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Hybrids in the News
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You are aware that Toyota has recalled nearly 4 million vehicles in the US this year, making it by far their worst year ever. They've been on a long downhill slide for the last 4 years now.
Regardless, Toyota is still by far the most reliable car company.
I agree. Recall is something that is a recognized issue that could stem from a variety of reasons. Reliability on the other hand, is things NOT falling apart especially once the warranty is over.
2006 Car of the Year - Honda Civic - A fun-to-drive car combining safety (a Best Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety), fuel economy (40 mpg/hwy standard, and much better for the hybrid version), performance (up to 197 horses in the Si model), space, refinement and reliability into a single, affordable package. Simply put -- the perfect car for our times.
On the other had I put over 500k on three dodges, almost 200k on a chevy and over 200k total on two hyundais and only had one occasion where a non routine repair was ever done. Yet my sister still brags about how much more reliable her Toyotas are.
FWIW the only car I ever had any problems with was my 81 Mustang and that was after someone made a left turn in front of me, up until then it was trouble free.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
My experience has been the opposite. Family has owned them for years. All red dots in CR. Recalls are NOT indicative of a car's reliability.
My 2004 Prius has the typical recalls. It's also exhibited the dying on the road twice problem. So is what you're saying that since the fact that the dying car was covered by a recall, it's not indicitive of it's reliability? The sagging headliner, squeaks and rattles and whatnot are typical?
Interesting.
http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4023397&src=LP%20Hybrid
In his defense, he wasn't the one who brought up VW in the first place. Check out post #4123.
Number 2 (approaching number 1) car company in the world.
Most profitable car company in the world.
$30 to $40 billion dollars cash in the bank.
'Yota's not too shabby.
Geez, talk about a bunch of biased rationalization.
WHY does Toyota HAVE to make big trucks to compete? Does Honda? Subaru? Hyundai? BMW? ...
Get real. Toyota runs ads to make gullible people believe that buying a Toyota is the responsible thing to do and you and others have bought into it. Toyota makes BIG SUVs and trucks and nobody on the left or in the green suits says squat about it. It's always GM and Ford that get trashed.
Are any of those companies in competition to become the largest car company? Nope.
If you want to grow your company, you go where the market is. The SUV Era is winding down (we hope) but from 1995-2004, SUVs were king, thus the companies who sold more of them made the most money.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_50/b3963412.htm?chan=tc
"Their company philosophy seems to be truly green," Carlson said. "A company is green when greenness gets into the fabric of an entire company. It's not 'green-washing.' That's appearing green but not really being green." She said there is no perfect green company, but Toyota seems to be better at its environmental processes than other carmakers.
"I think Toyota, as an example, has had the leanest manufacturing," said Joseph Blackburn, a professor of management at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. "They basically invented this system. They're setting the standards for a lot of these companies." Toyota's manufacturing process tries to incorporate energy-efficient lights and motors to run shorter conveyors, which allow for a smaller plant. That means more efficient heating and cooling."
At Toyota, we operate under a global earth charter that promotes environmental responsibility throughout our entire company. We are leading the way in lowering emissions and improving fuel economy in gasoline powered vehicles. Not only did we create the world's first mass-produced gas/electric hybrid car, but we are also at the forefront of developing tomorrow's fuel cell vehicles.
But our commitment to preserving the environment doesn't stop with our vehicles. For instance, two of our manufacturing plants have been designated as zero landfill producing operations. And our "green" complex in California has one of the largest commercial solar panel systems in North America and conserves more than 11 Million gallons of drinking water annually through special pipelines that supply recycled water for cooling and landscaping.
In addition, as part of our dedication to environmental preservation, we have developed strong partnerships with organizations like The National Arbor Day Foundation and The National Environmental Education & Training Foundation.
In recognition of Toyota's environmental leadership, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) awarded the company their Global 500 Award last year, the first such award received by an automaker. Toyota's "Green Supplier Guidelines" initiative to boost the environmental performance of suppliers stands to confirm the company's commitment to the Earth.
Brand X may have a line of Yukon-size trucks @ 9MPG, Dirty F-350 type diesel pickups....and a third lineup of a popular, reliable, 5 passenger car that gets superior MPG at a reasonable price. If that 5 passenger car is just what I'm looking for then so what about the other vehicles.
My '04 HCH fit,trim & materials are not as good as all the prior American new vehicles I've owned. Despite that fact, hands down is the most fun car to drive, even after 23 months of ownership and 55K miles.
All my previous vehiles by this time had become old hum-drum "Just get there" boring cars by this time.
If this was just one of it's non-hybrid sisters surely I'd be bored to tears by now- and only get low 20's MPG. (If even that)
And while Toyota may be a leader in cutting emissions from production, it still has plenty of room for improvement. In fact, even as Toyota's CO2 emissions have fallen in Japan, they've climbed worldwide as Toyota makes more cars. Last year it emitted 6.4 million tons of CO2 equivalent, up from 5.9 million tons in 2001. And Masuda acknowledges that plants in developing markets will continue to spit out more pollutants than those in Japan, Europe, or the U.S.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_50/b3963412.htm?chan=tc
Toyota not in the top ten greenest companies. Ford & Volvo made the list along with British Petroleum. Are they even in the top 100?
http://www.climateneutral.com/downloads/gbl0601.pdf
Nice story. Maybe they'll do the same for the Camry hybrid when it becomes available.
I've noticed (and so does the HOST) that you've sure been shaking things up lately on this hybrid forum. Good to see you're still hard at work. But you had better take it easy.
TagMan
Thanks
Is that a good thing? Looks to me like the largest is not always the best. Standing on top of a mountain you are a real easy target.
