Toyota ‘charging’ plans cannot leave Honda behind which said that it would launch its much awaited CR-Z hybrid sports car early next year. It would be interesting to see the icons battling it out on emission cutting technologies as well.

Suzuki, in bid to be in race with rivals, introduced hybrid versions of its cars like SX4 and Swift. Their hybrids might take around couple of years to be produced.

Mitsubishi Motors has taken a step further on its plans to introduce a hybrid into the market. The company plans to launch a hybrid version of the Outlander SUV in 2013. it is planned to be launched with a petrol-electric engine.

Nissan displayed its concept, what is named as the Land Glider. The unique feature of this car is that it tilts like a motorcycle when taking a turn. It is powered by an electric motor. The car has built in computers and the tilt is controlled by them.

It is an interesting sight to see car makers battling out on the scene of producing hybrid cars. The battle might be competitive for them but the final result is saving the earth from global warming. And as it is said, Hybrids are the future.

About the Hambach Plant:

The Smart plant in Hambach was started in 1997. It has been producing Smart fortwo vehicles since then and started producing the current generation smart fortwo in 2007. it celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2008 as well as celebrated the 1 million vehicle roll-out milestone.

The price for the Prius is not yet decided. But since it is a CBU (completely built-up unit), it is going to cost a eye-popping price of around 30 lacs. This price tag is almost the double of what the car’s price in Japan is. The steep price is because of the high 105% import duty in india. All Toyota can hope for, is a special government concession to lower down the import duty for eco-friendly cars in India. It might have many buyers then. Till then, the Prius would have to deal only with few exclusive buyers who think from their heart. Though an exceptional car, buying it, paying double the price is not that a sensitive idea for everyone.

The plan to launch the first hybrid cars were made as early as 1665. It was first tried in 1769 when a Frenchman, Nicholas Cugnot built a steamed motor carriage that was capable of doing 6 miles an hour. The next trial was made in 1825 when British inventor G.Gurney built a steam car did an 85 mile journey in 10 hours.
Few years later in1839, Robert Anderson of Scotland built the first electric vehicle. Soon Sir David Solomon Developed a light electric motor and very heavy storage battery car which had a poor driving range and speed. It was in 1886 when the first electric powered taxicab was introduced in England for the first time. It used a battery with 28 cells.

Between 1890-1910 , there were many improvements in battery technologies. New batteries were introduced like Tudor’s lead-acid battery or nickel-ion battery developed by Edison and Junger.

Young German Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, in 1898, built the Lohner Electric Chaise. It was the world’s first front wheel drive. His second car, a hybrid that travelled 39 miles on batteries alone. The next year saw Pope Mfg. Company merging with two smaller electric companies to form the first large scale operation in American automobile history. It was called Electric Vehicle Company and it had assets of about $200 million.

1900 was the year of the first Automobile Show. It was conducted in New York City after Americans car manufacturers had made 1681 steam, 1575 electric and 936 gasoline cars. People preferred electric as their first choice and steam followed a close second.
Between the years 1900 and 1990, there were many new inventions in hybrids. There was the gasoline electric engine by Krieger, the failed electric-gas powered vehicle by Woods Interurban, the small cars by General Motors and Toyota. Few of them succeeded and the rest weren’t as successful.

The main research and production of hybrids was seen after the 1990s when most of the firms started planning hybrids. They had this in their mind, that the future of automobiles belong to hybrids. Related to this, Toyota Motor Corp. announced a goal setting document which highligted developing cars with lowest emissions possible. This was known as the ‘Earth Charter’.
In 1997, Toyota launched its ambitious car in Japan, the Prius which was to be previously launched in 1999. Their first year sales crossed 18000 units. During the same year, Audi launched a vehicle based on its A4 variant. It was the first hybrid car that was produced in volumes. It had a 90bhp 1.9 litre Tdi engine and a 29 bhp electric powered motor. It did not do well commercially and hence was discontinued.

Soonafter 1997, electric cars like Honda’s EV Plus, GMs EV1 and Ford Ranger Pick-up were introduced in California but the interest for these cars soon subsidied. Hence all these models were dropped. Honda, a key player, in 1999 launched its two-door Insight which was a instant hit. It also won many awards for its mileage in city as well as on highway.

The Toyota finally launched it first four-door hybrid, the Prius in the the United States.
2002 was the year when Honda introduced the Honda Civic Hybrid, its second commercial launched hybrid gasoline-electric car after Insight. The appearance and drivability of the Civic Hybrid was (and still is) identical to the conventional Civic.

