Dude, that hybrid got a Hemi?

What a hemi-powered hybrid is all about?

One of the most interesting displays of hybrid technology happened at the Chrysler section of the LA Auto Show. Both the Dodge Durango hybrid and the Chryser Aspen hybrid made their debuts connected to big boats and campers.

I'll post a picture later, but seeing Hemi and hybrid badged together onto some large SUVs just didn't seem right. All that I could think of when looking at these hybrid SUVs was, 'Dude, that hybrid got a Hemi'?

Still, a Hemi-powered hybrid SUV is better than a Hemi-powered SUV.

Finally, Chrysler hybrids confirmed

Push towards fuel economy

Well, I was right.

According to Reuters Chrysler has now confirmed that "it would roll out new hybrid vehicles, streamline its cars and trucks and introduce more diesel engines in a bid to improve the fuel economy of its product line-up."

Chrysler's 2008 hybrid vehicles, much like GM, will probably focus on large SUVs - an ideal platform for the dual mode hybrid powertrain that the two automakers developed together. Thus far, Chrysler has confirmed the Dodge Durango hybrid and the Aspen hybrid.

Small business tax deduction for large SUVs over?

No more tax breaks?

"Lawmakers introduced a new bill to eliminate the so-called "Hummer tax loophole," The Detroit News reported."

"This controversial tax incentive allows small businesses to write off up to $25,000 of the purchase of the largest pickups and sport-utility vehicles. More than 30 vehicles—including the Hummer H2, Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Expedition, Lexus LX 470 and Dodge Durango—qualify for the break." (more)

--> Finish: Small business tax deduction for large SUVs over?

Chrysler's gas-guzzling hybrids?

Chrysler adds Aspen to hybrid lineup

Move over Durango, here comes the Aspen. In addition to the Dodge Durango hybrid, Chrylser has announced that the 2008 Aspen will also be available as a hybrid.

Overall, Chrysler claims that both hybrid vehicles will offer a 25 percent overall increase in fuel economy. In city driving, however, both hybrids could achieve as much as a 40 percent increase in fuel efficiency.

While that's great news for SUV fans whom want to increase their fuel economy, how long do car fans have to wait for a U.S.-manufactured Toyota Prius contender?

Daimler and BMW hook up on mild hybrids

Going hybrid, mild hybrid

BMW and DaimlerChrsyler will co-develop a mild hybrid transmission for rear-wheel-drive cars which will be available within three years, according to Reuters.

Additionally, the two companies will continue their partnership with GM to develop dual mode hybrid vehicles - full hybrid vehicles.

GM is planning to launch the Yukon hybrid and the Escalade hybrid later this year, while DaimlerChrysler is hoping to launch the Durango hybrid and a Mercedes-Benz hybrid soon after GM's hybrid launch.

Ford to lease GM hybrid technology for Expedition?

Ford has announced that is working on a hybrid version of the Ford Expedition, apparently, in an attempt to compete against GM's Tahoe hybrid, Yukon hybrid, and Chrysler's Durango hybrid. In fact, there is some speculation that Ford might even lease GM's Dual Mode hybrid powertrain (more).

While I understand that there are a number of Americans that essentially demand large trucks and SUVs, where are the Big 3's hybrid cars? The Big 3 simply aren't going to survive in the future if Detroit can't build top selling fuel efficient cars in addition to huge SUVs. It is hard to take Detroit's hybrid efforts seriously until they come up with a hybrid to challenge the Toyota Prius.

The Chevy Tahoe Ad: Is SUV hate productive?

Recently GM launched a 'Write-Your-Own-Ad' for the new Chevy Tahoe as part of a viral marketing campaign. Essentially, you can go to the website chevyapprentice.com and use some tools offered on the website to build your own Chevy Tahoe ad.

Of course, SUV haters have used this opportunity to blast the Tahoe for its poor fuel economy and lack of environmental friendliness. Many Tahoe critics even used the Chevy site to try to create campaigns against this Chevy vehicle, posting some of their videos on Youtube, for example.

