Nissan and General Motors – other global automakers, also announcement to promote their plug-in hybrids, which go on sale in late 2010. And when this happens, the consumers will have at least three options or choices of plug-in hybrid cars – from Prius, Nissan, and General Motors. Moreover, the consumers can compare the price of plug-in hybrid cars prices – according to electric driving range and a range of costs.

And General Motors with their Chevy Volt likely become the most expensive – for about $40,000 – with offering up to 40 miles of all electric range before an on-board engine sustains the batteries charge for an additional 300 miles.

Nissan automaker with their Nissan Leaf will offer 100 miles of driving range – this pure electric will driving 100 percent of electric. The Nissan Leaf will not have an engine – would recharged after in range to about 100 miles. The company expected to sell it about $32,000.

The Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid will cost about -$20,000s and it will likely be the least expensive, but this plug-in hybrid will offer just 14.5 miles at speeds up to 60 mph – the least of all electric range. But Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid will rely on its gas engine more than the other cars – although you will be fully to charge it quickly.

All three of the vehicles will be eligible for tax credits, as high as $7,500. The Prius Plug-in Hybrid, which will use a 5.2 kWh lithium ion battery pack—compared to the Leaf’s 24 kWh pack and the Volt’s 16 kWh—will not qualify for as high a tax credit as the other vehicles.

In the race for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, Toyota will be able to leverage its commanding lead in conventional hybrids. In September, the company announced that cumulative global sales of the Prius topped 2 million units—far more than all other hybrid cars combined. Yet, GM, Nissan, Ford and others recently have taken aggressive steps to take a leadership role in the next generation of alternative vehicles, the plug-in hybrid and electric car. Toyota’s announcement about the Prius Plug-in Hybrid indicates that the company will not easily relinquish its market advantage—and perhaps more importantly, its image—as the leader in green cars.

Another articles you may be interested in reading: Audi Q7, BMW X6, The Disadvantage of Hybrid Cars, and Lithium Ion Batteries.

source: hybridcars.com

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According the Wall Street Journal’s is reporting that BYD’s e6 all electric cars is barely ready for the United State market – in spite of plans to carry the vehicle to the United State next year. An expert – tech chief of a global auto car – test drive the car and said that this hybrid plug-in car such a half-baked car. He said that the handling was ‘squishy’ and the ride was ‘rough.’ I think BYD will have a hard time selling the e6 hybrid plug in car at the predictable price of United State $45,000 – if the quality problems persist.

The Wall Street Journal explained that BYD does not have a good track record in keeping promises on product launches. Some industry analysts suspect there may be technical glitches plaguing its green vehicles, which include a hybrid plug in car called the F3DM, in addition to the e6.

According to Gasgoo, a website reporting on the Chinese auto industry, describe how BYD became the first automaker in the world to sell a hybrid plug in car, the F3DM, but sold fewer than 100 through August.

Yet, the promises keep coming.

Besides Hybrid Plug In Car, there are other articles by Johan Young you may interest in reading: Different Types of Hybrid Cars, Subaru Hybrid Car, and Hybrid Mini Van.

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The base Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price or MSRP of the new third generation of Toyota Prius will currently range from $22,400 to $27,670, depending on the trim package. The revolution will be effective in late October.

In spite of the recession in its sales and the slightly higher price, Toyota is showing little concern about selling Priuses. Actually, Toyota had only 3 days of provide of Toyota Prius in mid September.

In the fourth quarter of 2009 the supply might get even thinner, as the company plans to pay out $1 billion on marketing. That spend is more than 40 percent of the carmaker would typically spend in the quarter. The campaign will contain funding for more incentives and advertising, while dealer will granting more higher profit margins. Irv Miller, the vice president for Toyota’s US sales unit, at a meeting with its dealers in Las Vegas said, “”We see the economy is starting to strengthen a bit, we’ve stopped playing defense. It’s time to go on the offense.”

A Family of Toyota Prius

Miller also said that Toyota plans to add more variants to Toyota Prius line up. He not describe when the timetable. For about two years, the company has hinted at the idea of a family of Priuses, ranging in size from compact to small sports utility or a wagon. The idea has been openly discussed first time in front of top Toyota brass and dealers in Las Vegas meeting.

One of the participants who attended the meeting said, “The Camry hybrid and Highlander hybrid do OK, but calling it ‘Synergy Drive’ never resonated with customers.” Stewart told to Automotive News that Prius it’s a magic name. When you tell anybody that you drive a Toyota Prius, everybody knows what you mean. Stewart said the Priuses will not be a separate sub-brand like Scion.

