Natural Environment Blog

Electric cars pave the way to a greener future for the automotive industry. Here, we explain the technology that makes these cars possible and look at some of the first production models, which will shortly be coming onto the mainstream market.

More Than Meets The Eye

Although an electric car may look like your average family runabout from the outside, what lies underneath its bonnet is completely different to a typical fuel-burning engine. While a normal petrol- or diesel-engined car works on the principle of internal combustion, an electric car uses electric motors powered by battery packs. These motors are charged from a fixed electrical source such as a power point.

Electric Cars - Old Technology

Although electric-car technology has only started to become available to the masses in recent times, it is actually one of the oldest methods of propulsion. In the late 1800s, engineers began to experiment with the technology, but as it was harder and more time-consuming to develop than the combustion engine, it was pushed aside.

Within the last five years, however, electric-car technology has come back into favor, due to concerns over dwindling oil supplies and air pollution.

Indeed, major manufacturers such as GM, Nissan and Mitsubishi have invested billions into turning the electric car into a practical mass-transit solution, with the Mitsubishi iMieV, Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt being the best current examples of mainstream electric vehicles.

At the moment, the only practical option available to the eco-conscious car buyer is a hybrid like Toyota’s Prius or Honda’s Insight, but starting in 2010, the above-mentioned full-electric models will come on stream.

Variety Of Electric Cars

Mitsubishi’s iMiEV features a 64hp fully electric motor that can travel up to 100km on a full charge. This car is currently participating in a long-term trial organised jointly by the ESB and Mitsubishi to evaluate its practicality on the Irish road network.

Elsewhere, GM’s Chevrolet Volt does incorporate a petrol engine, but it is only used to charge the vehicle’s batteries if no power socket is available -– the car itself is propelled only by its electric motors.

GM Europe recently began a feasibility study that will analyse the recharging infrastructure for plug-in electric vehicles. Such infrastructure will need to be improved in order to eliminate the necessity for a petrol ‘back up’ as featured in the Volt.

As things stand, the Volt should appear in Europe under the Opel badge, but if GM sells Opel/Vauxhall (which seems likely) it will probably retain its Chevrolet badge.

Nissan’s LEAF electric car, meanwhile, is powered by compact lithium-ion batteries, which generate a power output of over 90kW, while its electric motor delivers 80kW. The spacious five-door car will go on sale in Europe, the US and Asia next year.

How Eco-Friendly Are Electric Cars?

Electric cars such as these models are clean, quiet and cheap to run, but it’s important to remember where most of the electricity that charges their batteries come from – coal-burning power stations!

Until such time as manufacturers can produce practical solar-powered electric cars, we’re afraid the electric car will still leave a carbon footprint, albeit a small one.

This post was contributed by CBG.ie.

Keep up to date with all the latest developments in green motoring technology, including a look at hybrid cars like Toyota’s Prius at http://www.cbg.ie/GreenCars.aspx

Hybrids have been a hot topic in the car industry for several years now, but electric cars are coming on in leaps and bounds, too. Like hybrids, their development has been prompted by the need for an alternative to petrol - and diesel-fuelled internal-combustion engines, which contribute to air pollution, global warming and climate change.

Here, we take a look at the technology that makes electric cars work, as well as the efforts being made by both car manufacturers and national governments to get us all to drive them…

How do electric cars work?

The electric motors in modern electric cars derive power from on-board energy-storage facilities. These are usually batteries, however, alternative power sources, such as electric double-layer capacitors, are also being developed.

Thanks to regenerative braking, some of the energy used to power electric cars can be recovered and used again. Batteries need to be recharged with mains electricity, but seeing as they cannot yet store enough energy for long-distance travel, extensive recharging infrastructure will have to be put in place before the use of electric cars becomes widespread.

This is something governments will have to make happen, while the manufacturers concentrate on prolonging the life of batteries and improving their recharging speed. The power grid can produce electricity from a variety of resources, some more environmentally friendly than others, including coal, water, wind, nuclear reaction and even the sun.