So, did Chevy lose or win this campaign? Is any publicity good publicity? Is any buzz good buzz?

Often I am incensed by the haters of hybrid cars, whom only empower both my passion for hybrid technology and my hate for gas-guzzling.

Is the same true of SUV lovers? Do the SUV haters only empower the majority of them to continue their support of SUVs?

Even hybrid SUVs?

Yesterday, I made a post about the Durango hybrid and I realized how hard it is for me to support large SUVs, even when powered by hybrid technology. Soon, there will also be a Tahoe hybrid. While I'm not fond of large hybrid SUVs, I feel that I must completely support them.

Minimally, they offer significantly improved environmental performance, a 25% gain in fuel economy, additional hybrid competition and hybrid investment.

Is this perfect? Not by a long shot, but it's positive momentum. Thus, while I want to be a hater, is hate really very effective?

Is attacking the Chevy Tahoe ad useful, or, ultimately, counterproductive?

Dodge's Durango Hybrid Set for 2008

Dodge is 'prepping' its 2008 Durango hybrid, which will be "powered by a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 engine. Dodge anticipates a 25 percent fuel-economy boost. The hybrid powertrain was jointly developed by DaimlerChrysler AG, General Motors and the BMW Group." (AutoWeek).

I guess that will turn an extreme gas-guzzler into a significant gas-guzzler, which is an improvement.

Inevitably, I'm for all hybrid cars because every hybrid makes hybrid technology more cost effective. Additionally, based on GM's real-world pollution, any improvement is important.

Buyers of hybrid cars have vision, critics are simply narrow-minded

I was reading some AutoWeek forum entries this morning about hybrid cars when I realized that most hybrid critics are not only narrow-minded, but they have a complete lack of vision.

How does the quote go, "There is only one constant in the universe, change." I guess the Buddhists call it impermanence, or the idea that in 100 years, everyone that exists today will be gone, yet the world will go on, it will just be different because change is constant.

If hybrid critics were leading the world for the last 100 years, the world would still be riding horse and buggy. Fortunately, change is inevitable.

But back to the point. The two main criticisms of hybrids are 1.) They aren't as fuel efficient as the EPA rates them, and 2.) They don't save money.

It is true that hybrid vehicles aren't as efficient as the EPA rates them. All vehicles aren't as efficient as the EPA rates them. So what's the point?

Additionally, individual driving habits have a HUGE affect on fuel efficiency - in both hybrids and conventional vehicles. Even a standard Toyota Highlander can achieve better than average fuel efficiency by adjusting driving habits. Nonetheless, the Highlander hybrid or Escape hybrid can achieve much larger increases in fuel efficiency by adjusting driving habits compared to their conventional versions.

Shouldn't hybrids just be more fuel efficient?

Well, they are. For the average driver, hybrid technology will achieve better fuel efficiency than a standard vehicle, especially in city driving. And if you adjust your driving habits, you can significantly increase a hybrid's fuel efficiency performance.

Since most drivers of hybrids are concerned with saving fuel, hybrid technology offers an excellent tool for them to meet their goals.

Testers from AutoWeek, etc., aren't concerned with the fuel efficiency capabilities of hybrids, they are concerned with proving that hybrids don't achieve EPA predictions.

If you don't care about fuel efficiency, well, then a hybrid isn't for you. If you aren't going to use a tool correctly, then it probably is best not to use it. If you want to put a screw in the wall, a hammer can do the job, but it won't do it as well as a screwdriver because the screwdriver is a better tool for the job.

For those drivers seeking to achieve the greatest fuel efficiency, many hybrid vehicles are by far the best tools available, but you still have to use the tool correctly to achieve maximum performance.

Why is that so hard for critics to get? Not everyone has to stroke their ego by driving the biggest or the fastest vehicle.

Additionally, why are critics so concerned with hybrid performance anyway? If they are so concerned with fuel efficiency, why are they worried that a Prius might achieve 45 mpg, rather than 60 mpg? Shouldn't they be more concerned with why a Dodge Durango is only getting 10 mpg instead of 14 mpg? I mean, lets get real.