Just for the sake of argument. Say that Toyota is very successful with their big trucks. Say they build a hybrid truck and it is met with the same "too much money" that the hybrid SUVs are suffering under. They become the largest auto maker in the world and the emphasis is on selling high dollar trucks and SUVs. Will you still praise them as some kind of green gods? Whether you accept that or not, it is their goal. They could care less if they sell one hybrid. Why do you think they are priming the public with stories of hybrid parts shortages?
Hyundai builds VERY big earth excavation trucks, sea going ships, railroad locomotives, bridges, shopping centers, stadiums, and industrial parks. The company doesn't have to putz building pickups with bubba-gunracks mounted across their rear windows...
TagMan
Ford is saying the same thing. Then in the next breath they say that Toyota is squeezing them out of the hybrid business by limiting hybrid components. About that time Toyota says they are falling short on components for their own hybrid plans.
Will they be able to live up to the Bold forecasts they are making?
Another point. When Ford realized they had a hit with the new Mustang they kicked up production to meet demand. If Toyota wanted to meet demand on the Prius, I believe they could have done the same. They just make excuses for the shortage of cars. It gets people onto the car lot where a salesman tells them they are better off with a Camry or Corolla. It has happened to me twice in different states. I believe they are not interested in selling anymore hybrids than is needed to look green. If you remember Japan picked up a lot of the hybrid R&D.
Are you sure of that? Or did Toyota steal the heart of the hybrid system from Solomon Technologies? I guess the court will have to decide. Should be an interesting case. As always I cheer for the little guy.
In the lawsuit, Solomon is asking for an injunction barring further infringement as well as damages for the unauthorized use of its patent by Toyota.
Although the thought of a small company suing a large company like Toyota is daunting, Solomon executives said they would use every means to protect the patent rights
http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2005/09/12/daily21.html
Düsseldorf, Germany - Antonov, an automotive technology company based in Manchester, England, has filed a lawsuit against one of the world's largest automakers for alleged hybrid-drive copyright infringement.
The papers allege that the driveline of Toyota's Prius and the Lexus RX400h infringes its patents. Hearings will begin in the patent court in Düsseldorf on September 22.Antonov CEO John Moore said: "We would have preferred to reach a settlement with Toyota without going to court but I'm confident in our case."
The company sought advice from legal and automotive industry experts and took action in Germany because the German legal system provides a relatively quick and cost-effective route to a legally binding decision.
It expects the Düsseldorf court to reach a conclusion within a year of the first hearing.
http://www.motoring.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=1836&fArticleId=2883534
One interesting side note: There is a company that has developed an engine and fuel delivery system that works completely inside the VEHICLE itself. Essentially the car makes its own fuel!!!!!! Hydrogen based system, that produces it's own fuel and has no emissions. It has a metal oxide residue that must be disposed of at periodic intervals.
The point is that Toyota is a leader in hybrid technology today and for the forseeable future, but technology can change everything again.
With respect to Toyota, the lawsuit from Solomon was a last ditch effort on their part to get funds for continuing operations. In the end, Toyota will probably end up buying Solomon which is probably what they wanted to begin with. It will be cheaper in the long run for Toyota to do this. Toyota meanwhile will continue to dominate the auto industry with their superior products. Gotta love it!!!
quote lars**tbird "Are any of those companies in competition to become the largest car company? Nope."
Duh, really? So Toyota has made the decision to become the largest car company in the world. Check. And to accomplish this, you contend, they HAVE to build huge barges like the land cruiser, lx 47990, sequoia, tundra, BIG trucks, BIG DIRTY V8s etc etc. AND they are building a plant in Texas so they can build MORE BIGGER barges like the above, even though you contend that "The SUV Era is winding down (we hope)". And yet you're only too eager to give them a pass on that because, I guess, they also make the stallus - oops I mean prius. You're a Kool-Aid drinker, face it.
BTW, if you're right that SUVs will soon be dinosaurs, then Toyota has made a terrible business decision to build a plant geared to making more of, has it not? Might they have been better off to build a plant to more nobrakus hybrids?
And PS, can you tell me who this 'we' is in your "(we hope)" interjection above? Count me out. I have 3 SUVs and love em all. One gets 25mpg hiway. They are all far more practical that a sedan.
Oh, well, if they have the ultra-clean and honest United Nations award then .... ah, they probably bribed Kofi Annan or his son.
Let's leave the escalating personal shots out of things and stick to the topic of the discussions please.
If you find that you can't respond to a post without taking a dig at the other user, then I suggest you ignore them and move on.
Time to stop the name calling and insults.
That may well be. There are a lot of inventors out there that get patents and wait for a company to infringe. I guess the courts will decide. Toyota is not new to using other companies ideas and designs. How many years did they use their poorly copied Chevy 6 cylinder in their best selling Land Cruiser?
Building a better battery
Electro Energy wants to power hybrid cars for 25 miles without gas
By Mark Langlois
THE NEWS-TIMES
The News-Times/David W. Harple
DANBURY — A Danbury firm is developing a battery designed to power a hybrid car 25 miles without using any gasoline.
Electro Energy of Shelter Rock Road bought a Toyota Prius three months ago and began tinkering with the battery. The Prius uses a combination of gasoline and electricity to get roughly 45 to 50 mpg.
Electro Energy builds flat batteries to power motorbikes, motorized bicycles, scooters and specialty batteries used on U.S. Navy ships and U.S. Air Force aircraft. The company's patented flat technology creates batteries that produce more power in less space.
Experimenting with the Prius, Electro Energy first made a battery with the same power as the one that comes with the car. The Electro Energy battery is smaller and lighter.
Gotta love it!!
This makes sense. Hope to see it on production vehicles.
Jetsons is circa 1962 You are really dating yourself! LOL!!!
hydro drive PDF from epa