Kadamandiya Car News2012-05-20T14:30:39ZNo AuthorCopyright 2012, No AuthorSPHPBLOGHybrid Cars Enter the Mainstream Auto Market Modern Hybrids with Better Fuel Ratings Appeal to Auto Buyers
The Toyota Prius by becoming the bestselling car in Japan, shows that modern hybrid cars, with better fuel ratings and lower prices are becoming popular to auto buyers.
A report, filed by Reuters on August 6, 2009, entitled “Toyota’s Prius Tops Japan Auto Sales for 2nd Month” states that, “Toyota Motor Corp's Prius hybrid was Japan's best-selling car in July for a second straight month, underscoring robust demand for fuel-efficient vehicles.” This highlights the fact that modern hybrid cars are becoming more acceptable in the mainstream auto market.
Why Buy a Hybrid Car?
There are many reasons that consumers would purchase a hybrid electric car or hybrid SUV, not least being the greater fuel economy and lower greenhouse gas emissions such vehicles produce.
* “A Wedge Analysis of the U.S. Transportation Sector” published by the EPA in 2007 estimates that with a 30% market penetration, hybrid electric vehicles could be responsible for a 40% vehicle fuel economy improvement.
* The same report also estimates that increased use of hybrid cars could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 29% with the possibility of up to 60% should plug in hybrid vehicles become available.
* More automakers are producing more hybrid vehicles and in a greater range than ever before.
* Plug in hybrid vehicles, such as the upcoming (2011) Chevrolet Volt, are promising an EPA ratings of over 200 mpg. In a press release from GM, dated August 11, 2009, Frank Weber, a GM executive said “"The 230 city mpg number is a great indication of the capabilities of the Volt's electric propulsion system and its ability to displace gasoline."
Hybrid Car Mileage
As is apparent from the EPA mileage ratings for most of the hybrids, hybrid cars perform much better in city driving than on highway driving. That is because in the city speeds are much lower and there is also much more stopping and starting, giving the battery the opportunity to run the car without using the gasoline engine. Most modern hybrids can run on gasoline mode, electric mode or a combination of both. This helps lower gas consumption and reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases.
New Hybrid Car Models
* New Toyota Hybrid Models. The flagship Toyota Hybrid is the Toyota Prius, with 4 models ranging in price from $22,000 to $27,000. These have EPA mileage ratings of 51mpg city driving to 48 mpg highway driving. Toyota also produces 2 models of the Highlander Hybrid SUV, with EPA ratings of 27/25 mpg, ranging in price from $35,000 to $41,000.
* New Lexus Hybrid Cars. This is the luxury car section of Toyota and it produces 4 hybrid models from the RX Hybrid 10 at $42,000 right up to the LS Hybrid 09 at over $100,000.
* New Ford Hybrids. Ford has the saloon hybrid 2010 Fusion Hybrid, starting at just over $27,000 with EPA ratings of 41/36 mpg and the hybrid SUV, the 2010 Escape Hybrid at $31,500 with ratings of 34/31 mpg.
* G.M. Hybrid Models. G.M. offers saloon hybrids, hybrid SUVs and Pickup Hybrids. The Malibu Hybrid is their saloon offering at $25,500 and ratings of 26/34 mpg, the Tahoe Hybrid SUV comes in at $51,000 with ratings of 20/22 mpg and the Silverado Hybrid Pickup costs just over $44,000 with mpg ratings of 20/22.
* Chrysler Hybrids. Chrysler has hybrid versions of its popular Aspen series and Durango models. The Chrysler Aspen Hybrid is a premium hybrid SUV with a price tag in excess of $46,000 and ratings of 20/22 mpg, while the Dodge Durango Hybrid is another hybrid SUV with the same price and ratings
]]>http://www.kadamandiya.com/cars/index.php?entry=entry101226-0230092010-12-26T00:00:00Z2010-12-26T00:00:00ZHybrid cars can be imported to Sri Lanka With tax benifits Another tax, social responsibility levy has been removed and nation building tax reduced from 4.0 percent to 3.0 percent.
