Fantastic $36,000 Lexus Hybrid Outdrives Prius: Monish.p.m

It may be a Lexus, but you can’t call it luxurious.

Lexus’s five-door, hybrid hatchback, the CT 200h suffers from an identity crisis. No wonder, given its two distinct personalities.

When many people think of a hybrid they picture the Prius. The car nearly constitutes its own brand -- you hardly have to mention that it comes from the Toyota Motor Company. The Prius stands for an age of pragmatism where technology rules over passion.

Nobody would call the Prius a joyful ride; rather its appeal comes from beating the average fuel mileage of 51 city, 48 highway. Consider it an extremely well-executed appliance. (New Prius models are coming, including a bigger wagon version, the V, and an all-electric plug-in.)

Toyota also owns Lexus, whose customers tend to relish their luxury. Vehicles like the $113,000 LS Hybrid sedan focus on indulgence -- the thrill of driving is secondary to the feel of leather. It even has an automated system that helps parallel park the car.

Which makes the 200h all the more confounding. It falls well short of prestige, yet drives way better than a Prius. The 200h’s base price is $29,995, making it the least expensive Lexus. As tested, my Premium model, with options, was $36,725.

Yet I’ve seen Lego sets with less plastic inside, and I was underwhelmed by the busy exterior. While the designers eschewed the weird hump-back of the Prius, they substituted a number of bulges, creases and sloping angles, especially in the rear. Part boy racer, part European hatch. Not so pretty.

Street Wars

Gas mileage falls short of the Prius, but is still fairly fantastic at 43 city, 40 highway. Using the same technology as the Prius, the CT is a full hybrid and can drive up to a mile on battery power alone, without the gas engine switching on.

The 1.8-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and electric drive motor have a combined 134 horsepower. Drivers can choose just how fully or thriftily to dole out that power, selecting drive modes of EV, eco, normal and sport. Since all the systems are handled electronically, throttle response is dictated by that selection.

The all-battery setting, or EV mode, mostly thwarted me. Even in city driving, I over-accelerated beyond its 28-mph threshold, which kicks the gasoline engine back on. Eco mode slows everything down, allowing only tepid response from the gas pedal.

I imagine this would work quite well around a sleepy island like Martha’s Vineyard off-season, but on the isle of Manhattan it means you’ll be overtaken and boxed out. It’s war out there.

Power Punch

Normal mode suffices. In sport mode, however, the electric motor lends an extra power punch off the line. Which is when the 200h suddenly becomes a bit more interesting -- and perplexing.

Sure, it takes almost 10 seconds to attain 60 mph, so this little hatch isn’t fast, but it pops off the line easily. It’s got a small footprint in every sense, making it easy to flit through traffic and swing into tight parking spaces.

The Mini Cooper rules supreme to many urban dwellers, but the fact that I averaged more than 40 mph, even in the densest traffic, gave the 200h an edge. Around town, it’s almost deceitfully sporty.

(If you want to be less sneaky, you can opt for the F Sport package, which doesn’t improve speed per se, but gets revised suspension tuning, dark alloy wheels and a bigger rear spoiler.)

Plastic Dash

Steering is good, with an appropriate sense of heft at highway speeds and lightness while pulling out of parking spots. The brakes are regenerative, meaning they recapture kinetic energy, but Lexus has made them feel confident and, well, normal.

The $1,100 premium audio package, with 10 speakers, made a pleasure of dawdling in traffic, and the leather seats are the most comfortable I’ve experienced since my all-time-favorite, the buckets in the BMW 7 Series.

Which is where things start unraveling. The interior is otherwise just not up to Lexus quality standards. Most of the dashboard and door siding are the hard plastic you’d find on any economy box -- making the lovely leather-wrapped steering wheel seem out of place.

The center console is overly busy, with a raft of buttons, dials and the small drive selector. The mouse-like controller that operates the navigation system looks like it was glued onto the console.

