Hybrid Trains: Welcome Aboard!

The long-awaited environmentally-friendly train has hit the railroad in Japan. The two-car Kiha E200 currently circulates on a mountain area line which is about 80 km long. The distance is rather short, yet officials believe that it’s the beginning of a long journey.

Although trains are not the prime contributors to air pollution and global warming process, as “a part of efforts to be green” as Yasuaki Kikuchi, a spokesman for East Japan Railway Company, has defined it, introduction of a hybrid train is another step in the right direction. It is due to the success of electric and hybrid cars that interest in hybrid trains grows. American and German railway companies are also working on implementing the green technology.

The train works similar to its predecessors – Toyota hybrid cars. It has 4 electric motors (2 under each car) and a diesel engine which kicks in when the train is climbing a hill or when batteries are getting low. Lithium ion batteries are located on the roof and get recharged from braking. The train looks just like normal ones, but runs more quietly – another resemblance to electric and hybrid cars. Emission reduction provided by this technology is about 60%, fuel consumption is cut by 20%.

Cost is the weak point though. Kiha E200 runs about $1.7 million – twice as much as a normal train. It is necessary to gather data on fuel consumption in correlation with various passenger loads and different climate conditions. The company engineer said that to be really effective, this technology has to become more widespread. Hopefully, hybrid train cars will pass all tests and come into mass production.

What’s Inside The New Camaro?

Transformers blockbuster was a great success. So was Camaro 2008 starring as Bumblebee. With transformer toys selling as hot pies and the new video game to come out soon, any the GM got publicity any automaker could only wish for. While some go out of their ways to see their cars in films, the stunning Chevy was spotted by the film director and invited immediately.

There was one little problem though: the cars weren’t being made. Curiously enough, it takes more effort from an automaker to build just a couple of vehicles of a certain type, than building thousands of them a day. Because the filming took place long before the production of the vehicle, appearance of the new Camaro in Transformers could be possible only due to close cooperation between Hollywood and Detroit. Luckily, GM wasn’t put off by a challenge and the movie version of Camaro 2008 was born. Apparently, the design staff used whatever they could to create this hero and the effort wasn’t wasted: fibreglass body and full functionality of the vehicle made it one of the finest movie props ever.

But there are also invisible heroes in this blockbuster. Under the layers of plastic there’s an Australian built Pontiac GTO. Its wheelbase was about the same size as Camaro’s, so could have been used easily. But it took a lot of engineering work to put a new fiberglass body, delivered by GM, on the chassis, because the GTO was originally built around a unitized structure. The result of 45 (!) days work was 2 props, stunningly gorgeous and able to do their own stunts! What a thrill it will be for those who used to play with Hasbro toys back in 80’s when the real toy – the new Camro – will actually come out. But I imagine, not only Transformers lifetime fans will be keen on getting it.

Portrait of A Hybrid Driver

If you were at school Arts lesson and your teacher asked to portrait a typical hybrid driver. What would he look like? A hippie-gig who hardly ever walks so that he wouldn’t squash a couple of ants? Or someone stunningly beautiful, who is always in the flashlights of cameras? (This gaudy blur could be anyone from Salma Hayek to Clint Eastwood. You could never draw well). Or maybe it’s a trendy teenager who likes to invest his dad’s money into new gadgets?

Ok, enough of Arts. Some people can’t even tell yet what electric and hybrid cars are. But meticulous scientists have already calculated everything. So, tell me what your car is and I will tell you who you are. When the first hybrid vehicles came to the mass market in late 1999, they looked radically different from conventional gas-powered ones. That’s when you would expect, let’s say, extravagant people to drive them. Among the earliest adopts of hybrid technology were celebrities of different kind, primarily motivated by ecological reasons. Or lack of publicity. Whatever. They still do own their electric and hybrid cars, but the focus of market research is on common people.

So, here is a fact. Hybrid buyer is wrinklier than the average car buyer. The gasoline vehicle purchaser is about 40 years old. In the hybrid section the age will be 50. Who would have thought! But if we dig deeper, it makes sense. Today there are hybrid versions of many of the most popular makes and models, including coupe, sedan, SUV and pickup body style. They are all available at different prices, all a bit more expensive than their non-hybrid equivalents. That’s when we turn to another criterion – level of income. According to J.D. Power report in 2004 hybrid owner incomes were as high as $100,000. Compare this to $ 85,000 per annum for gasoline car drivers. Still not bad, but that’s where a couple of thousand dollars make difference. In a 2007 survey of Toyota Prius drivers by Topline Strategy Group, 71 percent of respondents earned more than $100,000 per year. So looks like things haven’t changed dramatically.

