Why Hybrid Automobiles Require Less Maintenance Than Conventional Cars

Author: Gregg Hall
Title: Why Hybrid Automobiles Require Less Maintenance Than Conventional Cars

Article: Hybrid cars are getting a lot of attention from consumers looking to purchase a new car. One reason is that they use less gas and therefore save you a lot of money at the pumps. However, their popularity is not just based on their fuel saving design, they also require less maintenance than that of their conventional cousins.

It can be frustrating to have to take time off from work to go to the mechanic for maintenance checks and repairs. It is equally frustrating to use up part of your weekends for this as well. Owning a Hybrid helps you to avoid this frustration, thanks to their unique design. There are various features that contribute to these benefits.

One reason is that they have fewer parts than conventional cars. For example, the Hybrid vehicle does not have a starter. A car that has fewer parts requires less maintenance and less maintenance means less expense. Another important factor is that the engine is smaller, between 10 to 20 horsepower and designed to run more efficiently by using only one speed.

The generator runs on a separate, gas powered motor and contributes to the lesser need for maintenance. It also does things that conventional vehicles need additional parts for. The generator handles 80 percent of the braking, which helps to extend the life of the brake system. It does this in several ways, such as preserving brake fluid. Brake fluid can be contaminated by the effects of over heating, so by minimizing the heat exposure, the life of the brake fluid is extended. The lesser heat usage also helps reduce the risk of warped rotors. By the generator taking on more tasks, the battery usage is less and therefore will have to be replaced less often.

Another great feature that the design offers is that the air conditioner runs off of electricity and not gas. The steering system is superior in that it is also electric and does not require a belt the way hydraulic systems do. It also provides a smoother ride on rough road surfaces.

Other maintenance saving features are that the valve system requires no adjustments and the injectors don’t have to be cleaned.

Hybrid vehicles offer longer warranties that also include the battery. This definitely adds to their attraction. The Prius, offered by Toyota, offers an eight year or 100,000 mile warranty that includes the hybrid system. The Honda Insight warranty offers 8 years or 80,000 miles and includes the power train.

When considering purchasing a new vehicle, definitely think about owning a hybrid. They require less maintenance than the conventional cars and therefore save you money and time spent at the auto shop. They are much more fuel efficient, and offer attractive warranties. Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Car Care Wizards at http://www.carcarewizard.com

Syndication Source: ThoughtSearch.com

California PUC Will Not Regulate EV Charging Services Providers As Public Utilities

White House backs $4.4 billion bill for natural gas, electric-cars

In the latest indicator of the current administration’s dedication to green technology, the White House endorsed a plan by Senate Democrats to spend $4.4 billion on natural-gas-powered vehicle technology, and another $400 million on electric vehicles.

The money will be used to offer rebates for compressed natural gas vehicles, and additional electric vehicle efforts.

During his candidacy in 2008, President Obama urged for 1 million plug-in hybrids to be on the road by 2015, and has backed a number of efforts to effectuate that vision.

The original bill only contained funding for the natural-gas program, but it was at the behest of Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, that funding for electric vehicle technology was added. “Natural gas is a good short-term bridge,” Stabenow said in an interview. “When the initial bill had natural gas only, it was important to me to push to get the electric vehicle provisions in it.”

Though many details of the bill have been hashed out, it is not final and we could see a change in the split of funding between natural-gas and electric vehicle technologies. So far, the plan is to pay for the funding by increasing the per barrel fee by $.08, making the total fee $.49.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Detroit News

NHTSA to test 55 2011 models under tougher system

The NHTSA announced today that it would be crash-testing 55 2011MY vehicles under its new, tougher five-star safety ratings program.  The revised ratings system will give drivers a single overall score for the first time, as well as provide additional information about whether vehicles have advanced safety features like lane departure and forward collision warning systems.

The agency announced the first round of testing today that will be released in September.

“The vehicles we are announcing today will be the first ones tested under the department’s tougher, more rigorous five-star ratings program,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. ”This new testing program significantly raises the safety bar for all vehicle manufacturers.”

The Ford Fusion and Taurus, Toyota Camry, Chevrolet Malibu, Ford F-150, Honda Accord, Dodge Caliber and Chevrolet Cruze are all set to be included in the first round which has automakers concerned about getting lower scores than in the past; a scenario that could drastically injure sales, as safety has been an ever increasing issue among car buyers.

Agency administrator David Strickland said the new program will test a collection vehicles that account for 72% of auto sales.  The 2010 test examined a pool that accounted for 85% by volume.  It will take a few years according to Strickland, to get back into the mid 80′s range.

