Honda Makes Enviromentalists it's bitch.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2004-01-07 12:04am

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/200 ... ance_x.htm

Hybrid hot rods, SUVs in the pipeline
By James R. Healey, USA TODAY

DETROIT — The coming generation of gas-electric hybrid vehicles will be hot rods and heavy haulers as automakers try to jazz up their image and broaden their appeal.

"Hybrids won't be mainstream without performance," says Walter McManus, executive director of forecasting and analysis at J.D. Power and Associates. Hybrids have been considered underpowered, a compromise for fuel economy, "but they're addressing that."

Mainstreaming means high volume — millions instead of thousands — and that's what it will take to bring down the high cost of sophisticated batteries and other high-tech components of gasoline-electric powertrains.

"The potential is there," says Takeo Fukui, Honda (HMC) CEO. "Cost is the bottleneck. Mass production should help."

Hybrids use electric motors to augment conventional gasoline engines. Originally developed as gas savers, they have used low- power gas engines. But U.S. buyers say that full-size accommodations — six-passenger room and four doors — are as important as environmental concerns, according to McManus' data. Hybrid systems in the next year and beyond are tuned to work with powerful V-6 and V-8 engines.

Automakers claim the result will be sport-utility vehicles, pickups and vans with the power Americans expect from V-8 engines without the gas guzzling.

"A priority for performance is built into this second- generation (hybrid) system, and you will see even higher performance systems" as development continues, says Toyota (TM) spokesman John Hanson. Toyota announced a hybrid version of its Highlander sport-utility vehicle during a press preview at the big annual auto show here this week. Figures aren't final, but Toyota internally is eyeing 15% more power and 40% better fuel economy than the conventional V-6 Highlander.

Toyota said a super-power hybrid system is under development for the redesigned Tundra full-size pickup. The new Tundra goes on sale in 2006; hybrid timing is uncertain.

Honda announced at the show that it will sell an Accord V-6 hybrid this year that should have at least 6% more power and about 40% better fuel economy than the conventional V-6 Accord. The Accord hybrid gets help on fuel economy by cutting off half the cylinders when only modest power is needed.

Ford (F) has tweaked its planned hybrid Escape SUV, and General Motors' first hybrids are its V-8 trucks.

"Will that make the environmentalists happy? Probably not," McManus says, "because they have an aversion to large SUVs. But if people don't buy the product, the fuel economy doesn't matter." The subcompact Geo Metro "got 60 miles per gallon, and nobody bought it, and it went away."

*************8

Missing from this was a comparison of a Honda SUV, I forget which one.

The Conventional V-6 version got 240 hp and 22 MPG, while the hybrid
version gets 270 HP and 32 MPG.....wait...you can increase power
and fuel efficiency? Oh my stars! I consider SUVs to be a very minor
problem on the roads, compared to fucknut public transportation, because
unlike SUV drivers, public transportation buses always stop every 5
minutes, tying off an entire lane, causing backups, and
you cannot see around them, since they're the size of houses literally.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2004-01-07 12:34am

The Accord Hybrid should be a good seller here if they price is reasonable.

EmperorMing · Post by **EmperorMing** » 2004-01-07 12:43am

My question: what size are the engines in the hybrids? Similar to what is in a motorcycle in size and displacement?

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2004-01-07 12:53am

In my understanding, the engines of hybrid and normal vehicles are relatively the same.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2004-01-07 01:26am

CaptainChewbacca wrote:In my understanding, the engines of hybrid and normal vehicles are relatively the same.

They are fairly close in size, but the battery packs that are integral to the system take up a big chunk of the trunk.

Hethrir · Post by **Hethrir** » 2004-01-07 03:33am

Oh, the glory of the electric motors torque curve! I want one.

SPOOFE · Post by **SPOOFE** » 2004-01-07 03:34am

If they can get a sedan with at least 170 horsepower that snags 35-45 mpg, I'm sold, baby. This is good news for a big fucker like me...

I remember when I first saw the Honda Insight, I thought, "Hey, that car looks pretty neat, maybe I'd consider buying one." Then I saw one in person and realized that the driver's seat would probably accomodate my thigh....

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2004-01-07 03:36am

Arent hydrogen powered veichles better than hybrids ?

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2004-01-07 04:49am

In a word, no. Not yet.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-01-07 08:08am

evilcat4000 wrote:Arent hydrogen powered veichles better than hybrids ?

theoretically: maybe. but there haven't been any brought into large scale production. Hybrids finally seem to have hit big, and we may at last see massive increases in overall fuel efficency. Then the environmentalists will show their true colors!

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2004-01-07 09:44am

Col. Crackpot wrote:Then the environmentalists will show their true colors!

Indeed. Once SUVs become fuel efficient, along with every other vehicle,
they won't have anything to go on, and will be revealed as the techno luddites
that they are.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2004-01-07 09:45am

Col. Crackpot wrote:Then the environmentalists will show their true colors!

