When hybrid-powered vehicles first appeared, starting in 2000, the idea of switching between gasoline and electric power seemed a bit of a gimmick. Certainly, the need for more economical vehicles was growing. Fully electric cars had never caught on, largely because of their limited range and the need to plug in for recharging. Still, there had to be a more appealing answer; most likely, fuel-cell vehicles that run on hydrogen.
High Demand | Back To Top
Since then, hybrids have proven themselves capable of delivering impressive gas mileage without fuss. They've also captured the imagination of much of the motoring public. Shoppers eagerly signed onto long waiting lists for the second-generation Toyota Prius, and similar reaction is likely for the Ford Escape Hybrid that is now reaching dealerships.
Honda and Toyota led the way into hybrids with gusto, starting with small cars. They still lead the field by far. Domestic automakers, and most other import brands, have been hesitant. Many say they're concentrating on fuel cells, or investigating other alternative-fuel possibilities. Some appear to ignore the entire concept.
Hybrid powertrains operate on both gasoline and electricity, but not all are equal. Two distinct systems are available in current vehicles.
Hybrid Types | Back To Top
In a "full" hybrid, electric power is dominant and the gasoline engine provides additional energy as needed. Toyota and Ford use this system. The vehicle starts off on electric power alone. As soon as extra power is required, the gasoline engine kicks in. For passing, when maximum energy is needed, both power sources may be operating. A full-hybrid vehicle is able to travel for short distances, at very low speed, on battery power alone.
"Mild" hybrids, which are used in Honda vehicles, make the gasoline engine dominant. An electric motor provides the auxiliary power. These models cannot move solely on electricity, but otherwise they operate in a manner similar to the full hybrids.
In both systems, all the switching between propulsion sources is done automatically, based on inputs into the computerized control system. You can feel the shift between gas and electric power, but it's typically little more than a mild "bump."
Benefits | Back To Top
Gas mileage is the biggest bonus of driving a hybrid, coupled with reduced emissions. An idle-stop feature lets the gasoline engine shut off at stoplights, or whenever the vehicle comes to a halt, to conserve fuel. For that reason, some hybrids deliver higher gas mileage in city driving than on the highway.
In a "mild" system, the gas engine starts up again when the manual-transmission gear selector is moved into gear, or when the driver's foot moves from the brake to the gas pedal of a model with an automatic transmission. Full hybrids start off on battery power each time, but typically start the gasoline engine within a second or two.
Honda is the only manufacturer that offers manual shift in a hybrid car. Most use a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which is similar to an automatic but operates a bit like a dimmer switch, producing an infinite number of drive ratios.
No Plug Required | Back To Top
Hybrids never need to be plugged in anywhere. Typically, when a hybrid vehicle is cruising, the gasoline engine acts as a generator to recharge the batteries. The charging process is most pronounced when the vehicle is slowing down, making use of what's called regenerative braking.
Because urban stop-and-go driving takes best advantages of the hybrid powertrain, especially with a CVT, mileage estimates from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are typically higher for urban operation.
Dashboards usually include a display screen that can show how the hybrid system is operating. A quick glance reveals whether the vehicle is running on gasoline or electricity (or both), how frugal it's been in recent driving, and other details. Beware, though: some of the displays are almost mesmerizing, and it's hard to keep your eyes off them. Fortunately, you can shut off the screen.
Let's take a look at the hybrid models that are now on sale, and will be arriving soon.
Honda Insight | Back To Top
 Honda paved the way for hybrids with its futuristic-looking Insight, a two-passenger front-drive vehicle that debuted in the 2000 model year and remains on sale today. In its Integrated Motor Assist system, the Insight's 1.0-liter, three-cylinder gasoline engine is supplemented by a small electric motor, which kicks in to deliver a boost for quicker acceleration. Aero-profiled for efficiency and fitted with low-rolling-resistance tires, the Insight has a rounded teardrop shape. The battery pack fits behind the seats.
