With gas prices in the U.S. beginning to reflect the true cost of reliance on fossil fuels, automakers are trying to make the most of the moment.
"Green" car news this week is dominated by the U.S. debut of Honda’s hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, Toyota’s hybrid plans and the release of a plug-in hybrid kit by A123 Systems.
Honda (NYSE: HMC) began producing on Monday the first units of its FCX Clarity to be shipped to California. A few dozen units of the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, which emits only water vapor, will be delivered to high profile customers including actress Jamie Lee Curtis this year.
The company said up to 200 units will be delivered over the next three years. Though the company had 50,000 U.S. requests for the vehicle through its website, it is leasing only a limited number to customers who live near hydrogen refueling stations in Torrance, Santa Monica and Irvine.
Though California Governor Schwarzenegger called for a statewide network of hydrogen refueling stations several years ago, the lack of stations remains the largest roadblock to the adoption of hydrogen-powered vehicles.
The Honda FCX Clarity has a range of about 270 miles per tank of hydrogen and can reach speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.
Not to be outdone, Toyota (NYSE: TM) announced two new hybrid models to be powered by lithium-ion battery technology according to a report in PCMag.
One of the vehicles will be a totally new design, larger than the Prius and released under the Lexus brand in 2010, according to the company’s head of R&D, Masatami Takimoto.
Details about the other hybrid were not given, though the company said a production version of its iQ microcar will go on sale later this year. The small city car will offer seating for four in a 10-foot long body.
Toyota also recently announced improvements to its hydrogen fuel cell hybrid.
In other news, battery technology company A123Systems has begun selling a new aftermarket kit that can convert the Toyota Prius hybrid into a plug-in hybrid offering extended electric-only range and an increase in fuel efficiency to more than 100 miles per gallon.
The kit retails for just under $10,000 and includes installation at select delarerships. A123 Systems has received funding from GE (NYSE: GE) among others.
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If $10,000 is not in your range for a hybrid conversion kit. You could always consider HHO Water Hybrid Kit which you could build yourself or purchase for around $300-$600 bucks. More information on hybrid kits could be found at http://www.convert2hybrid.com
Great for budget and the environment!
There are a few ways to tell the difference wiouhtt looking at the VIN# and/or opening the Hood. First, from the front, the grille is chrome the whole grille is chrome. The only other Camry model that has any chrome on the grille is the XLE model and it is only a chrome surrounding the grille. Second, on the side there are Hybrid badges on the front fenders just in front of the front doors.From the rear, the taillights are different. In all of the other models, the taillights are red and white, with the part on the trunk lid being red. On the Hybrid models, the tail light portion on the trunk lid is white/clear as well. If you look on the rear deck behind the rear seats, there is a rather large vent that stands up over the rear deck. This is the vent to cool the hybrid batteries and is only found on the Hybrid models. As for cost, there is a cost premium of between $0 and $5000 depending on what model you’re comparing the hybrid to. The reason I say this is that if you’re looking at a fully equipped Hybrid with navigation and leather with moonroof, it is actually a few hundred dollars less than a comparibly equipped XLE V6 Camry. Even on the more basic model of the Hybrid, the most comparible model is the more basic V6 XLE as well and there is only about a $1500 premium for the Hybrid. However, most people compare the Hybrid to the 4cyl LE model in which case there is about a $5000 premium. It really isn’t a fair comarison though as you get quite a bit more equipment on the Hybrid that isn’t available on the LE such as the Smart-key start and entry, Climate control and performance more comparible to the V6 engine model of the Camry.Hope this helps.Ken