Hot for a hybrid? 9 things to consider |
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The trend toward more-powerful hybrids has some environmental
groups upset. The Alliance to Save Energy complains that car companies
are squandering the technology by appealing to some consumers' thirst
for faster vehicles.
The National Resources Defense Council also has decried
the horsepower trend, not only in hybrids but all vehicles in general.
The council contends that if horsepower ratings in all vehicles
had stayed at the levels of the mid 1980s, new cars today would
have 20-percent greater fuel efficiency, thanks to technology developed
since then.
What's the fuel mileage?
So what kind of improved mileage can you expect from a 2005 hybrid
vehicle? It depends.
If you buy a Chevrolet Silverado,
or its twin the GMC Sierra pickup, with a hybrid electric-V8 power
system, your fuel mileage will likely increase by only 1 to 2 miles
per gallon over a straight V8 model.
That's because the electric motor comes into play
only when the pickup is stopped. At a stoplight, the gasoline-powered
V8 shuts off and the electric motor takes over, running the air
conditioning, stereo and other accessories. When the light turns
green, a tap of the accelerator pedal tells the electric motor to
start the gasoline engine, and from then on the V8 operates on its
own. In other words, the electric motor is never used until the
pickup stops, and the only fuel conservation results from not burning
gasoline at stoplights or when idling. Of course, there are no pollutants
being emitted at that time, either.
At the other end of the scale is the Honda Insight,
which gets the greatest fuel economy of any vehicle sold in America
-- a maximum of 66 mpg, according to the federal Environmental Protection
Agency, or EPA. The Insight does that by using a small 1-liter,
3-cylinder, 65-horsepower gasoline engine linked to a 13-horsepower
electric motor, all packaged in a lightweight, two-seat, aerodynamically
styled coupe.
Toyota's Prius also is engineered for maximum fuel
mileage in a more conventional four-door sedan package. By running
only on battery at some speeds and on gasoline with its 1.5-liter
four-cylinder engine at others, the Prius, according to the EPA,
can achieve a maximum of 60 mpg.
Maximum EPA highway mpg ratings for the other hybrids:
- Honda Civic -- 48 mpg
- Honda Accord -- 37 mpg
- Ford Escape -- 36 mpg
- Mercury Mariner -- 33 mpg
- Toyota Highlander -- 33 mpg
- Lexus RX 400h -- 31 mpg
- Chevrolet Silverado -- 21 mpg
- GMC Sierra -- 21 mpg
But will you actually see such
efficiency in your hybrid?
Most likely not, because the EPA uses a very controlled laboratory
environment that is almost never duplicated by an individual's driving
habits. Even if you drive like there's an egg between your foot
and the accelerator, it's unlikely you'll regularly see fuel mileage
as high as the government ratings on any vehicle, hybrid or not.
Consumer Reports recently tested the Honda Accord
V6 Hybrid, which the EPA says should be capable of a maximum of
37 mpg and 32 mpg in combined city/highway driving.
The gasoline engines in either the hybrid or gasoline-only
vehicle should hold up equally -- it's the electric side of the
equation that's uncertain. The most pressing question concerns the
batteries that are essential to any hybrid. Even high-tech batteries
have a limited lifespan when it comes to charging and recharging
them.
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