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 The Road Less Traveled
With Rising Gas Prices, Hybrids Are Gaining Steam, But Can They Live Up to the Hype?
By Lissa Poirot
I’m beginning to sound like my parents as I wonder what happened to gas prices. They were once below a dollar per gallon! With prices edging toward the three-dollar mark, my commute has become an unhappy expense. As much as Atlanta would like me to utilize its public transportation system, I still have to drive 30 minutes in traffic to the nearest MARTA station to wait for a train to take me to work. And a bus would double my current hour-long commute. I just don’t have the time for public transportation, although as a former Bostonian, I didn’t even own a car until I was in my late 20s. My options are dwindling, and then I read “Gas Mileage: 60 miles to a gallon in the city, 66 on the highway.” A miracle? No. A hybrid.
Hybrid vehicles are not entirely new. Remember seeing electric vehicle parking spring up at rest stations nationwide? In 1990, California was the first state to promote the use of electric cars when it pushed for a zero emission vehicle program. While the car manufacturers and the public didn’t jump on the electric car bandwagon, hybrids began making their way onto car lots. Now, as car owners are faced with outrageous gas prices, hybrid manufacturers cannot keep up with public demand, and those not offering hybrid vehicles are quickly looking to add them to their selection. Waiting lists for the Toyota Prius, the king of hybrids in terms of sales, can be up to a year.
If your interest in hybrids has been piqued, but you just don’t quite understand the hype, read on to see why a hybrid may, or may not, be a choice for you.
Hybrids are not electric vehicles. They do not have to be plugged in. Instead hybrids operate with an electric motor that receives its power from a high-voltage battery that gets recharged while driving.
 How Do They Work?
Hybrids claim engineering that can cut down on fuel emissions (making them environmentally friendly) and cut down on the amount of fuel you’ll need to make them go (making them wallet friendly). But how so, exactly?
Hybrids are not electric vehicles. They do not have to be plugged in. Instead hybrids operate with an electric motor that receives its power from a high-voltage battery that gets recharged while driving.
Depending on the speeds in which you drive, the vehicles will run on its electric motor, with gas power or a combination of both.
“They won’t stay electric the entire time they drive, but hybrid technology is not so black and white in how much it uses gasoline or runs electric,” said Hybrid.com Editor Bradley Berman. “The computer system in a hybrid moves very quickly and is making high-speed decisions as to when to switch to electric and gas. It’s a second-by-second issue. In three to five years, we’ll start seeing plug-in hybrids and they will offer all electric modes that can work 100 percent of the time in city driving.”
But for now, most vehicles on the market have electric motors that kick in during city traffic and low speeds, which is why they provide a bigger bang for your buck in city miles per gallon. This system is included in the vehicles’ integrated starter motors, which will shut the gas engine down when you’re idling at a light or in heavy rush hour traffic on I-85. However, hybrids lose their edge when driving at higher speeds. Because high speeds require more power, hybrids cannot operate on electric mode driving at speeds greater than 20 miles per hour.
“Ford and Toyota are the only cars that can move all electric. Hondas cannot,” Berman said. “But with each release that manufacturers offer, they improve. Toyota first released the Prius in Japan in 1997, and next year they will feature their 10-year anniversary and its third generation of the car. Between the first- and second-generation cars, it grew bigger, faster and more fuel-efficient at the same time. This will happen with the cars just joining the hybrid market as well.”
 How Do They Compare?
Now that you understand the concept of the hybrid, you may be seeing dollar signs. But do hybrids really save you money? Not as much as you think, actually.
The first issue is price. Hybrids are a hot, new commodity, and that doesn’t come cheap. While the better hybrids that offer better gas mileage are typically economy priced, they have economy designs to match. The Prius is an exception, with its sleeker design that gives it the edge over its more fuel-efficient competition, such as the Honda Insight, which is a tiny hybrid, especially in our city that prefers its sport utility vehicle (SUV). The No. 2 selling hybrid is actually the hybrid version of one of the country’s best-selling cars — the Honda Civic, which is priced a couple of thousand dollars cheaper than the standard Civic. However, many car companies that are turning their popular models into hybrids offer these vehicles at a higher price.
Yes, these electric-assist vehicles can reduce your fuel intake, but only by 10 to 15 percent, in most cases. Compare the premium sticker price to the gas you’ll save during the course of the vehicle’s typically five-year lifespan and you’re really not getting the savings you’re expecting.