The navigation screen itself is small with fuzzy graphics. Systems on the latest Kia and Hyundai models are nicer -- and many of those cars are less expensive. Bringing us to the gas mileage. Hyundai has four models that are getting 40 mpg, only one of which is a hybrid.

The CT’s rear seats are tiny and the luggage space scant. I wouldn’t dare invite three friends on a long drive for fear of whining.

On Manhattan streets, though, I’d ditch the Mini Cooper for this ultimate urban runabout.

The 2011 Lexus CT 200h At a Glance

Engine: 1.8-liter four-cylinder and electric drive motor

with combined 134 horsepower.

Transmission: Continuously variable.

Speed: 0 to 60 mph in 9.8 seconds.

Gas mileage per gallon: 43 city; 40 highway.

Price as tested: $36,725.

Best feature: Surprise! It’s sporty.

Worst feature: Short on Lexus luxury; big on plastic.

Target buyer: The urbanite who needs a runabout.

Peugeot to bring hybrid car to China

Peugeot to bring hybrid car to China

Keep your eyes on this year’s Shanghai Motor Show, where Peugeot will offer the world premiere of a petrol hybrid concept crossover.

The vehicle was developed by the China Tech Centre in Shanghai and will sit alongside the launch of a new Peugeot 508 for the Chinese market. Peugeot is aiming to introduce at least one new model per year in China over the coming years as it looks to rubber-stamp its presence in the country.

According to Peugeot, the launch of the 508 in the Chinese market is important for a number of reasons.
Firstly, one in every two 508 saloon cars will be manufactured and sold in China for a provisional sales volume of 65,000 units in the country over a full year; and secondly, it contributes to Peugeot’s global strategy of enhancing both its model range and quality after launching the Peugeot 3008 in the country and delivering the Peugeot RCZ on May 20.

Now Peugeot has set an ambitious goal of selling 200,000 cars in China this year.

Some Facts About Hybrid Cars In The Early Twenty-First Century

You would almost certainly be surprised to hear that hybrid cars have been with us since the very earliest days of automotive history, but you will not be astonished to be told that the technology has come on in leaps and bounds for the last ten years. In fact, the technology in hybrid cars has reached the level where fuel consumption in a hybrid can be half that of in a conventional internal combustion engine only car.

Half or even less than half under some circumstances like driving in town, especially in heavy traffic. In fact, while a hybrid is either cruising on electric or stopping and starting in thick traffic, there will be no consumption of petrol or diesel whatsoever, which means that you are driving ‘without cost’.
I put without cost in parentheses because a hybrid vehicle is still considerably dearer than a car with a traditional engine. However, even given the added price of a hybrid vehicle, you can save that excess cost over the average life time of the vehicle because of the saving on fuel. Obviously, the higher the cost of fuel, the sooner you will recover your extra initial outlay on the cost of the hybrid.

Perhaps you are thinking that hybrid vehicle manufacturers are profiteering on the backs of car drivers who would like to do their bit for the environment. Well, you would not be alone in thinking that, yet the cost of developing hybrid technology was and still is costly and someone has to account it.
That is you and me, the end-users. Well, that is standard, but in some countries, the government has stepped in to subsidize individuals who purchase a hybrid vehicle, because governments all over the world are under an oath to reduce their country’s carbon footprint.
That means that now is as good a time as any to buy a hybrid vehicle.
There are other reasons why a hybrid is costly though. The hybrid actually has two engines. A hybrid has a traditional engine run on traditional fuels, yet it also has an electric engine which runs off costly batteries. It is not that you have to replace the batteries as with a radio. The batteries are costly because they are very heavy duty rechargeable units.
The technology for recharging these batteries is also ground-breaking. The car uses traditional alternators to recharge them but it also uses braking power to recharge them too. Not just that but the car’s on board computer switches between the two motors automatically, depending on the quantity of power that is needed by the driver.
Keep an eye on the hybrid car market because prices are declining and together with subsidies, the time to buy a hybrid car might come sooner than you imagine.

