February 23, 2012

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The best choice for a family car

February 13, 2012 By LeonB

If you drive trucks for a living, you may not have the choice of what engine you drive professionally, unless you drive your own, of course. But of course, you’re not in the truck all the time, and the kind of car you choose for family life depends on personal choice, what your partner and kids think, etc….

More and more people are now choosing to buy family cars that are also low emission cars as well as having great fuel economy. Of course, the cheaper they are to run, the better for your wallet, but the more you can reduce emissions caused by your personal transportation, than all the better for the planet.

Up until recently, the most likely cars to produce lower emissions would be hybrids and electric vehicles. In the UK, the Honda Insight offers a great 64.2mpg with carbon dioxide emissions of only 101g/km. But in the last couple of years, hybrid cars have begun to be equalled by, and even bettered by, conventional cars – and more often than not they’re diesel-fuelled.

Take the Ford Focus as an example. The 1.6 TDCi Econetic Start/Stop can achieve 74.2 mpg and with carbon dioxide emissions of just 94g/km. Similarly the Kia Rio – a supermini rather than a real family car – can offer 88.3mpg.

It depends where your main focus lies when choosing a car, but there are few people that wouldn’t rank good fuel economy statistics highly, especially given the continual rises in the world’s oil prices. Of course, there are other factors that people look for in a car – comfort for the driver and their passengers, the amount of space for cargo, the flexibility of the seating arrangements, not to mention the want or need for decent driving performance.

For anyone looking for a new family car, they need to decide where their priorities lie, and then start their research accordingly.

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The 2012 Honda Civic – sensible sports car

January 31, 2012 By LeonB

If you take a look at the new honda civic 2012 model. You’ll be hard pressed to decide whether this is a sensible family saloon car, or an out and out sports car – or the kind of “hot hatch” type of vehicle usually aimed at twenty-somethings.

The truth is that it’s a little bit of all these things, but is still a little toned down from its predecessor eighth generation Civic.

The Honda Civic has been around a long me in the UK. In fact, 2012 is the 40th anniversary of the little car’s arrival on these shores. At first, the Civic slightly perplexed UK drivers used to Ford Cortinas and the like, but soon started selling like hotcakes and is now part of the very fabric of British society.

In fact, the Civic has sold more than 650,000 models over the last four decades and sows no signs of slowing down just yet; quite the opposite in fact.

The latest version of the Civic is built in Swindon and looks superb. Its looks are slightly toned down from its predecessor eighth generation – but this is what we really want according to Honda’s extensive research into Civic drivers.

Perhaps disappointingly for the environmentalists among us, there is no hybrid version as yet – and Honda has confirmed that it has no plans, as yet, to introduce one, as there are a number of hybrid options from the existing line-up including the Honda Insight, Jazz and CR-Z.

Perhaps it isn’t needed, though. The fact is that the emission levels from the 2.2 diesel version of the Civic 2012 re so impressive (along with the better than 63mpg figures) that the car still qualifies for the road tax discount. This will cost owners just £20 after the first free year.

It looks like Honda has the new Civic’s balance just right. Time – and sales – will tell.

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Hybrid truck technology

November 24, 2011 By LeonB

Truck makers Toyota and Ford have plans to develop a hybrid powertrain for light trucks and SUVs. It looks like other manufacturers may have to follow suit as pressure grows on businesses to buy greener transport options.

Although hybrid trucks are nothing new, they still lag behind cars. Volvo launched the first HGV to run on a combination of diesel and electric power in 2008.

Honda, though, is one of the acknowledged leaders in hybrid technology so it looks like it won’t be too long before there are Honda hybrid truck options. The first ever mass produced parallel hybrid (whereby the single electric motor and the internal combustion engine can both individually – or together – power the vehicle) was the Honda Insight.

Toyota and Ford will work together in order to share development costs and generally quicken the whole process.

The hybrid powertrain in development will be for rear-wheel vehicles only – and will be phased in over the next decade.

With a hybrid vehicle, the electric motor works in tandem with a petrol engine.

Apart from the obvious savings in fuel consumption with hybrids, and lower emissions, one of the main benefits for trucks and lorries is the reduction in noise.

The commercial vehicle manufacturer, Mitsubishi Fuso, has recently given a preview of its new heavy-duty hybrid truck. The so-called Super Great HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) includes a conventional diesel engine, an electric motor-generator, a lithium-ion battery and control software. The company claims an increase in fuel-efficiency of up to 10% when compared to a diesel only equivalent – to say nothing of the environmental improvements.

The company intends to preview the Super Great HEV at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show between November 30 and December 11.

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Manufacturing duo pair up to develop hybrid truck technology

August 31, 2011 By LeonB

Manufacturing giants Toyota and Ford have announced joint plans to develop a hybrid powertrain for light trucks and SUVs, which will make hybrid technology possible for a wider range of vehicles.
While hybrid technology for trucks is not new, it is still limited in comparison with developments in the car industry. Volvo only launched the first HGV to run on a combination of diesel and electric power in 2008.
Toyota and Ford have decided to work together as it will mean a sharing of development costs and accelerate the process.  Both companies are leaders in fuel economy, and environmental sustainability issues are high on their joint agenda.
The hybrid powertrain in development will be for rear-wheel vehicles and will be introduced over the next ten years.  Hybrid vehicles are propelled by an electric motor and a petrol or diesel engine.  Manufacturers are also expected to improve efficiency by incorporating stop-start technology. Stop-start systems increase fuel economy by switching off the engine when the vehicle is idling in traffic or comes to a halt.  All in-vehicle electronics remain ‘on’ as they are powered by a small battery. Once the brake is released, the stop-start system automatically starts the engine again. As well as saving on fuel, this system reduces the emissions produced by a vehicle.
There are several advantages to driving a hybrid.  Apart from the obvious savings in fuel consumption and production of fewer emissions, for trucks one of the main benefits is the reduction in noise. As with all low emission cars, hybrids qualify for lower road tax and there are good deals available for insurance. It’s still a question of searching around though, as there are still sharp variations on hybrid premiums depending on which insurer you contact.

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