Additionally, Nikkei, the Japanese business daily report that Toyota plans to start in on commercial production of plug-in hybrids in 2012, and in the first year Toyota will producing between 20,000 and 30,000 units. Toyota expected to sell its plug-in hybrid for about $48,000. Toyota also enlarges its evaluation of plug-in hybrids by leasing five hundred of its third generation of Prius in Japan, the US, and the whole of Europe – government agencies and corporation.

The Main Reason Why Expanding Toyota Prius

The main reasons why Toyota expanding the Prius brand beyond one vehicle is to dominate global hybrid car market. The Ford Fusion Hybrid was marketed as a better more fuel-efficient alternative to the Toyota Camry Hybrid. And Honda is aiming for greater hybrid affordability with the Honda Insight and other future small hybrids. At the same time, a long list of established car companies—as well as a growing number of start-ups and Chinese manufacturers—have announced plans for electric and plug-in hybrids. Last week, BYD –Chinese auto company, said that it to overtake Toyota as the world’s largest automaker in about 15 years, using electric cars, hybrids and other plug-in cars as a key strategy.

2008 Hybrid Cars

Source: HybridCars.com

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2010-Fisker-Plug-in-Hybrid-Sport-Car

Fisker Automotive debuted at the 2008 NAIAS or North American International Auto Show. The company first production car is the 2010 Fisker Karma. The Fisker Karma has a claimed total range of 483 km or about 300 miles with the first 50 miles using electric charge only and after that (250 miles) using gasoline. The starting price of Fisker Karma is about $87,900 ($80,400 after US government tax credits).

And 2010 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sports car is one of the cars of Fisker Automotive production. 2010 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sports car has a very sporty style, good performance, great passion, but in the eco-friendly vehicles concept. For more details about 2010 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sports car you can watch the video here.

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Green car fans are enthusiastic about the Volvo JNI echoes in 2009 will be released a plug in diesel hybrid. This is the consideration that the Volvo V70 Plug-in Hybrid safe, stylist and highly efficient functional. Driving electric power of 30 miles instead of diesel engines. Media reports this will happen in the year 2012.

Volvo CEO Stephen Odell said in a press conference that a significant leap beyond the initial plans with plans to offer regular hybrids to market in 2012. To achieve this goal, he was very excited. Do you not know that Volvo came recently when the plug-in hybrids come? According to the environmental concept car, Volvo and ECC identified that the hybrid is the most promising car technology in 1992. In 2007, the Company will cooperate with the Swedish company’s battery and producer ETC. Fuel Cell puts Swedish plug-in hybrid 10 to the Swedish road to the project for 10 million dollars in 2009. At the same time, release the Volvo recharge. Volvo recharge is a flex-fuel plug-in hybrid concept located at each wheel on an electric motor. Volvo recharge with the performance of the 9-second 0-60mph, 100mph maximum speed can be driving for 3 hours in 60 km.

Real Car Sales Prototypes

Year 2012, Volvo has a purpose in conducting and evaluating a prototype transition to vehicles that can be purchased in Europe. The Company assumes that the vehicle with a lithium ion battery power will be very expensive and it becomes a discussion this week. To gain experience and understanding of driving habits and the charging plug-in drivers, Volvo worked with Vattenfall. So, it just knows whether the lithium ion battery is an expensive component for a plug-in hybrids or electric cars. Besides, this way can improve the design of the plug-in hybrids. If you can use this way, the vehicle can be created and produced with cheap, safe, and efficient. That’s Volvo. Volvo V70 Plug-in Hybrid is currently using 11 batteries, 3 kWh of cost about 10,000 dollars or more. Volvo hopes that prices could fall, especially if the battery is rather slim and does not exceed the needs of consumers. Front – wheel drive diesel engines with rear-wheel electric motors are to combine packaging battery. For prevent companies from hybrid cars and diesel without a plug, then the high hybrid prices. Volvo V70 test program Plug-in Hybrid. It is not that interested buyers will be Ford. Swedish Volvo so severed ties with the U.S. car companies to regain his identity and to smooth the Swedish government’s goal to become the first country oil-free 2020.

Anohter articles by Johan Young that you may be interested in reading: Infiniti M35, Volkswagen Jetta TDI-1, Volkswagen Jetta TDI-2, Volkswagen Jetta TDI-3, and Dodge Ram Hybrid.