Let’s go electric

As society at large becomes more aware of the environmental problems associated with traditional cars, the eco-friendly alternatives have started to attract both the public’s interest and, more importantly, major financial investment. Nissan has announced plans to introduce an affordable electric car in Japan and the US in 2010, which makes it the first major manufacturer to set a definite launch date for a mass-produced electric vehicle.

It looks like this time around Nissan will get the jump on its Japanese rivals, Honda and Toyota, who were first to the market with hybrid vehicles. Nissan says its electric car should be introduced globally in 2012, and other major carmakers will no doubt follow suit before long.

Elsewhere, the British government has launched the world’s largest ‘real life’ electric-car trial. The £25 million scheme was announced in June and it will enable citizens to take part in long-term trials of electric vehicles, ranging from small city cars to sports cars and vans.

The project is being undertaken in cooperation with car manufacturers, power companies, regional and local governments and academic institutions.

In Norway, the finance minister has recently announced a plan to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars beginning in 2015. It is not yet certain if the proposal will be put into practice, however this announcement encouraged politicians (both elsewhere in Scandinavia and further afield) to start a serious debate on the future of the automotive industry.

The Japanese government has launched a campaign to promote the use of electric cars in the country’s eight biggest cities, and is going to offer tax breaks and subsidies to those willing to buy one. This is unsurprising when you consider that Japanese manufacturers are at the forefront of electric-car development.

Starting from July 2010, electric-car subsidies will also be offered to the citizens of the Canadian province of Ontario.

Back in Europe, the French government is currently working on several projects that will lead to the electrification of not only cars, but also scooters and buses.

Pretty soon, we expect almost every major country will have some sort of electric-car incentive programme up and running.

This post was contributed by CBG.ie. Visit us to find more motoring advice, news and reviews as well as a comprehensive list of new and used cars for sale.

Hybrid cars are often thought of as a new concept, a breakthrough, a rarity. However, when we look deeper into their history, it turns out that hybrids are not as recent an innovation as we might think. In fact, hybrid-engined cars are older than any of us, as their history dates back to the beginning of the 20th century…

How it all started…

Electric cars were invented in the 1860s, several years before petrol-engined vehicles appeared in 1875, but the story of hybrid cars begins in 1902.

The first vehicle that could be called a hybrid, as it used two sources of power, was the ‘Mixte,’ designed by Ferdinand Porsche. The car had a petrol engine to run a generator, which powered electric hub motors. The newly invented vehicle was later produced by several companies such as Krieger, Lohner-Porsche and Auto-Mixte.

…and then came to a standstill

Unfortunately, at that time, petrol-engine technology prevailed. The turning point was when Henry Ford started his first assembly line – the Ford company had developed the idea between 1908 and 1915. Ford introduced many improvements to petrol engines and subsequently decided on mass production to introduce the first affordable car – the Model T.

That car is now a legend.

From then on, the technology for steam-, electric- and hybrid-powered cars was neglected. Few were trying to work on the idea, and it was only when the issues of air pollution and global warming became serious that petrol alternatives were once again brought to the center of attention.

The rising price of oil also played its role and spurred interest in different energy sources. There was a massive increase in the price of oil in the 1970s, and in those years many automotive industry players, with governments’ blessings, came back to the idea of hybrid autos.

In those years, Volkswagen launched a hybrid-engined car (the VW Taxi); Toyota began working on the concept and built its first hybrid prototype; and the American government decided to use electric vehicles produced by American Motors.

A new beginning…

The launch of the Toyota Prius to the Japanese market in 1997 was a breakthrough in hybrid-car history. It was the first mass-produced modern vehicle of that type.

Soon, other manufacturers followed suit and hybrids were launched on the European and American markets. The fastest imitators were Audi and Honda.

Starting off, buyers were cautious and in the first year only 18,000 hybrid cars were sold. Nevertheless, the manufacturers were not discouraged and due to constant improvements, the popularity of hybrid cars has grown. In fact, from 2004–2007 the demand for the Prius was higher than the supply, and waiting lists were created for those willing to buy the car.