“Some of the newer hybrids have received criticism for not being much better than the standard models developed by the manufacturers,” Berman explained. “Those manufacturers made mistakes by using hybrid technology to enhance performance instead of improving fuel economy. Just because it’s called a hybrid doesn’t mean it’s a more fuel-efficient car.”
That said, the government somewhat understands the need to cut down emissions and is offering financial incentives to Americans who go green. There again, the incentives don’t climb too high if the vehicle you choose needs more gas than electricity to operate. More electric cars, like the Prius, equate to more money from Uncle Sam, currently $3,150. The lowest kickback you’ll receive is $250, which might cover a couple months of gas.
In early 2006, Consumer Reports reviewed six hybrids on the market and found that only two of them received their premium price back in the first five years (75,000 miles). Again, the Prius topped the list, but only at $400 above its premium, while the Civic followed at $300.
“Hybrids can and will boost fuel efficiency,” Berman added. “There are so many variables as to what each individual will get in fuel efficiency: what the temperature is outside, tire pressure, the way a person drives — do they coast to a red light or speed right up to it and slam on their brakes. Hybrid drivers learn how to drive their hybrid and every year that they own their car, their fuel efficiency improves because they have learned better ways to drive.”
Still, if your incentive isn’t to save the world, but instead save a buck, there may be better ways to do it, such as trading in a gas-guzzler for a more fuel-efficient standard model. In fact, a 2006 review of the country’s greenest vehicles includes only three hybrids in the top 10. The Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Mazda 3, Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix are all gasoline-powered vehicles topping the list.
What’s Available Now?
Hybrids as we know them today have been on the market in the United States since December 1999 with the release of the Insight, followed by the Prius in 2000. Today, there are nearly a dozen hybrids available.
Honda
The country’s first hybrid vehicle, the Honda Insight still beats the competition in terms of gas mileage. It certainly got my attention with 60 city miles per gallon and 66 highway miles. With a 144-volt battery output, the Insight is available with either a five-speed manual or automatic transmission and lists at under $20,000. On the down side, this three-door hatchback coupe isn’t exactly sexy and doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles. It’s also low in production, so it may be more difficult to locate.
Honda also turned two of the best-selling non-hybrids on the market, the Accord and the Civic, into two of the best-selling hybrids, which claim 25/34 and 49/51 city/ highway miles to the gallon, respectively. The two cars are exact in shape, size and features as their standard counterpart with the exception of the cars’ hybrid capability that allows half of the engine’s cylinders to shut down when not in use while cruising down the highway. The Accord, with 253 horsepower, starts at $30,000 and was the only mid-sized sedan on the market until this year’s introduction of the Toyota Camry Hybrid. The Civic is a smaller car, but earns kudos for its gas mileage and 110 horsepower electric/gas combination. Starting at just over $20,000, the car features 158 voltage and powerful rechargeable batteries and an electric motor.
“The 2006 Civic Hybrid reconfigured its drive training so that it kicks into electric mode at higher speeds even between 30 and 60 miles per hour,” Berman said.
Toyota
One of the most touted electric-gas vehicles on the market is Toyota’s Prius, a five-door hatchback sedan that starts just over $20,000 and features 60 city miles to 51 highway miles to the gallon and 500 volts of battery output at its beck and call, as well as Toyota’s patented Hybrid Synergy Drive technology. This is one of the few cars out there that exceeds the Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle rating standards, with 89 percent fewer emissions than the average car.
“Hybrid Synergy Drive is a core technology that will play a key role in virtually all Toyota models in the years ahead,” said Jim Farley, vice president of Toyota marketing. “Vehicles powered by Hybrid Synergy Drive are about 80 percent cleaner than the average car on the road, and that’s a message that sometimes gets lost in all the excitement about fuel economy. We want to reinforce the message that Hybrid Synergy Drive not only is good for the environment because it saves gasoline, it also produces extremely low emissions.”
Like Honda, Toyota is offering its best-selling car, the Camry, as a hybrid model. The popular mid-sized sedan features 24 city miles and 34 highway miles per gallon with a 227, 2.4-liter horsepower engine and 245 volts of battery power, and is priced to sell as low as $18,000.
Toyota is also one of only a few manufacturers giving America what it wants — a hybrid SUV. While it sounds like a contradiction, anyone toting a family understands the need for these bigger cars, but can do so with less damage to the environment and their wallets with the Highlander Hybrid, which can get up to 22 city and 27 highway miles, for just over $24,000.
