xcel
06-27-2006, 11:09 AM
We should also support Pennsylvanians who purchase hybrids. (http://www.cumberlink.com/articles/2006/06/27/business/busi19.txt)
John Hilton - Sentinel - June 25, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/PA_Rep_checks_out_FEH.jpg
Karissa Zimmer - The Sentinel
Pennsylvania Rep. Kathy Rapp, R-65, checks out the interior of a 2006 Ford Escape during a press conference outside the state Capitol earlier this month.
More and more Pennsylvanians want to drive energy-efficient vehicles - and industry officials say automakers are responding to that need.
Industry officials joined lawmakers at the Capitol in Harrisburg recently to promote and display their top-selling alternative-fuel vehicles. In the process, they erased the notion that energy-efficient translates only to a four-cylinder Toyota Prius.
“Automakers are committed to producing millions of new autos that will run on options other than gasoline,” said Charles Territo, director of communications for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers,
That includes huge pickups and SUVs. In an ironic marriage between efficiency and power, the auto industry is producing models such as Ford F-150s that run on ethanol and Chevrolet Tahoes that run on “flex fuel.”
“These are all outstanding vehicles and fine examples of the cleaner, more fuel-efficient auto that automakers are producing right now,” said state Rep. Richard Geist, R-79. “Diesels, hybrids and E-85 ethanol vehicles save the consumer money while helping to preserve our environment. We need more of them on the road.”
Geist noted that there are 8 million alternative-fuel vehicles operating in the United States, including roughly 270,000 in Pennsylvania.
Bottom-line savings
While energy efficient vehicles are much safer for the environment, the biggest incentive for consumers is cost. For example, the Prius gets up to 60 miles per gallon - no small savings with gasoline costs nearly $3 a gallon. Compare that with the fuel efficiency of the average car, which gets 22.4 mpg, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
In addition, more than half of the states offer motorists incentives for buying hybrid cars, including Pennsylvania.
Gov. Ed Rendell, who is running for re-election, wants to increase the state rebate for purchasing an energy-efficient vehicle from $500 to $1,000.
“We should also support Pennsylvanians who purchase hybrids and other alternative-fuel cars,” Rendell said in a budget message to legislators last month.
Likewise, Rendell said he is committed to increasing the state’s fleet to a minimum of 75 energy-efficient vehicles by 2010. By 2011, one of every four vehicles it buys will be a hybrid vehicle in some form, he has said.
The federal government is also eager for Americans to switch to energy-efficient vehicles, offering tax credits ranging from $1,550 to $3,150, depending on the make and model of the hybrid car.
“We need to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy,” Territo said. “We need to use less gasoline whenever possible.”
Different technologies
The rapid rise of gasoline prices has opened the door for investment and development of alternative-fuel vehicles. Automakers are primarily pushing electric, hybrid electric, diesel and alternative and flex-fuel vehicles.
The former cars rely on electricity to supplement fuel in some operations of the vehicle. The latter cars use some mixture of alternative fuel in the place of expensive gasoline.
For example, a flexible-fueled vehicle (FFV) has a single fuel tank, fuel system, and engine. The vehicle is designed to run on unleaded gasoline and an alcohol fuel - usually ethanol - in any mixture. The engine and fuel system in a flex-fuel vehicle must be adapted slightly to run on alcohol fuels because they are corrosive.
A special sensor in the fuel line analyzes the fuel mixture and controls the fuel injection and timing to adjust for different fuel compositions.
The resulting output is usually better for the environment. Consumer Reports magazine estimates that every gallon of gas saved by the energy-efficient cars prevents 18 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.
Still, cost is the overriding factor driving the development and integration of the alternative-fuel vehicles. Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe recently acknowledged that hybrids are still too expensive and the cost must be halved before mass production can be expected.
Watanabe made his remarks as Toyota unveiled plans to double the number of hybrid vehicles it produces by 2010. The Japanese automaker is also working on plug-in hybrids, which can be charged at home, and on hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicles.
Toyota’s first foray in an ambitious powertrain experiment will be the introduction of a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine this fall.
Cars lead the way
Meanwhile, Mark Stine, vice president of legislative and public affairs for the Pennsylvania Automobile Association, is convinced that sales of alternative-fuel vehicles are on the rise in Pennsylvania.
“From speaking with dealers, I can say that sales have been increasing somewhat recently,” he said. “It is not an overwhelming number of units, though, because vehicle sales in general are down.
