Ford Hybrid Emphasizes High Mileage

DETROIT — With gas prices below $2 a gallon, it would seem an inopportune time for the Ford Motor Company to introduce a hybrid sedan.

But at 41 miles per gallon in city driving and 36 miles per gallon on the highway, Ford is confident that its Fusion Hybrid will make an impression in the marketplace.

“The mileage is a real grabber to the customer,” said Mark Fields, president of Ford’s Americas division.

The midsize Fusion sedan is Ford’s strongest effort yet to break the dominance of Japanese automakers in hybrid passenger cars. The Fusion’s mileage beats the 33 miles per gallon in the city and 34 miles on highways of the Camry hybrid from Toyota.

And while the Toyota Prius has better mileage, the Fusion is a midsize car rather than a compact like the Prius.

Ford has set a modest sales target of about 25,000 vehicles a year for the Fusion hybrid and the nearly identical Mercury Milan.

Even so, the potential payoff to Ford is not limited to sales in the showroom, said one analyst.

“It’s a halo vehicle, but not a halo performance car like a Shelby Mustang or a Corvette,” said Erich Merkle of the consulting firm Crowe Horwath in Grand Rapids, Mich. “This is a green halo vehicle.”

Detroit’s Big Three came under a barrage of criticism when they went to Washington in November seeking financial help.

The barbs from lawmakers about Detroit’s history of poor products were particularly stinging to Ford, which did not ask for immediate government assistance as General Motors and Chrysler did.

Introducing a best-in-class hybrid will help the company prove its competitiveness, said Mr. Merkle. “Gas prices are low, but when you look at the political environment, this car couldn’t have come at a better time,” he said.

Still, the Fusion will face certain challenges.

Consumers have flocked to the Prius partly because it does not share its design with any other Toyota models. The distinctive look of the Prius is a rolling advertisement for the fuel-conscious owner.

Also, hybrid versions of larger cars and sport utility vehicles have yet to catch on in a meaningful way in the market.

Mr. Fields said the Fusion’s capabilities should more than make up for its mainstream looks.

The Fusion will be adorned with small “road and leaf” badges that establish its green credentials, but in an understated way.

“Our approach is not to make a hybrid vehicle that looks Nascar in terms of the badges on it,” he said. “We want it to make a statement with its value to the customer.”

The Fusion Hybrid will go on sale in the spring with a price tag of about $27,000, Mr. Fields said. That compares favorably with hybrid versions of the Camry and G.M.’s Chevrolet Malibu.

The Fusion, however, beats both on fuel-economy ratings, even though it has a slightly larger gasoline engine.

Ford said the Fusion can travel more than 700 miles on a single tank of gas. It is equipped with a smaller, nickel-metal hydride battery that produces 20 percent more power than the company’s previous hybrid system used on the Escape S.U.V.

“It’s a new chemistry that has allowed us to reduce the size of the battery, yet get more power,” said Nancy Gioia, director of Ford’s hybrid systems program.

The car can reach speeds up to 47 miles per hour strictly in electric-drive mode. “Many people drive on roads with 45 miles-per-hour speed limits, so we think that’s the sweet spot for the car,” said Ms. Gioia.

Ford has also developed a braking system that captures more than 90 percent of the energy normally lost through friction during braking.

Mr. Fields said the Fusion hybrid is important to Ford’s overall goal of being viewed as a leader in automotive technology, not a follower of foreign competitors. “It’s all about bringing innovations to the marketplace, which Ford had done for many years,” he said. “For a period of time, we lost that leadership and we want it back.”

A Case Of Jaguar Crying Wolf?

We all love buying a new car. The smell of the leather, the power in the engine, the feeling of hard cash being spent on a sort of status symbol.

Unfortunately, not many of us are buying new cars. In fact no one is buying a car. Not here. Not in America or Europe, in fact, hardly anywhere around the world.

Since June manufacturers have noticed a steep decline in sales. They are in need of help, they say.

Truck technology

Trucks are large and powerful for a reason: They are designed to haul heavy loads and pull trailers. Their sheer size translates to more mass, which in turn means a less-efficient vehicle even when empty.

The formula in the old days was to use a more powerful engine tuned for pulling performance without much regard for fuel mileage. These days, automakers know their biggest vehicles are the biggest consumers and are working to make them more refined and efficient.

Here’s a look at current and future technology Big Three engineers are employing in light-duty pickups and truck-based SUVs.

Engine refinements once reserved for high-end luxury and performance autos are finding their way into truck power plants. Variable valve timing optimizes the amount of fuel and air that enters the combustion chambers depending on need and has been incorporated in the next-generation 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 engine in Dodge trucks and by General Motors in a new 6.2-liter V-8. Ford also uses variable valve timing in the Triton 5.3-liter V-8 as well as a freer-breathing three-valve-per-cylinder arrangement. Each of the Big Three’s truck engine offerings includes E85-capable V-8s.

Cylinder deactivation is another technology seeing increasingly widespread use in the truck world with Chrysler’s multidisplacement system and General Motors’ active fuel management on select engines. It takes a lot more power to get a vehicle rolling than it does to maintain a steady speed, so these systems seamlessly make V-8s run on four cylinders in low-demand situations. A new Dodge Ram can cruise at up to 70 miles per hour in four-cylinder mode.

While Ford does not offer a cylinder deactivation system, it does have a deceleration fuel shut off feature to help save gas when the driver is off the throttle. Taking that a step further, GM and Chrysler have both toyed with a mild hybrid feature in trucks, now sometimes referred to as auto stop/start. Consisting of a starter/generator and larger battery pack, these systems completely shut off the engine when coming to a stop and use that rolling and braking energy to recharge the batteries. The engine remains stopped for up to several minutes while batteries run the accessories, and the system automatically restarts the engine when the driver lifts his or her foot off the brake pedal. Expect this technology to make a comeback in trucks.

Ford and GM are also successfully coupling larger V-8s to new six-speed automatic transmissions, allowing them to use higher rear axle ratios that increase fuel efficiency by reducing engine speed.

Aside from engine and powertrain technology, aerodynamics is another area where the battle between truck makers has heated up. Aerodynamic enhancements, as well as the use of some reduced weight components, are the basis for two new fuel-saving packages by Ford and GM. Ford’s SFE (superior fuel economy) and GM’s XFE (for extra fuel economy) pickups both claim 15 mpg city and 21 mpg highway.

For 2009, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups will be offered in hybrid versions. This two-mode hybrid system was jointly developed with Chrysler and BMW and will find its way into Dodge Ram 1500 pickups for the 2010 model year. It is already available in Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Cadillac Escalade, Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen full-size SUVs.

Unlike other hybrids, the two-mode system is designed for vehicles that need a lot of capability. It’s powerful enough to run a full-size truck up to 30 miles per hour on electric power alone, and the electric drive can be automatically bypassed for pure mechanical power in situations of high demand like towing and hauling. The manufacturers claim a 40 percent fuel savings in the city and 25 percent overall.

Diesels have been the engines of choice in heavy-duty trucks for their greater fuel mileage and better torque characteristics, but a diesel in a light-duty pickup has been rare. That’s about to change with GM’s announcement of a 4.5-liter V-8 diesel slated for light trucks in 2010. Dodge Ram 1500 will also see the availability of smaller light-duty diesel from partner Cummins after 2010.

Ford hasn’t released a lot of details, but a new clean diesel engine is planned for the F-150 in 2010. Additionally, the 2010 F-150 will see another promising new engine, a twin-turbocharged, gasoline direct-injection V-6. Called EcoBoost, this technology isn’t exclusive to Ford but it might be the first to bring it to market in a wide array of vehicles. While some old-school truckers might be skeptical, this engine sounds ideally suited for truck use, with V-6 fuel economy and high torque that rivals a V-8. The torque is available at lower engine speeds, much like a diesel.

LA Auto Show: Lexus’ popular pug goes mainstream

Since every other review of Lexus’ debut of their 2010 RX line will focus on the fact that 20 years ago this fall Lexus introduced their “L” logo (but no car) to the public , we’ll skip that part and go directly to the part where we tell you the quirky styling of the RX line is no more. Buying a 2010 RX 350 or RX 450h will now net you what appears to be only a slight variation of the 2009 Toyota Venza in the front, and some amalgamation of a Mazda CX-9/Buick Enclave in the rear.

Yes, the styling is handsome, but gone are the progressive, swooping headlights and the bug-eyed taillights that set this precedent-setting car-based SUV apart from its competitors. It will be a lot harder to distinguish your Lex at the mall parking lot now. It will, however, be marginally easier to distinguish the RX 350 from its ecologically compassionate brother the RX 450h…

…as the hybrid version has its own grill, front bumper, badges, wheels and headlights that mimic those found on the Lexus LS 600h.

Under the hood, the 450h’s compassion manifests itself in an all-new 3.5-liter V6 gas engine paired with a Lexus Hybrid Drive system for a total of 295 hp, up 27 from the current 400h. Lexus says they’ve added a few more tricks involving the exhaust (no, not a turbo) that give an 8% increase over the 400h’s fuel economy. Based on EPA estimates, this means a jump from 25 mpg to 27 mpg (combined).

For 2010, the RX 350 engine is massaged for an extra 5 hp, bringing its total to 275. The 350 also gets an upgraded tranny, in the form of a 6-speed automatic.

Head inside and you find what appears to have been the runner-up in the Venza styling competition, and not in a good way. It looks like Lexus designers tried to distinguish between what the driver could touch and what the front passenger could touch, like children fighting over space in the back seat…don’t cross this line.