Indeed. Once SUVs become fuel efficient, along with every other vehicle,
they won't have anything to go on, and will be revealed as the techno luddites
that they are.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-01-07 10:03am

MKSheppard wrote:
Col. Crackpot wrote:Then the environmentalists will show their true colors!
Indeed. Once SUVs become fuel efficient, along with every other vehicle,
they won't have anything to go on, and will be revealed as the techno luddites
that they are.

and then i won't have to cringe when my wife finally buys that damned SUV she has been wanting when she gets tenure in the Providence School Department. I'll just deftly steer her towards a hybrid. What is it with women and big fucking cars?

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2004-01-07 10:42am

Col. Crackpot wrote:What is it with women and big fucking cars?

It's penis compensation.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-01-07 10:48am

MKSheppard wrote:
It's penis compensation.

nah, she gets plenty of penis

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2004-01-07 06:39pm

Col. Crackpot wrote:nah, she gets plenty of penis

Shes CHEATING on you?!

It'll be interesting to see if the new hybrids perform well. I've heard lots about how they get great mileage but shitty top speeds and such.

h0rus · Post by **h0rus** » 2004-01-07 07:05pm

Oh no! Now I won't be able to to do 0-60 in 10 secs. Or pass by on straight roads at 120mph! Woah is me!

Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2004-01-07 07:15pm

I'm trying to figure out where the "making environmentalists their bitch" part comes in here. It looks more like they're trying to market more types of environmentally-conscious vehicles without losing the luxury and performance markets.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2004-01-07 07:53pm

Iceberg wrote:I'm trying to figure out where the "making environmentalists their bitch" part comes in here. It looks more like they're trying to market more types of environmentally-conscious vehicles without losing the luxury and performance markets.

But, but don't you know that in order to save the earth, we must
get rid of those gas guzzling multi ton behemoths known as SUVs?

Nevermind with new technology, they can be as fuel efficient as
the current econo-shit-boxes.

Perinquus · Post by **Perinquus** » 2004-01-07 07:56pm

evilcat4000 wrote:Arent hydrogen powered veichles better than hybrids ?

Last I heard, the cost of electrolyzing hydrogen from water is simply too great. With the technology we have today the costs of producing liquid hydrogen as fuel exceed the profits of using it. This information is a couple of years old, but I don't think they've got it solved yet.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2004-01-07 07:58pm

Perinquus wrote: Last I heard, the cost of electrolyzing hydrogen from water is simply too great.

But didn't keaneau reeves manage to find a limitless supply of power from
water, and blow up half of Chicago in the process

Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2004-01-07 08:00pm

MKSheppard wrote:
Iceberg wrote:I'm trying to figure out where the "making environmentalists their bitch" part comes in here. It looks more like they're trying to market more types of environmentally-conscious vehicles without losing the luxury and performance markets.
But, but don't you know that in order to save the earth, we must
get rid of those gas guzzling multi ton behemoths known as SUVs?

More like in order to save the highway from idiot drivers.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2004-01-07 08:02pm

MKSheppard wrote:The Conventional V-6 version got 240 hp and 22 MPG, while the hybrid
version gets 270 HP and 32 MPG.....wait...you can increase power
and fuel efficiency? Oh my stars! I consider SUVs to be a very minor
problem on the roads, compared to fucknut public transportation, because
unlike SUV drivers, public transportation buses always stop every 5
minutes, tying off an entire lane, causing backups, and
you cannot see around them, since they're the size of houses literally.

More Shep stupidity.

Think, with a better public transit one could eliminate nearly all SUVs and many other cars, causing a much greater increase in safety than the comparitively small increase in buses due to greater efficiency in the bus system.

Naturally Shep ignores this, and acts as if more buses would ply the same SUV and car-ridden streets as now, but in reality, would thin them from the road while adding orders of magnitude fewer buses than the SUVs removed.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2004-01-07 08:03pm

Perinquus wrote:
evilcat4000 wrote:Arent hydrogen powered veichles better than hybrids ?
Last I heard, the cost of electrolyzing hydrogen from water is simply too great. With the technology we have today the costs of producing liquid hydrogen as fuel exceed the profits of using it. This information is a couple of years old, but I don't think they've got it solved yet.

The main problem is electrolysis is net-loss, and we don't have the electrical energy capacity to take that. Hydrogen-from-electrolysis will place the entire vehicle transit energy requirements of the country on the power grid. No can do without hydrogen fusion.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2004-01-07 08:29pm

Illuminatus Primus wrote: Think, with a better public transit one could eliminate nearly all SUVs and many other cars, causing a much greater increase in safety than the comparitively small increase in buses due to greater efficiency in the bus system.

Except no one wants to ride public transportation in the United States,
especially buses? And you've never seen the traffic jam a single bus
causes when it stops in the middle of a busy intersection to let off some
fucknuts, and cuts off 1/2 of the capacity of that road...DURING RUSH HOUR.

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Honda Makes Enviromentalists it's bitch.

Honda Makes Enviromentalists it's bitch.

Re: Honda Makes Enviromentalists it's bitch.

Re: Honda Makes Enviromentalists it's bitch.