Both a five-speed manual gearbox and a continuously variable transmission (CVT) are available. Current CVT-equipped models earn an EPA fuel-economy rating of 57 mpg in city driving and 56 mpg on the highway. Manual-shift models get an estimate of 60-mpg city and 66-mpg highway. Fun to drive, the Insight performs energetically with manual shift, though the CVT version is tamer. Cargo space is minimal, and ultra-lightweight construction takes its toll on ride comfort.
Honda Civic Hybrid | Back To Top
 Following up on the Insight, Honda introduced a conventional-looking Civic Hybrid sedan for 2003, using a similar gasoline/electric powertrain and either a manual transmission or CVT operation. Able to carry five passengers rather than two, the Civic Hybrid combines a 93-horsepower, 1.3-liter gasoline engine with its electric motor.
Ride and handling qualities differ little from a regular Civic sedan, though the Hybrid has a few distinct styling touches. Transitions between gasoline and electric power are virtually seamless, but the CVT version seems better suited to the hybrid powertrain. The EPA estimates fuel economy of 47-mpg city and 48-mpg highway for a CVT Civic Hybrid, versus 45-mpg city/51-mpg highway for the manual-shift model.
Honda Accord Hybrid | Back To Top
 In the fall of 2005, Honda will launch its third hybrid, based on the midsize Accord sedan. For the first time, a V-6 gasoline engine will blend with Honda's Integrated Motor Assist system. The 3.0-liter V-6 develops 255 horsepower.
Honda promises gas mileage that beats a four-cylinder Accord, coupled with performance that exceeds a conventional V-6 model: specifically, 30 mpg in the city and 38 mpg for highway driving. Like the Insight and Civic Hybrid, the Accord Hybrid will operate with its gasoline engine as the dominant propulsion source.
Toyota Prius | Back To Top
 Soon after Honda introduced its Insight, Toyota brought a hybrid-powered Prius sedan into the market. Some observers branded it homely, but this subcompact sedan functioned effectively and frugally as a full-hybrid model. By about 12 mph, the 1.5-liter gasoline engine would take over and serve as the primary power source. When passing and climbing steep grades, both power sources would be active.
After three seasons of offering the Prius sedan, Toyota launched a larger Prius hatchback as a 2004 model. Before long, eager shoppers faced lengthy waiting lists for the privilege of buying one. Compared to the first Prius, the hatchback is more conventional and stylish in appearance. Expanded size and greater interior space moved it into the midsize category.
Performance is a main attraction of the current model, whose Hybrid Synergy Drive system uses a more powerful gasoline engine than the early Prius. With an exceptionally light foot on the gas pedal, a Prius can run more than three miles using battery power alone. Acceleration is strong from a standstill, though milder at higher speeds. Rearward visibility and backseat headroom could be better, and some controls seem unfamiliar at first. Some drivers claim the Prius cannot achieve anything close to its 60-mpg city/51-mpg highway estimates, but it's still one of the most economical cars on the road.
Ford Escape Hybrid | Back To Top
 Ford gets credit for being first with a hybrid-powered sport-utility vehicle, by installing a gasoline/electric powertrain into its compact Escape. On sale since late summer, the Escape Hybrid uses a "full hybrid" system, in which electric power is dominant. That means it can run on its four-cylinder gasoline engine, on electric power alone (up to about 20 mph for short distances), or a combination of both.
Available with front-drive or four-wheel drive, the Escape Hybrid uses an Atkinson-Cycle variant of the company's Duratec 2.3-liter engine, rated at 133 horsepower. Ford says the Escape Hybrid blends four-cylinder economy with six-cylinder performance. A front-drive model can top 35 mpg in city driving, according to Ford, and travel up to 500 miles on a single tank of gasoline.
Ford's Hybrid performs, handles and rides almost exactly like a conventional Escape, with totally smooth takeoffs due to the easy-operating CVT. You do feel a slight jerk when the gasoline engine kicks in, and engine braking for off-road driving is minimal-but few owners are likely to take their four-wheel-drive Hybrids off the pavement. Some engine blare appears on acceleration or when straining.
