Software Presets In Future Hybrids
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada 
on 08. 4.05
There has been a certain amount of controversy lately on how hybrid technology should be used. Ever since the 255-HP Honda Accord hybrid came out, some people have been asking for more "muscle hybrids" and it seems that Lexus is headed in that direction. The dilemma for automakers is that the efficiency gains from gas-electric hybridization can be used either to boost fuel economy or to boost power, the same way the advances in internal combustion engine technology have been used to boost power and make heavier cars while maintaining equivalent fuel economy in the past 15-20 years instead of making thems less thirsty for gas (see this).
Of course, we treehuggers would like fuel economy to take the front seat – and rising oil prices are starting to make that option more desirable to the mainstream – but automakers know that there is a lot of money to be made by competing in the absurd horsepower race (much bigger profit margins on powerful cars and trucks).
Carmakers also want to please "car enthusiasts" and automotive journalists because they know very well that these people are an important part of any marketing strategy, but sadly for those who want fuel economy hybrids to be made, these people are usually more concerned with zero-to-sixty and quarter mile statistics (Is a tenth of a second really going to change your life? Would you even notice it without a stopwatch? Anyway....) than with fuel economy and lowering polluting emissions.
But there is a third way. Or rather, it is possible, thanks to the fact that computers are now a big part of any drivetrain and especially of hybrid ones, to take both paths at the same time.
Owners of future hybrid vehicles might be able to choose between high gas mileage or more performance by pressing a button on the instrument panel, said [Jim] Press, [Toyota's U.S. president and chief operating officer,] according to the Automotive News report. (you can also read about it in this New York Times article (might require registration)).
This would mean that hybrids with that feature could attract "car enthusiasts" and impress the automotive press while having less of an impact on the environment than the cars usually chosen by that type of people, and for the rest of us, the "eco" mode will do nicely.
We do hope that this is the path that will be taken by Toyota and other hybrid-makers. It would be sad to see them go in the "muscle hybrid" direction and not use the great potential offered by hybrid technology.
::New York Times, ::MixedPower, ::Green Car Congress
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It'd be great is this was "on the fly." More power for merging and passing, fuel economy for cruising...
Let the technology flow.
Auto-manufacturers will sell to every segment, better that the "tenth of a sec." crowd use better technology (place your favourite alt energy tech here) than conventional/antiquated dirty technology.
Then we can all rub our hands together as the economies of scale kick in - ulitmately rendering better choices for all.
Great idea!
I've been also thinking about the same sort of customization for e-scooters and e-bikes, so that one could flip a setting to "bike path" or "road", preset to the legal standards of where it's being driven.
Although informative and well-written, this piece reeks of condescension. Essentially what you're saying is "I'm a Treehugger and I'm better than all of you 'car enthusiasts' who expect a car to perform with a modicum of enthusiasm. My Prius makes me morally superior. You in your SUV are the equivalent of an amoeboid NASCAR fan."
The fact of the matter is, these "car enthusiasts" drive the market to innovate (no pun intended). If it were up to the hippies, we'd all be in covered wagons. Where's the balance? Most of the eco-preachers I know drive cars everyday, while I, a bonafide "car enthusiast" and shadetree mechanic...do not even own one; I take buses and the subway to work. Any air of hautiness is a turn-off and lessens the impact of your message. By-the-way, the new BMW535D does 0-60 in 6.6 seconds, gets 35mpg highway, and you can fuel it with carbon-neutral biodiesel to obtain emissions on-par with a Prius. Scrubbers almost completely eliminate the particulates issue.
whats wrong with covered wagons?
I don't get the whole "0-60 in x seconds" mentality. I mean, the speed limit on most streets I drive is 35-45, so...
I'd rather the automakers focus on continuing to improve the efficiency of hybrids than catering to the "gotta have more power" crowd. We've already had too many years of that sort of thinking - maybe it's time for more sensible attitudes.
I'm amazed at the condescension or outright pity that some people express when I tell them I drive a 4-cylinder vehicle. Jeez, I can haul groceries home from the store just as well in my car as some of these folks do in their 8-cylinder Expeditions or Tahoes that cost twice the price and get half the m.p.g. Bigger is seldom better.
For those looking for environmentally friendly cars with power, your looking in the wrong place. While hybrids are better than normal gas guzzlers, we need to start looking at alternative fuels. I drive a 2000 Golf TDI, its diesel, I paid $9,000 for it last year, I get around 45 mpg, and best of all I run B100. B100 is 100% bio-diesel, costs about the same a normal diesel, and no modifications are needed to make it work in any diesel. The car is a pleasure to drive as far as power goes, and for those looking for the muscle, a few inexpensive modifications can mean big power, and still decent mpg's (like low 40's).