High gasoline prices fuel interest in gas-electric hybrid vehicles
Cars are kind to the wallet, environment
Kimberly Burger Capozzi
Driving a gas-electric hybrid version of the Honda Accord sedan is kind of like driving a regular Honda Accord.
The only clue that something different is going on is a tiny gauge that lights when the electric power comes on, and the spooky hush of the gasoline engine shutting off when the car stops at a stop sign. It restarts when you press on the gas pedal with no hesitation.
But beneath the hood, there are big differences between conventionally powered vehicles and the hybrids offered by Honda, Toyota and a growing list of manufacturers. Most important is the combination of an electric motor and gasoline engine that significantly improves gas mileage while cutting pollution-causing emissions.
High gas prices have brought even more attention to the fuel-saving benefit of the hybrids, with sales surging last year nationwide as well as in the Pittsburgh market.
Maria Gooch of Glassport is the owner of a Toyota Prius sedan, the top-selling hybrid, and said she has been to the gas station only twice in two months while driving 1,000 miles. She also likes the futuristic look of the vehicle and the way the gasoline engine shuts down as she pulls into her driveway, eliminating fumes.
"I have never been so excited with a car. This is the best thing I've ever done," said Ms. Gooch, manager of La Romana bar and restaurant in Glassport.
With hybrids carrying a premium price (the base Honda Accord Hybrid fetches $29,990) over plain-Jane economy cars, most buyers aren't looking to save money at the pump, area dealers said. The clean-running hybrids have become the hippest way to be friendly to the environment.
In 2004, the number of hybrids registered across the country grew by 81 percent over 2003, according to industry analysts R.L. Polk & Co. in Southfield, Mich. The number of registrations jumped by more than 960 percent since the vehicles were first available in 2000.
In the Pittsburgh market, which includes southwestern Pennsylvania as well as three counties in Maryland and West Virginia, registrations last year grew by 94.6 percent over 2003.
Catching On
However, with only 395 total hybrids registered, the cars represent just a sliver of the total 180,058 new vehicles in the region. Still, with manufacturers rolling out a variety of hybrid vehicles in the coming years, it appears that this technology will be more common on U.S. highways.
"People are now realizing this vehicle is here to stay," said Earl Seibert, a sales consultant at Day Toyota in Pleasant Hills, where buyers must wait eight weeks for the popular Prius.
"It's not a fad. It's something that is going to be here (in the long run), and it's the immediate answer to getting away from the fossil fuels."
Differing Details
Hybrid vehicles differ in many details, but all incorporate an electric motor that assists or takes on some functions from the gasoline engine. Batteries store electric power that is generated through braking or cruising, so the vehicles do not need to be plugged in.
In Honda's Integrated Motor Assist system the conventional gasoline engine does most of the driving and is augmented by the electric motor when starting and accelerating.
The electric motor helps give the Accord higher horsepower and low-end torque over the regular Accord, said David Horner, Internet sales representative with Moon Honda in Moon Township. In a test drive it produced zippy acceleration when climbing hills, answering doubts about the power of hybrid drives.
The 2005 Accord is the latest addition to Honda's growing list of hybrids. The Accord also can shut down half of the six cylinders in its V6 combustion engine for cruising at steady speeds, and incorporates several weight-saving design changes. It has a fuel economy of 29 miles per gallon in the city and 37 mpg on the highway, according to federal agencies, compared to the 21 mpg in the city and 30 mpg of a regular Accord with the same engine.
Toyota and Ford, which uses Toyota's hybrid technology under license, call their systems "full hybrids." The Prius and hybrid SUVs put out by both automakers can operate on electricity alone at low speeds. The gasoline engine works with the electric motor at higher speeds and acceleration, and to recharge the battery when power gets low. The Prius is made lighter with a transmission system that replaces most mechanical gears with electric connections.
An ongoing federal investigation into 33 reports of the Prius stalling serves as a reminder that these vehicles have a short history on which to judge reliability. But area dealers said they have heard of no problems with the cars they've sold.
The Prius can go about 55 miles to the gallon and Toyota says it emits 90 percent fewer pollutants than conventional engines. The hybrid SUVs offer mileage comparable to their smaller counterparts.
The hybrid Escape with front-wheel drive can run for 36 miles per gallon in the city, a fuel economy of 50 percent to 90 percent over the engine in a standard Escape, depending on driving habits, said Blair Bogdan, general sales manager at Biondi Parkway Ford in Forest Hills.
KIM BURGER CAPOZZI is a freelance writer.
bizjournals.com |