Honda recalls 37,000 Civic Hybrid cars in US

Honda recalls 37,000 Civic Hybrid cars in US

In the latest defect recall to hit Japanese automakers, Honda said Thursday it will recall nearly 37,000 Civic Hybrids in the United States.Honda said a faulty converter in the hybrid control system could lead to the engine stalling and malfunction of the headlights.
No injuries or accidents have been reported in relation to the problem, which affects 2006 and 2007 models.
It comes two weeks after Honda said it was recalling nearly 700,000 vehicles worldwide due to defective parts that could stall the engine and cause problems restarting in certain models.
Honda has now recalled more than four million vehicles since February 2010 over a range of different issues, while Nissan has pulled around 3.5 million in the same period.
Toyota became mired in crisis when it recalled nearly nine million vehicles between late 2009 and February last year due to brake and accelerator defects linked to deadly accidents that tarnished its image of reliability.
As criticism mounted of its slow response and bureaucratic inflexibility, Toyota tightened its recall policy and has pulled around 16 million units since late 2009 over a range of issues.

'Air hybrid' cars would be cheaper than electric hybrids, claims researcher

Storing energy as compressed air rather than in batteries would reduce the cost of green hybrid cars, say researchers in Sweden

 

Electric cars and electric hybrid cars already make use of brake energy to power a generator that charges the batteries. However, according to Per Tunestål, a researcher in Combustion Engines at Lund University in Sweden, air hybrids, or pneumatic hybrids as they are also known, would be much cheaper to manufacture.
"The technology is fully realistic. I was recently contacted by a vehicle manufacturer in India which wanted to start making air hybrids," he says.
The technology is particularly attractive for jerky and slow driving, for example for buses in urban traffic.
"My simulations show that buses in cities could reduce their fuel consumption by 60%," says Sasa Trajkovic, a doctoral student in Combustion Engines at Lund University who recently defended a thesis on the subject.
Trajkovic also calculated that 48% of the brake energy, which is compressed and saved in a small air tank connected to the engine, could be reused later. This means that the degree of reuse for air hybrids could match that of today's electric hybrids. The engine does not require any expensive materials and is therefore cheap to manufacture. It also takes up much less space than an electric hybrid engine. The method works with petrol, natural gas and diesel.
The idea of air hybrids was initially hit upon by Ford in the 1990s, but the American car company quickly shelved the plans because it lacked the necessary technology to move forward with the project. Today, research on air hybrids is conducted at ETH in Switzerland, Orléans in France and Lund University in Sweden. One company that intends to invest in engines with air hybrid technology is the American Scuderi. However, their only results so far have been from simulations, not from experiments.
"This is the first time anyone has done experiments in an actual engine," says Trajkovic. "The research so far has only been theoretical. In addition, we have used data that means we get credible driving cycle results, for example data from the driving patterns of buses in New York."
The researchers in Lund hope that the next step will be to convert their research results from a single cylinder to a complete, multi-cylinder engine. They would thus be able to move the concept one step closer to a real vehicle.

Hybrid Cars are Charging their Batteries for Another Big Jump

As many of us have seen in recent weeks, the price of gasoline has continued to rise. Reminders of the 2007 crisis are popping up across the United States. Wednesday February 23, 2011 marked the first time the price of oil hit $100 dollars a barrel since 2008. This upsurge in price is largely due to civil unrest in the home country of the United States’ main oil contract with Nymex, based in Libya.
The rise in Nymex futures disrupts a gasoline market that had somewhat stabilized since the dramatic days of $5 a gallon. A positive result of past high gas prices was that many people made the switch to alternative energy vehicles. However, since the prices have decreased and stabilized, it seems that most are feeling comfortable staying with their current gas-guzzler. The return of higher gas prices may yield a shift back to energy conscious vehicles.

Since their introduction into the market, hybrid vehicle sales have showed a strong correlation to the price of gas. In early 2007 when gas prices reached over $3 a barrel, hybrid sales saw a dramatic increase as well. This increase continued until gas prices began drop in 2008. Finally, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), in 2009 the average price per gallon was $2.35 in 2009.