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After 11 years at Honda, German now serves as a senior fellow for the International Council for Clean Transportation. In an interview with HybridCars.com, German said the next wave of lithium ion batteries will not significantly reduce the cost of electric cars, but they could make conventional hybrids ubiquitous.

In German’s view, the chief benefit of new lithium ion batteries is their greatly enhanced power capabilities—the rate at which energy can go in and out of the battery. “But they don’t store any more energy than the current lithium ion batteries do,” said German, “What we are looking at is a battery which is perfect for conventional hybrids.”

HybridCars.com: Why will the new breed of lithium ion batteries be a bigger benefit to conventional hybrids rather than plug-in hybrids and electric cars?

German: The next generation of lithium ion batteries will reduce the cost of the battery pack for conventional hybrids, but they’re not going to reduce the cost of the battery pack for plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles. In effect, these batteries will increase the cost differential between conventional hybrids and plug-in hybrids. That’s going to make it harder for plug-in hybrids to compete with conventional hybrids.

Walk me through the energy and power requirements for the two different categories of vehicles.

For plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, it’s all about the range. You need a certain amount of energy to drive a certain distance [before needing to recharge]. That’s independent of the battery chemistry. If the new lithium ion chemistry doesn’t store any more energy than your old lithium ion chemistry, then you need just as much battery to drive that distance.

And with conventional hybrids, you don’t need nearly as much energy.

The battery packs in all existing hybrids, up until the new BMW ActiveHybrid 7 are oversized. The reason they’re oversized is that with nickel metal hydride [the technology used in today’s hybrids], you’re limited in how fast you can take energy in and out of a battery without causing significant deterioration. So these batteries are not sized for the energy [storage] requirements. They are sized for the power requirements, so they can deliver enough power without significant deterioration. As a consequence, they hold a lot more energy than they really need to.

With the new high-power lithium ion batteries, they can cut them down to their actual energy requirements and still get all the power they need.

So, with the new lithium ion batteries, the difference in cost between conventional hybrids and gas-powered vehicles could come in line?

In another 10 to 15 years, we should be at the point where the mainstream customer, the average customer, will accept the cost of a hybrid system.

Meaning, maybe a couple of hundred dollars more than a conventional car?

Well, $1,000 to $1,500 more. There’s enough benefit for mainstream customers to accept it.

How rapid will the transition from nickel metal hydride to lithium ion batteries be for conventional hybrids?

It’s a function of sales volume. The current generation of lithium ion batteries is not any cheaper than nickel metal hydride. And they’re not proven. With a lot of the lithium ion chemistries, just sitting and doing nothing in hot weather will degrade the battery pack. The batteries will not last as long in Phoenix as Minneapolis. There’s risk with durability and reliability.

In lower volume applications, new hybrids just coming out, carmakers know they’re not going to be able to capture larger market share right away. So they’re going to be lithium ion batteries starting tomorrow [See Mercedes S400 Hybrid and BMW ActiveHybrid 7]. You don’t have a large volume, so your risk is minimized and you’ve gained experience. It’s going to be cheaper in the long run, and you want to gain experience. So, you’ll see very few new hybrids using nickel metal hydride.

The problem is with high volume existing hybrids. When you’re selling hundreds of thousands of Priuses globally every year, if you encounter something wrong with the lithium ion battery pack, your exposure is enormous. The high volume hybrid applications are going to go to lithium ion last. But even the high volume ones will get there by 2015 or so.

What’s your feeling about the cost per kilowatt-hour of lithium ion batteries? What are they now and where do they need to be?

I thought they were $1,000 per kilowatt-hour, but I’m hearing that it may be more like $700. It’s hard to determine the long-term price potential. They shouldn’t have much trouble getting down to about $320 per kilowatt-hour. It’s going to take a while, but with higher volumes and better production methods, $320 is achievable in the 2018 to 2020 time frame.

The real question is how low can you drive it. I’ve seen some people suggest that the lowest could be $250 to maybe $175.

At $250, doesn’t mean that plug-in cars become affordable?

No. At $250 per kilowatt-hour, the pay back is roughly similar to the hybrid vehicles of about five years ago. So there’s your market, about 3 percent.

If lithium ion batteries bring the plug-in market to 2 or 3 percent, where will conventional hybrids go?

I’ll stick my neck out and say that by sometime around 2025 or 2030, conventional hybrids will be over 70 percent of the market.

