Hybrid vehicles: Best in fuel economy

Green and alternative-fuel vehicles are starting to become a large part of the automotive market and with gas prices continuing to rise, some are beginning to justify their higher price tags. But which type of alternative vehicle should you buy? The answer may depend on where you live and how you drive. We’ll look first at hybrids, then in future blogs, we’ll discuss diesel and ethanol.

Hybrids have returned the best fuel economy figures in Consumer Reports tests.

They combine the power of a gasoline engine with electricity from batteries driving an electric motor. Today’s hybrids never need to be plugged in.

There are two main types of hybrids on the market today: full hybrids and mild hybrids. Full hybrids run at low speeds on just electricity and don’t start the gas engine until the car reaches 10-20 mph in normal driving. Mild hybrids always augment some of the gas engine’s power when the car is moving, shutting it down when the car stops. Mileage varies widely.

In coming years, some hybrids may have a diesel instead of a gas engine to save even more fuel, and some will be able to be plugged in to maximize the electric mode.

Pros Hybrids are widely available, and don’t require any consumer behavior change. Some hybrids are also eligible for tax rebates, and in some states their drivers may to use carpool lanes, even with one occupant. The benefits are saving fuel, and reducing emissions.

Cons Most hybrids cost more to buy than comparable nonhybrids. And since fuel economy varies widely, not all hybrids live up to their reputation for super-high gas mileage. Some models use hybrid technology to boost performance instead.

For more information on hybrid vehicles, see How hybrids work. For more information on alternative fuels and fuel economy, see our Guide to driving green.

Comments

[athar usmani]

It's not quite as simple as the article seems to suggest. In terms of absolute terms, hybrids probably do help the environment, because some(not all) of them consume less gas and are classified as Partial or zero emission vehicles. However, there is the environmental impact of producing and recycling the batteries. As well as some recent concerns with the electro-magnetic fields generated by these hybrid motors (similar to the now quantified concern of prolonged cell phone use increasing the incidence of cancer). Consider another alternative, a traditional gas powered motor with low emissions and good mileage, such as the Mini Cooper or the Honda Fit, and I think you will be as green if not greener.

[Daniele]

I think hybrid technology is very interesting to reduce energy consumes. I still have some questions anyway about which i am not able to find informations.

Has anybody evaluated what is the environmental impact of the battery packs of hybrids?
How much energy (and thus equivalent gallons of gas) are necessary to produce an hybrid version of a vehicle?
Thanks,
Daniele

[Gene Quist]

Hybrids may have the best in fuel economy, but when you take into account battery production and disposal, electrical (charging) production, etc., what type of car is the 'greenest'? I have heard many stories about the energy and chemicals to make and dispose of batteries - most saying these processes are not good for the environment. So what is the overall best vehicle(s) to buy?

[Chris]

Keep in mind that in certain areas of California, the government has decreed that certain hybrid vehicle are offically greener than conventional cars. As a result, those vehicles* are allowed to be driven in the carpool lanes with only one person aboard. The ones that I know of are the Prius and the hybrid Civic. As far as I know, small gas-engined cars do not qualify. So, if you commute in, for example, the east bay area, all other considerations may be secondary.

* A special limited-edition permit is required.

[Robby]

The EMF levels in at least one hybrid (the Prius) has been measured at levels emitted lower than your car radio and the earth itself.

The battery issue is a red herring. The batteries used by Toyota in its hybrids consume only a fraction of the nickel used in laptop computers, portable music devices etc. Toyota recycles the batteries that do fail (mostly due to vehicle accidents).

I don't have the stats in front of me, but I found information that convinced me that the additional carbon load from a new Prius would be recovered in less than a year, versus driving my 01 Chevy Blazer. That was before I found out that it is very difficult to get gas mileage as low CR has reported for the Prius.

No one has been electrocuted while using the jaws of life on a Prius. No visually impaired person has been run over by a Prius.

Finally, Toyota's hybrid technology is not "new." The first Prius went on the road 12 years ago. Over a million of them have been sold. Prius taxicabs have gone over 300K miles without needing a new battery.

[Mike Barnett]

Regarding the environmental costs of the batteries used in hybrid vehicles, please see Consumer Reports at:

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2007/10/recycle-oil-tir.html?resultPageIndex=1&resultIndex=5&searchTerm=recycling%20batteries

Regarding electromagnetic radiation, see Consumer Reports at:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/phones-mobile-devices/phones/cell-phones/cell-phones-406/safety/index.htm?resultPageIndex=1&resultIndex=2&searchTerm=cell%20phone%20health

... and the World Health Organization reports at:

http://www.who.int/topics/electromagnetic_fields/en/

[K. Shadwick]

Consumer Reports needs to provide it's readers with a thorough investigation of the electro-magnetic fields generated by the various hybrid vehicles on the market today. Potential hybrid car buyers have a right to know what a specific vehicle produces for comparison purposes and currently this information is not available. Just as MPG is important for consumers, for some, so is EMF.