Hybrids are back for good

To sum up, it seems that the future of hybrid cars is now secure, as the technology is getting more popular and is supported by many governments. All the major car manufacturers are constantly working on new models and improving the older ones.

It seems that, after a century of neglect, hybrid technology is now here for good and hybrid cars are becoming the norm, not a rarity owned by few.

This post was contributed by Car Buyers’ Guide. Car Buyers’ Guide is the publisher of Ireland’s leading motoring websites and magazines. CBG.ie is the only motoring website to have exclusive partnerships with the leading national newspaper websites (The Iris Times and Independent Newspapers). CBG.ie is visited by buyers over 450,000 times per month and users view over 11.5 million pages on the website per month. 

Find hybrid cars and other cars for sale at Car Buyers’ Guide.

Hybrid cars are becoming much more affordable.

by Jack Taylor

Hybrid autos are often criticized as being expensive, but this false belief needs to change. 

This belief was caused by the high prices that hybrid autos had when the new technology was introduced. If you were to spend more on a hybrid auto than you’d have spent otherwise, you were unlikely to ever get your money back - even if you got rid of a gigantic, fuel-sucking SUV. This may have been true when hybrids were really expensive and the initial cost outweighed the gas savings. But it doesn’t seem to be true anymore.

Today, petrol prices are rising, used cars are getting cheaper, and the new car industry needs to lower the prices to be selling at all. Now, hybrid autos are within the same price range as other new and used cars. 

New Hybrids Cheaper Than Used Ones?

Some estimate that a new hybrid may even be cheaper than the used one. The example car for costs estimation was the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid. John O’Dell claims in his article that price drop on the car market combined with the industry’s ubiquitous cut-rate financing offers, has made it cheaper to buy new than used cars. 

The hybrid autos’ manufacturer has lowered the costs of purchasing new cars, so much so, that it was cheaper to buy a 2009 Civic than a year old used one. The research was based on many factors and took into account several reasons for price reductions, like the national interest rate deal when choosing between new and used cars. 

Used Hybrids Cheaper Than Used Non-Hybrids

Extensive research has shown that used hybrid autos have become cheaper than other cars, especially if we take into account the rise in oil prices. 

Research has shown that the 2008 Toyota Prius Hybrid with 1.5L 4-cyl engine and 75HP electric motor/generator was far more fuel efficient than other used cars. The Prius’ measured fuel cost on a distance of 676 miles was 39 Euros. Other used cars didn’t even come close.

Surprisingly, driving 2008 Smart ForTwo with 1.0L 3-cyl engine cost 9.7 Euros more. The numbers do not lie. 

The 2008 Ford Focus costs around 30,000 Euros and is over 30% more expensive. A 2008 Toyota Prius Hybrid can be found for not much more than 20,000 Euros. 

Higher Standards

Owning a hybrid auto is also a step towards introduction of higher technological and ecological standards in automotive engineering. 

The European Commission has already adopted an action plan to achieve a 20% substitution of diesel and gasoline fuels by alternative fuels in the road transport sector by 2020. This is one of the reasons why car manufacturers are redesigning the drive train concept towards hybrid systems. 

To respond to the needs of our environment, with an ever-rising number of cars, we will have to make the switch to hybrid autos in the immediate future, then possibly solar powered cars one day.

Hybrids Are Here To Stay

Today, hybrid autos should no longer be perceived as new technology cars. Hybrids are an integral element of everyday economic and eco lifestyle. 

Whether you’re on the market for a  new or used car, you should look at all the costs of buying a car - not just the purchase price. You’ll find that a hybrid auto makes sense for both the sake of the environment and your budget.

Find used hybrid autos at Car Buyers’ Guide.

Jack Taylor is an expert in ‘green’ automotive industry. He is particularly interested in biofuels and hybrid cars.  

If you’re on the market for a hybrid car, chances are you’re interested in doing your bit for the environment. On that basis, I’ve listed the best hybrid cars from 2007, ranked by how economical they are as reported by fueleconomy.gov.  Generally, the more economical a hybrid is, the less greenhouse gas and air pollution it produces.

