Yes it’s an Oxymoron; a hybrid race car.  Hybrid cars are supposed to be the picture of fuel economy while saving the environment with less emissions being produced.  While race car are supposed to burn fuel at an ungodly rate and expel all kinds of harmful gasses.  Well the Nissan Altima built by Braille Battery shows you can have 440 HP while saving the environment.

The idea was spawned by Nissan North America who wanted a “forward thinking race car” and Braille Battery was a company on the cutting edge of battery technology since they make super cool carbon fiber batteries for professional race teams spanning everything from NASCAR to Le Mans.  The car was put together by University Technical Institute.  This car has competed in the Redline Time Attack Series and the One Lap of America race.

So how do you get over 440 horsepower out of a New Nissan Altima Hybrid car that can click off 12.9 second quarter mile times?  Well first a bit of hybrid car education.  Hybrid cars have a small gasoline engine and an attached electric motor that either powers the car at low speeds or adds power to the car as speeds increase.  So the Braille Battery Hybrid car is powered by the stock 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine.  Of course this engine has been reworked and now runs on E85 fuel.  But the real horsepower comes from a Vortech Electric Supercharger.    Other racing parts include a full BC Coilover Suspension kit, Wilwood Brake kit, and full array of Sparco safety enhancements.  Light weight Enkei LF-10 rims wrapped in Yokohama Neova tires hold this hybrid to the road.  Other racing upgrades include an APR carbon fiber splitter, VIS Racing Carbon Fiber Hood, Stillen Body kit, and custom exhaust featuring a “green leaf” exhaust tip.

This car not only has an eco-friendly engine with a cool carbon fiber battery pack; but it also features a couple other forward thinking modifications.  The paint is from DuPont and is called low VOC paint that is much better for the environment.  The Sparco seats are made from waste materials.  The tires are low rolling resistance and finally there are solar panels that help recharge the battery system.

This cool hybrid car represents the next logical step in racing.  At 440 horsepower with a 57% better fuel economy rate over non-hybrid race Altima cars, the Braille Battery ride is the real deal.

Source: http://www.braillebattery.com/index.php/events/view/braille_battery_debuts_north_americas_first_hybrid_race_car_at_sema

About a week ago I found a great deal on a used 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid with low miles.  The icing on the cake was that it had one of those Yellow CARB Stickers. This was the ultimate kicker for me since I drive the 405 everyday and believe me it is absolute torture!  On the days that I carpool with my wife, the saved drive time is at least an hour each day.  Well the jig is up and the original carpool program is going to expire on January 1st, 2011.  Good thing I did not buy that Civic!

A Law was passed in 2004 in order to encourage people to buy hybrid cars.  The goal was to give out the CARB stickers to any hybrid that got a fuel economy rating of 45 MPG combined or more.  Well that pretty much limited the cars to the Toyota Prius and the first generation Honda Insight.  The California Air Resources Board (CARB) gave out 85,000 of these stickers for Hybrid, Natural Gas, and electric powered cars.  Cars that have this sticker can fetch a higher resale price.  I would gladly spend up to $2000 more since the savings in time spent on the freeway would be huge.

Fast forward to the year 2008 and the program had been extended a few more years.  But still the only cars with these stickers were mostly Toyota Prius’ with a few Honda Hybrids like the: Insight and Civic.  Honda has the only Natural Gas vehicle on the road so these cars also got a white form of the carpool lane sticker.  This created some public outcry as other automobile owners with super fuel efficient cars were shut out of the program.  The Volkswagen Jetta TDi is a turbo diesel car that not only nets great MPG, but it has been named Green Car of the Year.  Ford has a great fuel efficient car with the new Ford Fusion Hybrid.  Likewise Saturn and other manufacturers have hybrid cars in their stable.  But since no more stickers were handed out after 2007; none of these new cars and hybrids are eligible.

New legislation is making its rounds that will give carpool lane exemption to new electric vehicles like the Fisker Karma or the Chevrolet Volt, natural gas automobiles, or those powered by other means of alternative fuel like hydrogen.  Hybrids may once again make this list if they are the plug-in type or if they net a more stringent highway fuel economy of 65 MPG or more.

source:http://articles.latimes.com/2009/sep/28/business/fi-hybrid-stickers28

If ever there was a car made for the times and the going green trend, this would seem to be it: the new Ford Fiesta. It’s a sporty compact with the seating capability of five and gets about 65mpg. It seems like the perfect car the only negative thing is, it’s not sold in the US.

Despite the Fiesta ECOnetic’s definite potential to compete with the other US manufactures, Ford has only sold the recent generations of the Fiesta in Europe. The America Ford President reportedly stated that there were business reasons as to why they can’t sell it to the US and left it at that.