As gas prices fell so did the sale of Hybrid cars. According to Ward’s Automotive Yearbook, 2009 Hybrid sales were down close to 20% since their 2007 peak. These sales numbers, while still good, reflect a direct correlation to the prices of gasoline. That being said, it is also important to point out that the struggling economy, along with other factors influenced the sales of hybrids.

However, these are different economic times. The economy is recovering and gas prices are projected to continue to rise. The Energy Information Association (EIA) is projecting the price of WTI crude oil to average about $93 per barrel in 2011, which is $14 higher than last year. To put that into perspective, EIA’s 2011 per gallon projection averages around $3.15, 37 cents higher than 2010.

With the average in 2012 continuing its climb up to $3.20 cent per gallon and the economy on the upswing, it seems that Hybrids are poised for another surge.
Despite their efficiency, Hybrids are not the only alternative energy source vehicles on the market. Cars like the Chevy Volt, are utilizing technology to produce an incredibly cleaner automobile. In the coming years new models of electric cars will be introduced into the market and may even out-sell the hybrids.

We all know the environmental importance of these vehicles. Hybrid cars can reduce harmful emissions by 90% of a normal vehicle. Electric vehicles reduce harmful emissions by 100%. Not only will this help the environment, but also it will help reduce our nations dependence on foreign oil. As gas prices rise, whether you are trying to save the planet or save some money, alternative energy vehicles are here to stay.

 

BMW launches new electric/hybrid brand

BMW launches new electric/hybrid brand
The German luxury carmaker BMW unveiled on Monday its long-awaited new brand, BMW i, with two new models to be equipped with electric and hybrid drive systems from 2013.
The group is also creating a venture capital unit to offer mobility services such as car sharing and navigation systems.
"This is BMW i - Born Electric," a statement quoted sales director Ian Robertson as saying as the group presented the BMW i3 electric car for city use and the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid for those seeking a more powerful vehicle.
The group added that it had created a New York-based venture capital unit to "significantly expand its range of mobility services over the years ahead," with an initial investment that is to total $100 million (73 million euros).
The vehicles are to be built at BMW's plant in Leipzig, eastern Germany, which will benefit from an investment of 400 million euros and create 800 jobs, the statement said.
Auto analysts said the company announced little that was completely new, but were interested in BMW's marketing strategy and the combination of an electric powertrain, aluminum chassis and carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) body.
BMW said in November that it would invest more than 500 million euros with a new partner, SGL Carbon, to launch the lightweight i3 city car.
"The decisive point will be the price," which was not revealed, said auto expert Stefan Bratzel from the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch Gladbach, western Germany.
"If it is too expensive it won't be a big success I would say," he told AFP.
BMW i Ventures will work with the mobile telephone application My City Way meanwhile to provide services such as car-sharing, route planning and local information like the location of parking places.
"Mobility requirements are changing in rapidly expanding megacities," Robertson explained.
The initial roll-out is planned for 40 US cities and 40 others worldwide, including BMW's home of Munich, southern Germany.
Christophe Stuermer at IHS Global Insight called this "the big field of experimenting and guesswork that the auto industry is working on at the moment."
He also noted that "there seems to be a strategy behind the fact that they (BMW) are making the sub-brand so weak, a single letter."
"They want to set it apart just a little bit," but "at the same time, will make sure that the BMW umbrella brand is always mentioned," Stuermer noted.
BMW already has a premium line of small cars in its Mini brand, and the IHS analyst said the new brand will "certainly be a challenge communications-wise for the Mini people," who could well incorporate electric systems in the future.
BMW will face a lot of competition with experience in the electric and hybrid car market, as Nissan of Japan is set to introduce its Leaf model in December.
Nissan's French partner Renault is to sell the Zoe version from mid-2012, while Peugeot-Citroen are betting clients will go for a long-term rental scheme offered with their Ion and C-Zero models.
Daimler plans to launch an electric Smart ForTwo car in Europe early next year and is working with the Chinese company Build Your Dreams (BYD) on a concept for the Chinese market.
VW, the biggest European carmaker is gearing up for the launch of an electric Golf and is also working on several hybrid models.
Chevrolet's Volt model is already on the road, as is the Toyota Prius, the first widely distributed hybrid vehicle.

