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Prius Ownwers
Hybrid Hype and a Small Price Hike
Drive by any car lot in the United States and ask to see the latest hybrid car models. Don’t be stupefied if eight out of ten tell you that they can’t seem to keep them on the lot—that they’re just selling too fast! There is reasoning behind the hype: consumers believe in one (or all) of three things, that they’re going to be getting a better deal once gas prices hit $2.50 a gallon, that they’re not sacrificing performance and that they’re helping the environment. Let’s first take a look at how these cars are put together ...
Author: Michael Walker
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The Hybrid Car
A hybrid car has a small engine
that is fuel efficient, which is combined with an electric motor
that aids the engine when additional power is needed during
acceleration. The electric motor gets its power from battery banks
which continuously charge while you are driving.
Energy is conserved when you stop because the engine is shut off
automatically. Then, when you apply gas, it automatically restarts.
The hybrid car also uses a more advanced aerodynamic lightweight
body, and combines it with low roll resistant tires that are stiffer
and narrower to help reduce drag.
In 2004, out of the 17 million vehicles sold there were around
80,000 hybrid vehicles sold. By 2005 that number had increased by
1.2% to 200,000, and it's estimated that by 2007 more than 400,000
hybrids will be sold.
There are several hybrids currently available in North America. They
include the Honda Civic, Honda Accord, Honda Insight, Toyota Prius,
and the Mercury Mariner. There are also Hybrid SUVs available - the
Ford Escape, the Lexus 400H and the Toyota Highlander, and many new
models are on the way.
The Toyota Prius holds 52% of the hybrid market with just under
108,000 vehicles. The Honda Civic is the next most popular with
25,000 vehicles.
Now that consumer support for the hybrids has arrived, auto
manufacturers are increasing the pace at which they introduce hybrid
models. Just starting to come out are the Honda CR V SUV, Saturn Vue,
Hyundai Accent, and Kia Rio are being introduced as hybrid models.
In 2007 we will see the Toyota Camry, Honda Fit, Mazda Tribute,
Chevrolet Malibu, and Nissan Altima; and 2008 will see the Ford
Fusion and Mercury Millan available as hybrids.
And as an added bonus in the United States, consumers that purchase
a hybrid will get a tax break. Those purchasing fuel-cell vehicles
will get up to $8000 in tax breaks, and those purchasing alternative
fuel vehicles that weigh less than 8,500 pounds get a $2500 tax
break. It's a nice pleasant surprise!
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Article of the
Day:
How Hybrid Cars Work
From the first moment you step into a hybrid car, you will notice that a multitude of things are vastly different than your conventional vehicle. Turn the ignition key, and you will notice just how quiet these things are. For example, if you happen to be sitting in a Toyata Prius the car's electric generator will quietly fire up the conventional internal combustion engine, or "ICE". As the ICE comes up to operating temperature it will automatically be shut off, which brings the car's electr ...
Author: Thomas Manning
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Prius Ownwers: Gotta-Have-It-Now Buyers Pay a Premium for Used Prius
LOS ANGELES -- Toyota's gasoline-electric hybrid Prius sedan has become such a hit that owners are listing their used models for sale at higher prices than for a new one.A used 2004 or 2005 Toyota Prius can sell for $1,000 to $3,000 over the sticker price of a new one, Kelley Blue Book reports.
Prius prone to crashes
If it can be hacked, it can be crashed — in both senses. A few months ago, SvN pointed to a report of Prius owners hacking their hybrids for big mileage gains. Now, in a separate matter, there are indications that some Toyota Priuses from 2004 and early 2005 have been experiencing “a software problem” that causes engine stalling — a fairly nontrivial inconvenience, I’d imagine. Appropriately, the glitches were first reported via online forums. Luckily, no one was hurt, and the software can be upgraded. (Cue jokes about Prius Service Pack 1.)
Toyota Prius marktleider in het particuliere D-segment
Veel autokopers zijn overtuigd van de kracht van de Toyota Prius. De auto scoorde onder particuliere kopers in zijn marktsegment het hoogste marktaandeel in 2005. Niet minder dan 12% segmentaandeel wordt door de Prius opgeeist.
Prius is Crashing at Highway Speeds
Actually, its the software that's crashing, not the cars, but we scared you, didn't we? According to a WSJ report, some 2004 and 2005 Priuses—Priusii?—are failing at high speeds due to a system error causing stalling and other nastiness. Toyota spokesman Sam Butto told the newspaper the auto manufacturer identified a "programming error" in the computer systems of 23,900 Prius cars last year and sent owners a service notice advising them to bring the cars into dealers for an hour-long software upgrade. Can't they just send them a CD? Pop it into the stereo and upload the warez? Auto industry, are you listening? Prius hybrids dogged by software [CNN]
Toyota Recalls 75,000 Prius Hybrids (AP)
<p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mostviewed/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051013/ap_on_bi_ge/prius_recall"><img src="http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/afp/20051014/capt.sge.rbr44.141005044516.photo00.photo.default-384x218.jpg?x=130&y=73&sig=GBZbmFkRaf65UE05VVZs1w--" align="left" height="73" width="130" alt="Toyota's gasoline-electric powered Prius (L). Toyota Motor has issued a recall for about 160,000 Prius cars sold mainly in the United States and Japan due to a potential software glitch that may cause sales of the hybrid to stall(AFP/File/Kazuhiro Nogi)" border="0" /></a>AP - Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it is recalling 75,000 Prius gas-electric hybrid cars because their engines can stall due to an electrical problem.</p><br clear=all>
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