But a Treasury official said excise taxes have been raised to recoup revenue losses from other taxes.
Though the price of new cars may not come down, an official said the price of older car could come down.
Some commercial vehicles were already on a lower duty.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa said electric and hybrid vehicles will be completely freed from excise duties and value added tax to promote environmental friendly vehicles.
Motor homes will also be made duty free, according to the budget document.
Sri Lanka allows cars up to three and a half years old to be imported.
Now three year old cars will be depreciated to 60 percent compared to about 80 percent earlier. Cars three and half years old will be depreciated to 55 percent.
The budget speech said the depreciation tables will comply with World Trade Organization rules.
The government will also allow state workers and state corporation employees to import cars at a lower duty.
A provision that allowed people who paid taxes of more than 500,000 a year for three consecutive years to import cars at 25 percent duty has been removed in the budget.
Do currently available hybrids need to be plugged in?
No. The batteries recharge by reclaiming energy when the car brakes. Many industry observers expect some future hybrids to be "plug-in hybrids," offering the option to recharge more powerful batteries via a common household electric socket, while still maintaining a small gasoline engine. How do hybrids work?
Instead of relying solely on a gasoline internal combustion engine, hybrids use both a gas engine and electric motors. The energy used by the electric motors are stores in rechargeable batteries. The ability to partially use electricity as a fuel means that you burn less gasoline. The computer system on a hybrid makes the decisions about which energy source to use at different times, based on maximizing efficiency while providing the same level of safety and comfort as conventional cars.
Is maintenance more expensive with a hybrid?
Maintaining a hybrid doesn't cost any more than a conventional car, and may even cost less due to decreased wear and tear on the engine and braking system. You’ll probably want to take your hybrid to a dealer, especially considering that Toyota offers a 100,000 mile warranty on emission components and battery pack, and that Honda offers an 80,000 mile warranty on the same—on top of the traditional 3-year/36,000 mile warranty on the conventional systems. Dealer service centers do usually charge a little more, but classes are popping up all over the country to teach independent car mechanics about hybrids. After all, there are more than one million of these cars on the road, and mechanics have to meet this demand. This timing works out well for new hybrid buyers. By the time your warranty is finished, there will be many more qualified hybrid mechanics available to you.
How often do hybrid batteries need replacing? Is replacement expensive and disposal an environmental problem?
The hybrid battery packs are designed to last for the lifetime of the vehicle, somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, probably a whole lot longer. The warranty covers the batteries for between eight and ten years, depending on the carmaker.
Battery toxicity is a concern, although today's hybrids use NiMH batteries, not the environmentally problematic rechargeable nickel cadmium. "Nickel metal hydride batteries are benign. They can be fully recycled," says Ron Cogan, editor of the Green Car Journal. Toyota and Honda say that they will recycle dead batteries and that disposal will pose no toxic hazards. Toyota puts a phone number on each battery, and they pay a $200 "bounty" for each battery to help ensure that it will be properly recycled.
There's no definitive word on replacement costs because they are almost never replaced. According to Toyota, since the Prius first went on sale in 2000, they have not replaced a single battery for wear and tear.
read more about tax release in sri lanka :
http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/full ... http://]]>http://www.kadamandiya.com/cars/index.php?entry=entry101217-0945582010-12-17T00:00:00Z2010-12-17T00:00:00ZBudget 2011 - Impact of Motor vehicalsMotor vehicles
Use of electrically operated vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles will be encouraged by reducing prevailing Customs duty to a lower duty, i.e. 30% to 15%, 15% to 5% and 5% to zero
Imports by vehicle assembly business will see a new rate of duty of 15% from 30%
The rates applicable for vehicle registration and transfer will be revised
Reduced duties and taxes on passenger transportation vehicles by 25.0%
So Price of passenger vehicles expected to come down and more electric vehicals are also expected... May be we'll see Toyota Prius running on our roads soon..