 New full hybrid model of  Porsche’s coming at Geneva Motor Show

Statement from Porsche indicates they are in the process of building a hybrid vehicle that would mark a bold new step for the company into the eco-friendly segment of cars and would conform to the “Porsche Intelligent Performance” philosophy. Details about the car are quite less as the company is not letting much of it out at the moment. The only fact that has been obtained is that the car would be in line with the Cannyne S Hybrid which was a successful model indeed.
It seems most probable that the car would be a hybrid version of the Panamera four door coupe which had been discussed in late January. That was the time that Porsche had announced their lookout for a diesel powered Cayenne for the US and that it would be followed by a diesel and gasoline electric hybrid Panamera variant as well.
It can therefore be derived that the Hybrid would have a similar power unit like the SUV which is a combination of a 3.0 liter supercharged V6 gasoline engine that delivers 333 HP along with a 47 HP or 34 Kw electric motor. The combined power output would then be 380 HP or 279 KW and 580 Nm or 428 Lb-ft of peak torque.

There would also be the 918 RSR hybrid racing car concept and hardcore Cayman R up on display at the Geneva Motor Show event as well as the 911 Black Edition and Boxster S Black Edition which are all recent introduction models.

 New full hybrid model of  Porsche’s coming at Geneva Motor Show

U.S. Army Displays Hybrid Combat Vehicles at Chicago Auto Show

U.S. Army Displays Hybrid Combat Vehicles at Chicago Auto Show

Two hybrid-powered combat vehicles that offer both fuel economy and stealth are on display at the U.S. Army booth at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show, which opened its 10-day run today.

The Quantum Technologies Clandestine Extended Range Vehicle, CERV, and the Future Tactical Truck System, FTTS, represent the Army's next generation joint light tactical vehicles and high performance light duty off-road hybrid trucks.
Capable of carrying three soldiers with gear, the CERV will be used for special operations-type missions requiring stealth, reconnaissance, surveillance, targeting, search and rescue, and field rescues.
With a second generation advanced all-wheel-drive diesel hybrid electric power-train, designers say the CERV reduces fuel consumption by 25 percent, thus reducing the number of resupply vehicles needed during military operations.

Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc., a publicly traded company based in Irvine, California, said Wednesday that the CERV's Q-Force hybrid drive system has been optimized for use with an efficient diesel (JP8) engine.
The CERV has a 600-mile driving range using the external fuel tanks and has a maximum towing capacity of up to 5,000 pounds.
The combat vehicle is configured to maintain speeds of 80 miles per hour (129 km/h), climb 60 percent grades, ford 30 inches (76 centimeters) of water, and perform other unique military requirements - all while using up to 25 percent less fuel than conventional vehicles of comparable size.