Lexus
The only luxury hybrid on the market is the Lexus RX 400h, just released in late 2005 as a 2006 model. This SUV, priced near $50,000, features three electric motors to give it 650 volts of power, as well as 268 horsepower that can climb from 0 to 60 in just eight seconds. The all-wheel drive vehicle even boasts a rear-drive electric motor. Gas mileage for city and highway are 31 and 27, respectively, but it is the car’s luxury components synonymous with the Lexus name that really sells.
“It’s very important to continue pursuing substantial reductions in fuel consumption and emissions, while continuing to improve performance and driving pleasure. Our customers wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Mark Templin, vice president of Lexus marketing.
Ford
The first hybrid SUV was the Escape, which debuted in 2004, and it’s still one of the least expensive SUV hybrids on the market, starting under $30,000. With 155 horsepower, 400 battery voltage output and 36 city and 31 highway miles per gallon, the Escape also features 100 cubic feet of passenger space, 27.6 cubic feet of storage space, and a towing capacity of 1,000 pounds.
Ford Motor Company’s more stylish SUV is its Mercury Mariner Hybrid, which is also priced below $30,000, and offers the same interior cubic square feet and towing capacity, horsepower and battery voltage. The difference in the vehicles is style and Mariner’s slight miles per gallon of 33 and 29 city and highway, respectively.
“Our hybrid owners tell us how much they enjoy their Escapes and Mariners because of the way they look, the way they drive and their fuel economy,” said Christine Biondi, Escape Hybrid marketing manager.
While Toyota anticipates selling nearly 150,000 hybrids, Ford sells only a fraction, so the Mariner and Escape are harder to track down.
Ford also has a sedan hybrid in production called the Fusion, which touts up to 32 highway/24 city miles to the gallon and 221 horsepower. It comes in a sleek, attractive package for less than $18,000.
General Motors
If it’s a truck you are looking for, your only options are from GM, which offers its Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups as hybrids. Both hybrids only cost a couple thousand dollars more than their standard counterparts; offer a 10-percent reduction in fuel; and provide the same horsepower (295), towing capacity (up to 7,700 pounds) and engine (V-8) than the standard Silverado and Sierra.
What’s On The Horizon?
The innovators of the original hybrids, as well as those manufacturers slow to respond to the public’s demand for hybrids, are promising more to come in the next year or two. “The market is clearly a consumer-driven market,” Berman said. “If manufacturers stayed out of the hybrid market, they are now in a race to make them.”
Coming soon:
• Toyota will complete its hybrid lineup with the Sienna Minivan, which is to be released in 2007.
• Lexus will offer a second luxury vehicle, the GS 450h, which should make its debut this year starting at $50,000.
• Honda will debut its economy hybrid vehicle in 2007 (yes, even more economy than the Insight). The Honda Fit subcompact hatchback already sells well in Europe and Asia.
• General Motors will return to familiar ground in 2007 with the hybrid of its popular Tahoe SUV, which will be the first consumer vehicle utilizing a two-mode hybrid system that is currently used in transit buses, and the Yukon, which will feature a V8 engine with more than 300 horsepower. The two-mode engine powers the battery to operate the wheels, providing significant fuel economy improvement, as much as 25 percent. Chevy also
plans to introduce its first car, again following the mold of its popular Malibu line that promises to shut off its engine and go automatic when traveling less than 6 miles per hour.
• Saturn joins the competition with its new SUV the VUE Green Line in late 2006, which promises a 20-percent fuel economy savings.
• The Chrysler Group will join the hybrid market in 2008 with the release of its Dodge Durango,
with a two-mode hybrid system, 335 horsepower, 370-pounds-per-foot of torque, and a V8 engine that operates on ethanol, gas or a mixture of both.
• The affordable car manufacturer Hyundai will come into the race strongly, releasing hybrid versions of its Accent, Sonata and Kia Rio lines in 2007.
Whether or not a hybrid is right for you is the same decision as whether you should choose a two-door, a sedan or an SUV, but Berman pointed out that hybrid customers have unparalleled levels of customer satisfaction and are accepting responsibility not to guzzle gas. “Once someone buys a hybrid, they never buy anything else. They tell all their friends and family to buy them. They like their
hybrid because they are fun to drive, they reduce emissions, it’s new technology, it’s a conversation piece and it’s fuel efficient,” he said. “If there were only one reason people liked hybrids, they wouldn’t sell as well. The proof is in the pudding.
For more information
www.hybrid.com
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