]]>http://www.kadamandiya.com/cars/index.php?entry=entry101125-2204462010-11-26T00:00:00Z2010-11-26T00:00:00ZThere can be post effects of flood for CaarsSpecially these days ,the raining is quite frequent in Colombo and sub urban areas.Because of the current whether condition and the nature of our roads, It has become a real risk driving on these roads. As I have experienced the roads around the borell are always flooded and even in a short rain fall the water level of the road reach high that you have to correctly decide that whether your vehicle can safely pass the place. I had an experience that My car caught on flood near the IESL premises and the water came inside the car. But the car engine was not harmed as I did not started the car when the water level is high. With help of people we pushed the car to a little elevated place and when water in the silencer goes out I started the car ant it started without any problem ,but water was still inside the car. Next day I carried the car to a car service center and asked then to clean the interior. So thery removed the all seates,and the carpet and let it dry under sunlight for 1-2 days and the car was made back to normal.But there was a smell which can not be removed.
Later after about a week, I felt that my car is having little difficulty on start and same day evening I could not start the car .The strater motor was affected and therefore I had to change the starter Moter. Therefore there can be many side effects from flooding and remember to avoid driving via floody roads when ever possible. Also if some one know how to remove the bad smell ,pls add comment here that others can learn from it.
However remember few breakdown services contact numbers, because when you actually got in to a trouble only you realize the value of such services and numbers. Hears few of them I searched and found when I got in to trouble .however I havent tried any of these.
breakdown service in around Colombo - (t) 0716 694 525 (t)0773 918 904 Mag city pvt ltd - 0114734020/0112688388/0114622422 AAC Service Points-+94 11 7555557/+94 11 2421528,+94 11 2421529,+94 11 2438999 ]]>http://www.kadamandiya.com/cars/index.php?entry=entry101124-1321392010-11-24T00:00:00Z2010-11-24T00:00:00Z2010 Nissan Leaf Electric Vehicle Officially Revealed
One of Japan's three biggest automakers has stolen a major march on its two main rivals. While Honda and Toyota delight greenies by selling hybrid cars like the Insight and the Prius, Nissan has been relatively quiet on the eco front. Now the company has revealed what it has been working on and it should shake up the auto industry.
The new Nissan LEAF - the name is not an acronym but signifies purity and greenness - is a fully electric-powered car which Nissan says is the world's first affordable zero-emission vehicle. Prices have not been announced to verify the affordability claim but the company states that it will fall within the C segment. In other words it will be priced to compete with cars like the VW Golf, Dodge Caliber, Toyota Corolla and Ford Focus.
"Nissan LEAF is a tremendous accomplishment - one in which all Nissan employees can take great pride," said Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn. "We have been working tirelessly to make this day a reality - the unveiling of a real-world car that has zero - not simply reduced - emissions. It's the first step in what is sure to be an exciting journey - for people all over the world, for Nissan and for the industry."
What gives the LEAF its credentials is a set of laminated lithium-ion batteries and an electric motor. Unlike hybrids like the Chevrolet Volt, no fossil fuel engine of any type of size is to be found in it. The batteries make over 90kW while the motor delivers 80kW (109hp) and 280Nm, figures similar to those of a compact turbo diesel motor.
However the LEAF, being all-electric, does not emit harmful gases and therefore was not designed to have a tailpipe. Its brake regenerative system helps it recoup wasted energy to help give it a range of roughly 160km between charges. The batteries can be recharged up to 80% of their capacity using a quick charge or 8 hours using a standard home socket. Nothing has been said about recharging during power outages though.
As far as design is concerned it features LED lights, a modern cabin with blue instrumentation, and an IT support system. Owners can use their cell phones to turn on the air conditioning system and an onboard remote controlled timer can be pre-programmed to recharge the batteries.
The Nissan LEAF will be launched in Japan, Europe and the United States in late 2010. We should see it plenty of times before then as it does the rounds at international motor shows. Source: Nissan USA
