Beating the curve

From the Automotive Business Review…

Toyota’s hybrid car, Prius has defied the global trend of declining automotive sales by becoming the fastest selling Hybrid car in Japan, amid economic slowdown. A major dealership chain said that since its launch, orders for this car in the country has reached 110,000.

Volts and unicorns

Kevin Bullis, writing for the MIT Technology Review has some things to say about GM and the Volt…

After GM filed for bankruptcy this morning, a spokesperson for the company told me that the filing will have no impact on its plans to start selling an electric car called the Volt at the end of next year.

Bullis’ article in no way question the unnamed GM spokesperson but I sure as hell would. This is coming from a company that has reversed themselves so many times they’re not sure which direction they are going anymore. I would question the roll out date, the viability of the vehicle and what spokespeople told me about it.

It’s not clear that the government will tell GM what to do about the Volt.

Which is an odd thing to write immediately before you quote the President saying that

the new GM, not the United States government, will make that decision.

Call me whacky but I’ld tend to listen to one of these people before the other. Continuing on with the theme that if anything happens to the Volt it’s not GM’s fault…

If the government does get involved with the Volt, it may not be good news for the vehicle.

Why is that? I don’t think anyone over the age of eight with even a cursory knowledge of GM doesn’t know about the Volt and the pivotal place it could fill in GM’s future. Assuming, and here’s the real leap of faith, that GM can deliver on what it’s flacks and worthless executives have been prattling on about for the last year. If indeed GM cannot deliver on that hot air then yes, let’s quit pouring money down that rathole pretending to be green and all high tech and have them start on a real vehicle that they could sell.

There’s a lot of blather about GM and the government and the future of the now 60% owned by the taxpayers company. A lot of blather. As a counterpoint to some of that I would suggest checking out Eugene Robinson’s article in the WaPo.

One liners

From Thane Peterson’s review of the 2010 Prius in Business Week, the very last line:

That always seems to be the bottom line with the Prius: Factor in all your costs and it always seems to come out ahead.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Choke

Cnet kind of blows it in this short article entitled,

Best hybrid: Prius or Insight

There’s already been a ton of these articles an no doubt there will be many more, especially in the upcoming months as the both new models are on sale here.

My problem is this, drive both cars and you’ll see the differences. Yes, the base Honda is, right now, cheaper than the base Prius. It’s also smaller, lighter and not really as well appointed. So the Prius comes to the party not only slightly larger, more comfortable but with more oomph and a better MPG, seems to me that a 10% in price is pretty negligible.

But it does give something for auto writers to write about.

Bob, bob, bobbin’ along

Maximum Bob Lutz visited the David Letterman recently to defend the Volt program from Letterman’s comedic (and mostly right) assaults. Do check out the original article on Cnet, it has a YouTube clip from Lutz’s visit to The Late Show and it’s worth watching Lutz hem and haw his way through the interview.

The thing Lutz glosses over (or glides past depending on your point of view) is that the EV-1 could have been the first of a series of vehicles which would made GM the pioneer in this area. Instead, GM opted to abandon it for short terms gains and now, well, this week they face bankruptcy.

Also of interest was Lutz’s hedging on the actual delivery date of the Volt. While earlier touting as being “at dealers” in 2010, when Letterman pushes Lutz stammers out that it will probably be sometime in 2011 before it’s available for sale to the public.

The money quote in the Cnet article come at the end. Grabbing a one line from man known as “The Chief”…

In fact, Toyota Chief Engineer Akihiko Otsuka was recently quoted in BusinessWeek saying, “I don’t think EVs can replace hybrids in the near future. We have to think about the balance between the EV driving range, the size, and the cost.”

And he’s absolutely right. Until we have the infrastructure in place for EV’s, further reduce battery and increase battery reliability and re-educate the public that a limited range vehicle can fulfill most of their needs and do so cheaply, we’re not ready for mainstream EV sales. That’s the “near future”.

Congrats to Wayne and company

(image via cnet and Ford)

Our good friend Wayne Gerdes, legendary hypermiler par excellance finished pushing the new Ford Fusion to 1445.7 miles on a single tank of gasoline. That’s an average of 81.5 MPG and impressive indeed.

Go check out the entire story here.

Congrats to Wayne and the team!

No, really?

Wow, the sarcasm here today is flowing…

Allcarselectric.com reports that Nikkei claims that Toyota and Honda do in fact make money, about $3100 per vehicle, on their hybrid sales. What’s more, this is in line with the money they make on their “standard” gas only vehicles.

Why this is news I’m not sure, other than, as many news stories seem to be these days, just referring back to a number of other stories claiming that Honda and especially Toyota lost money on every time someone bought a hybrid. So now one story refutes all the others.

