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The Essential Hybrid Car Handbook: A Buyer's Guide

The Essential Hybrid Car Handbook: A Buyer's Guide
By Nick Yost

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Product Description

A passionate, upbeat and  highly informative look at hybrid cars, their innovative technology, and the cultlike devotion surrounding them.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #967122 in Books
  • Published on: 2006-10-01
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 160 pages

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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Wonder if now is the time to buy a hybrid car?
The Essential Hybrid Car Handbook gives you all the information you need to make a decision. With a thorough comparison of all models on the road today, this one volume covers price, cost-effectiveness, technology, and ecological advantages.
To make sure you have the fullest perspective on all your options, Nick Yos also charts the advantages and disadvantages of every viable alternative fuel - ethanol, biodiesel, hydrogen, natural gas, electricity. And he takes a close look at how the new fuel-sipping minicars stack up against hybrids.

About the Author

Nick Yost has been an automotive columnist for newspapers (Reading [PA] Eagle and Times, Washington Times) and magazines (Men’s Health, Robb Report) for more than thirty years.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Hybrid Car Book EXCERPT
Chapter 1: The Hybrid Phenomenon

When Japanese manufacturer Honda introduced its Insight to the American motorist in December of 1999, it also ushered in a radically different concept in modern automotive transportation – the hybrid car.
The tiny two-seater did not get its power from the usual source, a single internal combustion engine. Instead, it was powered by a one-liter, three-cylinder engine that worked in combination with an electric motor.
The partnership resulted in only 67 horsepower, but that was enough to move the Insight safely on United States roads, to propel it easily to extra-legal speeds, and to return, under ideal circumstances, an unheard-of 70 miles per gallon of ordinary gasoline. Equally important, it belched fewer pollutants into the air than any other production car on the road.
This late 20TH century re-introduction of hybrid power was greeted with a combination of fascination and skepticism The technically curious and environmentally concerned embraced it warmly, but others viewed the Insight as a mere curiosity, a toy of such limited practicality that it would soon be relegated to the trash bin of failed automotive oddities. Only 17 Insights rolled out of the showroom that first month.
Nevertheless, a star had been born. A few months later the Honda Insight was chosen as the pace car for the 2000 Tour de Sol, an annual showcase of the country’s cleanest and most- fuel-efficient cars and trucks and buses. A group of owner-driven Insights also participated in the 292-mile between New York City and Washington, D.C. In the production category, the winning Insight used only 3.5 gallons of gasoline for an average of 83.6 miles per gallon. The production category winner for a single measured portion of the journey was also an Insight which averaged 94 miles per gallon over 68 miles.
Of course, with room for only two and little more than a handful of luggage, the Insight has never sold in numbers greater than a few hundred or at most a few thousand a year. But it remains the fuel efficiency leader, a showcase of Honda know-how and the proof that hybrid power can be a viable alternative to the traditional power plants.
It has also given rise to a cult-like band of owners, most of them enthralled by the technology, who take great pleasure in extracting the maximum amount of mileage from each gallon of fuel – and then telling fellow owners and everyone else how they did it. Their raves are sprinkled throughout hybrid car sites on the internet that are frequented by fellow owner-enthusiasts.
A Family with Insight “My wife, son and I all have been driving Honda Insights since 2000. We have a combined 170,000-plus miles. In the beginning, wow! Silent, fast, comfortable, super handling . . . trips with 60, 70, 80 mpg, one 740-mile fill-up . . . We rarely calculate the gas savings, although we are proud of having bought over 2,800 less gallons of gas in a time which oil has caused so much trouble for so many people.” That enthusiast calls himself Insight Owner about No. 4000.
Then there’s Lynn C. Of Virginia, who wrote: “We bought a Honda Insight about a year ago and love it. We regularly get 65-67 mpg and occasionally get up to 75 mpg … The best thing about our Insight is that we know we are having the least impact possible when we drive.”
Chuck, a Texan, is another Insight enthusiast. “I bought my 2000 Insight September 7, 2000. Five and a half years later and nearly 95,000 miles later, I've had the best experience of the seven cars I've owned - four of them Hondas. . . My lifetime mpg is 57.5, but over the last year it's about 70. Unless it's a very short drive, you have to work to get the mpg under 50mpg. My lifetime mpg is 57.5, but over the last year it's about 70. Unless it's a very short drive, you have to work to get the mpg under 50mpg.”
And so it goes. Lots of positive responses from the committed mixed with an occasional raspberry from a dissatisfied owner.
Prius was No. 1
Although most Americans didn’t realize it at the time, Honda was neither the first, nor the only manufacturer in recent history to see the possibilities of hybrid power. Japanese giant Toyota had been selling its hybrid Prius in Japan since 1997 and was quick to follow Honda to American shores.
With the more user-friendly Prius, a sedan that could hold four adults, interest among the less technically oriented slowly began to pick up. And the converts increased in substantial numbers after Toyota introduced a bigger, more practical Prius for the 2004 model year. By the end of 2005, nearly a dozen hybrid models were on the market in the United States and the total number of hybrid vehicles sold had climbed past 400,000. With gas prices soaring, 2005 alone accounted for more than 200,000 sales. (Insert sales chart here)
J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Forecasting Services predicts that sales of hybrid cars will balloon to more than 856,000 between 2005 and 2013. It also forecasts that number of hybrid models will grow from 11 to 52. But, the analysts noted, that would still represent only 4.7 percent of the annual automotive market.
 