“The smaller passenger car hybrids are the more popular models. The SUV and truck models are still fairly new to the market and have not caught on yet as much as the smaller hybrid passenger cars.”
John Hilton - Sentinel - June 25, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/PA_Rep_checks_out_FEH.jpg
Karissa Zimmer - The Sentinel
Pennsylvania Rep. Kathy Rapp, R-65, checks out the interior of a 2006 Ford Escape during a press conference outside the state Capitol earlier this month.
More and more Pennsylvanians want to drive energy-efficient vehicles - and industry officials say automakers are responding to that need.
Industry officials joined lawmakers at the Capitol in Harrisburg recently to promote and display their top-selling alternative-fuel vehicles. In the process, they erased the notion that energy-efficient translates only to a four-cylinder Toyota Prius.
“Automakers are committed to producing millions of new autos that will run on options other than gasoline,” said Charles Territo, director of communications for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers,
That includes huge pickups and SUVs. In an ironic marriage between efficiency and power, the auto industry is producing models such as Ford F-150s that run on ethanol and Chevrolet Tahoes that run on “flex fuel.”
“These are all outstanding vehicles and fine examples of the cleaner, more fuel-efficient auto that automakers are producing right now,” said state Rep. Richard Geist, R-79. “Diesels, hybrids and E-85 ethanol vehicles save the consumer money while helping to preserve our environment. We need more of them on the road.”
Geist noted that there are 8 million alternative-fuel vehicles operating in the United States, including roughly 270,000 in Pennsylvania.
Bottom-line savings
While energy efficient vehicles are much safer for the environment, the biggest incentive for consumers is cost. For example, the Prius gets up to 60 miles per gallon - no small savings with gasoline costs nearly $3 a gallon. Compare that with the fuel efficiency of the average car, which gets 22.4 mpg, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
In addition, more than half of the states offer motorists incentives for buying hybrid cars, including Pennsylvania.
Gov. Ed Rendell, who is running for re-election, wants to increase the state rebate for purchasing an energy-efficient vehicle from $500 to $1,000.
“We should also support Pennsylvanians who purchase hybrids and other alternative-fuel cars,” Rendell said in a budget message to legislators last month.
Likewise, Rendell said he is committed to increasing the state’s fleet to a minimum of 75 energy-efficient vehicles by 2010. By 2011, one of every four vehicles it buys will be a hybrid vehicle in some form, he has said.
The federal government is also eager for Americans to switch to energy-efficient vehicles, offering tax credits ranging from $1,550 to $3,150, depending on the make and model of the hybrid car.
“We need to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy,” Territo said. “We need to use less gasoline whenever possible.”
Different technologies
The rapid rise of gasoline prices has opened the door for investment and development of alternative-fuel vehicles. Automakers are primarily pushing electric, hybrid electric, diesel and alternative and flex-fuel vehicles.
The former cars rely on electricity to supplement fuel in some operations of the vehicle. The latter cars use some mixture of alternative fuel in the place of expensive gasoline.
For example, a flexible-fueled vehicle (FFV) has a single fuel tank, fuel system, and engine. The vehicle is designed to run on unleaded gasoline and an alcohol fuel - usually ethanol - in any mixture. The engine and fuel system in a flex-fuel vehicle must be adapted slightly to run on alcohol fuels because they are corrosive.
A special sensor in the fuel line analyzes the fuel mixture and controls the fuel injection and timing to adjust for different fuel compositions.
The resulting output is usually better for the environment. Consumer Reports magazine estimates that every gallon of gas saved by the energy-efficient cars prevents 18 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.
Still, cost is the overriding factor driving the development and integration of the alternative-fuel vehicles. Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe recently acknowledged that hybrids are still too expensive and the cost must be halved before mass production can be expected.
Watanabe made his remarks as Toyota unveiled plans to double the number of hybrid vehicles it produces by 2010. The Japanese automaker is also working on plug-in hybrids, which can be charged at home, and on hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicles.
Toyota’s first foray in an ambitious powertrain experiment will be the introduction of a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine this fall.
Cars lead the way
Meanwhile, Mark Stine, vice president of legislative and public affairs for the Pennsylvania Automobile Association, is convinced that sales of alternative-fuel vehicles are on the rise in Pennsylvania.
“From speaking with dealers, I can say that sales have been increasing somewhat recently,” he said. “It is not an overwhelming number of units, though, because vehicle sales in general are down.
“The smaller passenger car hybrids are the more popular models. The SUV and truck models are still fairly new to the market and have not caught on yet as much as the smaller hybrid passenger cars.”