What everyone will want to touch is what Lexus calls “Remote Touch.” It looks like someone super-glued a roller-ball mouse to the center console, right where the driver would rest his or her hand. Your thumb rests on a large ‘Enter’ button, and your index and middle finger control a stubby, square joystick-like piece. Above your fingers are buttons for ‘Menu,’ ‘Map’ and toggle buttons.

If the actual device works like the model Lexus had on hand to try out, this could easily be the interior’s high point. The joystick controller has just enough friction to maintain control while driving down the road, and better yet, the tension on the controller is adjustable in case you’ve had one cafe latte too many.

Lexus says the RX has been the best-selling luxury SUV on the market, which is true if you ignore the fact that the government considers it a crossover. Now that the styling has gone mainstream, these figures shouldn’t be hard to maintain. We’ll just miss the pug styling.

--David Undercoffler

Asus N50V 15.4-inch Laptop

Another N-Series laptop from Asus is the stylish N50V, a 15.4 inch laptop which suits students and home users that require a powerful multimedia experience and doesn’t mind having to hard over a few extra pennies.

The Latest edition to the Asus N-Series, the N50V boasts a “SHE” which is a Super Hybrid Engine that consists of the “EPU” Energy Processing Unit, and the Power4 Gear Hybrid which brings up to thirty percent extra battery life.

Spec wise the Asus N50V offers an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9400/P8600/P7350, NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS with 512MB VRAM graphics, 4GB of DDR2 RAM<>

Ford touts 2010 fuel efficiency; adds Fusion, Milan engine choices

Ford Motor Co. on Wednesday laid the groundwork for the launch of its 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan early next year by announcing one of its most fuel-efficient powertrain lineups for a new-car model.

"Nobody is going to surpass us," Barb Samardzich, vice president of Ford's powertrain product development, told a group of journalists during a meeting at Ford's product development center.

The Fusion and Milan will have a choice of gas-powered engines designed to rival or surpass the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

The Fusion and Milan are made in Mexico, where Ford announced Wednesday that Louise Gueser, 55, its top executive there, would retire. She will be replaced by Eduardo Serrano, 49, Ford's chief operating officer in the region.

Ford's all-new Duratec 2.5-liter I-4 engine, for example, will offer at least 2 m.p.g. better fuel efficiency than the Camry and 3 m.p.g. better efficiency than the Accord, Ford says. It will also produce 175 horsepower.

All are paired with six-speed transmissions for up to a 10% fuel-economy improvement, Samardzich said. There are also a host of other engineering improvements to save fuel, such as aggressive deceleration fuel shut-off and adaptive spark recognition.

The Fusion and Milan will also offer Ford's next-generation hybrid system, which Ford says offers 5 m.p.g. better fuel efficiency than the Camry hybrid.

Ford says the new system features more seamless driving and can operate in electric mode at speeds of up to 47 m.p.h. with a range of more than 700 miles of city driving on a single tank of gas.

"This is 100% Ford technology, and we are super-proud of that," said Nancy Gioia, Ford's director of sustainable-mobility technologies and hybrid vehicle programs. "We are very committed to electrification."

The new system will also feature Ford's new SmartGauge with EcoGuide, an instrument cluster with colorful, high-resolution LCD graphics that provide real-time information to help drivers maximize fuel efficiency.

The guide coaches drivers to drive their hybrid for better fuel savings, adding leaves to a colorful display vine as one drives more efficiently.

Samardzich also noted that the company is reconsidering its commitment to diesel engines.

Even though Ford had planned to offer a diesel engine in the light-duty F-150, she said the high price of diesel fuel -- combined with the cost of the engine -- prompted the change.

"It's a hard value equation," she said.

Separately, Ford is among companies whose earnings may decline the most because of pension-fund deficits spurred by the tumble in global equities this year, according to Morgan Stanley.

Ford may take a 36-cent hit to per-share results in 2009, Morgan Stanley strategist Abhijit Chakrabortti wrote.

Pension-plan shortfalls may force companies to add cash to their funds, reducing liquidity at a time when credit markets are tight, Chakrabortti wrote in a note dated Tuesday.

Elsewhere, Ford Credit said it was granted access to the U.S. Federal Reserve's new short-term funding facility, joining GMAC LLC.

The financing arm has the program "available to us to use if we choose," said spokeswoman Meredith Libbey in an interview. She declined to provide further details.

Hybrid technology on fast track

As the owner of Salt Lake City-based Corsa Motorsports and the co-developer of an ecologically friendly car he has started racing in the American Le Mans Series, Steve Pruitt has two goals.
No. 1, he wants to win races.
No. 2, he wants to make the world a better place by refining the energy-saving technology used to power his car.
"I absolutely believe we are onto something that has some social relevance," Pruitt said. "Down the road, I think there will be a number of commercial applications."
Said American Le Mans president Scott Atherton: "As concerns over oil, energy and climate change continue to play prominently in headlines around the world, here is an example of a practical, real-world advancement that will be tested and developed in the most extreme environment."
Pruitt's hybrid, developed in partnership with the British-based Zytek Group, includes an ethanol-fueled internal combustion engine and an electric engine powered by an experimental lithium-ion battery.
The hybrid competed in this weekend's Monterrey (Calif.) Sports Car Championships. It debuted two weeks ago in the Petit Le Mans in Atlanta, where it was running beyond expectations until a suspension failure caused a crash.
"We never saw the car before [the race]," Pruitt said. "It was flown into us. We unbolted it and qualified 17th. . . . We were

---

going about 260 mph when something snapped and we hit the wall."
The $1.6 million car was severely damaged, but his team rebuilt it in time for the final race of the American Le Mans season in California.
"It was a huge task," Pruitt said, "because the parts for this car aren't found down at Napa. These are more like aerospace parts."
Pruitt's journey into the world of sports began at New Mexico Highlands. He quarterbacked a small-college national championship team and was a teammate of future NFL stars Don Woods and Carl Garrett, who became the 1969 Rookie of the Year in a close vote over O.J. Simpson.
Pruitt's involvement in auto racing started in 1975, when he bought stock in the original Long Beach Grand Prix.
"There was a certain cachet, a certain intrigue about Grand Prix racing and I wanted to be part of it," he explained.
Eventually, Pruitt said, "I had to drive. I was working in real estate, but I quit to go to driver's school. I thought I had the talent."
After driving open-wheel race cars for three years - and after the premature birth of a son in 1982 - Pruitt returned to real estate and ended up working for Adnan Khashoggi, who built the Triad Center and tried to purchase 50 percent of the Utah Jazz in 1984.
In that job, Pruitt met world-famous race car drivers Niki Lauda and John Watson.
"Those guys befriended me," said Pruitt, who was again bitten by the racing bug.
Over the years, Pruitt started driving again and finally became a car owner. Last spring, he was in Long Beach with two Ferraris he was running on the Rolex Grand Am Series when he heard the Zytek Group was looking for a partner for its Le Mans hybrid.
"It was so intriguing, I immediately went to the U.K.," Pruitt said. "And, when I saw the program, I couldn't say no to such a challenge."
Pruitt purchased exclusive rights to develop the car, which produces 800 horse power and will cost between $15 million and $20 million a year to race in the American Le Mans Series.
"It's like owning a pro sports franchise," said Pruitt, who believes his car will be a technological and competitive success.
"I know what winning a [championships] ring is all about, and I'd like another one."

Audi A1 Sportback

Small is in all over the world these days, and Audi is using the A1 to push down-market and battle Mini and the BMW 1 Series in this emerging niche of petite premium cars. Audi's future vision for the category is the plug-in hybrid A1 Sportback concept, which the company says could travel up to 160 km at speeds "considerably more than" 96 km/h on electric power alone.

If Audi turns this concept into reality, it would blow away the 2011 Chevrolet Volt's 65 km electric only range.

The A1 Sportback is a four-door hatchback. A three-door hatchback A1 concept debuted at last year's Tokyo Motor Show.

The Sportback concept uses a 1.4-litre engine in conjunction with a battery-powered electric motor to drive 177 horsepower and 288 pounds-feet of torque through the front wheels. The lithium-ion batteries that store electric power can be recharged by plugging into a power outlet.

The production A1 is expected to go on sale next year, but there's no word yet on when or if this hybrid version will find its way to market.

Volt plug-in hybrid due on sale in 2010

The 16kW/hr lithium-ion battery can be fully charged from 240 volt mains electricity in three hours and offers up to 40 miles of electric-only running. When its charge is depleted, a small petrol engine running on E85 bio-ethanol charges the battery while simultaneously providing current to the 150hp/273lb ft electric drive motor.

The highly aerodynamic car is based on the same basic architecture as the Vauxhall Astra and could even be built alongside the Astra at the company's Ellesmere Port factory.

Unlike conventional battery cars, the Volt will not leave you stranded at the side of the road with a depleted battery and GM reckons the cost of charging at current rates will be less than that of a cup of coffee and a daily charge will use less electricity than a household fridge. The Volt should cost just over a penny a mile to run and costs will be even less if the battery is charged with off-peak electricity.

The Volt goes into production at GM's Detroit-Hamtramck plant in late 2010 for the US market and discussions are underway about European production.

Mercedes' first hybrid is also first with lithium ion

After years of claiming that blue is the new green (in reference to its BlueTec diesel developments), Mercedes-Benz has taken a side step and introduced a hybrid to the market, the S 400 BlueHybrid. The modified S-Class sedan benefits from the addition of Mercedes' first hybrid drivetrain and the world's first implementation of a lithium ion battery in a production vehicle.