Toyota Prius II won 2004 Car of the Year Awards from Motor Trend Magazine and the North American Auto Show. Toyota was taken by a pleasant shock to see the demand of the vehicle and ramped up its production from 36,000 to 47,000 cars for the United States. Interested buyers had to wait upto 6 months for the 2004 Prius. Toyota Motor Corp. Sales President U.S.A. Jim Press termed it “the hottest car we’ve ever had.”

In September 2004, Ford launched the Escape Hybrid. It was the first hybrid from an American Manufacturer and the first SUV hybrid across the globe.

In the face of rising fuel costs, Honda has decided to give people what people can call – the cheapest hybrid car ever! Honda has launched the car at a selling price of somewhere between 13000 pounds to 15000 pounds. The Honda Insight, as it is called, comes in 3000 pounds cheaper next to the best-selling Toyota Prius.

Japanese car makers of the Honda Insight are expecting to make a sale of nearly 200000 in just one year which surpasses the 280000 sales figures which was achieved in an entire decade. The new hybrid is scheduled to be unveiled in the October month of 2008 at the Paris Motor show with a fuel economy of 60 miles per gallon.

This green car is expected to hit the roads in spring with a couple of other new hybrids rolled out by Honda such as the new civic and the sports car. The manufacturers of this hybrid are hoping that one in every 10 cars sold will be a hybrid.

Rising fuel costs and persistent pressure from Governments, not just in Britain, has opened new avenues for the car market. In Britain, the demand for luxury models has triggered the selling cost of environmental-friendly cars in Britain.

The vehicle industry also expects the costs of alternatively-fuelled cars to increase. Surprisingly, the Honda Insight is a blessing in disguise for consumers looking for cheaper and fuel-efficient options.

Right from Barack Obama to George Bush, the agenda prevailing everywhere is – Hybrid cars. Belgians have a common trend prevailing that of rebating 15% of the price of cars if the vehicle releases less than 105gms of carbon dioxide for every one kilometer that it runs.

With a number of companies rolling out their versions of hybrid cars, what can be expected next? Yes, nothing less than Nisan getting to share the fame with its preparation to launch the electric car by 2012. Elizabeth Lee, Executive Vice President of Universal Motors Corporation (Nissan’s Philippine assembler) says that Philippines will be first among the ASEAN countries to receive the electric cars in 2012.

Lee further adds that apart from simply electrically-driven cars, automakers are also keen to launch the hybrid (gasoline and electric models) soon. On behalf of the CAMP members and as President of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc., she reports that such Nissan models will roll onto the roads in the years to come.

She says that since these vehicles are much costlier than fuel-driven cars that do not reduce carbon emissions, they are more common in developed nation such as the Unites States, Japan and Europe. However, she feels that is the costs are lowered, then developing nations such as the ASEAN counties can also avail them easily.

Though Lee is quiet optimistic about hybrids hitting the ASEAN nations such as the Philippines, other automakers feel that developing nations aren’t ready as yet to receive the hybrid models effectively. For instance, President of Toyota automakers, Horoshi Ito is of the opinion that fuel-efficient cars should be brought into Philippines only when the driving conditions of the country improves.

The project is being sponsored by the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) centers. A whopping 281000 pounds have been allocated for the same to back the designing and for supporting the “flex-fuel” engine which will ensure that running of the car on biofuel and petrol.

Ford and Saab are the only car makers which seem to have models with flex-fuel engines till date. One major pitfall for cars running on biofuel is that they cannot achieve the number of miles per gallon as fossil fuels can.

What is the engine plan?
Lotus is aiming at developing the “Omnivore” concept by which a single-cylinder engine will be built to maximize fuel efficiency when the car is run on renewable fuels. The single-cylinder is expected to be completely built by January 2009.

It is also opined that cars running in bio-alcohol for instance, can lead to lower release of carbon dioxide gas into the environment because of the fuel’s superior combustion quality.

The Omnivore concept complements the Lotus Exige 270E Tri-fuel sports car which was recently unveiled. Lotus’ endeavor is to understand the combustion process that is involved for cars running in gasoline and mixtures of alcohol fuels.

Dr Robert Kenny from the Queen’s University opines that the current effort is to pave the way for future cars to be built with single-cylinder engines that will run on greener biofuels and those which will do lesser harm to both the cycle of food production and rainforests.