Here are the best hybrid cars, ranked by fuel economy:

1. Toyota Prius Hybrid (51 - 60 Miles Per Gallon)
2. Honda Civic Hybrid (49 - 51 Miles Per Gallon)
3. Nissan Altima Hybrid (39 - 42 Miles Per Gallon)
4. Toyota Camry Hybrid (39 - 40 Miles Per Gallon)
5. Honda Accord Hybrid (28 - 35 Miles Per Gallon)
6. Saturn Aura Hybrid (28 - 35 Miles Per Gallon)
7. Lexus GS 450h (25 - 28 Miles Per Gallon)

The Toyota Prius is widely recognized as being the best of the hybrid cars as far as low greenhouse gas emissions go. Having said that, everyone has different needs when buying a car and it’s greenhouse emissions is only one of many factors to consider. Of course, it would be nice if this factor is high on the list

There’s plenty of talk these days about the environmental benefits of using hybrid cars as well as how hybrid cars are becoming more, (ahem!) “accepted” in today’s society. Having said this, many people are still saying, “yeah, I know that hybrid cars are better for the environment and everything but, how do hybrid cars work?”.

Hybrid cars run on a combination of fuel and electricity. Therefore, hybrid cars have two engines: an electric engine and a conventional gasoline engine.

The electric engine is used when traveling at slow speeds (such as around the city) and the gasoline engine kicks in when driving at faster speeds (like out in the open road). This is fundamentally how hybrid cars work.

The electric engine is powered by rechargeable batteries. The batteries are automatically recharged, so you don’t need to manually recharge them yourself. Also, the gasoline engine in hybrid cars is usually very efficient at burning fuel, and they typically use technologies such as Variable Valve Timing Intelligence (VVT-i) etc.

Furthermore, both engines can operate in conjunction. For example, if you’re out on highway and put down your foot to pass another car, the electric motor will automatically be activated to assist in giving you an acceleration boost. Also, if the electric motor starts to run out of charge, the gasoline engine will automatically kick in to charge the batteries and run the electric motor.

Given many people spend hours each week stuck in traffic (as their car idles and burns through the gas), a hybrid car seems ideal. One of the problems with traditional electric cars is that they didn’t have enough power when it came to higher speeds and open road driving. This is where hybrid cars work really well. You get the best of both worlds - fuel savings when driving around the city, and full power when on the open road.

Hybrid cars are becoming more popular as people become more aware of the impact cars have on the natural environment.

A hybrid car is one that is powered by both gasoline and electricity. Because of this, a hybrid car will burn less fuel, which in turn makes it better for the environment.

There are plenty of hybrid cars being built nowadays so you might think that finding the best hybrid car would be a difficult task. But, there seems to be very wide consensus that the best hybrid car currently on the market is the Toyota Prius.

To back this up, according to the Australian government’s Green Vehicle Guide, the Toyota Prius has currently been rated the best green car (whether hybrid or not). This hybrid car was given a 5 star rating. The rating takes into account the car’s greenhouse emissions and air pollution.

The Toyota Prius scored the following ratings:

• Air Pollution Rating: 8.5
• Green House Rating: 8.5
• Overall Rating: 5 stars

This means that (as far as cars go) the Toyota Prius produces low levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and has a low contribution to air pollution. The 8.5 green house rating means that it emits 101 - 120 grams of green house gas per kilometer.

This compares to say, a car with a green house rating of 5 producing 241 - 260 grams per kilometer. And a car with a rating of 0.5 would emit 421 - 440 grams.

The Toyota Prius also uses only 4.4 liters per 100 kilometers - although this probably varies largely depending on whether you drive mostly in the city, or out on the open road. When driving the Toyota Prius at lower speeds (such as driving around the city), you’re only using the electric motor. The gas engine doesn’t kick in until you reach higher speeds (such as out on the open road). This obviously helps reduce the amount of fuel that you burn through.

So, that makes the Toyota Prius the best hybrid car. Well, it’s the best hybrid car if you’re talking about reduced air pollution and green house gases. I suppose everyone has their own idea about what makes the best car