Hybrid Theory

The NYTimes on Sunday had an op-ed written by Jamie Kitman (Automobile Magazine's NY bureau chief) about hybrid cars that--surprise!--finds that not all hybrids are created equal:

But just because a car has so-called hybrid technology doesn't mean it's doing more to help the environment or to reduce the country's dependence on imported oil any more than a nonhybrid car. The truth is, it depends on the hybrid and the nonhybrid cars you are comparing, as well as on how you use the vehicles. There are good hybrids and bad ones. Fuel-efficient conventional cars are often better than hybrid S.U.V.'s — just look at how many miles per gallon the vehicle gets.

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Lately, right-minded people have been calling me and telling me they're thinking about buying the Lexus 400H, a new hybrid S.U.V. When I tell them that they'd get better mileage in some conventional S.U.V.'s, and even better mileage with a passenger car, they protest, "But it's a hybrid!" I remind them that the 21 miles per gallon I saw while driving the Lexus is not particularly brilliant, efficiency-wise — hybrid or not. Because the Lexus 400H is a relatively heavy car and because its electric motor is deployed to provide speed more than efficiency, it will never be a mileage champ.

The car that started the hybrid craze, the Toyota Prius, is lauded for squeezing 40 or more miles out of a gallon of gas, and it really can. But only when it's being driven around town, where its electric motor does its best and most active work. On a cross-country excursion in a Prius, the staff of Automobile Magazine discovered mileage plummeted on the Interstate. In fact, the car's computer, which controls the engine and the motor, allowing them to run together or separately, was programmed to direct the Prius to spend most of its highway time running on gasoline because at higher speeds the batteries quickly get exhausted. Indeed, the gasoline engine worked so hard that we calculated we might have used less fuel on our journey if we had been driving Toyota's conventionally powered, similarly sized Corolla — which costs thousands less. For the owner who does the majority of her driving on the highway, the Prius's potential for fuel economy will never be realized and its price premium never recovered.

Kitman's not against hybrid vehicles. He just wants everyone to be wary that the hybrid monicker could easily be co-opted as a marketing wedge to make consumers feel good about their purchase--even if it's a huge SUV that gets a slight MPG bump due to the hybrid engine technology.

As Treehugger summarizes:

At the end of the day, the point is a familiar one here at TreeHugger: please think about what you spend your money on. Hybrid cars are overwhelmingly positive and a tremendous innovation in the automotive industry, and, yes, hybrid cars are generally more fuel-efficient than their conventional counterparts (when similar or identical models are compared). However, there is no get-out-of-jail-free card when it comes to internal combustion engines, and there are pitfalls with hybrids, just as there are with any other cars.

Speaking of hybrids, how about a "trybrid" (via Treehugger as well)--the Brazilian concept the OBVIO 828 that can run on gasoline, ethanol, and electricity (with gas/ethanol proportions varied by the user).

According to the press release, the OBVIO ! 828, will have an integrated chassis and safety cage using composite materials, a three-passenger bench seat, a computer with Windows compatible platform, GPS navigation, and a continuously variable transmission.

Looks like they're shooting for preorders delivered in mid-2007. It's also not quite as efficient as one might think--29 MPG city/40 MPG highway. And I'm curious as to its top speed (which has to be stronger than the all-electric, Bug-styled Dynasty IT Sedan).