The 2009 GMC Yukon Hybrid

Ok so the whole fuel economy thing has finally made its way into the last possible auto segment; the man’s vehicle group. Yes now even manly men are aware of their fuel economy and its impact on the environment. Well GMC is the first company to address this portion of our population. New for 2009 is the Yukon which weights almost a ton and yet can achieve that magical 20 MPG mark that SUV’s were never meant to obtain.

This remarkable feat was achieved by designing a 2-mode hybrid system. The Yukon has the ability to run on electric power alone up to 25 MPH which does wonders for the in town fuel economy. When more power is need the gas engine simply kicks in. And the Yukon also benefits from cylinder deactivation technology which essentially turns the V-8 power plant in to a more economical 4 cylinder when less power is needed. This hybrid can still tow 6,000 lbs. plus seat 8 in the process. The future of manly cars is looking good for the environment and wallet! Check out the 2009 Yukon Hybrid SUV!

The 2010 Prius – 50 MPG at Least!

The 2010 Toyota Prius is set to break the 50 MPG barrier that the American public has been salivating for. According to the EPA which is the governing body for all things MPG related, the 2007 Prius gets a combined 46 MPG which is the leader among all hybrid vehicles. Well Toyota is at the forefront of battery technology and the batteries on the horizon will be able to charge easier and last longer. This is where the PHEV or Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle will come into play. For the 2010 Prius you can get a PHEV model which will allow you to charge the batteries that power the electric motor at home. This will help the Prius to use the electric engine more often which will increase the fuel economy and lower emissions; a win/win situation for the public.

Visit the Palm Springs Auto Mall to see a giant selection of hybrid vehicles. Also the I-10 Toyota website will have upcoming feature on the new Prius.

Toyota’s Got Gas – Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)!

Honda has been the sole automaker with a reliable CNG car for way too long. On the heels of Honda announcing they will make twice as many natural gas cars as last year; Toyota has recently displayed the new CNG Camry hybrid at the Los Angeles Auto Show. What better place to show off the future of green cars than at the city that is the mecca for all things eco-friendly.
One of the World’s largest reserves of Natural Gas lies here in the U.S.! So why should be pay other countries for oil when we could use our own resources and tap into those large pockets of natural gas. I’ve been wondering this for years now and since Honda is doing so well, and there are home fueling kits for natural gas, this seems like the next logical step for the world’s most powerful auto maker.

The CNG Toyota Camry Hybrid will be based on the current gas-electric version, just instead of a gas engine this car will be powered by natural gas-electric motor. Horsepower will suffer a tiny bit and the average fuel economy will shrink from 34 MPG to 33 MPG, based on estimates. The range on this eco-friendly car will be over 250 miles. But when you consider that natural gas is cheaper than regular petrol…..this seems like a viable car!

Sources: http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/11/toyota-shows-co.html
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/24/la-preview-toyota-to-display-cng-fueled-camry-hybrid-concept/

The GM Volt – A Bit Late

GM has been pushing the idea of E-Flex Automobiles as of late with the Chevrolet Volt at the forefront of all this chatter. The E-Flex cars are hybrids but not in the normal sense. A hybrid car is one powered by 2 energy sources. Where the Volt differs is that it is plugged in to charge the lithium batteries. Gm has dubbed this car an Extended Range Vehicle. What this means is that the Volt can run up to 40 miles on batteries alone. After that a regular gas engine kicks in.

My question is why now? I mean yes this is good but the GM EV1 was around in the early 1990’s and they are just now slating the release of the Volt for 2011. It has taken way too long for GM to develop this technology. Maybe they should have released this car before their economic troubles. But this is the smart thinking that GM has not displayed in the last 20 years!