The Cost Conundrum
If there has been one major sticking point, it has been price. Because of the cost of the technology, hybrid vehicles - which range from about $20,000 to more than $60,000 - are priced thousands of dollars higher than their thirstier counterparts. Consumer Reports magazine studied the costs of hybrid ownership compared with similar all-gas models in early 2006 and concluded that after five years of ownership and 75,000 miles only two will enjoy any cost benefits. The owner of a Toyota Prius will save $400, the magazine estimated, and the owner of a Honda Civic Hybrid will save $300. However, four other hybrids had price penalties ranging from $1,900 to $5,500 over the same period of time. Nevertheless, with each new model the technology improves and the engineers at Toyota believe the day will come, perhaps sooner than later, when gas-electric automobiles will be cost competitive with traditionally powered automobiles.
In a separate survey, the editors of Popular Mechanics magazine found some owners have expressed dissatisfaction because their real-world fuel mileage does not match the figures predicted by the Environmental Protection Agency. However, when the editors compared similar hybrid and traditionally powered cars they still found that the hybrids were significantly easier on fuel. For example, a Honda Civic hybrid averaged 39.6 miles per gallon in city driving and 42.7 mpg on the highway. That compared with 33.6 mpg around town and 36.3 mpg on the open road. (Insert cost chart here.)
Still, the cost comparisons may be missing the point. Surveys of hybrid-car buyers have shown repeatedly that price is not the primary factor in their purchase decision. Saving money on gas, the environment, the diminished use of fossil fuels, the interesting technology – all are greater factors than the actual cost of the car.
The owner of a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid who lists himself only as Nick, of Indianapolis, believes that the cost issue should be viewed in an entirely different context.
“Hybrid should just be viewed as another option, like a leather interior, sunroof, four-wheel drive or a navigation system,” he says. “People never question drivers of cars with these options about when they will pay for themselves. It is just a lifestyle choice.”
Cheers from the Owners Arlene Sheff wasn’t really looking for a new car. But the professional psychotherapist from Columbia, Md., was struck by one particular topic while attending a forum on women’s issues: “What is our legacy to our grandchildren?” “That’s when I decided that I must do something for the environment.” she recalled. “That would be my contribution.” That decision led her to a nearby Toyota dealership, where she took a test drive and then placed her order for a fully equipped 2006 Prius, a mid-size sedan with a Toyota Camry-size interior and a hybrid power plant. “I thought the car was fun . . . Its size felt right and it has a lot of really good features . . . and I also like that it will get great gas mileage.” But what about cost, the idea that she will have to drive 15,000 miles a year for five years to recoup the several-thousand-dollar premium over a similarly equipped automobile with a traditional engine? “I didn’t worry about the cost,” she said. “My concern is about the environment.” For the record, figures supplied by the U.S. Department of Energy indicate that her Prius will emit 3.4 tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere annually, a far cry from the 6.6 tons a Camry will spew from its tailpipe.
Another Maryland resident, Renee Lowden, decided to buy her Toyota Prius about two years after her husband, Michael, purchased his Honda Civic Hybrid. “My husband bought his car because of his concern for the environment,” she explained. “That’s a concern of mine, too, but my main reason is to reduce our dependence on oil. It’s unconscionable the way we say we don’t want to be dependent and then we go ahead and use it without changing our habits.
She said the change to hybrid power has had a marked effect on her driving habits. “I’m the one going up the hill at three miles and hour and down the hill at 90 miles an hour,” she joked.
She keeps a close check on her fuel usage and was disappointed when the trip computer told her she was averaging only 41 or 42 miles per gallon. But she soon brightened. “When I filled up the tank, I figured out the mileage for myself and found I ...

Customer Reviews

South Park was Wrong! Hybrids, and This Book, are Cool!5
Seems the boys from South Park got it all wrong. Hybrid car owners aren't smug, they're cool! And this is the book that certifies their coolness. In addition, it tells in vital detail everything you want to know about the Hybrid car industry, how these vehicles work, their pluses and their few negatives. Well written and entertaining, the strength of the book is that it's not a political statement saying something like "you should buy these crappy cars to save a tree" but is more a veteran, gas-combustion addicted gearhead saying "what do you know, these smooth, clean, gas $$$ saving babies work great and here's precisely why."
Anybody considering buying one of these vehicles - or those who already own one - should absolutely buy this definative book. - Dary Matera

excellent resource for hybrid car purchasers4
This is an excellent, clearly written book that brings together lots of different details about hybrid cars, all in one place. I would also recommend "Plug-In Hybrids: The Cars that will Recharge America" for some more information on hybrids around the world, and the new feature of converting a hybrid into a plug-in hybrid.

Interesting book stuffed with information4
This is a very good book and I read it from cover to cover as soon as I got it. The author summarizes the various hybrid technologies and then dives into a model by model analysis of what was available at the time of writing, 2006, and as far into the future as the car manufacturers would let him peek.

There are two caveats however. This book may not age well as the information is so specific to current hybrid offerings, and more awkwardly, all of his MPG ratings are in a now-obsolete scheme. As of 2008 ALL fuel economy ratings have been recalculated using new formulas. For instance, the Toyota Prius, formerly rated at 60/51 city/hwy is now recalculated to 48/45. So none of the MPG values shown in this book will be found on any new car stickers you'll on the lot as of late 2007. These new numbers are said to reflect actual consumer experience more accurately.

That said, comparing MPG's for various vehicles within the book to each other is still perfectly valid. Or you can convert these old numbers to new using calculators on the www.fueleconomy.gov site.