Hybrids

 Generally, hybrids are any vehicles that use more than one source of power. This usually entails using a traditional gasoline engine as well as an electric battery or engine. The car can often switch between gas and electric mode as needed to save energy depending on the conditions, providing a much more efficient driving experience. (Full Disclosure: I drive a 2002 Toyota Prius Hybrid, one of the first hybrids to be sold in the U.S. The car’s mileage varies depending on who is driving it; I usually get more miles to the gallon than do my (hotrodding) kids. Overall, I average around 40-42 mpg driving in the city. My car easily gets over 50 mpg on the highway.)

  How do Plug-Ins Work?

 In a conventional hybrid vehicle, the car carries a battery pack that can be charged by additional components already carried within the vehicle. These could include electric generators, or power derived from actions like braking. For example, the car brakes; that braking energy is captured and stored in a battery pack as electricity; the stored electricity can assist the vehicle’s gasoline engine, usually giving it a boost during acceleration. The gasoline engine remains the primary source of power in a hybrid car.

 In a plug-in, the electric motor is the primary power source, with the gasoline engine providing back-up. Once the electric charge is depleted, the gasoline engine kicks in. A plug-in hybrid can be charged in any wall outlet, whether at your home or at a charging station. A plug-in’s additional battery power allows it to travel longer distances without the need to burn any gasoline. As a result, plug-ins are often more efficient than traditional hybrids.

Advantages of Plug-Ins

 The extra electric capacity of a plug-in hybrid means that its primary advantage is that it can cover greater distances than a regular hybrid without using a drop of gasoline. Burning no or little gasoline helps protect the environment by reducing the pollution that causes smog and climate change. Because electricity is cheaper than gasoline, a plug-in hybrid should also save you money at the pump. If you keep track of the latest plug-ins through sources like Car Sales, our sponsors for this post, you’ll see that many of the recent models like the Chevy Volt can travel in all-electric mode for an EPA-estimated 38 miles at a time. The Volt actually can cover up to 380 miles on the combined energy provided by a fully charged battery and a full tank of gas. (See my test drive of the Volt here.)

 Disadvantages of Plug-Ins

 Although you’ll save money driving a plug-in hybrid, they do cost more upfront. For example, the Ford C-Max Hybrid gets around 45 mpg in the city, 40 mpg on the hwy, and costs around $21,000 USD. The Ford C-Max Energi Plug-in (pictured above) gets around 108 mpg in the city, and 92 mpg on the highway, but costs around seven thousand dollars more. One way to decide if the extra cost is worth it is to calculate how many miles you drive and how much money you’ll spend or save on gasoline by purchasing either vehicle.

 Plug-in hybrid batteries, which are lithium ion batteries, cost more to manufacture than regular hybrid batteries and need to be replaced more frequently, so that is another expense to calculate when considering your options. And remember: neither vehicle is fully electric, so you will still need to use gas from time to time, and take care of regular engine maintenance issues such as oil changes. Plug-ins are great for saving money around town, but if you’re planning a long-distance road trip or have a long commute, you’ll need to switch to gasoline mode, which means you’ll still be buying some gas.

 The Bottom Line

 Both hybrids and plug-in hybrids offer a wide range of advantages. They often come with outstanding mileage rates, and can save you money at the gas pump over time. Plus, they reduce air pollution and climate change, making them better for people as well as the planet. My suggestion is to go to a dealer who sells both hybrids and plug-ins. Take them both for a test drive, then do some calculations to figure out how much money and gas you’ll save with each vehicle. Choose the vehicle that best matches your desire to be a good green citizen as well as your pocketbook.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons; Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz  

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I drove one of the very first Ford Fusion hybrids a few years ago – and loved it. And that was before the car came in three different models. One option today is the “standard” Fusion. This model gets around 28 mpg overall, and costs around $21,000. Nice, but not enough to be considered “my” green car of the year.

However, the next two options are what make a difference. The Fusion Hybrid achieves 47 mpg, which is terrific compared to most cars on the market. And get this: the Energi model, a plug-in hybrid, is aiming to deliver an estimated 100 mpg. Plus the Energi is still available for a federal tax rebate.

Here’s how the Energi works, according to the Ford website. “The new Fusion Energi …combines a high-voltage battery and electric motor with a gasoline engine. The high-voltage lithium-ion battery pack provides enough power to operate in all-electric mode for short commutes. Thanks to plug-in capability, you can charge the battery using a 120-volt outlet. Or you can use a 240-volt outlet, upgraded with electric vehicle supply equipment. To lessen any concern you may have about driving range, when the battery is depleted or more power is required, the vehicle functions as a traditional gas-electric hybrid. The Fusion Energi also features a Regenerative Braking System, allowing it to capture kinetic braking energy and store it for later use.”

Earlier this year, I had the chance to interview Dr. Ellen Lee, an engineer and technical expert in plastics research at Ford Motor Company. Dr. Lee has helped develop some of the more eco-friendly materials going in to the Fusion and other Ford vehicles, including seat fabric and cushions made from soy. These “bio-based” innovations have helped Ford reduce its petroleum use by more than 3 million pounds annually while cutting carbon dioxide emissions by more than 15 million pounds.