Quantum's portfolio of technologies includes electronic controls, hybrid electric drive systems, hydrogen storage and metering systems, and alternative fuel technologies that enable fuel efficient, low emission hybrid, plug-in hybrid electric, fuel cell, and natural gas and aerospace vehicles.
The hybrid Future Tactical Truck System was designed to replace the existing wheeled vehicle fleet that proved unable to keep up with current combat operational tempo due to its cumbersome logistical footprint, poor deployability in C-130 aircraft and poor fuel economy, the Army said in a statement Thursday.
Foremost in the design of the FTTS was fuel efficiency, since experts determined that 70 percent of battlefield logistics involves providing fuel.
Fuel can cost run from $30 per gallon when delivered by truck and up to $400 a gallon when delivered by helicopters, the Army said. The FTTS's hybrid-electric power train doubles the driving range of existing vehicles from 300 to 600 miles.
The new Army trucks also will decrease the number of vehicles required to move cargo, equipment and personnel. Fewer trucks means fewer mechanics are needed and fewer tools are required since the advanced software and sensors of the Future Tactical Truck System enhances its reliability. In addition to these military hybrids, 27 hybrid cars built for civilians are on display at the Chicago Auto Show. Some allow the vehicle to be driven for short distances on electric power alone and others use the electric motor as an assist to make the gas engine more efficient.
Four battery powered vehicles are on the floor - the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan LEAF - as well as two new electrics from Ford.
The Ford Transit Connect Electric is a front-wheel drive van powered by a 74-horsepower electric motor and a 28-kilowatt-hour battery pack. Ford claims a range of 80 miles (50 km), a top speed of 75 mph (120 kph), and a charge time of six to eight hours on a 240-volt circuit.
The Ford 2012 Focus Electric is also on view although not yet on sale at dealerships. This electric car is set to be launched in 19 markets in late 2011. With a 100 mile range, the top speed will be 84 mph (136 kph). A full recharge using a 240 volt charger will only take three to four hours, about half the time it takes to charge the Nissan LEAF.
This year marks the 103rd edition of the Chicago Auto Show. First staged in 1901, the Chicago Auto Show is the largest auto show in North America and has been held more times than any other auto exposition on the continent.

Air hybrid vehicles could halve fuel consumption in future

Air hybrid vehicles could halve fuel consumption in future
Researchers in Sweden are exploring air hybrid automobiles as possible alternatives to electric hybrid cars, claiming they could halve fuel consumption by using the energy generated from vehicle brakes.
The new system saves the energy in the form of compressed air, which can then provide extra power to the engine when the car is started.
While electric cars and electric hybrid cars already make use of brake energy to power a generator that charges the batteries, Per Tunestal, a Lund University researcher, said that his ‘air hybrids’ would be much cheaper to manufacture.
“The technology is fully realistic. I was recently contacted by a vehicle manufacturer in India which wanted to start making air hybrids,” said Tunestal.
The technology is particularly suitable for jerky and slow driving, such as buses in urban traffic.
Simulations have shown it can cut buses' fuel consumption in urban areas by up to 60%.
The researchers also calculated that 48% of the brake energy, which is compressed and saved in a small air tank connected to the engine, could be reused later.
They said the engine would take up much less space than an electric hybrid engine, and would work with petrol, natural gas and diesel.
The Lund researchers have worked with the Swedish company Cargine, which supplies valve control systems.
Ford initially hit upon the idea of air hybrids in the 1990s, but the American car company quickly shelved the plans because it lacked the necessary technology to move forward with the project.
“This is the first time anyone has done experiments in an actual engine. The research so far has only been theoretical. In addition, we have used data that means we get credible driving cycle results, for example data from the driving patterns of buses in New York,” said doctoral student Sasa Trajkovic.
The next step is to progress from a single cylinder to a complete, multi-cylinder engine, moving the design closer to a real vehicle.
Air hybrid vehicles could halve fuel consumption in future

Toyota Said to Build New Compact Hybrid Model at New Northern Japan Plant

Toyota Said to Build New Compact Hybrid Model at New Northern Japan Plant

Toyota Motor Corp. will build a new compact hybrid model at a plant in northern Japan as it reorganizes domestic production, a person familiar with the company’s plans said.
Central Motor Co., an assembly unit of Toyota, will produce the model at a plant in Ohira, Miyagi prefecture, according to the person, who declined to be identified as the plans are private. The carmaker showed a compact version of the Prius hybrid at the Detroit auto show last month.