The battery, which makes this whole deal possible, is remarkable in that it's surprisingly compact thanks to lithium ion tech. The entire assembly is only slightly larger than a standard 12-volt car battery. The small size allows the battery to be located in the engine bay, where it replaces the conventional starter battery. This underhood placement, as opposed to a huge NiMH battery under the floor or in the center tunnel, means the S 400 BlueHybrid doesn't sacrifice interior or trunk space in the name of economy.

The modified V6 engine that powers the BlueHybrid has been "hybrid-ized" with the addition of a 20 horsepower disc shaped electric motor that is sandwiched between the gasoline powerplant and the 7G-Tronic automatic transmission, which produces 188 foot-pounds of torque. The electric motor boosts the output of the gasoline engine, but most of the efficiency gains are attributed to the way the electric motor works with the engine start-stop function. With the electric motor working as a starter, the engine can be shut off at speeds below 9 mph and instantly spun back up when it's time to go back onto gasoline power. Working together, the gas and electric powerplants generate 299 horsepower and 285 foot-pounds of torque and a pretty good combined fuel economy of 29 mpg. The S 400 BlueHybrid sits somewhere between the Lexus LS 600h L and the Toyota Prius on the gas-electric performance scale.

nside the cabin, the S 400 BlueHybrid gets the requisite drivetrain monitoring displays that most hybrids seem to come with these days. Upon closer inspection, we see that the entire speedometer has been replaced by an LCD, while the rest of the gauges (tachometer, fuel, temp, and so on.) remain traditional.

Looking at the horsepower, torque, and fuel economy numbers again, it's fairly obvious that the primary goal of the hybrid system is to boost the performance and economy as opposed to push hybrid technology to new levels of efficiency. It's fairly obvious that Mercedes hasn't stopped believing in the merits of the diesel powered engine, because they've essentially recreated diesel performance with the hybrid drivetrain.

Mazda to show Kiyora concept, MX-5 face-lift in Paris

While Mazda waits on the cost of batteries to decrease before entering the hybrid/electric-vehicle market, the company is focusing on increasing the fuel economy of their standard internal combustion powered vehicles. The Kiyora concept, set to be officially revealed at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, is a lightweight, urban compact concept car that showcases Mazda's developments in the area of efficiency.

Mazda Kiyora (meaning "clean and pure" in Japanese) is equipped with Mazda's next generation four-cylinder direct injection engine and features the company's Smart Idle Stop System to boost fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions. Mazda also claims the Kiyora features improved aerodynamic performance and an all-new platform designed to maximize weight reduction and a high level of safety.

Since the Kiyora is just a concept vehicle that most likely no one will ever drive, Mazda can claim whatever it pleases. However, the Kiyora likely represents the broad strokes of Mazda's future design and engine tech direction for the Mazda3, so it's worth investigation.

Mazda also plans to reveal the face-lifted Mazda MX-5, which has already leaked onto the Internet, and two new diesel vehicles, the Mazda6 equipped with Mazda's newly developed MZR-CD 2.2-liter turbo diesel engine and the Mazda2 powered by a MZ-CD 1.6-liter diesel engine.

Hybrids a wise choice, constantly improving

A hybrid? You want to drive a hybrid? You want to save money at the fuel pump and do your bit to save the planet, too? So you're going to buy a hybrid?

Be careful.

Some hybrids do get excellent fuel economy and almost all of them are better for the planet than most comparably-sized, strictly gasoline-powered vehicles. Hybrids are better than diesels from a "green" perspective, too.

Yes, fuel economy is 25-40 per cent better with a diesel over the same sized gasoline vehicle, but even the cleanest diesel is 50 per cent dirtier than, say, a Toyota Prius ($27,600) - the poster child for hybrid driving. Diesels are not yet good for the planet, though the technology to make them so is possible and being developed.

The point is, most hybrids take you farther and use less fuel than their gas-only counterparts. In some cases they cost less, too.

According to a recent study by the British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA), some hybrids will save you thousands of dollars after five years of driving. Others will cost you more to run than a conventionally powered vehicle.

The trick here is to shop wisely and run the numbers. If you don't, you might find that your favorite hybrid, dollar-for-dollar, does not make cents. The question you need to answer: Will you recoup the hybrid premium by buying much less fuel and benefiting from government subsidies?

If it were just a matter of calculating fuel costs, all this would be quite easy. But it's not. There are those provincial tax rebates and the outgoing federal ecoAuto subsidy scheme to consider. And together they can be worth up to $5,000 off the cost of a hybrid.

The type of driving you do also matters. Commuters who spend long hours on the highway are probably better off driving a small car with a gas engine. For well under $20,000 - under $15,000 if you shop carefully - it is easy to find a compact or subcompact car with superb real-world fuel economy.

The wild card in all this is that for many, many people buying a car is as more an ego-driven decision, less so a financial one. Hybrids have their own special appeal because they push the "green" button - they speak of environmental sensitivity. The genius of the Prius is that strangers see it as not just a commuter car, but an environmental statement.
That's why Toyota Motor Corp. has sold more than a million Prius hatchbacks and it's why the Prius remains the top-selling hybrid in the world with some 200,000 sold last year in North America alone.

Toyota had the smarts to make the Prius look far different from anything else in the Toyota lineup. In addition, the car is bullet-proof. Several quality studies show that the Prius just does not break, even after several years of driving.

Speaking of which, the driving experience inside the Prius is unique. The gear shifter is mounted on the dash, the speedometer is in the centre and there's a giant screen showing you how much fuel you're saving every second.

Unfortunately, the interior feels cheap and space is cramped. Toyota clearly cut corners on cabin materials to recoup some of the cost of that expensive power train. Actually, that's two power trains - one gasoline and the other electric with a full battery pack.

And like all hybrids, the Prius does not do its best work on the open highway. Hybrids really save you money in stop-and-go city commuting thanks to electric motors that do the work at low speeds and computer controls that turn off the gas engine entirely when the car is stopped in traffic or just purring along slowly as an electric car.

Constant stopping allows the onboard batteries to recharge. With the gas engine off, emissions are cut substantially.

Some hybrids also have the electric motor kick in with some power assist in highway driving. The Honda Civic hybrid (which uses a different system than Toyota) does this. This is also why the General Motors Corp. pair of hybrid SUVs - the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon - achieve good highway fuel economy numbers.

Performance-oriented hybrids such as the Lexus GS 450h and the discontinued Honda Accord hybrid are less fuel thrifty and unlikely to deliver a payoff at the pump. The instant snap of torque feels great when you goose the throttle, but using the electric motors for performance eliminates the fuel economy benefit.

Then we have these so-called "mild" hybrids. GM's Saturn Vue and Aura Green Line and Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid deliver some fuel economy savings as a modest price premium. GM developed a belt-driven starter that allows the engine to shut off when the car is stopped. This improves fuel economy a bit in some circumstances, though performance is not brilliant.

The truth is, calling these vehicles "hybrids" seems misleading; they lack a true gas-electric power train. Another point to consider: a four-cylinder Malibu almost matches the hybrid Malibu's highway fuel economy (6.5 litres/100 km versus the Hybrid's 6.5) and its 9.6 litres/100 km in the city is nearly as good as the Hybrid's 8.5.

In a nutshell, two of the best hybrids for the money are the Honda Civic hybrid ($26,350) and the Toyota Camry hybrid ($32,000).

A hybrid Honda Civic would be almost $4,000 cheaper than the conventional Civic EX to operate over five years, assuming an average gas price of $1.40 per litre and 20,000 km per year of driving, says the BCAA study.

The midsize Camry, the most spacious and comfortable of the high fuel economy sedans, will save you more than $2,100 over five years and you will not need to compromise in any way.
For utility and good fuel economy, the Ford Escape hybrid and the Toyota Highlander stand out. The Highlander will save you nearly $2,800 over five years and the Escape will save you about $700.

Keep in mind, though, that the study looked at the 2008 Escape Hybrid. The redesigned 2009 Ford Escape hybrid has improved power and better fuel economy. It's comfortable inside and the reengineered transmission and brakes give this vehicle a much better feel on the road. The better choice is the '09 here.

Choice is the key word here. Indeed, while there are a dozen or so hybrids for sale, more are coming.

Honda has three hybrids in the works, including a hybrid Fit and a hybrid-only model yet to be named. Look for them in the new year. Toyota is on pace to bring hybrid versions of many more of its models to showrooms. Ford will unveil a Fusion hybrid next year, which will be the first two-mode hybrid car by an American carmaker. It's long over due.

This fall, GM will introduce a true Saturn Vue hybrid and a Silverado pickup hybrid is also in the works. Chrysler, which has rolled out the Aspen hybrid SUV in Canada, also plans to bring a Ram hybrid to market.
Make no mistake, each new hybrid is better than the last. Batteries are getting stronger and more durable, engines are better tuned for the job and engineers are creating more sophisticated electronic controls that integrate the dual power trains more smoothly. The engineers are also figuring out new ways to trim more weight, thus saving fuel, too.

Hybrids are here to stay, then.

Tomorrows Slicker Civic

The Honda Civic is one of the most strikingly styled cars on the market at the moment, so it should therefore be a tough act to follow. The new car has emerged, and it looks like Honda has done it again.
The chaps at Auto Express claim to have uncovered shots of the 2010 model – if these pictures are indeed accurate, the Civic looks set further distance itself from the ‘choice of the elderly’ label it has worn for so long.

