuel cost. For electric cars, plug-in hybrids, and natural gas-powered vehicles, the label will identify driving range, annual fuel cost, and a translated equivalent of MPG (referred to as MPGe). For plug-in hybrids, such as the Chevy Volt and the Prius Plug-in Hybrid, the label gets even more complex, featuring two rows: one for different modes of operation—such as when a plug-in hybrid is primarily using electricity and after it has depleted its batteries.

This design is more familiar, but requires an awkward conversion to MPG equivalent (or MPGe) for plug-in cars.

A second proposed label design retains the current label’s focus on miles per gallon and annual fuel costs. In this scheme, converting the efficiency of plug-in cars—which use electricity as fuel—into an MPG equivalent becomes paramount. In the sample design, the efficiency a plug-in hybrid (or “dual fuel vehicle”) is rated with an MPGe of 98 while using electricity during its first 30 miles of operation, and then 38 MPG when “electricity is used up.” Vehicle efficiency experts warn against “dumbing down” plug-in car efficiency to numbers that could be irrelevant or meaningless to consumers.

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