And a fairly steady ramp up from now until then?

Yes. It will be a curve. Something like a doubling of hybrid sales every three to five years. There’s no doubt in my mind that by 2030 that hybrids will be in more than half the vehicles sold in the US. I would be astounded if they weren’t. By 2020, I would say we’d be somewhere in the 10 – 15 percent range.

And President Obama’s goal for 1 million plug-in hybrids by 2015?

It’s not likely.

Source: HybridCars.com

Another articles you may be interested in reading: Green Car Insurance, The Advantages of Hybrid Cars, Hybrids in Winter Driving, and The Disadvantage of Hybrid Cars.

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However, one year prior to its release, journalists are discovering that the Chevy Volt will fall short of the 40 miles of all-electric range under a number of conditions.

Edmunds’ John O’Dell yesterday took a brief test drive of the Chevy Volt, and grilled Chevy Volt Chief Engineer Andrew Farah. O’Dell discovered that the 2011 will indeed deliver 40 miles of battery-only range on the EPA city cycle, a driving circuit with an average speed of just under 20 mph. But the Chevy Volt’s battery range will be diminished under these conditions:

• Aggressive acceleration
• Sustain high-speed driving
• Exceptionally hot or cold ambient temperatures
• Driving in hilly or mountainous terrain

O’Dell writes, “If you pull out of the driveway with a full charge, hop on an uncrowded freeway and motor away at 65 miles an hour, you won’t get 40 miles on battery power alone.”

Does It Matter?

From the beginning, the 40-mile number seemed arbitrary. After all, how many Volt owners are going to complain if the engine comes on after 38 miles or 35 miles? The Chevy Volt is expected to be the only mainstream relatively affordable plug-in hybrid on the market—it goes on sale in late 2010—with anywhere near 40 miles of all-electric range for quite some time.

But if Chevy Hybrid Cars does fall short of 40 miles of electric range, and 35 or 30 miles proves to be enough for satisfied owners, it begs the question of how much all-electric range is needed after all. Earlier this year, researchers from Carnegie Melon University found that the extra cost and weight of batteries needed for 40 miles of all-electric range are cost-prohibitive. Researchers said, “Large-capacity plug-in hybrids sized for 40 or more miles of electric-only travel are not cost-effective in any scenario.”

This Chevy Hybrid Car is expected to cost about $40,000. Could GM reduce the cost of the Volt—and potentially sell more units maybe even at a profit—by downsizing the battery pack to allow for 30, 20, or even 10 miles of all-electric range? Does it strike a better balance between cost and EV-range to tap into gasoline when needed throughout the driving cycle—the “blended” approach expected from Ford and Toyota, as well as GM’s own future plug-in hybrid SUV? Or maybe those who must have a long all-electric range would be happy to pay $10,000 less and give up the ability to take their electric car on long-range trips? The Nissan Leaf is expected to sell in the low $30,000s and will never use a drop of gasoline, because it’s purely electric and doesn’t have a gas engine.

The new era of plug-in hybrids and electric cars will bring these questions and many more. Perhaps the biggest question—at least for GM one year before the release of the Chevy Volt—is whether or not it should continue to make the 40-mile claim when it might not be true for many of its owners.

The Chevy Volt’s 40-mile Predicament

Another articles by Johan Young you may be interested in reading: Chevy Hybrid Truck, Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, and Chevy Malibu Exterior.

Source: hybridcars.com.

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Currently Toyota is starting to promote the company’s future eco friendly technologies. With a concept to paving the way for the next generation of eco friendly vehicles, Toyota Prius plug-in cars will ‘like cars charged at home’.

Those five words ‘like cars charged at home’ is a big signal that Toyota ASAP will moves forward with plans for Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid. This plan has a great response from Toyota’s hybrid followers. They are cheering the company’s intention to plug-in hybrid. Toyota Prius plug-in will boost mileage on a Prius to the equivalent of 75 mpg or so – normally Prius’s mileage of 50 mpg.

Starting in January, the consumers from European, American, and Japanese will ‘test drive’ this plug-in hybrid cars. The company has put 150 of the test vehicles in the United State and placing 500 official plug-in priuses in Japanese, American, and European road. Toyota Prius plug-in will use lithium ion batteries in this plug-in hybrid.

The company need about three year (from 2009 to 2012) to get data on how Toyota Prius plug-in cars fare in the real word – how these cars charged, what sort of mileage they get, and how their batteries perform. After that the company will release this plug-in hybrid in 2012. Irv Miller, the vice president for Toyota Prius United State Sales, at a LA conference said that they are going to study the challenges of consumer demand.

