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By Linda Jarrett
Hybrid automobiles have been around since 1999, when Honda introduced the two-passenger Insight in 2000. Since then, buyers’ options have expanded to three makes and models: the Insight, Honda Civic and Toyota Prius. The Honda Accord hybrid will hit showrooms this fall, and Ford will have the first domestic entry in the SUV market when it introduces the Escape hybrid later this month.
What exactly is a “hybrid?” In simplest terms, a hybrid vehicle has both a gasoline-powered engine and an electric motor that operate in unison or independently to power the vehicle.
Over 125,000 Americans have purchased a hybrid car since the first ones hit the market. And while some buyers are sold on the environmental advantages of cleaner emissions, research from Toyota and Honda indicate that improved gas mileage is the main reason buyers are willing to spend over $3,000 more for a hybrid. According to the EPA, hybrids average between 50 and 60 miles per gallon in the city, and 50 miles per gallon on the highway—reverse of the normal mileage for a gasoline-powered vehicle.
In Honda’s model, the electric motor is used to assist the gas engine, but cannot power the vehicle on its own. The Prius and Escape, on the other hand, can run on gas, electric or both. In all cases, the electric motor provides some of the power necessary to move the vehicle, resulting in improved gas mileage and less pollution.
So far, the critics have been pleased. The April 2004 issue of Consumer Reports gives high marks to both the Civic and Prius. In their assessment, the magazine says the vehicles were holding up well and were among the most reliable in their survey.
Ron Fraunfelder, sales manager at Huey Honda, says, “They (Consumer Reports) had over 226 responses to owner satisfaction ratings. No one has traded their car in.”
Fraunfelder says hybrids operate seamlessly, so drivers are unaware when the electric motor starts pitching in. “You can’t discern it’s running, and when you pull up to a stop sign or break, the engine shuts off,” he says. “When you prepare to accelerate, it turns back on and you don’t even know it.”
Jim Hanna, sales representative at Pete Seeger Toyota, says the dealership is selling the hybrids faster than the factories can produce them. “If we were to take an order, we’re at least 12 to 15 months out,” he says. “We’ve probably sold about 50 or 60 and we have another 20 to 25 on order.”
William Osborne, executive director of Ford’s North American Truck Business Group, says the St. Louis area will have to wait until January for their chance at the hybrid Escape. “The first ones will be sent to California and New York because of the demand for a high gas mileage vehicle,” he says. “Driving in Manhattan, we were able to get 550 miles to one tank of gas.”
John Schicker, a sales representative for McMahon Ford, says the dealership has taken about eight advance orders. “I’m only getting one Escape a month for the first two months, which is January and Feb-ruary,” he says. “I’m telling people up front that I don’t know when you’ll see your vehicle, but it doesn’t seem to have bothered anybody.”
Amy Ziegler, of University City, purchased her Honda Civic two months ago. She says she had been long awaiting an environmentally-friendly car. “I wanted an electric car before the hybrids came into being. I’m finding it very reliable.”
The base price on the Prius and Civic is $21,000, while the Escape is higher at $26,900. Helping to offset the sticker price, buyers who purchase a hybrid in 2004 can take a “clean fuel” deduction of $1,500 from their federal income tax. In 2005, that figure drops to $1,000.
 Lexus RX 400h |
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If a handful of models aren’t enough to choose from, more hybrids are on the way for 2005. Mercury will unveil a hybrid Mariner, to go with Toyota’s Highlander SUV, the Lexus RX 400h and General Motors Silverado/Sierra. Hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon will be on the market in 2007.
DRIVING FORD'S SUV HYBRID ESCAPE |
I had the opportunity to drive the new Escape Hybrid SUV when Ford held its media preview July 28 at the Grand Basin in Forest Park. Sliding behind the wheel, I turned the ignition key, listened and heard...nothing. I pressed the accelerator and listened closer.
Still nothing.
William Osborne, executive director of Ford’s North American Truck Business Group, sat in the passenger seat next to me. Smiling, he said, “Yes, it’s on.”
Only half-believing, I put the car in drive, pressed the accelerator again and off we went—silently—toward Skinker Boulevard. As I moved in and out of traffic, Osborne pointed out the LED panel on the dash. The display informs the driver when the car is switching from gas power to electric, and back again. This happened every time I slowed or stopped.
During my test drive, I noticed no difference in power. Nor could I resist an extra touch of acceleration as we cruised down Forsyth Avenue back to our starting point. The V-6 engine hummed underneath the hood and performed every bit as well—and more quietly—as my Explorer at home.
—Linda Jarrett |
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