[C. E. Voisey]

In the article on hybrid vehicles you claim that hybrids can save you money. Unfortunately your statistics don't mention the replacement cost of the battery.
Depending on usage, the Prius battery is replaced somewhere between 4 and 5 years or 150,000 and 200,000 miles of use. Cost to replace that battery is now running $7,000. Even with the Camry hybrid, the saving you claim of $4,250 thus results in a loss of $2,750.
Another problem: The mileage claimed for hybrids may be all right if you drive only on essentially flat land. We personally are told by Prius owners who visit us that in the West Virginia mountains you're lucky to get anything over 30 mpg; whereas most gasoline cars, such as our own Subaru Forester* maintain their fuel economy in the mountains.
Sincerely, C. E. Voisey
- - - - - - - - -
*Bought on your recommendation; thanks. CEV

[Philip F Smith]

ECON 101...The so-called 5-yr savings in ownership cost for hybrids are mostly in greatly reduced depreciation, BUT...They aren't realized until the car is sold!! By my economics, this means a 5-yr payout...monthly payments for the additional first cost are much more than the savings in gas cost...

[cathleen ganzel]

We just purchased a 2008 Prius after driving the same car for 15 years (93 Volvo 240 wagon). Our mileage has been as advertised. Unfortunately, we've been tipped off to a few very serious safety issues following an incident we recently experienced. After starting the car in the prescribed manner, it started moving on its own (not surprising). Braking, however, failed to stop the forward motion and I had to roll the car up a gravel drive, braking with both feet on the pedal before it actually stopped. Reports litter the internet of hybrids, particularly Toyotas, experiencing unintended acceleration to alarming speeds in a variety of situations, failure of braking capacity in those situations, accidents and injuries. Toyota has resisted addressing the issue with a recall. The NTHSA is monitoring the situation. Toyota has blamed the events on floor mats obstructing pedals and driver error (which the NTSHA agreed to last year) despite anecdotal evidence to the contrary. The issue, many believe on-line, may be a faulty electronic 'drive by wire' pedal system that uses computer controls instead of direct physical connection between the accelerator pedal and throttle.

Loss of tire traction and extraordinary tire wear are the other two safety issues.

[2007 Prius owner]

The issue of the throttle sticking wide open with floormats incorrectly installed is real. It happened to me. the solution is to select N (Neutral) and brake normally. If you dont select N, you will need to brake harder to overcome the awesome power of the Prius 1.5 liter engine.

The lack of braking is total BS, and needs to be understood as such.

[Hybrid Vehicles]

They aren't predicting a massive amount of electric cars, so I think they'll offer them.

Getting EVs on the road, in small numbers isn't a problem for any major automaker. It's getting cost-effective, profitable mass produced EVs on the road that isn't so easy.

Regards,

Rose.

[skeptic]

I am concerned that the Chevy Volt will be a big
disappointment, and will have wasted a lot of the
taxpayers "loan" to GM.

When the Volt's battery runs down to 30% of its
charge, a 1.4 liter gasoline engine turns on and
keeps the battery at at that 30% charge level.

This means that the 1.4 liter engine is the only
source of power for the car. When I compare the
weight of the Volt to a much lighter Honda Fit
(using F=ma) I estimate that the Volt will take
16 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph when its battery
goes down to the 30% charge level.

This is very slow, and will not satisfy American
drivers getting onto a highway. I hope this issue
gets resolved before a lot of our taxpayer money is
spent in completing the design and production of the
Volt.

[Robert L. Edwards]

My 2001 Toyota Prius is undergoing a Main Battery Replacement at 190,000+ miles. A new battery from Toyota costs $2265 and comes with a one-year warranty. A dealer charges $400 for switching batteries and insists on replacing the main cables for another $300. I have confirmed with Toyota Customer Service that a Toyota Dealer will accept batteries for recycling and pay $120 for the battery. My rough estimates are that the Prius has saved enough fuel to pay the costs of the battery replacement plus $500. When the car is back in service I will report on the performance of the car with the new battery.

I did not experience any degradation in its performance until the day the battery gave up. The symptons began with a display of warning signals on the center display (Square with a "PS" in the middle, a red triangle with an exclamation mark in the middle, and a symbol of an automobile with a big X in it.)

I was in a rural area where my only option was to keep driving.
After a long period the car acted as if the transmission went into neutral and the engine revved up a bit. The car did not respond to the accelerator and continued to move at the speed provided by the engine, about 10 to 15 mph. I pulled off the road, shut off the engine and waited about 10 seconds. I restarted the car and it performed normally except that the warning lights remained on. After about forty five minutes of driving, the failure repeated. I repeated the stop/restart and continued to drive. At thirty to forty-five minute intervals the failure re-occurred. I continued restarting and driving until I reached home, 130 miles later. The next day I took the car to my mechanic who confirmed the battery failure by scanning the computer codes. I asked him to check the main battery cables for corrsion before he concluded that the battery was really failing, because Toyota had a recall to modify the battery connections after I had owned the car for a while. The performance of the car deteriorated rapidly while the mechanic performed tests and now will barely move itself out of the garage. The new battery is supposed to arrive this week.