The pictures show a rakish, edgy looking set of lines that borrow a number of influences from the company’s OSM concept, which wowed the crowds at this year’s British Motor Show. These touches are most evident in the long nose, sweeping headlamps with LED daytime running lights and the brake light ‘strip’ at the rear. Thanks to narrow glass areas, deep flanks and the merest hint of haunches at the rear, the new Civic sports a very purposeful appearance. The pictured three-door hatch also throws in lowered suspension, a contrasting black bodykit and a set of big alloys to further augment the car’s sporty lines.

As before, Honda will style the three door to be distinct from the more family-orientated five door model. The set up of both cars will also digress from one another, with the three-door offering a tauter ride and in a more compact package, and the five-door majoring on boot/interior space and a more comfortable ride.

The engine line up has not yet been announced, but powerplants will be shared between the two styles. It has been strongly suggested that a 1,5-litre IMA hybrid engine developing more than 112 kW and sub-120g/km carbon-dioxide emissions will appear as a curtain-raiser to Honda’s plan to apply hybrid power to all of its four-cylinder engines within the next few years. The wider application of turbodiesels and new technology, such as cylinder deactivation on V6 and V10 models, is also part of the company’s drive towards lower emissions and greater fuel efficiency.

This thinking could eventually spill over to Honda’s Type R models, with talk of a modified IMA hybrid system being applied to its 2,0-litre iVTEC engine. We’re not sure how the idea of a hybrid hot hatch would go down, but if means we’ll be spared the whir of an electric motor in favour of a screaming iVTEC, we’re not complaining.

Toyota gives Prius improved batteries, slows pickup push

Because its lithium ion battery technology is not yet ready for serial production, Toyota Division is moving ahead with hybrid vehicle programs with improved nickel-metal hydride battery packs.

Vehicles such as the Sienna minivan and new Venza crossover are next on the list to get hybrid installations, although Toyota has clearly stated it is emphasizing Prius as its go-to hybrid vehicle. The recent change of Toyota's Blue Springs, Miss., assembly plant from Highlander to Prius production means America will get all the Priuses it can handle.

On the "inefficient" side of the equation, truck-based SUVs are clearly out of favor at Toyota. While it was too late to cancel the 2010 4Runner, expect the FJ Cruiser to be a one-generation vehicle. The Sequoia may become little more than a niche offering. The tepid market for big pickups will slow development of variants to the Tundra full-sized pickup.

Prius: The hybrid will be redesigned in the spring of 2009 as a 2010 model. Despite earlier reports that the Prius would have several body styles, the line will be limited to one model.

The lithium ion battery pack is not ready, so Toyota will offer what it says is an improved nickel-metal hydride battery. That also means there will be no plug-in system at launch--Toyota is waiting for lithium ion to unveil plug-in technology.

The engine behind the batteries will be increased from the Yaris' 1.5-liter four-cylinder up to the Corolla's 1.8-liter engine. The car will be a half-inch longer and about an inch wider.

But, the interior upgrades buyers asked for were too expensive for the project, so it may still have a cost-down appearance inside. As exterior design goes, it's the same basic shape with crisper lines. There will be no mistaking it for anything but a Prius.

Second hybrid: The second Toyota-badged, hybrid-only vehicle that President Katsuaki Watanabe promised at the 2008 Detroit auto show was something of an overstatement. That vehicle will be for Japan only.

Yaris: A five-door hatchback arrives this summer. A redesign arrives for the 2012 model year.

Corolla: The redesign is expected for the 2013 model year.

Matrix: Because it is twinned with the Corolla, the Matrix also goes on a five-year cycle. The redesign arrives in the 2013 model year.

Camry: A freshening is planned for the 2010 model year, followed by a redesign for 2012.

Avalon: Sales of the Avalon are slowing. Toyota likely will push it to a six-year cycle, meaning a spring 2011 redesign as a 2012 model. Toyota studied dropping the Avalon name and creating a long-wheelbase Camry instead. But executives believe there is a need for a premium Toyota nameplate above the Camry.

Camry Solara: The coupe is dropped at the end of the 2008 model year, but the convertible will continue.

Sports coupe: The joint venture vehicle with Subaru is envisioned to be a rear-drive model for Toyota and possibly an all-wheel-drive vehicle for Subaru. If it comes, the soonest will be the 2012 model year.

There will be Toyota-specific sheet metal in the front and rear quarters, but the roofline is the same. Subaru will source the engine and basic platform. The two automakers are said to be fighting over interior components and cost.

Supra: The two-passenger sports car has been dropped from Toyota's production plans, a victim of high miles per gallon requirements in the United States and a slowing global economy.

RAV4: The current model is slated for a spring 2011 redesign as a 2012 model.

Highlander: Toyota is considering reviving the 2.7-liter four-cylinder version as a fuel economy play.

Venza: In terms of styling, the 2009 Venza crossover splits the difference between a Sienna and a Highlander, with a low roofline but high beltline and narrow greenhouse.

The Venza is based on the Camry platform, so it will share the 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The base engine will be a bored-out, 2.7-liter version of the Camry's 2.4-liter inline-four. Both engines will drive a six-speed automatic transmission.

Like the Camry, the Venza seats five occupants. No third-row seat will be offered. Toyota required that the vehicle be able to fit a 42-inch flat-screen TV or a mountain bike. A hybrid will come in the 2012 model year.

Tacoma: No major changes are planned. A redesign is scheduled for the 2013 model year, pushed out to an eight-year cycle. Don't expect a change to unibody, as too many Tacoma pickup owners actually use them for hard work.

Tundra: The cratering of the full-sized segment means the heavy-duty diesel version is on hold. For the 2010 model year, the base V-8 will shrink from the old 4.7-liter V-8 to a new 4.6-liter V-8 that has 30 more horsepower and about two mpg better fuel economy.

FJ Cruiser: The swooning body-on-frame SUV segment means there isn't room for the FJ and the 4Runner, so the FJ is one-and-done.

4Runner: The 4Runner will be re-engineered and restyled for the 2010 model year; lower sales volume is expected. The new 4Runner will be shown next year at the Chicago or New York auto show.

Sequoia: The 4.7-liter V-8 will be replaced with the 4.6-liter V-8 in 2010, just like the Tundra. Expect less focus on the 5.7-liter V-8.

Land Cruiser: It was redesigned for the 2008 model year; no major changes are foreseen.

Sienna: The current Sienna gets pushed out until the fall of 2009 as a 2010 model, making the current run almost a six-year cycle. The redesigned 2010 model will feature more room for third-row passengers and more cargo space, as well as a six-speed automatic transmission. A hybrid version will come for the 2012 model year.

Paccar's fuel-saving hybrid trucks aimed at nation's distribution industry

Meet the workhorse cousin of the Toyota Prius — a medium-duty truck running on a hybrid diesel-electric engine that could save distribution and utility companies plenty of expensive fuel and be easier on the planet, too.

Kirkland-based Kenworth Truck, a subsidiary of Paccar, plans to begin full production of its T270 and T370 hybrid trucks in early September.

Like the increasingly popular hybrid cars, these vehicles come with an electric motor that assists the main engine during acceleration and can capture the energy produced from braking, storing it in a battery for later use.

Medium-duty trucks are the backbone of the distribution industry. They are used, mostly in city traffic, to deliver anything from furniture to beer, and about 39,000 are operating just in Washington state, according to Kenworth.

Kenworth chief engineer Mike Dozier said hybrids are ideally suited for such delivery fleets, because stop-and-go driving allows the electric motor to operate and recharge its batteries more frequently.

Hybrid motors can also vastly reduce the fuel consumption of trucks with accessories that rely on the engine for power.

An aerial truck equipped with a lift, such as those used by utilities to maintain power lines, can burn 2 gallons of diesel per hour while the engine idles, spewing pollution and noise, said Steve Van Sickle, assistant equipment supervisor with the King County Department of Transportation.

But the Kenworth hybrid truck the department has been trying for the past six months can power its equipment with the electric motor. What's more, "it eliminates a lot of noise," making it good for work in residential areas, Van Sickle said.

Businesses, particularly those with distribution fleets, are feeling the pinch of rising fuel prices — especially since the cost of diesel, which powers most U.S. trucks, has outpaced the cost of gasoline. Diesel recently topped $5 per gallon in some Seattle area stations.

Commercial trucks use 14 billion gallons of gasoline and 23 billion gallons of diesel annually, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. The high cost of transporting goods gets passed on to consumers in the form of more expensive merchandise.

The trucking fleet's environmental cost is also large. Freight trucks accounted for 19 percent of greenhouse-gas emissions by the U.S. transportation sector, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Light-duty trucks, a category that includes SUVs, accounted for an additional 28 percent.

Mindful of increased environmental concerns among consumers and governments, companies such as big-box retailers are adopting strategies to reduce their carbon footprint, said Paccar Vice President Robert Christensen.

Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Enterprises bought 120 of the initial, limited-production Kenworth hybrids for its distribution fleet and began deploying them in April.

Spokesman Fred Roselli said the trucks increased fuel efficiency by 32 percent while reducing emissions by 37 percent and adding luster to the company's environmental reputation.

"It's really a triple bottom line — good for the environment, good for the community and the people who live in it, and also good for the company," Roselli said.

Seattle-based Dunn Lumber, a much smaller, family-run business, has been using a hybrid truck to deliver lumber in the metro area. "It's been great," said fleet manager Mark Geyer. "We'll probably buy some more."

With the latest version of the battery, the truck gets up to 10 miles a gallon, while a similar, diesel-only truck would get less than 6, Geyer said. At current diesel prices, the savings are impressive, especially since the company currently spends about $250,000 annually on fuel.