Here’s the basic facts. Every car company “loses” money on a new car for a period of time. Every model has to sell X number of units before the development and tooling costs are paid back. Determining where the break even point for any model is some kind of arcane accounting involving variables that can be different for each model. But the idea that hybrid cars are, by definition, money-losers is one that has been fostered by the US press as some sort odd slap at Toyota and frankly, I don’t understand it. Toyota is not in the business of losing money, that’s territory firmly held by GM and Chrysler. Let’s be clear on that.

Oh, and George Will? Still wrong about almost everything. Then again, I’m not the only one to point this out, am I? When other writers for your own paper call you out for your fact free op-eds, well, it’s kind of pathetic.

I love this car

Here’s a nice report on the new Mini E-Drive all electric Mini.

This car looks like an absolute blast to drive. I can’t wait to check it out.

Insight test and review

hybridcars.com has a review of the 2010 Insight up.

They’ve to come to mostly the same conclusions I have. The Insight is a little cheaper than the Prius options available now (though that will change later this year) and the Insight is smaller and less fuel efficient while still being a strong competitor for the Prius.

I think most people will see the slightly larger, more comfortable and well appointed Prius a better option for a few grand more but competition is a good thing. Let the buyers decide!

We get letters

Casey Williams of car-data.com sent an email asking if he could respond to a couple posts here commenting on his writing that mentioned the Prius. I told that I would be happy to publish anything he cared to say Prius related so below are his responses to two POG posts (the original posts noted in a link above the comment.

Thanks to Casey for taking the time to write. Casey, you’re welcome to post your opinions here anytime.

In response to the POG post “Is the best way to sell a Yukon to insult a Prius?” Casey Williams said,

“You have to know I’m a big Prius fan and have tested several of them (first two generations) over the years. I would love a third-generation for my personal garage. They’re great cars. I was just having a little fun with the Yukon review, not trying to insult the Prius. During the morning about which I wrote, there were over 12″ of fresh snow in my driveway in Indianapolis with taller drifts on the main roads. None of the roads were plowed yet. I literally busted down drifts with the bumper of the SUV driving to work. Almost no cars were going anywhere, including my friend’s Prius. No insults meant. It was just a good analogy to point out the differences, and focus, of the Yukon Hybrid. Compared to a Prius, it drinks a lot of gas and has few of the benefits Prius owners enjoy so much. It does, however, get in-town fuel economy comparable to a mid-size sedan (a big improvement over non-hybrid Yukons), can tow a 30-ft. travel trailer, and clear 12″+ of snow (which a Prius, and most other sensible cars, can’t). Each vehicle has its purpose; owners of both are very happy.”

In response to the POG post “Let’s pretend” Casey Williams said,

“I have not driven a Chevy Volt – almost no journalists have. However, I have driven the Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell vehicle and GM’s notorious EV1. GM engineers claim the electrical system in the Equinox is very similar to the Volt’s, with the key difference being that the Equinox gets its electricity from a chemical conversion of hydrogen while the Volt has an on-board gasoline generator and can be plugged in. The beauty of the GM design is that they can essentially “plug n’ play” powertrains (diesel, hydrogen, gasoline, ethanol, etc) while using the same basic electric drive system (unlike a Prius, the Volt is an electric car with the wheels always driven by motors and batteries). Despite its limited range and complete failure in the market, the EV1 was also a lot of fun to drive and accelerated briskly.”

Thanks again Casey for taking the time to comment on our posts.

Cart before the horse

The MIT Technology Review asks an interesting question,

Does GM’s Volt Make Sense?

Unfortunately I think it’s a question that should asked after this question, “Will GM’s Volt work?”

And I don’t mean to be flip but GM has already backpedaled on a few things regarding the Volt. So before we even decide whether or not it makes sense and how to judge that, which is what two of the studies discussed in the article deal with, isn’t it important to know that the Volt will do what GM claims?

It’s a very succinct and good article. Check it out.

2010 Prius driving review-preview

The morning fog lifts revealing the mountains that surround the Napa valley.

Last week I had the chance to drive the new third generation 2010 Prius.

And while I am thinking about it, let’s call it the 3G2K10P from now on. Ok, that’s a really bad idea.

So Toyota was kind enough to allow me and lots of people much more important than me a chance to drive the new Prius. I’m working on that article and it will be posted here, on the POG, on March 25th. So check back then.

All of which is to say, if this small recap from last week seems incomplete, it is, intentionally so but the rest is coming. I promise.

Before the drive we had the opportunity to hear some information about the new third generation Prius from three people who know a lot about it.