The automaker, based in Toyota City, is shifting production from its main manufacturing area as the strong yen hurts earnings from exports. Lower labor costs relative to Aichi prefecture, Toyota’s primary domestic production hub, and a nearby port may make Miyagi, about 370 kilometers (230 miles) north of Tokyo, more attractive for exports.
Toyota spokesman Keisuke Kirimoto declined to comment on whether the company will build hybrids in Miyagi.
Toyota plans to begin selling a “city-centric” compact version of the Prius hybrid in the U.S. in the first half of next year. The car was first shown as the Prius c concept model at the Detroit auto show last month.
President Akio Toyoda has said the company will maintain domestic production of about 3 million cars. Toyota built 3.2 million cars in Japan last fiscal year out of 7.3 million units worldwide.
While cars may eventually be shipped out of the Port of Sendai, which is 28 kilometers from the Ohira plant, they will be exported from the Port of Nagoya in Aichi until production reaches sufficient volume, the person familiar with Toyota’s plans said.

Toyota Said to Build New Compact Hybrid Model at New Northern Japan Plant

Volkswagen Up to Get Diesel Hybrid from XL1 Concept, Target 95-MPG

At the recent Qatar Motor Show, Volkswagen proudly showed off the XL1 Prototype, which according to its maker can manage 260-mpg. While the XL1 might not be headed to production per say, VW is working on a more conventional car that will cost only pennies to run.

The Up mini-car concept has been around for a few years already and it seems that a production version is about to get launched. According to reports, the Up e-motion will get the same powertrain as the XL1 Prototype, but since it is a bigger vehicle, will manage a much more modest 95-mpg. The powertrain in question is a 0.8-liter, two-cylinder diesel motor which produces just 47-hp. However, a 26-hp electric motor will also kick in to give the car extra performance while also allowing it to give better mileage. While most hybrids make use of a CVT gearbox, the Up will get a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.
The exact specifications are being kept under wraps by VW, but expect to see this model get the official unveiling at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.

Jamaicans slow to plug in

Jamaicans slow to plug in

Even with skyrocketing fuel prices and the acknowledgement of the need for cheaper and renewable alternative energy sources, most Jamaicans are not warming up to the idea of owning hybrids or electric cars.
"They [hybrids and electric cars] are indeed better for the environment as they reduce environmental pollution, but Jamaicans, like most people, are afraid of the unknown," said Claudia Goldson-Rae, former race-car driver. "They [Jamaicans] would have to see how the cars operate over a long period before becoming interested."
Goldson-Rae - the first female to take the chequered flag at Dover Raceway, St Ann, at the opening of the venue in 1989 - said despite the snail's pace at which motorists generally tend to think about such vehicles, she feels the 'plug-ins' could eventually make their way on the racing circuit.
Promotion is key
"That would have to happen with proper promotion," she said. "If one of the well-known racers, such as a David Summerbell or a Peter Rae, decided to become the spokesman for the cause. That's when the racing public would begin to take notice."

Corporate Area gas retailer Donovan G. Brown said while the environmental benefits of hybrids and electric cars are well known, the cost to set up the 'plug-ins' would be a hurdle.

"There are a lot of things to consider as recharging stations at the fuel outlets and at home would be costly to set up," said the proprietor of LG Brown Service Station. "In addition, the costs associated with the importation of the vehicles would be great."

However, importers of Toyota's flagship hybrid vehicle, Prius, said prospective owners receive huge discounts.

Discount

"Buyers of the Prius receive a 63 per cent off the usual duty rates," said Tom Conner, parts manager at the Spanish Town Road-based Toyota Jamaica Ltd.

Conner said so far his company has sold four units and the persons who have bought them are quite knowledgeable about them.

"The 2011 Prius comes well appointed and costs $4.5 million," Conner said. He said, however, more basic units would be arriving in the island soon.

"The fact that it operates on both fuel and electric means the savings are enormous." The parts manager explained that a Prius owner who lives in Mandeville drove to Negril, on to Montego Bay, then to Port Antonio and back to Mandeville and still had fuel in his car.

Twenty-year taxi operator Paul Allen said he was not opposed to trying the hybrids or electric cars.

"I would try them," he said. "But this does not mean I would trade in my '95 Toyota Sprinter for them.

"Remember, we're used to regular things. We would have to see it work. But I would try it," he added.

Jamaicans slow to plug in