Regarding the costs of hybrid technology, critics have a point, but so what?

People pay more for the right gas-guzzle obscene amounts of foreign oil but somehow that's cost effective in the eyes of these critics - that's worth the extra money?

Yet, choosing to spend extra money to help reduce foreign oil dependency and to help save the environment isn't justified. Please!

Well, America better wake up. Global warming is real - whether it is caused by man or by nature - and the majority of the world is beginning to take this threat quite seriously. Well, except for America, and the world is becoming much angrier with America for this position. We can continue to pretend like the opinions of the rest of the world don't matter in our ever-more-interconnected world, but we'll do so at our peril, but I digress.

Ultimately, many hybrid owners can recover the costs of their vehicle with intelligent driving. And if not, how do you put a cost on clean air and a cleaner environment?

If you don't care about clean air and a healthy environment, then quite frankly, you are the problem, not the driver of a hybrid car. Any help is still help and changing direction always requires leaders.

Still, many hybrid vehicle drivers aren't just buying a hybrid to save money, or just to reduce foreign oil dependency, or just to clean the environment. Many are making an investment in the future.

While many hybrid vehicle drivers could drive any vehicle they want, they choose to buy a hybrid to help fund the development of new, cheaper generations of hybrids.

Already, experimental hybrid vehicles demonstrate that the potential of hybrid technology is barely being tapped. Plug-in Prius hybrids can easily achieve more than 80 mpg, the Enigma diesel hybrid achieves 80 mpg, yet can go from 0 to 60 in 4.3 seconds, and other experimental hybrids have achieved more than 100 - even 200 - miles per gallon.

Today's hybrid buyers are helping to make tomorrow's hybrid technology more fuel efficient, more powerful, and cheaper.

Perhaps another technology will come along and hybrid technology won't be needed. Or, perhaps it will be hybrid technology that finally makes fuel cell vehicles realistic. Rather than waiting and continuing to gas-guzzle, however, hybrid buyers are taking action because they believe a better tomorrow starts today.

Apparently, hybrid critics would rather just keep talking and hammering screws into the wall as they wait for tomorrow.

Some hybrids save big bucks in city driving

Hybrid cars are leading an automotive revolution. Yet, critics are everywhere. Hybrids cost too much, they don't achieve EPA estimates, diesel and biodiesel are better, fuel cells are the future and on and on.

On Friday Consumers Reports sent out a press release regarding the inaccuracy and inefficiency of the EPA's fuel economy ratings. Of course, even Consumer Reports had to take a stab at hybrid cars, noting that the Honda Civic hybrid missed its EPA estimated city fuel economy - utilizing CR's testing methodology - by a whopping 46 percent.

Of course CR did have to admit that hybrids still fill the top 3 most fuel efficient vehicles slot - not bad considering only a handful of hybrids are available. (Full Story)

2008 Dodge Durango hybrid will be Chrysler's First

Because it will be at least a decade before hybrid cars have a notable impact on gas consumption, according to Chrysler, they will not release their first hybrid until 2008, the Dodge Durango hybrid. (AFP)

DaimlerChrysler and GM will team up on hybrids

In order to compete with Japanese rivals in the hybrid car movement, GM and Daimler Chrysler will jointly develop hybrid motors.

The plan calls for rear and front-wheel-drive versions for cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles. Each company; however, will integrate the new hybrids into its own models.

Nonetheless, both companies will be years behind in the hybrid race. Already, the Toyota Prius has created huge waiting lists, and there has been much favorable buzz regarding the Ford Escape hybrid, and the recently released Honda Accord hybrid.

For example, GM will put hybrids into its full-sized Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs in late 2007. Shortly after GM's SUVs hit the market, Daimler Chrysler will bring the Dodge Durango to market. Ultimately, Daimler will also bring Mercedes hybrids to market, but it will be as much as five years before that happens.