Sitting at the left is Bob Carter. Mr. Carter is Group Vice-President and General Manager of Toyota Division at Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A. Seated in the center is the man known simply as “The Chief”. Of course, he is the man behind this new generation of Prius. He is Akihiko Otsuko, Chief Engineer of the Prius. Seated on the right is Chris Risdon. Mr. Risdon teaches at Toyota University and knows way more about technical details than I could absorb in one sitting.

During this lecture and conference I learned the following;

Toyota has intentionally designed and engineered this third generation vehicle to be a “mainstream car”. It’s still a hybrid, of course, but the idea is that it can compete on any level with any other vehicle in that class.

“The Chief” giving us some of the engineering background of the new Prius.

2,000 engineers worked on the 3G Prius under 100 team leaders all coordinated by The Chief who did an average of ten meetings per day to monitor the progress. That is some serious dedication to making something new and exciting.

Here is an example of saving weight and improving power to weight. On the left is part of the old HSD system, on the right, the new one. Smaller, lighter and more efficient. These components contributed to saving 65 pounds in the new HSD system versus the previous version.

The Hybrid Synergy Drive system in the 2010 Prius is 90% new. In other words, only 10% of the old design remains, the rest is new and different. The HSD system itself is 20% lighter than the previous generation and keep in mind, Toyota has upped the size of the ICE in the new Prius to a 1.8 liter motor. The power plant of the new Prius is completely beltless. No friction drag on the ICE means using less gasoline and for the car owner it means one less thing to worry about wearing out. The new HSD system has eliminated the chain, one less thing to put wear on and one more efficiency boost.

Oh, and that 10% that’s the same in the HSD?

It’s batteries. Yes, the new generation has the same batteries as the old one. Why change something that works as reliably as the current battery packs? They’ve proven they’re bulletproof in the face of a storm of mainstream media speculation to the contrary.

The old “thermos” bottle is gone. Now there is an exhaust recirculation system which not only warms the ICE up faster but will help heat the interior space of the Prius more quickly (something those of us in the north appreciate).

The new 11.9 gallon fuel tank, yes, I said tank. The new generation of Prius has eliminated the fuel bladder and is using a tank with a new recovery system for gases.

All of this took four and half years to accomplish.

When you look at images of the new Prius be sure to note the leading and trailing edges. Those sharp angles aren’t just design flourishes, they’re crafted that way intentionally to help reduce drag. To further the point, the current generation Prius has one of the lowest drag co-efficient of any production vehicle at .26. This new Prius, .25.

Toyota has added LED brake lights which are brighter, react faster and use 88% less energy than convention bulbs (and they last longer).

So, to recap what you’ve just read, the whole idea here is to reduce energy and the need for energy. Lighter, more responsive, faster all with less energy.

Toyota has added what they call underbody splitter devices. Think of the tail on an airplane except smaller. These splitters help direct airflow under the car.

On a somewhat trivial note but it’s one of the little touches that I love about this car, there is now a place to stow the rear tonneau cover under the floor of the rear compartment.

The seats in the new Prius are designed to be more comfortable. Toyota has included a height adjustment now and more front to rear adjustment ability which, in addition to the headroom increase, should make the Prius less of a trial for those of you over six foot tall.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago during the rollout, this new Prius has three, well, four driving modes. A standard mode which is the default. This car also has an EV mode which will allow the driver about a mile of pure EV range as long as the vehicle is driven very conservatively and the battery has at least four bars or more S.O.C. The new car has an “Eco” mode which adjusts the throttle and AC to offer better fuel efficiency. And much to the joy of many potential Prius owners the car now has a “Power” mode which enhances the performance of the vehicle. These new controls make it easier to get what you want from the Prius rather than completely dictate the driving experience to you.

The third generation Prius’s interior is enhanced by a “Plasmacluster” which ionizes the interior air while you drive as well as a selectable pollen and dust filter for the circulation system making the interior of the new Prius even more pleasant and relaxing than before.

Along those lines the 3G’s equipped with the rooftop solar panels will, when selected, allow exterior air to circulate through the vehicle reducing the inside temperature during the hot season. For those of you living in the sun belt this is a very cool option. As well, there is now a option which allows you to, through the SmartKey, engage the AC and actually cool the interior completely before getting inside.

Toyota has added a host of new electronic features. I’ll discuss these in more depth when I post the driving review later this month.

Suffice to say, this new Prius is new.

And, as announced formally today, the new Prius has obtained an EPA certified rating of 50 MPG combined. That’s 50 MPG city and 49 MPG highway. I’ll have more to say on that later this month as well.

Toyota announced they will be bringing 150 plug-in Prius test vehicles to be used at universities and for city governments later this year. By 2012 Toyota will add ten new hybrids to their global line and we’ll see a Toyota BEV, and I quote Mr. Carter here, “on the road” in 2012.

Huge news. Great news. Toyota continues to look forward.