Check ratings for your favorite car on the site www.safercar.gov.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Detroit News

Chevy Volt versus the Toyota Prius, again

The reality of hybrid cost effectiveness

Sure, we’ve pitted the Chevy Volt against the Toyota Prius in the past, but this time we have some real numbers. Unfortunately, the numbers don’t look good. So, if you think the Volt is set to save America, you might not want to read any further.

Since yesterday, many have compared the Nissan Leaf to the Chevy Volt. I don’t believe in such a comparison. Range anxiety is real and a vehicle like the Leaf will never resonate with the masses unless you can cut the price of the vehicle in half, minimally. The Chevy Volt, on the other hand, could easily convert the masses into plug-in vehicles, as long as the Volt is cost-effective.

Cost Comparison

Today, you can lease a Prius for $199.00 per month, while a Volt lease will soon cost $350.00.

The average Prius drivers spends $825 per year on fueling costs. The difference between Volt and Prius lease payments after a year is $1800. Consequently, even if the Volt uses nothing but free electricity, it will still cost $1000 more to lease per year. Of course, perhaps if gas prices hit $6.00 per gallon, then the Volt will be competitive, but considering higher gas prices push the cost of everything higher, will most Americans even be able to afford a new car?

But won’t the Volt cost much less to maintain than a Prius?

Certainly not on a three year lease, and since you can buy two Prius hybrids for the price of one Volt, there isn’t even a reason to compare purchasing cost-effectiveness. When it comes to purchasing, the Prius is a far better deal. Moreover, the battery pack on the Volt will probably not be as reliable, long term, as has been the much cheaper Prius battery pack.

In fact, in terms of maintenance, insurance is easily the biggest cost, and if insurance companies price Volt insurance fairly, it should cost more to insure a Volt than a Prius, a good bit more.

Today, the Volt just isn’t very cost-effective compared to the Prius, and that’s even after a $7500 tax credit that some have reported enables GM to reduce lease costs by $200 per month on the Volt’s 3 year lease option, but what happens after the tax credits expire?

While battery costs will come down, will they drop by $7500 per car in the near future? Likewise, wouldn’t such battery cost improvements also make the Prius cheaper, lighter and more fuel efficient as the king of hybrids could then switch to lithium?

And, yet, that isn’t even the most disturbing Volt news. After a decade on the market, hybrid cars still account for less than 3 percent of market share. Hybrids, such as the Prius, are just not perceived to be cost-effective by most consumers, and the Volt will even be far less cost-effective and much more expensive.

“Game changer” most over-used word in auto industry?

Game changer? Not any time soon

The latest energy bill provides nice tax credits for natural gas vehicles. Honda executive claims, “This could be a game-changer.”

“The Volt is a game-changing product,” recently claimed a Volt executive.

Maybe. Nonetheless, shouldn’t we wait until the game actually changes before claiming a product a “game changer”?

As the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize comes to an end, for instance, one thing appears obvious, just “how difficult it will be to make truly revolutionary improvements to the automobile.” Despite numerous hybrid and plug-in attempts, only one technology has emerged as the most “revolutionary” potential game changer: weight reduction.

Ultimately, the game isn’t really changing, and the only reason there is any change at all has nothing to do with “game-changing” products. Instead, new CAFE regulations are forcing automakers to make a few changes. Of course, not enough changes to have any real impact on oil dependence, or even foreign oil dependence.

Even if every other American commuter drove a Chevy Volt 40 miles or less per day, so that only electricity was used, America would still be heavily dependent upon foreign oil. That’s how little and how slowly the game is actually changing.

One day plug-in vehicles, natural gas and/or many other technologies could become real game changers. Unfortunately, none of today’s “game changers” are set to cause a revolution in the US auto industry any time soon. Likewise, any number of technological breakthroughs across many different technologies could easily make today’s “game changers” irrelevant.

“Game changer?” Sadly, the auto industry still has a long way to go before they can rightly claim such a description.

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The Allure of The Automobile

Image taken on 2010-04-24 12:19:39.

Show Me The Money – Where The Profit Is In New Cars

How many tomes have you heard a car salesman or manager tell you, “I would love to give you that deal but we only have a few hundred dollars profit to play with”? Don’t buy it, especially now when most entry level cars are over 20,000. The profit on a $20,000 car can be from $1500 to $2,000 and that is before any dealer hold back, carry over money, dealer incentives or rebates!

So what are these other terms that give the dealer profit. On a Ford or GM vehicle, for example, the carry over money can be $1,000 on a $20,000 car. Add in another 3% for holdback plus another $1,000 in factory to dealer incentives along with a $1,500 built in profit and you have $4,100 to work with!