Defra spokesmen believe that the constant development of biofuels has not only given an opportunity for car makers and sponsors to benefit from the existing biofuels but has also opened the market to 2nd and 3rd generation biofuels.

It is reported that the Tesla Roadster can cover about 350 kilometers with a single charge initiated by the lithium-ion battery. This sports vehicle is also expected to accelerate from 0-60m/hr or 97km/hr in just 3.9 seconds with the help of the development transmission.

Key Benefits of Electrically-Driven Cars
Some of the key benefits of electric vehicles are:

• Tesla’s torque cover gives you the feel of a strong, fast and safer car
• Speed efficient
• Comfortable and convenient to sit or drive (2 seat model)
• Many gears that ensure that the engine is spinning at the maximum torque zone at any speed
• Maximum torque at any speed unlike a petrol-driven engine
• Lack of emission tailpipes
• Lower operating costs with new emission trading schemes hitting the market

There are numerous other fast cars that are penetrating the market; one being France’s Fetish and Great Britain’s Lightning GT. The first is expected to hit the market by 2009. Fetish makers, Venturi flaunted the car as being the “the first desirable electric car” in the Paris Auto Show in 2004. This car also seems to accelerate from 0-60 seconds in 3.5 seconds and is worth $450000.

The Lightning GT is waiting for commercial deliver till 2009 as well. Care makers of this model promise that the vehicle can go 250 miles in a single charge, can hit 130 miles in just one hour and can be recharged in 10 minutes at the least.

With numerous cars betting their stake in the market, it wouldn’t be an easy choice for anyone. If it’s the Tesla Roadster, you’d need both &100000 and brains (for calculating the hassle of keeping it charged) to purchase one! Some opine that the Roadster hasn’t created so much of a rage with it’s attractive but tame looks as Chevy’s 2009 Camaro has. Even then you need to ride it to believe what electric cars are worth!

Some problems related to electrically driven cars are – weight and size of the battery, the time and distance that a car can cover just prior to running out of power and finally, making environmental-friendly batteries so that they cause minimum impact to the environment when discarded. Manufacturing operations are looking to mend these problems especially the one related to the battery make.

Though a purely water-run car is difficult to configure today, makers with existing technologies have done their best by implementing the gas-water hybrid system. It is believed that these hybrid cars can double your current mileage. Smoke and pollution is also reduced thereby restricting the release of poisonous gases into the environment that can be harmful for all living beings.

Benefits of Water-Powered Cars
Listed below are some benefits of water-powered cars to the environment and health of all living beings:

• Increases Mileage: Saves 35-60% of your gas mileage for each gallon of gas which means that water-powered cars can more than double your current mileage
• Protects the Environment: With no release of toxic substances into the environment, the air becomes fresher and safer to breathe.
• Huge Savings: Water-powered cars can help you save $300 every year even by implementing the gas-water hybrid tools worth $100-$200.
• Reduces Noise Pollution: Water-powered cars can also run very smoothly and quietly.
• Enhances Durability of Engine: Running your car with water can also enhance the durability and strength of the engine. Therefore, with an increased and powerful performance, water-powered cars also help the engine last longer.
• No Carbon Deposits: Neither will your engine have to face the problem of carbon deposits to get your car started.
• Cooler Engine: The engine will remain cooler when run with water due to its inherent quality of keeping cool than when it’s run with fuel.
• Saves Repair Costs: Since water-powered cars run both smoothly and calmly, you may have to spend the least on getting the parts – valves, rings, pistons, etc repaired or replaced.

The electricity from the car battery splits the water into a gas called HHO or the Klein gas. This gas undergoes combustion to produce energy for the car, at the end of which water and oxygen are the sole clean byproducts left.

The Hydro 4000 has of late caught the attention of many with its ability to run on distilled water. The makers of Hydro 4000 opine that they have introduced a device that sends hydrogen into the cylinder for cleaning the gas completely within the tank so that it is not released through the exhaust pipe into the atmosphere. Hydro 4000 is also reported to increase mileage thereby making it a good deal for the consumers and the environment.

Further mechanical and environmental variables still need to be considered before confirming that this device would work in controlling the release of toxic gases into the environment.

Water-powered cars, hypermiling, hybrid vehicles, hydrogen fuel cars, and water saver fuel kit are alternative solutions to improving fuel economy. Though implementing the water system tools in your car could involve a complicated process today, it is worth the effort and money till the pure water-driven cars hit the market!