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Hybrid Vehicles Makes A Turn For The
More Powerful Vehicles In The Auto Industry:
It is common knowledge among car enthusiasts and car owners that the
bigger the vehicle, the bigger the amount of fuel it consumes. With
this in mind, several automobile producers have begun diverting a big
chunk of their efforts to producing more hybrid 4x4s in the year 2005.
Taking on the Fleet First. The big three - Ford, Dodge and General
Motors have seemed to agree that 2005 is the perfect opportunity to
introduce the hybrid versions of some very popular vehicles. Ford
Introduces the Ford Escape Hybrid, the first vehicle to combine SUV
capability with the outstanding fuel economy and low environmental
impact of a full hybrid.
"Full" hybrid means it automatically
switches between pure electric power, pure gasoline or diesel engine
power or a combined operation to optimize efficiency and performance.
The no frills Escape Hybrid drives normally, performs superbly and
offers all the features you'd expect from the SUV leader. The Hybrid
Ford Escape features lots of room, comfortable seating for five, an
adaptable cargo area, 1000-pound towing capacity, and an optional
Intelligent 4WD System which produces the same all-weather grip and
off-road competence available in conventional Escape models. Full
hybrids can achieve 50% or more improvement in fuel economy during
traffic induced stop-and-go type of driving, where in the electric motor
is most efficient. The Escape Hybrid delivers more than 75% fuel
economy improvement in city driving when weighed against a conventional
V-6 powered Escape XLT. The Escape Hybrid can travel more than 400
miles in city driving on a single tank of gasoline.
Ford has already manufactured and
sold the 4,000 units Ford Escape Hybrid in 2004 and its resounding
success has prompted it to build a "modest" 20,000 more for 2005. Ford
wants to make sure it is not just a fad and people would see the
practical, economical and environmental impact a Hybrid vehicle can
induce. The Escape Hybrid costs $3,300 more than the V-6 powered
Escape. Dodge and General Motors follow suit. Ford has been the first to
produce and set the bar in the large vehicle Hybrid market segment and
Dodge and GM cannot afford to lag behind. General Motors and Dodge are
not that far behind though.
In the last quarter of 2004, General
Motors introduced electric hybrid versions of its 2005 Chevrolet
Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. The trucks were only available to
those who are in Florida, California, Nevada, Alaska, Oregon, and
Washington. GM expects to produce about 2,500 units in 2005 - 1,875
Silverados and 625 Sierras - with the hopes of launching the vehicles
on a national scale by 2006. Dodge manufactured only 100
diesel-electric 2005 RAM pickups, targeted for utility company fleets.
The diesel will produce better fuel economy, with an additional 15% mpg
boost over the conventional diesel Ram coming from the electric side.
Diesels are generally considered
more "environmentally disastrous" on the ecological front. The Dodge
Ram Diesel Hybrid is expected to sell for around $40,000 a somewhat
larger cost than the non-hybrid models. Heftier Price Tags. Although
the price tags may vary from state to state, the average increase for
the cost for a Hybrid option may run well up to $3,000. The GM versions
of the Hybrid engine are soft-hybrids, which mean that an electric
motor provides a boost up on accelerations.
The GM version of a hybrid large
vehicle has a stop-start system that turns off the gasoline engine at
traffic lights. It possesses a 120-volt, 2,400-watt generator system
that can provide power for electrical equipments. The Silverado and
Sierra hybrids also serves as power generators, with two conventional,
three-prong plug-ins that can be found under the rear seat, two extra
plug-ins can also be found in the rear
bed of the trucks. The four
120-volt, 20 amp electrical supplementary power outlets can supply
power for electric coolers, electric ranges, sound systems video
consoles and other electrical equipments that can be lugged around. The
power supply can be utilized while the engine is running or even after
the engine is cut and the keys are taken out of the ignition.
Ground fault detection systems are
installed in the power supply circuits so that overloads and short
circuits can be prevented. According to General Motors, the new hybrid
pickups could sustain enough power to last for up to 32 hours non-stop
before needing to fill the tank again. This function new feature proved
to be very useful when GM loaned some of their new Hybrids' to
hurricane stricken Florida when they were used for some relief
operations, they were vital in some areas where electricity was
incapacitated. The hybrid models of the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra
trucks are foreseen to develop fuel savings of up to 10% over analogous
trucks without the hybrid benefit. How exactly do Hybrids get such
Fantastic Mileage? HV's (Hybrid Vehicles) are principally powered by an
internal combustion engine, much like any ordinary vehicles. However,
they also transform the energy that is normally wasted during stop and
go operations into electricity, which is stored in a battery until the
moment it is needed by the electric motor.
The electric motor is utilized to
support the engine when accelerating or doing some uphill driving and
in low-speed driving operations where internal combustion engines are
least efficient. Some Hybrid Vehicles also automatically shut off the
engine when the vehicle is idling and restarts the internal combustion
engine when the accelerator is depressed. This avoids exhausted fuel
when the vehicle is not in motion. Unlike all-electric vehicles, HV's
that are being produced today do not need to be plugged into an
external source of electricity to be recharged, the energy provided by
the engine and the braking force charges the batteries. Is it worth the
fuss and the costs? It all boils down to one thing, Large Hybrid
Vehicles cost more than their non-hybrid counterparts. Deciding on the
advantages though is not that hard.
You get better mileage, companies
save on fuel consumption, electric motors are all the rage plus you get
to help the environment. Also, the hybrid SUV's pay for themselves in
the long run, costs may be cut through tax incentives and decreased
fuel consumption help to offset the price difference. Determining the
cost-savings ratio would be one factor many car manufacturers will keep
in mind while keeping close scrutiny in their products. Nevertheless a
large hybrid vehicle may just be the thing the future needs. Parts Train
has been a leader in the online parts supplying industry for many years
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Jenny McLane is a
36 year old native of Iowa and has a knack for research on cars and
anything and everything about it. She works full time as a Market
Analyst for one of the leading car parts suppliers in the country today.
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