Like the Prius, the trucks' dashboard is equipped with a color screen that indicates when the vehicle is running on electric, the current battery charge and what mileage the driver is getting out of the system. That allows drivers to look for the "sweet spot" that would guarantee maximum savings, said senior design engineer Josef Tarp.

Kenworth's hybrid system, developed in partnership with components manufacturer Eaton, relies for power on lithium-ion batteries — the type also seen as most promising for electric cars like the Chevy Volt and Toyota's upcoming plug-in Prius.

While car manufacturers struggle to make a battery small enough to fit in a passenger car, truck makers don't have that problem, said Dozier. In Kenworth's models, the battery hangs from the underside of the truck, making it easier to cool off, he said.

Corporate mandates for greener fleets, combined with higher fuel costs, have greatly strengthened the case for hybrid trucks, according to a report by Dan Kratz, truck-operations manager for GE Capital Solutions Services.

Besides Kenworth, companies like International Truck and Engine and Sterling Trucks are going into the hybrid business.

"Truck manufacturers have been listening to fleet operators, and are responding by increasing their production of medium and heavy-duty hybrids this year," the report said.

Kenworth's trucks have more than the hybrid engine in common with the yuppie Prius: They come at a premium.

A hybrid truck can cost $40,000 more than its more traditional peers, which can sell for around $60,000 for the chassis alone; final costs vary widely according to specifications.

But Kenworth says the trucks pay for that premium in four to five years. When used for deliveries, a hybrid truck can reduce fuel consumption by 30 percent; in its utility version, by 50 percent, said Dozier.

The typical truck consumes about 6,000 gallons of diesel a year, said Christensen. At $4.50 per gallon, savings could range from $8,100 to $13,500 per year.

In addition, buyers of the trucks can apply for federal tax credits of up to $12,000, depending on the model, the company said.

The company is studying how to apply the technology to heavy-duty trucks, the eighteen-wheelers that carry goods long distances at freeway speeds.

"This is just the start," said Dozier.

“Plug-in" hybrid cars -plus- Green roofs

Gasoline-electric hybrids now, like Toyota’s popular Prius, don’t need to plug in — you just fill their tanks with gasoline and the battery keeps charged by the internal combustion engine and by energy generated from the wheels when braking (a feature known as “regenerative braking”). The battery then powers the electric motor when it is called into service during idling, backing-up, crawling in gridlock, maintaining speed while cruising, and for extra uphill power when needed. As such, the electric motor is essentially a back-up engine while the hybrid relies mainly on the gasoline engine.

Plug-in hybrids take the concept further by plugging into a regular electric outlet to enable the vehicle to operate solely on its electric motor for ranges of 40-50 miles or more on a single charge. This has profound implications for commuters who need only drive short distances to and from work every day and who may be able to do so solely on electric power. The gasoline engine then becomes the supplemental one for when the car needs to travel farther than the electric engine can take it.

According to researchers at the University of California Davis, the electricity cost for powering a plug-in hybrid is only about one-quarter of the cost of powering a like-sized gasoline vehicle. Other benefits include far fewer fill-ups at gas stations and the convenience of recharging at home.

Toyota, currently the world’s largest producer of hybrid vehicles by far thanks to the success of its Prius, announced that it expects to have a commercially viable plug-in hybrid available to consumers as early as 2010 and is now testing prototype versions of plug-in hybrids at two California universities.

Felix Kramer of the California Cars Initiative (CCI), a non-profit dedicated to promoting plug-ins, called Toyota’s announcement “stunning and very welcome,” and says that these vehicles will be the cleanest practical cars on the road in a world where gas stations dot just about every intersection. The promise of such cars, says CCI on its website, is that drivers will have a “cleaner, cheaper, quieter car for local travel, and the gas tank is always there should you need to drive longer distances.”

U.S. automakers are also jumping onto the plug-in bandwagon. General Motors says that it will have mass-market plug-in hybrids — modifications of its Saturn Vue and Chevrolet Volt — on the road by 2010. Ford has also developed a small fleet of plug-ins, but is not yet ready to offer them to the public. Fisker, a U.S. start-up focusing on the creation of high performance, energy efficient vehicles, plans to sell an $80,000 plug-in hybrid sports car by late 2009. Chrysler’s Sprinter van was the first plug-in from a major U.S. manufacturer, but it is only presently available to a limited number of institutions as a fleet vehicle.

Plug-ins have also caught on elsewhere. Chinese carmaker BYD plans to sell a plug-in hybrid sedan in the U.S. within five years. And Volkswagen hopes to have a plug-in hybrid Golf ready to roll by 2010.

Road Test Special Report

A couple of years ago I drove a Toyota Camry hybrid on an extended run of a whirl-wind trip from Niagara Falls to the Road America Racetrack in Wisconsin. We wanted to get there as fast as possible and return even quicker. To that end we succeeded in averaging 36.3 mpg [6.7 L/100km] during our hour upon hour of highway driving at or in excess of 70 mph for the vast majority of the trip. To say I was impressed would be an understatement – not just with the fuel economy, but also with the car as a whole.

Since that eventful trip, I’ve tested quite a number of hybrid vehicles, but no other hybrid impressed me like the Camry – in fact, most didn’t even warrant the extra expense of purchasing a hybrid over the tradition vehicle, because the fuel saving were less than impressive.

A lot has changed in the past two years with regard to the cost of fuel. Looking back to my last big trip in the Camry hybrid, the price of gas was $2.04 - $2.40 per U.S. gallon [82.9 cents/litre]. Having just returned from California I can confirm that gas was selling there for $4.15/gallon and our local prices are $1.32 per litre [$5.08/U.S. gallon]. That’s double in only two years!!

Time to re-visit the Camry hybrid me thinks!

There are a couple of reasons for this week’s road test:

1) Originally we were going on a long-ish road trip. First to Mont Tremblant in Quebec for a race, and then down to New Jersey to pick up our new puppy. Approximate mileage: 1,243 [2,000 kms]

2) My wife, although having Canadian/Polish/Ukranian background - is in fact the cheapest Scotsman I’ve ever encountered besides my dad. Therefore a very economical vehicle had to be employed for this trip.

3) Most importantly, with the price of gas being what it is, and more people are travelling for their summer holidays – fuel economy is of utmost importance to the majority of North Americans.

I figured all of this made for a good story and an even better road test for a hybrid …. So I contacted Toyota and asked for the Camry hybrid for two weeks.

The trip was all planned out. But that all changed the week I picked up the Camry. Our puppy was ready to go a week early, so we decided to pick him up before going the Mont Tremblant! This made the trip an even more important story. What was to be one trip, now had to be turned into two long trips – in less than a week.

So here’s the new plan…

Monday: Pick up the Camry from Toyota’s Canadian head office on the far-flung outskirt (for me) of Toronto and come home. Round trip time of about 3 hours. Then we would head off to New Jersey sometime around 6 pm, stopping overnight near the New York/Pennsylvania border (travel time approximately 4 hours).

Tuesday: Continue trip to New Jersey (3 hours) to pick up our new family member and make a sprint back to the border (approximately 7 hours).

Wednesday & Thursday recover.

Friday night, head off to Quebec in the evening to arrive very early Saturday morning (approximate time 7+ hours).

Saturday & Sunday – shoot the Atlantics race.
Monday: Head home (approximately 8-10 hours, depending on traffic jams around Toronto). Should be home around midnight Monday/Tuesday.

I picked up the Camry on the Monday morning and had to make a pit-stop on the way home to test drive the new Subaru WRX STI car that was being launched that day. Usually these types of things last ½ an hour to an hour. Not this time – 2 ½ hours of driving the car down twisty back roads at break-neck speeds was the order of the day!! We had a blast driving the Subaru, but it set us back a couple of hours for our road trip – not only that but with all the driving ahead of me – the last thing I really needed was more time behind the wheel of a car!!! Anyway……

We left around 9pm and got to our destination at 1am. One thing I didn’t figure into the driving equation was road work. Fortunately, in the U.S. they know how to plan and execute road construction with the least amount of inconvenience to the driver. (In Ontario the goal is to piss-off as many people as is possible).

Our main goal for this excursion was to achieve the best possible fuel mileage in the Camry. To that end I came up with a plan. A plan that may be simple for some people, but excruciatingly painful for yours-truly: drive at or very close to the speed limit whenever possible. When I drive, my whole point is to get to the destination as quickly as possible. It doesn’t matter if I’ve got 1 hour to make a 30 minute drive – I HAVE to get there as soon as possible – it’s just me. To concentrate on driving slow would be a major challenge for me, but I had to do it for this experiment to work!!

In Ontario the speed limit is 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) on the freeway –I usually travel at 130 kph (80mph). You can see how this is going – don’t you? On U.S. Interstates it’s 65mph, so they are very close to Ontario. I set my goal of 110 kph or 70 mph. I know you get better gas mileage driving at 60 mph or thereabouts, but I’m not going to push it that far – besides the truck drivers are generally limited to 60 mph by governors and I didn’t want to get in their way. Most families puttering around my area on vacation are usually clogging up the freeways doing 60 mph or less – I couldn’t bring myself to be one of them for this experiment.

The trip to our overnight stay in Binghamton, N.Y. was uneventful and we crashed into bed at 1:30am. For this part of the trip I kept to my pre-determined/self-punishing speed limit. It took a little longer than anticipated, but the Camry is a terrific car to spend hours upon hours of mindless freeway driving. It’s extremely quiet, with just a whisper of wind coming off the outside mirrors. The more than adequate stereo system kept the journey livable as we sang along to songs we hadn’t heard in a while.

