Jalopnik: hybrid vehicles

Aspen, Durango Two-Mode Hybrid Fuel Economy Hits 20 MPG City, 22 Highway

Andrew Stoy — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:30:00 EDT

Chrysler's actually getting a little non-financiapocalyptic press today with the announcement that the Chrysler Aspen hybrid and Dodge Durango hybrid have managed an EPA-estimated 20 MPG city and 22 MPG highway rating. Coupled to the 5.7L Hemi V8 with cylinder-deactivation capability, the powertrain is good for 385 HP and 380 lb-ft of torque. The two-mode gas-electric hybrid system used in the Aspen and Durango is fundamentally the same as that used in the Chevy Tahoe hybrid and, while not Prius smooth, we can attest to it providing a great blend of performance and economy in our tester. [Chrysler]

Toyota Hybrid Pickup For Emerging Markets?

Andrew Stoy — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:15:00 EDT

[5thgen.org]

Reasons For Buying A Hybrid: The Good, The Bad And The Moronic

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:20:00 EDT

Leave it to The Car Connection's Marty Padgett to dream up a list including seven good reasons for buying a hybrid — we were surprised to see that many. Being professional cynics, we're far more interested in, and familiar with, the six bad reasons he detailed in a piece for PR Newswire. But with the super-exciting hybrid wars on the way at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, we suppose it's about time to bone up on the rationale for hooking up with the hybrid clan. Brief summaries of the points after the jump.

Seven "great" reasons to buy a hybrid

Your old car is busted and you need a new one anyway
You get a tax break with some hybrids
Your employer is a hippy and offers hybrid drivers perks
Hybrids can drive in the high occupancy lanes where you live
Better mileage than your gas guzzler
Hedge your bets against gas prices skyrocketing
Buy a hybrid to send a message to automakers

Six "lousy" reasons to buy a hybrid

You think it will save money right now
By some delusion, you think a hybrid is cheaper to own
You think there's no difference in performance against a normal car
You think you'll get the claimed fuel economy
By some delusion, you think you'll never have to service it
You're buying it as a fashion accessory, thus garnering the full vitriol of the Jalopnik community

Okay, so maybe he didn't say that last part exactly, but you know what we mean. If people are seriously buying hybrids for some of those lousy reasons, we weep for the future of humanity. (Ed: Here's a tissue) [Full article at PRNewswire]

Porsche Goes Green, Builds EVs In 1899, Hybrids In 1901

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:15:00 EDT

At the tender age of 25, well before his work with the Auto Union Type C, Ferdinand Porsche entered the 1900 Paris World Exhibition with his all-electric car after developing the key systems for Jacob Lohner & Company. It was heralded as the "most innovative invention" of the show and consequently orders were filled for 300 of the cars. With 1800 lbs of lead-acid batteries, it's quite amazing the cars would routinely achieve a staggering for the time top speed of 31 mph. Since the motors were an in-wheel system, there was really no problem to include a second set in the back for the purposes of racing.

With Ferdinand at the wheel, the four motor car was a race winner and reached speeds of 37 mph. He would go on to add an on-board generator to another car to provide unlimited range and also predate the Chevy Volt by about 100 years. [CNNMoney] [Porsche]