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Toyota Prius Online Community with News, Forums, & Research
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By nerfer at 08/08/2008 - 1:30pm
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PHEV-type car that is powered by compressed air is reported in this CNN story:You've heard of hybrids, electric cars and vehicles that can run on vegetable oil. But of all the contenders in the quest to produce the ultimate fuel-efficient car, this could be the first one to let you say, "Fill it up with air."
That's the idea behind the compressed air car, a vehicle its backers say could achieve a fuel economy of 106 miles per gallon.
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The compressed air car will get a chance to prove itself next year when it competes for the Automotive X Prize. The multimillion-dollar award will go to the team that "can win a stage race for clean, production-capable vehicles that exceed 100 mpg equivalent fuel economy," according to the X Prize Foundation.
The air-car concept has also drawn the interest of Tata Motors, India's largest automaker. The company announced an agreement with MDI last year to further develop and refine the technology.
However, the cars have yet to hit the streets in India or anywhere else in the world.
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By texdon at 08/07/2008 - 9:49am
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Name the book.
(Hint: It is on the New York Times best seller list.)
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Nissan has become the third Japanese manufacturer to announce hybrid and/or electric cars. Next to Toyota/Lexus and Honda, the company has been offering the Altima Hybrid sedan for some time; this model however uses Toyotas synergy drive system.
| Full story.
I also found this thread on PC that details the EV prototype.
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By tripp at 08/05/2008 - 1:57pm
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Reported US sales of hybrids in July dropped 6% year-on-year to 26,877 units, representing a new vehicle market share of 2.4% for the month. Through July, reported 2008 sales of hybrids in the US are down 1.6% compared to the same period in 2007, representing a new vehicle market share for the first seven months of 2008 of 2.5%.
Total sales of light duty vehicles in the US dropped 13.2% in July, according to figures from Autodata. (Earlier post.) Through July, total light duty vehicle sales have declined 10.5% compared to the same period in 2007.
| Full Article
Shiny Graphic
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By sorka at 08/05/2008 - 12:29pm
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Last week, I posted this thread and asked the question:
http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-ma...ck-little.html
And now, just a minute ago CNBC's car guy, Phil Lebeau:
"I had dealers who a month ago were telling me, listen, I've got a 6 to 9 month waiting list. Some of the dealers are saying, hey guess what, I've got a Hybrid on the lot."
He didn't specifically say Prius, but I don't think there was ever a 6 to 9 month waiting list for other Hybrids, so he's probably referring to a Prius.
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By hill at 08/04/2008 - 9:01pm
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They cut Toyota off at the knees, when the manufacturer wanted to have replacement batteries for the RAV4-EV. Now, they're at it again.
Courthouse News Service
Too bad a substantial bunch of people couldn't boycott all their products, until they started acting for society's better interest.
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By Wots at 08/04/2008 - 8:32pm
| 2008 Toyota Prius -- chicagotribune.com
Jim Mateja August 3, 2008
2008 Toyota Prius
A motorist turns off the engine to coast the final block home.
Another spends $5,000 to convert his car to run on used vegetable oil.
And 10 percent have packed their bags and moved closer to work to save on gas, according to a recent study.
Can roller skates be far behind? No need with the hybrid Toyota Prius going strong. The car that got the conservation ball rolling, sold a meager 15,000 units in the 2001 model year.
Jim Mateja Bio | Recent columns
Related links
2008 Toyota Prius
Wheelbase: 106.3 inches
Length: 175 inches
Engine: 1.5-liter 4-cylinder gas engine with nickel-metal-hydride battery pack for a combined 110 h.p.
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
M.P.G.: 48 city/45 highway
Price as tested: $24,608
The sticker
$22,875 Base
$1,175 Package that includes stability control, backup camera, heated outside mirrors
$359 Security system
$199 Floor mats
Add $660 for freight.
Pluses
Can't top mileage rating.
Stability control available.
Minuses
Price premium.
Stiff seats.
Gen III coming for 2010.
As gas prices rose, so have sales, to about 180,000 last year, the same number expected this year as shortages limit sales even as demand swells. To address that, Toyota will begin building the Gen III Prius in 2010 in a Mississippi plant earmarked for the Highlander SUV.
Gen III bows at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Like its predecessors, it will come only from Japan when it goes on sale next fall until the Mississippi plant is ready.
Thankfully, a Gen III is coming. Prius may be the poster car for energy conservation, but it comes up short in room and comfort.
Other factors, such as performance and value versus non-hybrids, are open to debate.
Prius is powered by a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder gas engine and nickel-metal-hydride battery pack that together develop 110 horsepower. On top of that, it boasts and industry best 48 m.p.g. city/45 highway.
Still, the 2008 Prius brings to mind that old saying "There's no such thing as a free lunch" in connection with that 48/45 mileage.
For example, Prius costs about $100 more than a midsize Toyota Camry, which is 14.2 inches longer, or about $4,000 more than a compact Toyota Corolla, only 3.7 inches longer. But Toyota insists on comparing Prius to Camry because both offer amenities Corolla doesn't. Moreover Toyota says its preferred comparison has nothing to do with the $4,000 spread between Prius and Corolla.
And Prius' cost doesn't end with dollars. It runs in battery or gas mode or both when it needs a boost. But even with that jolt, Prius doesn't sizzle leaving the light or merging into interstate traffic.
Fuel conservation makes performance, well, conservative.
And the costs mount. You travel on seats soooo stiff—back and bottom—especially in the rear where they are atop the battery pack. Sit in back long enough—10 to 15 minutes depending on your size—and you'll get a case of the fidgets.
At least cargo room is good, and rear seat backs fold flat to expand the haulability. There's a small compartment under the cargo floor to hide stuff.
Prius starts and gets going in battery mode. At about 25 m.p.h., the gas engine takes over. Batteries chime in when you need that boost. Climb a hill and Prius gets the gas; descend and it's the batteries' turn.
A schematic in the navi screen tells when gas, batteries or both are working, plus current m.p.g.
Coast and the screen will show you are getting 99.9 m.p.g. in battery mode—a symbol of optimum savings.
Press the pedal to enlist gas and the mileage reading quickly dips into the 20 m.p.g. range to signal actual fuel use—or do you say waste?
A consumption gauge shows average mileage in 5-minute increments. In one 5-minute run, we crept along a road posted at 35 m.p.h., coasting at every chance. The 99.9 m.p.g. reward showed up.
Same course with no cajoling and a semi in tow sent mileage to a shade below 25 m.p.g. Goes to show that even in an economy car, your thoughts and actions have to stay focused on saving energy to do so.
A new price leader for 2008 starts at $21,500. It joins the base model we tested that starts at $22,875 and the Touring at $23,770.
Stickers were increased by $550 in May in keeping with higher gas prices. For 2009, they go up another $500, Toyota announced just last week.
The base model tested comes with traction control, anti-lock brakes, climate control, rear-window defogger, power windows/door locks and AM/FM/CD player as standard. Options included $1,175 for a package that added stability control, back-up camera and power, heated outside mirrors.
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