The original FT-HS hybrid concept at NAIAS in 2007 Do Supra fans want a $60,000, 400-hp hybrid? Since at least 2007, Toyota has been kicking around the idea of a sporty hybrid, but just how sporty has been a bit unclear. Would the new hybrid follow more in the lines of the Honda CR-Z hybrid [...]
Will you have to pay more than sticker on a Toyota Prius c? To the highest bidder wins? If you’ve been following the battery-powered scene for the last several years, then I’m sure you remember the sad old days of 2007-2008 for hybrid car buyers. Thanks to the gas spike then dealer markups on hybrid [...]
Prius is hybrid and plug-in king in April Chevy Volt recedes a bit from last month’s big numbers Sales of both GM and Nissan plug-in cars declined last month compared to the month before. However, the Toyota Prius plug-in achieved its best month of plug-in sales yet at 1,654 units. GM claimed limited California supplies. [...]
Ford ready to charge up its electric car sales Dealers are trained and ready to sell the Focus electric Plug-in car sales took a bit of a hit last month, as both GM and Nissan plug-in sales declined. The Prius plug-in, however, saw a nice uptick in sales, which makes me wonder. Did Toyota’s plug-in [...]
Prelude to hybrid cars? Prius family second best seller for Toyota For the past two months Toyota has been the top retail brand in the US. During those last two months the Toyota Prius family has posted sharp increases in sales. For instance, up 126.9 percent in April compared to last April. In fact hybrids [...]
America's crumbling infrastructure needs help Congressional Budget Office (CBO) foresees $57 billion gas tax shortage There is no doubt greater fuel efficiency is a good thing, but there are unanticipated consequences. One of those is a loss of gas tax revenue, and the CBO is forecasting that greater fuel efficiency caused by new fuel economy [...]
Are natural gas hybrids inevitable? And even greater natural gas supplies seem inevitable While discussing some successful new demonstrations of extracting natural gas from methane hydrates, Energy Secretary Steven Chu claimed that Energy Department investments made in the ’70s and ’80s would decrease natural gas costs 30 percent by 2025. And that apparently doesn’t even [...]
The fourth generation Toyota Prius sports coupe coming in 2015? 2015 Prius 4 appears headed for lithium For a few months now Toyota has hinted that US production of the Toyota Prius was seriously back on the table. Once yearly sales start approaching 200,000 units, it is simply more cost-effective to localize production. Now Toyota [...]
$150 million versus how much in oil subsidies? But billions more securing OPEC shipping lanes I believe in the theory of free market capitalism. Ultimately, if not free markets, then it’s a handful of people dictating life for the rest of us. Unfortunately, today’s free markets aren’t very free and for the most part, a [...]
GM's EN-V: The key to the plug-in revolution? Major changes in policy and industry support, plus a much better understanding of consumer behavior needed While I am a big fan of plug-in cars, I’m a bigger fan of US energy independence, especially finding a way to end OPEC dependence as quickly as possible. In theory, [...]