One of the reasons I chose the Camry for this journey was how comfortable the seats were on our trip to Wisconsin a couple of years ago. They were so comfortable we raved about them for weeks afterwards. Unfortunately, Toyota provided us with the base model which consisted of cloth seats which translated to a barely passable seat in the comfort department. The seatback – at least for the driver - was very comfortable, but the bum became numb very quickly. The driver gets a 6-way power seat with lumbar adjustment, while the unfortunate front passenger has to make do with manual adjustments and no lumbar adjustment of any kind (the Premium Package gives the passenger 4-way power seats). At first I thought it was just due to the amount of seat time I was getting, but after living with it for more than a week, it wasn’t me it was the car that was the problem. Bummer. This issue is easily resolved if the Premium Package model with leather seats was the chosen vehicle (that’s the model I asked for, but didn’t get. It’s also the version I had before when I raved about how comfortable the seats were – I’m assuming that the premium seats have not changed since our last test).

The only other complaint I have about the Camry is with the automatic climate control. I usually hate them at the best of times, but this one is infuriating. No matter what the settings were before you turned the car off, they have to be re-set when you start it up again. This may not seem like a big deal, but think about this. The car has been sitting in a 95 degree sun for several hours. You start the car and the climate control starts blasting the hot air that’s been trapped inside the car for the past couple of hours!! The recirculation part of the A/C system ALWAYS comes on whenever you start the car. Unlike the seating issue, I don’t know if there is a way around this problem other than just having to live with it. Considering I could only come up with two complaints, you have to consider the Camry hybrid a fantastic car.

The next morning we were up at 5:30am and headed off to our destination of Bloomingdale, N.J., a nice little town only 50 miles or so from New York City. We spent a few relaxing hours by the lake bonding with our new puppy and his family. After saying goodbye, we stopped in the town to fill the car for our return journey. Although we had travelled a very impressive 847 kms/526 miles, we still had just under a ¼ of a tank of fuel left!! I also found the cheapest gas yet, at $3.939/gallon. The fill-up cost us $50 and we got 12.7 (U.S.) gallons for that amount, making our journey an average of only 5.8L/100 kms or 42 mpg (U.S.)!!! Remember though, that was from Toronto – not our home. We live 130 kms from Toronto. This could make it a decidedly different mpg factor on the return trip – read on.

Since we stayed a little longer in Jersey than planned and I was so impressed by our fuel economy, I decided to amend the plan for the return trip. The trip back was going to be the same distance, but now I was going to make it back on my terms – as soon as I possibly could! What better way to see if driving conservatively versus aggressively would really affect the fuel economy?

On the way down, our trip through the Poconos Mountains certainly made the hybrid work for its money. Unlike other hybrid vehicles, Toyota’s Synergy system can use the engine in combination with the battery to drive the Camry, as well as use the electric motor/battery on its own – it’s a true hybrid. Ford’s system uses the electric motor/battery up to 30 mph and after that its 100% engine for all of your propulsion. The battery/electric motor doesn’t come on at all if you use the A/C or heating system. The GM “hybrid” vehicles aren’t really hybrids – they are just hybrid transmissions.

Since the last part of our journey down was the most taxing in the fuel savings department, it became more obvious at the beginning of our return trip. We used well over ¼ of a tank of gas in just the first couple hours of our journey home. Unfortunately my plan to return as fast as possible hit a snag when large chunks of the journey were spent below the actual speed limit due to construction. Still, whenever I could,I drove at 80 mph instead of the 70 mph we did on the way down. I also spent more time burying the throttle instead of gradually letting the speed build – like a normal driver would.

So how was the fuel economy after I returned to my normal driving style? I didn’t fill up when I got home – I wanted to wait and fuel up as close as possible (distance-wise/tank level) to when we did on our first tank. The next day we went to my wife’s sister’s to show off our new family member and that helped get the mileage closer to a return trip to Toronto. The tank was as empty as I dared push my luck when I finally re-fueled the Camry and here are the results…

The return trip was only 734.7 kms/456.6 miles – including side trips to my sister-in-law’s. The fill up consisted of 50.45 litres at $1.322/L (13 gallons @ $5.14/gallon (U.S.)) making it 6.8L/100 kms or 35.75 miles per (U.S.) gallon. Wow! That was way better than I’d imagined it would be! Remember too that in general a hybrid gets the same mpg whether on the highway or in the city, including traffic jams where it uses very little if any fuel in stop and go traffic. Although the return trip was shorter I have one caveat: I abandoned my self-imposed 70 mph and we returned as fast as possible – that meant my usual driving style. Although we hit a lot of road work, we did travel at 80+ mph for extended periods.

Obviously, driving conservatively saves fuel – that much we’ve proven, but in the case of the Camry hybrid you aren’t unduly punished at the pumps if you get carried away with your right foot. Over the years I’ve found that most cars tend to achieve their city government mpg ratings while on the highway – which is usually considerably worse than the highway ratings. The Camry hybrid is rated at 5.7L/100 kms (42.7 mpg) by Transport Canada in both city and highway cycles. When was the last time you heard of ANYONE getting remotely close to the actual ratings? Well, shockingly, I got 5.8L/100 (42 mpg) on the trip down to New Jersey, and that included a lot of driving through the Pocono Mountains.

This raised one very big question….. could I beat my previous best?

Part two of the test is the trip to Mont Tremblant in Quebec. The big difference in this trip is the mountains. There are far fewer on this trip and it’s a more leisurely climb into them, so the gas mileage should be better than the New Jersey trip.

Our second trip was just as long, but had less time in the mountains as well as a less strenuous climb into them. The vast majority of the trip would be quite flat, but we would also be carrying an extra body as well as luggage for three – plus a dog and his extra stuff. The trunk was filled to capacity with weekender bags and a very heavy cooler. Also, the spare seat in the back was also fully utilized - we were fully laden. I figured this would be a very good comparison to an average family heading off on summer holiday.

We left home at 1am and I kept to a steady 110 kph or 70 mph for the entire trip – just like my original plan. I didn’t fill the car before departing, so there were a few city miles as well as highway miles (90 mi/144 kms) included in the first fuel stop. Stopping for gas with the gauge registering between ¼ and ½ tank, the fill up came to $51.86 [10.2 gallons/39.7 litres] with 344 miles/554 kms on the odometer. That works out to an average of 34.7 mpg [7.0L/100 km]. What the??? How could that be? I was being very good with my right foot – staying at my self-imposed limit for virtually the whole trip!!!

We arrived in Mont Tremblant at 10am Saturday morning, and the remainder of the day and evening was spent doing what most tourists do on holiday. Although it isn’t very far between points in the area, a lot of the trips are up and down steep hills, such as the one our condo happened to be near the top of. The hybrid handled these climbs with ease, but when fully loaded it was a little wheezy on the very steep inclines. I expected this would also affect our fuel economy come fill-up time.

When it was time for our trip home on the Monday afternoon, the fuel gauge was still at the ¾ mark. When it finally came time for a fill, I still had a quarter-tank left, but was hoping to make it home in one shot without stopping again. Our second fill up of the weekend came to $58.22 (11.5 gallons/45 litres) and a total of 440 miles/707.5 kms on the trip computer. That works out to 38.6 mpg [6.3 L/100 km]. Thus far we’d averaged it out to 36.3 mpg [6.7 L/100km] which is still pretty good. I dare anyone to find a comfortable mid-sized sedan that could come close to beating the Camry hybrid’s average mpg.

The added weight of another adult, the cooler and all the additional luggage took its toll on the fuel economy on our second trip. I expected a bit of drop, but not this dramatic. Have a look in your own vehicle – do you have anything in the trunk that doesn’t have to be there? A bowling ball, hockey equipment, mother-in-law? If so, how about leaving it out – it all adds up over the course of a year – less weight, better mpg.

So how’d we do in the fuel-savings department over the course of two weeks?

My best average was 42 mpg [5.8L/100 kms] with a relatively empty car and two people on board. My worst average was 34.7 mpg [7.0 L/100km] with three adults, plenty of luggage and a heavy cooler on board. But that’s not the whole story. For my entire 2-week road test we travelled a grand total of 2,244 miles (3,611 kms), used 60 gallons (233 litres) of regular fuel, shelling out $293.40 in the process. That works out to an average of 38 mpg (6.4 L/100 kms).

The Conclusion

I set a tough goal for myself – controlling my right foot in order to get the best possible fuel economy. In the grand scheme of things I didn’t compromise a lot. What I originally thought was going to be a painful exercise didn’t turn out to be so bad. It was actually a real eye-opener. In the end I probably went at speeds closer to my everyday driving than I should have, but one thing is clear – I know I could still do better in the mpg challenge than actually I did – I would just have to be less eager to push the speedometer past 65 mph.

As a 4-door sedan – at any price-point - this is one very tough car to beat. Its price and fuel mileage are superb and I can’t think of any real downsides to the Camry hybrid other than it takes a while to go from 0-60 mph (but it’s not so bad that you’d be better off getting out and pushing it). The price of gas going to increase, and the hybrid will help pay for itself even quicker if the prices climb as quickly as they have in the past two years. Right now as I write this, oil has just hit $165/barrel, but the talking heads are saying that $200 by 2009 shouldn’t be discounted. That’s a minimum of a 25% increase over 2008 alone. It’s never coming back down to $100/barrel so start preparing now. Considering the Camry hybrid is at least $1,000 cheaper than it was two years ago, plus it has added content (moonroof for one) and various governments are now kicking in rebates – how can you go wrong?