The next fact is a pure flattery for each and every hybrid owner. According to Walter McManus, of the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, hybrid car drivers are more educated. “Hybrid car drivers have a level of education higher than any group of car drivers that I’ve ever seen,” that’s what he said. Oh, how sweet of him! It’s just nice to think that as a hybrid SUV driver you are automatically labelled more intelligent. At the same time there are more pessimistic tendencies among the hybrid-equipped intellectuals. They are more worried about the growth of fuel prices. Well, their behaviour is very logical then. Hybrid vehicle is one of the surest ways to save petrol and to save on petrol.

A portrait of a hybrid driver could be very feminine. Even in 2002 they showed a very high interest in eco-friendly cars. But the lack of information on the topic deterred the purchase. There is an old myth that electric and hybrid cars are small and underpowered. That was one of the factors that put the male population off hybrids. Who wants to drive a girly car! This question is not of major importance any more. Any male who claims to understand something in automotive technology world, knows that these days electric and hybrid cars are a lot faster than bicycles.

We can mention environmental concern factor, but in that case there will be no British flag on the background of this portrait. The research shows, British driver would consider buying a hybrid if “he was sure running costs would be lower” or “if petrol became too expensive”. Very honest. I just wonder, what they would say if the survey wasn’t anonymous.

So what do we have here? 50-year olds, rich, very well-educated… Apparently these factors correlate and prove this statistics to be right. But does it mean, that if you are in your twenties you would mind having a hybrid? Not at all! Statistics speaks for hybrid-owners, but keeps quiet about hybrid-dreamers. So it must be just a matter of time that data will change. Buying hybrids, older generation pave the way for youngsters, as prices become more affordable. Who knows what the next hybrid portrait will look like.

Toyota Hybrid Cars Approved By Clergy

Isn’t it nice of Bishop Nigel McCulloch to go green with his new Toyota Prius? Just like Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt and Leo DiCaprio were the early adopters of hybrid technology in Hollywood, he seems to be the first cleric of a high rank in the history of electric and hybrid cars.

The Right Rev Nigel McCulloch is in the middle of his 3-year pilgrimage along the diocese of Manchester. So, better mileage and eco-friendliness of a car are good for both bishop and his bishopric. He says that it takes some time to get used to driving Prius, but is very impressed by its performance and the economy it provides. Unlike some other hybrid-owners he is satisfied with its fuel-efficiency and encourages other drivers of Manchester to opt for green technology. It just proves once again that electric and hybrid cars do give a good mileage when driven skilfully.

Hopefully, he set a good example for his congregation. And gave a distinct hint to the Manchester transport chiefs, that it would be a righteous deed to do something about the congestion charge for those who drive eco-friendly vehicles.

Size Of The Car Matters. Government And Females Set Their Standards

Size criteria related to any item will always be of great importance. Size of a car is not an exception. Probably, in this case it matters more than in any other.

As the government have introduced new standards of fuel-efficiency to be met by 2020, automakers have something to think over. Over and over again. It is going to be a serious challenge for all of them, for an average of 35 mpg is not so easy to achieve. Producing vehicles that are fuel-efficient and appealing to consumers at the same time is a tough job. Engineers and designers are working on light-weight materials and improvements in aerodynamics. Better power trains, solenoid valve actuation, electric power steering and other things of this kind also help. Many of these changes won’t be cheap, so consumers will probably have to pay more. What can really give a better mileage is limitation of huge SUV models. But this idea may be hard to embrace for many Americans with their affection for big vehicles.

Some specialists think there’s still enough time to make such changes that will allow both meeting the new mileage standards and keeping trucks on the market. Switching to diesel versions or extending the range of electric and hybrid cars is an option.

To develop a subject of fuel-efficiency and car-sizing – just a few days ago one auto-dedicated website carried out a little research. They sent 2 interviewers on the streets of Chicago to find out how people would react to the car model of their potential date. Along with almost unanimous disapproval of small car owners, male and female respondents had different opinions about truck-driving dates. The image of a girl steering the SUV wheel was found rather appealing. While male Hummer-drivers didn’t score many points. “Hummers are not very…erm… environmentally friendly…” and “Trying to compensate for something…” really match the size-reduction tendency that may take place in the years to come. So those guys, who relied on massive trucks in boosting their ego can relax and get something smaller. And more fuel-efficient.

Curiously, most female responders gave the green light to a Prius driver. Not sure if they know much about the hybrid car concept, but still… Although there was one particularly fussy lady who found hybrid owner cheap and therefore not a good match for her. What would she say if that “cheap” chap was Brad Pitt or Leo DiCaprio, who actually drive Toyota hybrid cars?