The main reason for the selective selling is that the Fiesta runs on diesel fuel and the US remains to detest the fuel. America’s opposition to diesel fuel is because it still often reminds us of a loud and stinky truck or trailer pouring out black junk, smog, and smoke into our environment.

Diesel fueled cars are now introduced in the market with pollution fighting technology that is as clean as or even cleaner than gasoline with 30% more fuel efficiency. So why can’t the US have this 65mpg car on our market? Ford doesn’t think that North and South America would buy any diesel cars. The Fiesta ECOnetic is comparable to European diesels but Ford can’t make a business case for bringing the car to the US.

In addition, the Fiesta is made in Britain and importing the car to the US would cost too much money without a profit and Ford doesn’t believe they can charge enough to make any money.  With that said, the main question is: will the US ever embrace diesel fuel to allow automakers and manufactures to achieve sufficient scale to make money on those vehicles? All Ford needs to do it look towards Volkswagen and their TDi Jetta.  The Jetta costs about what the Fiesta would cost, gets only 41 MPG on the highway as compared to the Fiesta’s 65 MPG, and finally the Jetta has received numerous accolades for being an ultra green car.  Ford is missing out on all this publicity the Jetta is enjoying.

But wait!  It seems that ford will bring the Fiesta over tho the US sor the model year 2011.  Wonder what this car will consist of.  Stay tuned for more information.

Well now the GM is on the cusp of bankruptcy and financial ruin…..they have announced the release of the long awaited Chevrolet Volt.  Will it be here in time to save GM?  Of course not!  The slated release date for this new generation of hybrid isn’t until 2011.  What’s the deal with that? GM had the EV1 electric car back in the 1990’s and it is only now that they are coming up with a half gas half electric hybrid car.  The American population has been scooping up every hybrid in sight for years now.  It this kind of foot dragging that has gotten GM into this mess in the first place.

What make the Chevrolet Volt a cool car is that it can run totally on battery power for up to 40 miles.  This satisfies the normal daily commute of most of us.  After 40 miles a gas engine kicks in to get you to your destination.  So really even though this is a hybrid car; the Volt can be considered an electric car for short daily trips.  Bummer is you would have to plug in this car in order to recharge it…which is actually true to form of an electric car.  The Volt will have regenerative breaking, and once the batteries are recharged to a preset level; the gas engine will shut off and the electric engine will again resume.  There are still many factors yet to be set in stone regarding emission of fuel consumption.  But odds are these numbers will be low for emissions and high at least above 50 Miles per gallon when the gas engine is running.   The Volt platform will be the basis

Lately Ford has been a car maker that is concentrating on fuel efficiency.  They entered into a licensing agreement with Toyota in order to use some of the Prius’ hybrid technology.  The New Ford Fusion is just the tip of the iceberg.  Each year is seems like Toyota is on the cutting edge of the hybrid race.  Their hybrid lineup is the largest and most fuel efficient of any manufacturer.  What makes Toyota so great is that you can buy a Certified Used Car that comes with a warranty.  Finally Honda is always in the mix not matter what.  If their Japanese counter-parts are doing something right, you can bet that Honda will no doubt try to top their rivals.  And they did just that with the New Honda Insight.  The Insight has a great starting price point and is backed by Honda Nameplate.

The New Honda Insight starts at right around $20k and gets 43 MPG in the City and 40 MPG on the highway, for a combine fuel economy score of 41.  What makes the Insight so fuel efficient is the small 1.3 gas engine and the integrated motor assist electric engine.  These two engine can run at the same time which is a problem other hybrids manufacturers avoid.  A continuois variable transmission put power down while the sleek shape reduces drag when speeds get a bit faster.  And when you slow down, regenerative braking recharges the batteries. The Honda Insight has secured its place in the hybid automotive world.

Source:http://automobiles.honda.com/insight-hybrid/exterior-photos.aspx

The Environmental Protection Agency has released their list of car with the best fuel economy for the 2010 model year. And guess what? Nine out of the ten cars are hybrids which goes to show that hybrid vehicles are here to stay. Missing from this list though are cars that run on battery power alone like the Tesla, cars that are powered by CNG or Compressed Natural Gas, and diesel powered cars like the Jetta which gets incredible gas mileage. Read on to see who tops the list?

1.    Toyota Prius Hybrid (51/48 MPG) – The Toyota Prius has topped the list of most fuel efficient cars ever since it was introduced a few years ago!  Many of the cars that follow on down the list are comprised of Toyota hybrid parts taken from the Prius hybrid system.  The Prius continues to be the innovator in the hybrid car realm.