NOTE:

With various levels of governments offering incentives on the purchase of hybrid vehicles, significant tax refunds could be involved. For example, at present the Canadian Federal Government offers a rebate of $2,000 and the Ontario Provincial Government offers $2,000 back. The U.S. Government gives you up to $3,000 back on your income tax*. All rebates are subject to change at any time and depend on when you make the commitment to drive green. These incentives lower the cost of purchasing/leasing any hybrid vehicle to within a very close margin of comparable non-hybrid vehicles on the market - this mustn’t be overlooked if you want to have the benefits of a new vehicle, yet save money at the pumps.

*USA - If you meet the requirements, you may qualify for a federal income tax credit of $3,000 on the purchase of a new Hybrid. That's a credit, not a deduction. Your tax obligation may be reduced by the award given. Complete information is available at www.fueleconomy.gov . In addition, many States and companies offer special incentives, allowances and exemptions for hybrid buyers.

By The Numbers…

For a comprehensive Road Test of the 2009 Toyota Camry hybrid check back in a couple of weeks….

Powertrain: 2.4 Litre, Hybrid System, 4-Cylinder, DOHC, 16-Valve, Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence (VVT-i); Electronic Throttle Control System with Intelligence (ETCS-i); Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD); Permanent magnet AC synchronous motor
Horsepower: Net: 187 [147 @ 6,000 rpm engine]
Torque: 138 @ 4,400 rpm – gas engine / Electric motor: 199 lb.-ft @ 0-1,500 rpm

Pricing for the 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid

Base price/ As tested: $25,650 [$30,660 Cdn] (that’s $1,000 LESS than the 2007 model!)
The equivalent optioned V-6 Camry XLE is approximately $28,470 [$35,020 Cdn]
The equivalent optioned 4-cylinder Camry XLE is approximately $25,350 [N/A in Canada]
Destination & Delivery: U.S. $660 / Canada $1,240

Warranty:

Basic 3-year/36,000-mile [60,000 kms] warranty and 5-years/100,000 mile [100,000 kms] Powertrain warranty. Hybrid-related components for hybrid vehicles are covered for 8 years/100,000 miles. The HV battery may have longer coverage under emissions warranty. (Some states have a 10 year/150,000 mile limited hybrid battery warranty - CA, ME, MA, NY and VT and Canada has a 10-year/240,000 km Battery warranty). Roadside assistance is included for 3 years.

Towing is NOT recommended with the hybrid.

For more details and options go to: www.Toyota.com or www.Toyota.ca

Fuel Consumption: [Regular/Electric]

The hybrid is rated at 42.7 mpg City [5.7 L/100 kms] and Highway.
My best average was 42 mpg [5.8L/100 kms] and my worst average was 34.7 mpg [7.0 L/100km].

Comparison: The 4-cylinder is rated at 21mpg [11.5 L/100kms] City / 31mpg [7.8 L/100kms] Highway and the 3.5 litre V-6 is rated at 19 mpg [12.8 L/100kms] City /28 mpg [8.7 L/100kms] Highway.

Immediate Competition (Hybrid):

Chevy Malibu, Ford Escape, Honda Civic, Mazda Tribute, Toyota Highlander, Saturn Vue.

Copyright © 2008 by Iain Shankland - ishankland@gmail.com
This review may NOT be used in whole or in part in any way whatsoever without the written consent of the author.

VW May Produce 282 MPG Two-Seat Car

Volkswagen has a new car in pre-production that, the automaker estimates, could get up to 282 mpg.

That's not a misprint.

The catch? If produced, this would unquestionably be the strangest-looking car on the road.

Autoblog explains, "A few years back, Volkswagen introduced a concept vehicle," known as the VW 1L, "which derived its name from its stated goal of using just one liter of fuel per one-hundred kilometers traveled." The concept "actually beat its lofty goal rather handily as it managed to achieve a miserly 282 miles per gallon in testing. Much of its amazing fuel-saving capability stemmed from its 660 pounds (300 kilograms) curb weight. The concept also featured a single cylinder engine and a 1+1 seating arrangement down the center of the car."

The 1L looks something like the canopy of a jet, with headlights and wheels nearly as thin as bicycle tires. Its body is made from carbon fiber. Its canopy opens to one side, revealing a sparse interior that seats two, with the passenger riding behind the driver. Jalopnik reports, "The car was originally powered by a one-cylinder, one-liter engine, but speculation places a two-cylinder, mild-hybrid turbodiesel under the bonnet of this carbon fiber fuel-sipper. On top of that, the power would be transmitted to the wheels via a motorcycle-style sequential transmission."

That sparse interior doesn't allow for many creature comforts. Autoblog notes, "Safety features like airbags, anti-lock brakes and stability control aren't lacking, but convenience items like air conditioning may be optional."

The U.K.'s Car Magazine reports, "At the time the chairman of VW's supervisory board predicted that the super-economical two-seater would go into production…in 2012. Now the VW 1L will hit the market two years ahead of schedule, in 2010."

Whether the 1L would be sold in the U.S. market isn't yet clear. Not much about this strange car is clear. But Flattrack claims, "It meets all US safety standards."

Because of its light weight, VW says the car doesn't need power steering or brake assist to perform up to the standards of a typical car. In order to streamline the profile, it also doesn't use mirrors -- cameras show the driver what is beside and behind the car.

Are production rumors realistic? Maybe. Multiple sources say production would be limited, and the price is not yet known. Car Magazine notes, "Expect a large amount of subsidy from VW, which hopes to reap a slew of headlines in the current climate."

Ask AP: Extracting oil sands, buying plug-in cars

In just a couple of years, you'll be able to have your very own Toyota gas-electric hybrid that you can plug into a household outlet.

Well, sort of. It won't quite be your very own; it's only being made available to leasing customers.

Why is it that plug-in cars aren't usually offered for outright purchase?

That's one of three questions answered in this edition of "Ask AP," a weekly Q&A column where AP journalists respond to readers' questions about the news.

If you have your own news-related question that you'd like to see answered by an AP reporter or editor, send it to newsquestions@ap.org, with "Ask AP" in the subject line. And please include your full name and hometown so they can be published with your question.

In just a couple of years, you'll be able to have your very own Toyota gas-electric hybrid that you can plug into a household outlet.

Well, sort of. It won't quite be your very own; it's only being made available to leasing customers.

Why is it that plug-in cars aren't usually offered for outright purchase?

That's one of three questions answered in this edition of "Ask AP," a weekly Q&A column where AP journalists respond to readers' questions about the news.

If you have your own news-related question that you'd like to see answered by an AP reporter or editor, send it to newsquestions@ap.org, with "Ask AP" in the subject line. And please include your full name and hometown so they can be published with your question.

I have read that Canada and Venezuela have large amounts of oil sands, or bituminous sands. Could you explain what this is, and whether the extraction of this type of oil could add any significant amount to the world supply?

Claudio Cortez
Lima, Peru

You're correct: Canada and Venezuela are two countries with large bitumen deposits, which also are known as "oil sands" or "tar sands."

Bitumen is a tar-like form of petroleum that can be upgraded to synthetic crude oil. But producing it, which can involve strip mining, is energy intensive and generates more emissions than conventional crude.

In particular, the Canadian province of Alberta is home to vast reserves of oil sands. Industry officials estimate the region could yield as much as 175 billion barrels of oil, which would make Canada second only to Saudi Arabia in crude oil reserves.

In western Canada, oil sands production has grown fourfold since 1990 and exceeded 1.2 million barrels a day last year, according to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. That could grow to 3 million barrels a day by 2015 — not an insignificant amount, given that the current global output of oil is roughly 85 million barrels a day.

Investment in oil sands is expected to reach $100 billion by 2020, Canadian officials have said. Royal Dutch Shell PLC and ConocoPhillips are two of the players with a stake in Canadian oil sands, joining others who've gotten involved as high oil prices have made the costly ventures more economical.

Not everyone, however, is gung-ho about the prospects for increased oil sands production. In a recent report, environmental groups in the U.S. and Canada said a large portion of proposed U.S. refinery expansions is to accommodate the heavier oil, which they say will lead to further pollution.

John Porretto
AP Business Writer, Houston

Toyota has announced they will introduce a plug-in hybrid car in 2010. As with electric vehicles produced in the mid-1990s, it will be available only on a lease basis. What is the rationale behind this policy?

Philip Blackwelder

Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Many automakers choose leasing rather than selling for products that are totally new and still a bit experimental. That allows them to keep closer tabs on their customers and know how the vehicles are working.

Toyota Motor Corp.'s plug-in car runs on both a gasoline engine and an electric motor, much like the hybrids on the road today, except that it can also be recharged from an ordinary electrical outlet. That allows the plug-in to run longer on electricity — and be more green — than Toyota's Prius and other common hybrids.

This technology is still so new it makes sense that Toyota would want to keep an eye on how the cars are being used.

Another factor is cost. Leasing makes the price of innovative vehicles easier to swallow — shelling out for full retail would be a pricey proposition, while the monthly lease rate might come across as more reasonable. Toyota has not yet said what customers will pay to lease the new plug-in car.

Yuri Kageyama

AP Business Writer, Tokyo

I have noticed in the past couple of years that the journalism community has abandoned the traditional plural spellings of terms such as "fora" (forum) and "symposia" (symposium). One interesting exception is the term "media." I don't recall seeing the term "mediums" when an article is referring to multiple newspapers, networks, etc.

What is the reasoning behind these pluralization policies? It is frustrating to see the media "teach" its young readers improper language.

Rob Brantley

Alexandria, Va.