Lexus RX 400h | Back To Top
 Early in 2005, Toyota's luxury division will launch a hybrid-powered version of its smaller sport-utility vehicle, the RX 330. Renamed the RX 400h, this will be the first luxury hybrid vehicle, as well as the most powerful. The RX 400h powertrain will produce 270 peak horsepower, which is nearly 20 percent more than the RX 330's gasoline engine.
Brushed aluminum trim helps give the RX 400h a high-tech image. Ride/handling qualities are expected to mimic the conventional RX 330, which was redesigned in larger form for the 2004 model year.
Toyota Highlander Hybrid | Back To Top
 Toyota itself has a second hybrid coming in early 2005, based on the compact Highlander sport-utility vehicle. Promising a range as great as 600 miles on one tankful of gasoline, the Highlander Hybrid uses a larger-capacity battery than the one in the Prius hatchback. Its electric motor runs twice as fast and put out twice the power.
Equipped with a 270-horsepower V-6 engine, like the Lexus RX 400h, the gasoline/electric Highlander can accelerate to 60 mph in 8 seconds, according to Toyota. All-wheel-drive models will use separate electric motors at each end. Emissions also are reduced, as the Highlander meets SULEV requirements.
Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Hybrid | Back To Top
 At Detroit's North American International Auto Show in January 2003, GM president Rick Wagoner vowed to have seven hybrid vehicles on the market by 2007. Two of them went on sale late in the 2004 model year, initially to fleet buyers. Both are full-size pickup trucks. Technically, they're milder hybrids than the others that are at dealerships.
General Motors claims up to 10-percent mileage improvement, emphasizing the Hybrid's ability to automatically stop and restart the engine, using a compact starter generator. It also provides regenerative braking while coasting. The 5.3-liter V-8 engine in each Hybrid has the same horsepower and torque ratings as its conventional gasoline-model counterpart. When the engine shuts itself off, as promised, you can hardly tell anything has happened.
The EPA estimates that these pickups can reach 18 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway. That would be a 2-mpg improvement in city driving and 1-mpg for highway usage, compared to a Silverado or Sierra with a conventional 5.3-liter V-8 engine.
Scheduled for Later | Back To Top
Plenty of manufacturers have been tinkering with hybrids, but not all of them plan to place such models into production anytime soon. Nissan does have such intentions, for its Altima sedan. A brief drive in an extremely early, cobbled-together Altima Hybrid demonstrated that it's likely to perform capably.
A Mercury Mariner Hybrid will debut in 2006, which is no big surprise since the Mariner is essentially an upscale version of the Ford Escape.
Debates | Back To Top
Some critics have charged that the hybrids that are now on sale do not deliver gas mileage as high as suggested by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Like all figures issued by the EPA, the hybrid mileage numbers are strictly estimates, derived from running vehicles on a dynamometer rather than in real-world driving. The EPA admits that its test procedure tends to give more optimistic results for hybrid-powered vehicles than for regular gasoline models.
Reliability is another concern. In mid-2004, J.D. Power and Associates released its annual Vehicle Dependability Study, which included comments on hybrids. Owners of the 2001 Honda Insight and Toyota Prius reported twice as many engine problems as people with comparable gasoline-engine models. Whether newer models are more trouble-free has not yet been established.
Few would suggest that hybrids are the final answer to the nation's, and the world's, overdependence on fossil fuels. Fuel cells are still under development. Several examples of Honda's FCX are already in daily use by local government agencies. But a practical network of filling stations that can provide hydrogen to fuel-cell vehicles is not likely to emerge in the near future. Biodiesel fuels are under test, but their future is uncertain.
Somewhere, sometime soon, a scientist might be coming close to a high-efficiency propulsion system that no one has thought of, and which does not rely on fossil fuels at all. Until that day arrives, hybrids are doing a credible job of filling the fuel-economy gap.
|