It pays to do your homework. Don’t take the dealer’s word for what they have in a car. There are so many places you can go to research prices on new and used vehicles that there is no excuse for being taken from a dealer. Go to online sites like Kelly Blue Book or Edmunds to get dealer cost on new cars and get guidelines for used cars. You can also find the latest rebates online. Just type in the car you are looking at along with the term “rebate” and you will find the most up to date information. You want to be sure you know if a vehicle has a rebate because this is another way that dealers make profit. They will keep the rebate and while you are signing the stack of paper in the finance office they will slip a piece of paper in there on you assigning the rebate back to the dealer and you won’t even know it.

Another way dealers make money is in their finance office. The people that work in a dealer’s finance office have to be licensed by the state they are doing business in to do financing and offer insurance. This does not stop them from ripping people off. They will make as much money on you as they possibly can. For example, they may have a “buy rate” from a lender of 6% for someone with excellent credit yet they will charge you 9%. This additional 3% is pure profit to the dealer. They will justify it by trying to point out the least little hiccup on your credit report. Another thing they will do is try to sell you extended warranties and credit life insurance. Never buy either one. If you are buying a new car, the new car warranty is sufficient and you can get term life insurance way cheaper if you are concerned about that.

The best thing to do is to obtain your own financing at your bank or credit union before you go to a dealer. If the dealer can beat the deal that you have fine, but don’t buy any of their add on garbage.

A History Of Peugeot; Through Dresses, Bikes And Cars

Although the Peugeot factory has been in manufacturing for many centuries it was not until 1889 that they decided to enter into the automobile industry and begin to sell their cars through dealerships. Peugeot originally manufactured crinoline dresses which used steel rods for rigidity. The making of these circular rods eventually led into making bicycles in the nineteenth century; the most famous being the Peugeot ‘Le Grand Bi’ (penny farthing) bicycle.

Armand Peugeot as the company was originally known would not enter the automobile market until late in the nineteenth century with a three wheeled steam driven motor car. Only four of these seminal cars were made and as such, not many made it to the forecourts of dealerships. Steam however was soon forgotten by Peugeot in favour of internal combustion with the help of Gottlieb Daimler.

Peugeot have always been a leader in the industry and were in fact the first company to fit rubber tyres to their cars; although these were not pneumatic and instead made of solid rubber. It was at this point that Peugeot entered motor racing, despite the cars resembling horse drawn carriages and still being steered by a tiller.

By the turn of the nineteenth century dealerships were sprouting with three hundred cars being sold in 1899 out of a total of 1200 cars sold in the whole of France. Peugeot not forgetting their bicycle heritage also produced a motorbike at the turn of the century and continue to do so to this day. The success of the company as a national institution was seemingly already assured by 1903 with over half of France’s car sales.

The company divided its energies during the twenties, one focussing on the bikes and the other focussing on the cars. Throughout this period Peugeot continued to put affordable cars onto their dealership forecourts with the Type 201 being the cheapest car in France. Innovation was always a consistent theme; the development of retracting roof was an attempt to coax rich Frenchmen with stylistic designs and luxurious cars. The curvaceous bodies and sloping headlights of this period would be features in Peugeot design for generations after.

During the fifties Peugeot began to open dealerships in America trying to capture some of the booming economy in the post war states. It was at this point that many collaborations with other European companies occurred, such as a combining efforts with Renault in 1966 and Volvo in 1972. The company also utilised the exquisite designing abilities of the Pininfarina house to make models even more attractive to buyers.

The seventies saw a major move by Peugeot to take over rival French manufacturer, Citroen. This meant an even more extensive number of dealerships at their disposal and meant that with the formation of PSA (Peugeot Societe Anonyme) Peugeot were part of the biggest car manufacturer in France. PSA worked towards keeping the company identities separate throughout this period and the distinctive flare of each brand continues to this day.

With ongoing growth and successful dealerships throughout Europe, Peugeot were able to purchase the European division of Chrysler. This had mixed success and in fact caused trouble for the PSA’s financial position. Despite a poor period throughout the eighties Peugeot were able to recoup the losses from the previous decade and achieve a strong position throughout the nineties. Despite losing the American sales base in this period the company still does well in Europe and will continue to do so with innovative technologies and quaint French styling.

Ultimately the company has a rich and diverse heritage; after a relatively modest beginning manufacturing dresses they have managed to become one of the automotive powerhouses of Europe. In today’s highly competitive car industry they will be hard pushed to remain popular and continue to grow as they had done in the previous century.