The AP Stylebook advises adding "s" for most Latin-root words ending in "um." These include "forums" and "symposiums," the preferred plurals in Webster's New World College Dictionary, the stylebook's main reference.

The stylebook's entry for "media" notes that the word is plural in the sense of mass communication: The news media are resisting attempts to limit their freedom. In contrast, "mediums" is usually used to describe artistic endeavors: Robert Rauschenberg's mediums knew few bounds.

For certain other words, Latin plurals live on in standard English — and in AP style — because they remain in common use: curricula, addenda, alumni and alumnae.

David Minthorn

AP Manager for News Administration

"Ask the Editor" columnist, APStylebook.com

Have questions of your own? Send them to newsquestions@ap.org.

Vancouver inventor charged up about electric car

One is his ElectriCar, a four-door, four-seat, plug-in hybrid car ready to hit the highway in about a year. The first 100 cars will be sold as “kit cars,” assembled and driven away one at a time, for between $20,000 and $30,000 each. Mass production will come later.

His other invention is the AirCar, a Jetsons-style car that runs on gasoline, and is designed to drive the highways at up to 85 mph and fly at 200 mph for up to 1,000 miles. It’ll probably cost a driver-pilot about half a million dollars.

The ElectriCar runs now, experimentally, while the AirCar hasn’t left the ground. It’s still in the modeling stage.

Milner knows the AirCar is a fantasy trip but still expects to sell working flying cars in about three years or so.

“I’ve wanted to build a flying car for 30 years,” said Milner, 65, who has quietly designed his prototypes at his Vancouver home along the Columbia River.

Milner declined to say publicly how much he has invested in his inventions, but it is considerable. He believes the investment will pay off for him and his partner son, Chris, of Bethesda, Md.

In these days of soaring gasoline prices, however, it’s the ElectriCar that Milner is pushing hardest.

“The flying car will change the world for one-tenth of 1 percent of the people,” he said. “But the electric car can change it for 10 percent of the people.”

Both prototypes will be available for public viewing during a spring rollout at Pearson Field, 1115 E. Fifth St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 14. Milner will talk about the vehicles then. Many other airplanes will be shown and aircraft parts will be laid out in a swap meet at that time.

Once a pilot

Milner was a United Airlines pilot from 1969 to the mid-1980s and has spent more than 35 years in the aviation industry, working also as a flight instructor. He made enough to finance his inventions by running an aviation school from 1972 to 1997 and then organized a nationwide computer-based testing business for aspiring pilots.

Three years ago he sold that business, LaserGrade, retired and went to work on the designs. A native of Canby, Ore., he has lived in Vancouver since 1991.

“There are a half-dozen electric cars that are being built by small groups like we are,” said Milner. “Fortunately, a lot of them are like Tesla in California, which is doing a two-door, zero-to-60 in 3.9 seconds, testosterone vehicle, a sports car. Subaru is building a two-door, two-seater, and that seems like a good effort, and Mitsubishi is building a vehicle.”

The ElectriCar is unique because it is a family car, he said. It will resemble a Toyota Camry or a Honda Accord.

“We’ve driven it on Lower River Road up to 60 mph, and it drives well, real stable,” he said, patting the low-set, silver-colored vehicle. “It’s easy to drive, lightweight at just 1,250 pounds.

Milner figures the time is ripe for an electric family car as gas climbs toward $5 a gallon and beyond.

“The electric car is really what has the possibility of changing the world,” he said. “We decided to do almost the Volkswagen of electric cars. Comfort and good gas mileage. It’s coming along.”

Built of fiberglass on a steel frame, the ElectriCar will cover 100 miles on two hours of battery power, he said. It can be recharged at night in the garage. To travel more than 100 miles, the ElectriCar will come equipped with a 10 horsepower, gasoline-powered generator to recharge on the run. An hour’s charging will consume a gallon of gas.

“The gasoline generator will come on when the batteries get low and then charge for an hour,” he said. “And then you’ll have another hour of running time on battery.

In effect, the ElectriCar will require no gasoline for short runs and will achieve about 120 miles per gallon on long trips, he said. “We’re aiming to have the gas efficiency above 100 miles per gallon, because that number gets people’s attention,” he added.

“Right now we’re using two 48-volt direct-current motors that put out 40 horsepower. We have lead-acid batteries. I’m pretty sure we’ll change to AC (alternating-current) motors because they are more efficient. But DC motors are easier to come by and cheap,” he said.

If the many problems associated with electric cars can be solved, then it can be powered off the grid by electricity from coal, hydroelectric, nuclear, solar or wind, he said. That will cut down on America’s dependence on oil.

Historically, electric cars have had issues with high battery costs, limited travel distance between battery charges, charging time, and battery lifespan. But Milner says he’s close to solving all those problems, and the era of the electric car is about to emerge full-blown.

“I think that’s the way the world is going to go,” he said. “I am a lot more frantic about getting this electric car visible and out there, so we can show we’ve solved these problems.”

Perfecting an AirCar

The AirCar is a tougher challenge, he said.

The car needs to be compact to run on the highway with its wings folded, yet be readily convertible to fly. It needs two rotary engines to develop 320 horsepower to fly 200 mph and a separate 40 horsepower engine for ground speeds up to 85 mph.

It needs to have its weight distributed and its controls set up to work both on the ground and in the air. It needs adequate wing size yet compact structure to meet highway standards. It needs to minimize drag on the ground to increase gas mileage.

He expects the AirCar will achieve about 13 miles per gallon in the air. He is uncertain about mileage on the ground. Economy won’t be its strong suit.

Over the past 75 years, Milner said, there have been more than 100 U.S. patents issued for flying cars, from gyroplanes with foldable rotors to vertical takeoff vehicles. None has been a commercial success.

The problems can be solved, he said. But the AirCar won’t appeal to everyone. It will be out of reach for the family budget.

The flying car is an exciting idea whose time will come, he said, but the time of the electric car is here.

6 ways you're wasting gas

It's not easy to break bad driving habits, but if you don't, the money you lose on gas could wind up breaking your bank.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- With all the worry over fuel prices, you'd think drivers would do whatever they can not to waste gas. But look around and you'll see lots of them tooling around as if they owned their own tanker fleet. One of them might be you.

Here are six ways drivers typically waste gas every on every trip:

1. Racing away from green lights
When the light turns green, you don't have to take off as quickly as possible. That pedal under your right foot is called the "gas pedal" for a good reason. The more you press down on it, the more gas you're pumping into the engine.

Press lightly on the gas pedal, and you'll still accelerate, and you'll still get where you're going. You might be surprised at how little pressure it takes to get your car up to speed in a reasonable time.

2. Racing up to red lights
When you're driving down the street, and you see a light red light or stop sign up ahead, you should lay off the gas sooner rather than later.

There's no point in keeping your foot on the gas until just before you reach the intersection. Let off the pedal sooner and give your engine a rest as you coast to the stop while braking gently. As an added benefit, your brake pads will last longer, too.

By themselves, these first two tips can improve your fuel economy around town by as much as 35 percent, according to tests conducted by automotive information Web site Edmunds.com.

3. Confusing the highway with a speedway
Even if it doesn't involve hard acceleration, speeding wastes gas. The faster you go, the more air your vehicle has to push out of the way. It's like moving your hand through water. The faster you try to move your hand, the harder the water pushes back.

In tests by Consumer Reports, going 75 instead of 65 miles per hour reduced fuel economy by between 3 and 5 miles per gallon, depending on the vehicle.

4. Bumper-buzzing
Tailgating is a bad move for many reasons. First of all, it's unsafe. You reduce your ability to react if the car in front of you slows or stops. It also means you have to pay ultra-close attention to that car which reduces your ability to scan for other hazards ahead of you and to the sides.

And tailgating wastes gas. Every time the driver ahead taps his brakes, you have to slow down even more than he did. (That's because you can't react immediately so you have to slow even more because you're slowing down later.) Then you accelerate again to get back up to speed and resume your bumper-buzzing routine.

Hang back and you'll be safer - plus you'll be able to drive more smoothly and use less fuel. A good rule of thumb is to allow two seconds of space between your car and the one ahead. You can figure that out by counting off two seconds after the car in front of you passes an obvious landmark like an overpass.

5. Driving standing still
You've probably heard that it takes more gas to restart a car than to let it run. Maybe that used to be true, but it isn't anymore. With modern fuel-injection engines, it takes very little extra gas to restart a car once it's warmed up.

Idling, meanwhile, burns about a half-mile worth of gas every minute, according to the California Energy Commission. That's why hybrid cars shut down their gasoline engines whenever they stop, even for a moment.

Now you don't want to shut your engine down for every little stop in your regular, non-hybrid car - it's not designed for that - but if you're waiting for someone to run in and out of a convenience store, turn off the engine.

And don't go through the drive-through at fast food restaurants. You're already paying enough for the oil in those chicken nuggets.

Bonus tip: Don't idle your engine to let it warm up before driving. It does your engine no good and it wastes gas. Instead, start driving right away, but drive gently until the engine is warm.

6. Short hops
For really short trips, take advantage of the opportunity to get some exercise. Try walking to the store instead of driving. You can save gas and burn a few calories instead.

If you can't hoof it, save up your errands. A lot of short hops that let the engine cool down at home between trips can use twice as much gas as starting the car once and making a big sweep to all your stops, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Go to your farthest destination first so your engine has a chance to reach its optimal operating temperature. Then make your other stops on the way back. With the engine warmed up, the car will restart easily and run efficiently all the way home.

Are you feeling the pinch of high gas prices? Tell us how gas prices are affecting you and what you're doing to cope. Send us your photos and videos, or email us to share your story.