Honda To Build Hybrid Motorcycles.
Honda Motor Co., the world’s leading motorcycle manufacturer, announced recently that it will be producing gas-electric motorcycle that would use a hybrid drivetrain. Fifty percent fuel economy is expected from the hybrid model. Honda plans to use lithium-ion batteries that will provide a range of about 60 miles. The range of the motorcycle is expected to be 30 kilometers in one charge.
Toyota Testing Plugin Hybrid in Europe
Toyota and EDF (Électricité de France) has had a partnership to test plug-in hybrid Prius vehicles (PHEV) for over a year now. The testing is now expanding to the UK. The hybrids will be driven by EDF employees and tested under everyday driving conditions. To make charging the cars easier, EDF has helped install 40 charging stations across UK. The plug-in hybrid currently uses 60 percent less fuel than a conventional Prius during short trips (less than 25 km).
Toyota to boost Hybrid Prius production by 70%
Toyota plans to increase its Prius hybrid car production by 70%, bringing the production to a total of 480 000 units per year. Toyota build its gasoline-electric car production mostly in its Tsutsumi plant in central Japan. Toyota sold 281,300 Prius cars worldwide in 2007. Toyota is the world’s largest auto maker. It cannot make enough hybrid models to meet the demand. Toyota has a goal of selling at least 1 million hybrid vehicles annually soon after 2010.
Hybrid Combined With Solar Power
Prius is the high-end models of Toyota hybrid cars, and it is planned to add solar-powered air conditioning to make it more fuel efficient. This new feature is part of the third-generation Prius, and it will be launched next year. The solar panels will be used to provide the air conditioning system. There has been some doubts about the amount of electricity that can be obtained by solar panels. According to Kentaro Endo, a specialist on renewable energy from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, laying solar panels out on the roof only gives energy that can only be used to power 2 hairdryers.
Get A Hybrid Car
The gas price is going up and commuting is questionable, it’s time to get to know how hybrid cars work. With automobile gasoline engines the gas consumption is very high, and these engines are designed for peak power demands. So, you can imagine how driving around the city, and waiting at red lights feel like.
But hybrids use a battery-powered electric motor in low-power situations, and uses a gas engine in high-power situations. It switches back and forth automatically according to the power demand. The gas engine is switched off at red lights. The battery will be recharged by the gas engine. When you use your brakes the generators attached to the brakes turns the braking momentum into electricity for battery charging, which is normally lost as heat. You not only save some money, but also protect the environment.
Greenest Vehicles of 2008
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) chose Honda Civic GX as the greenest vehicle of the year. Civic GX won the title for fifth consecutive year. Natural gas-powered Civic GX ranked first with the gasoline Civic, Fit and Civic Hybrid joining the list of the 12 most environmentally-conscious vehicles available to the public. This is the eighth year in a row that a Honda vehicle received the number one ranking.