2.    Ford Fusion Hybrid (41/36 MPG) – It is about time Ford decided to make a good hybrid Car.  The Escape has been the talk of the SUV hybrid community, and now Ford has a midsized entry into the car segment.  And the Ford Fusion Hybrid has been generating rave reviews!
3.    Honda Civic Hybrid (40/45 MPG) – The Civic Hybrid has quietly been saving millions of gallons of gas for awhile now.  This car combine Honda’s start-stop technology and a small electric motor assist to get up to 45 MPG on the highway which is only eclipsed by the Ultra Aerodynamic Prius.
4.    Honda Insight Hybrid (40/43 MPG) – Making big news in 2009 was the Honda Insight Hybrid.  Marked as the everyday hybrid for the middle class of America, the low starting price of the Insight has helped Honda sell a ton of these cars.  Taking a page out of the Toyota handbook, Honda went with the wedge shape that is synonymous with hybrid automobiles.
5.    Lexus HS250h Hybrid (35/34 MPG) – All new for 2010 the Lexus HS250h is only entry level luxury hybrid car.  To me these cars look like a cross between the Corolla and the Civic, but the HS250h does have some great luxury amenities.  The $30k + price may be a bit steep for true hybrid enthusiasts.  It is a good bet that in the coming years Toyota will be able to stretch the fuel economy of this car.
6.    Nissan Altima Hybrid (35/33 MPG) – Nissan’s only hybrid offering, the Altima, is really powered by Toyota technology.  All of the hybrid powertrain is straight from Toyota.  But hey this allows Nissan to have a hybrid vehicle in the midsized car segment.  And there is a huge following of Altima lovers that are more than willing to snap up the Altima hybrid.
7.    Ford Escape Hybrid (34/31 MPG) – The Ford Escape Hybrid SUV is a freak of nature.  No other SUV even comes close to matching the fuel economy of the Escape hybrid.  The Escape uses Toyota technology and a 2-mode hybrid system which allows the Escape to run on battery power alone.  This is the main reason the Escape hybrid gets such great gas mileage.  The Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner are the same vehicles as the Escape with a different manufacturer badge.

8.    Smart fortwo car (33/41 MPG) – You have definitely seen these little cars running around town.  They are impossible to miss.  This go-cart looking car may stick out like a sore thumb, but the great gas mileage numbers speak for themselves.  The Smart Car combines a small engine with a very lightweight design to maximize fuel economy and minimize all the extras.
9.    Toyota Camry Hybrid (33/34 MPG) – The reigning champ in the midsized category is relegated to the bottom of this list.  The Camry is in need of a serious redesign.  You can bet your top dollar that the next generation of Toyota Camry Hybrid will once again overtake the Fusion and the Altima on this list.  The Camry still remains one of the best selling hybrids.
10.    Lexus RX450h Hybrid (32/28MPG) – The ultimate luxury SUV, the Lexus RX450h is not only a technological wonder; it is a showcase of luxury amenities from Lexus.  This SUV rides great, has all the creature comforts you would expect from Lexus, and it has excellent gas mileage to boot.  A combined fuel economy of 30 miles per gallon is something special from a luxury SUV.  In comparison the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid only gets 19 MPG!

I am going to ruin the rest of the weekend for everyone reading this who owns a hybrid.  The Jetta gets 41 MPG on the highway!  And that’s just the EPA rating!  Real world figures are right at the 50 MPG mark.  Well your Prius gets that too right?  Maybe, but is you Prius turbocharged? Does it put down over 236lb.-ft of torque?  No your Prius is an underpowered mouse.

Diesel cars have been running around town getting incredible gas mileage for over a decade.  These cars are not the over-polluters of yesteryear.   Today’s Diesel cars get low the emission seal of approval.

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI is one of these amazing diesel cars that breaks the mold and stereotype of diesels.  The TDI gets an estimated 41 miles to the gallon and was named “Green Car of the Year” by Green Car Journal at the Los Angeles Auto Show.  The Green Car of the year award given to the Jetta TDI makes it the first clean- diesel vehicle to win.  A diesel car finally getting the award gives people the signal that clean diesels have arrived and are effective.  It also shows that clean- diesels are an alternative to hybrids because it brings fuel consumption down and is environmentally friendly.

The Jetta TDI has a diesel turbocharged direct-injection engine that features a rail fuel injection system instead of the traditional mechanical system. While diesel vehicle have been widely popular in Europe for decades, they have been slow in the US market. Part of the popularity gap is due to tough emission requirements and typical diesel stereotypes of times past.