Here some basic stats from the Prius Plug-in at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show:

• The battery need about an hour and a half to full recharging from a 230-volt supply
• Extended EV (electric) driving mode of up to 12.5 miles at speeds up to 62 mph
• This plug-in hybrid will cut less than 60g/km CO2 emissions.

Besides Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, there are other articles by Johan Young you may interest in reading: Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, Chevrolet Aveo, Chevy Equinox, The Dominate of Prius, and Nissan Versa.

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Hybrid cars have been repeatedly dismissed – since their introduction in the United State market in late 1999 – as a ‘bridge technology’ – an euphemism for a hybrid technology that briefly serves a purpose until it can be replaced with something longer lasting and better. But in recent statements, Nissan and Honda’s executives are reconsidering the role that hybrids will play in the coming decades.

Last year Honda Company has lease it FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell cars and still sees hydrogen as the long term alternative to gasoline. However, for the first time, Honda executives are now speaking of hybrids and plug-in hybrids not as bridge technology but as a mainstream technology with staying power.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Takeo Fukui, the Honda President said, “Oil prices are going to go up. When that time comes, fuel cells, solar panels, hydrogen, those will be the key words. We will have packages that will be very competitive at that time.” From Takeo Fukui statements, clearly declare that the company is thinking about plug-in hybrids. Same with Honda, Nissan is also beginning to consider plug-in hybrids.

Nissan and Honda companies believe that plug-in hybrid is seen as the next stage of hybrids and as the key to the technology’s longevity. Nissan was moving toward the pure battery electric vehicle, while Honda was primarily banking on a transition to fuel cell cars.

Plug-in Hybrids’ Video:

Beside Plug-In Hybrids, there are other articles by Johan Young you may interest in reading: GM Hybrid Cars, Global Warming Effect, BMW City, and Subaru Hybrid.

For further information about Nissan and Honda Plug-in Hybrids: http://www.hybridcars.com/news/honda-and-nissan-consider-plug-hybrids-25759.html

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President Barack Obama, has a huge concern about our environmental and reduces our dependence on oil. In Elkhart, Indiana, Barack Obama says, “If we want to reduce our dependence on oil, put Americans back to work and reassert our manufacturing sector as one of the greatest in the world, we must produce the advanced, efficient vehicles of the future.”

And Obama administration announced 48 new advanced battery and electric drive projects that will receive $2.4 in Grants for Next-Generation of Batteries and Electric Vehicles. These projects, selected through a highly competitive process by the Department of Energy (DOE), are intended to accelerate the development of US manufacturing to build next generation of batteries and electric vehicles.

The spending is the US government’s bet on battery-powered vehicles—an attempt to overcome the challenges of creating small, reliable, lightweight, and affordable rechargeable hybrid and electric car batteries, as well as the infrastructure to allow drivers to bypass gas stations and charge their cars from the electric grid.

The new awards for next generation of batteries and electric vehicles cover;

• $1.5 billion in grants to US-based manufacturers to produce batteries and their components and to expand battery recycling capacity;
• $500 million in grants to US-based manufacturers to produce electric drive components for vehicles, including power electronics, electric motors, and other drive train components; and
• $400 million in grants to purchase thousands of plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles for test demonstrations in several dozen locations; to deploy and evaluate their performance; to install electric charging infrastructure; and to provide education and workforce training to support the transition to advanced electric transportation systems.

Here a list of the Recovery Act awards for electric drive vehicle battery and component manufacturing are, by category:

Cell, Battery, and Materials Manufacturing Facilities: $1,247 million

Advanced Battery Supplier Manufacturing Facilities: $235 million

Advanced Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Facilities: $9.5 million

Electric Drive Component Manufacturing Facilities: $465.1 million

Electric Drive Subcomponent Manufacturing Facilities: $32.3 million

The Recovery Act awards for transportation electrification are, by category:

Advanced Vehicle Electrification: $215.2 million

Transportation Sector Electrification: $22.2 million

Advanced Vehicle Electrification + Transportation Sector Electrification: $70.5 million

Advanced Electric Drive Vehicle Education Program: $39.1 million

Another articles by Johan Young you may interest in reading: Ford Fusion Design, Plug-in Hybrid, Hybrids SUV, Hybrid Cars List, and How Green is My Car

Source: GreenCarCongress.com

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