Ford is also experimenting with using recycled denim from blue jeans and recycled soda bottles in other materials applications in the Fusion.

Here’s this year’s auto show schedule if you want to stop by and take a look at the Fusion, or any of the other hybrids and electric vehicle options you’ll find on display. At the International show in Detroit January 14-27, an “Electric Avenue” will showcase electric vehicles and innovations, both from traditional automakers as well as entrepreneurs.

Related Posts:

Ford Fusion Hybrid: Good Choice for Family Looking for High MPG

Energy-Efficient Fusion Deputs at North American Auto Show

My Test Drive of the All-Electric Nissan Leaf: On a Scale of One to Ten…

Zip Car Comes to the Rescue – And Saves Me a Lot of Money

NOTE: Some Ford Fusions are being recalled due to the 1.6 litre “eco boost” engines overheating. Before you buy a new 2013 Fusion, ask the car dealer if the vehicle you want needs a repair – though chances are, if it hasn’t left the lot yet, it is being sent back to the factory to get this problem taken care of.

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But given its compact size (it seats four comfortably, five only if the person in the middle back seat has short legs), it’s not the vehicle you’d willingly use to pick up your daughter — and all her stuff — from college, the challenge I faced recently.

Fortunately, I’m a member of ZipCar, the car company that lets you rent vehicles by the hour or the day. ZipCar, whose motto is “Wheels When You Want Them,” is gaining in popularity because it makes using a car so cheap compared to owning one.  According to the company’s calculations, owning a car like a Ford Fusion can cost you almost $800 a month, once you figure in parking, insurance, vehicle registration, gas, maintenance, new tires, and other related expenses. Even if you drive a lot (though not every single day), you could be paying as little as $322 a month using a Zip Car. You can join for $50 a year

Using my zippy membership, I was able to rent a Honda Element for the 7 hours I needed to retrieve my daughter from school.  I simply reserved my car a day in advance, walked two blocks in my neighborhood, and found the car clean and ready to go. I swiped my membership card over a scanner embedded into the windshield. The car doors unlocked, and I found the key in the ignition. Off I went, easy as pie, for a little more than $11/hr.

I chose the Honda Element over a wide range of other options because it offered the most room for the greatest amount of gas mileage. I drove 242 miles on about a tank of gas, for an average fuel economy of around 22 mpg – not quite as good as the Ford Escape Hybrid SUV (which wasn’t an option, either at ZipCar or at any of the conventional car rental companies I checked), but better than most conventional SUVs. I filled the gas tank up using the gas card in the glove compartment, so it didn’t cost me anything.

Interested? If you live here or go to school here, you can rent a ZipCar. If your city’s not on the list, send the company an e-mail and let them know you’d like to Zip. They’re opening new locations all the time – maybe you can get them to consider your neighborhood. You can also search “car share” on the Internet to see similar options other companies may be offering in your community.

Thumbs up, ZipCar!

By the way, don’t miss these Big Green Purse tips on saving gas and choosing fuel-efficient vehicles.

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Over at Grist, David Roberts noted,  “GM has been, and continues to be, a strongly reactionary force in American energy politics, thwarting progress at every juncture… the company, with Lutz’s vocal backing, has been a long-time opponent of any boost in U.S. fuel efficiency standards. Even now, as the Minnesota legislature considers signing on to California’s tailpipe standards, GM is working behind the scenes to stop them. Arizona has provisionally decided to adopt the standards, and will finalize them on March 3, but GM is leading a last-ditch, behind-closed-doors effort to stop it.”

Mary Hunt chimed in at In Women We Trust, asking, “Why would I support a company with such an idiot at the top of it? Especially when he goes on to say “I’m motivated more by the desire to replace imported oil than by the CO2…” Wait a minute, isn’t this the same company that killed the electric car?”

Lutz tried to douse the fires on his blog, claiming, “My opinion doesn’t matter.” He urged critics to look at what the company is doing on the ground.

“General Motors is dedicated to the removal of cars and trucks from the environmental equation, period. And, believe it or don’t: So am I! It’s the right thing to do, for us, for you and, yes, for the planet. My goal is to take the automotive industry out of the debate entirely. GM is working on just that – and we’re going to keep working on it — via E85, hybrids, hydrogen and fuel cells, and the electrification of the automobile.”

That may be their goal, but I attended several presentations by GM executives at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last month, and they gave far more lip service to their big gas guzzlers – Hummers, Cadillacs, light trucks and SUVs – than they gave to true energy-saving cars. And even the vehicles they trumpeted as energy-saving, like the 24/32 mpg Malibu hybrid, don’t compare to the fuel efficiency of the 50-mpg Toyota Prius.

In light of today’s news that gas prices could hit budget-busting $4 a gallon by spring,  and increasing research that the polar ice caps are melting beyond repair, General Motors should not only embrace climate change as a real motivating force for industrial innovation, but do everything possible to achieve vehicle fuel-efficiency gains that actually save Americans money and generate far less CO2.

And that’s not a crock of “s**t”.

Thumbs down, GM.

The post General Motors Shows Its True Colors – And They’re Not Green appeared first on Big Green Purse.