Hybrid wars...

Hybrid wars ???

Yes, sad but true.

Hybrids don't even make up 5% of the market and the hybrid community is already in-fighting. In general we have people who cannot see past their choices and are unwilling and utterly unable to see merits in someone else's choices.
While this is something that has annoyed me for many years, it has become a little more annoying recently. Here are the perennial complaints I have regarding the two best selling hybrids and their fan base :
- Owners of Honda hybrids stop at nothing when calling the Prius all sorts of names including calling it ugly, "Maytag appliance like" and even weird. Geesh.
- Toyota Prius owners are so full of themselves that for them the only car worth having must be a Prius. For these sad folks, anything else is characterized as mediocre and unworthy even if the performance and underlying potential says otherwise.

As you can tell, both camps annoy me to no end. Come on folks! We need to focus our sights on the real problems and start making a difference by acting less smug and narcissistic. In addition to helping no one, such elitism on either side only helps perpetuate ignorance. We're better than this.

So, let me state a few things since by owning both cars I can probably speak with some authority and first-hand knowledge.

For the Prius bashers:
- The Prius is not ugly. If anything, it is a marvel of top tier engineering where its form and design follow the vehicle's primary goal. Still, beauty remains in the eye of the beholder but to openly dismiss the Prius on this account is hardly helpful. The Prius remains at the top of the fuel economy ladder for good reason and its shape, technology and human interface have a great deal to with it. In fact, give it a test drive before criticizing it and you'll see it is one heck of a fun car to drive.

For the HCH-II bashers:
- While the Civic hybrid is not as noticeable as the Prius at least by its shape alone, it is a fuel economy champ on its own as well. Yes, in terms of fuel economy the Prius is superior to the Civic Hybrid when in city-only operation and the combined fuel economy (the EPA ratings) bear that quite clearly. But, get the Civic Hybrid on the highway with an experienced driver and a Prius owner (regardless of experience) better think twice before challenging the HCH for the top fuel economy crown. For the typical myopic Prius owner I suggest an HCH test drive and a bit of an open mind before dismissing it since underneath that sheet metal there's some jaw-dropping FE performance to be had.

You see, both cars are unique enough and offer an alternate solution for alternate needs and tastes. In my sincere opinion, they are the absolute best cars to own and purchasing one of the two will never, ever be a bad investment. But since these two exhibit their potential in different arenas why not get the best of both worlds and own both? ;)

Think about it.


Cheers;

The AT-PZEV duo...-

Well, the wife got her new hybrid, a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid and she loves it. To commemorate we celebrated her new car and Canada's national day with a few photos taken at the Royal Canadian Mint (where the Canadian currency is made).



Humm, two civic hybrids in our household? Why not? They still weigh less (financially, environmentally, etc) than the numerous SUV's, Vans and large sedans parked in the majority of driveways across this great country. If you believe in better examples then you might just accept being the first to provide them. In other words, "Do as I do... and not just as I say".

A cancelled hypermiling interview ...

A certain reporter from a local news broadcasting organization called me a week ago , with a request to appear in a daily show concerning hypermiling and other fuel saving techniques (I will conceal the details until such time it is appropriate to disclose them) . At the time, I agreed to honour the request provided that I got a glimpse of the interview script. It will become apparent why I added that condition ;)

Anyhow, today this reporter finally got a hold of me with the script, and after a short discussion I expressed concerns about the overall leanings of the questions and how it appeared that it was dismissive of many hypermiling and even ecodriving techniques. I explained to the reporter that much of the questions appeared designed to create a poor image of hypermilers as dangerous and selfish people concerned only about driving slowly and drafting perilously close to 18-wheelers.

I also made evident my disappointment with the lack of time allocated to me for the purpose of providing a good description and definition of the techniques involved and how they could make a difference in the amount of fuel we consume and pollution we produce all the while increasing the safety factor on our streets. That would obviously "de-fang" their show and sensationalism factor.

Anyway, given the traditionally "conservative" leanings of this bradcasting organization I was not totally surprised by their reluctance to neuter their program so that it could be more informative.

Anyway... others will certainly come who are more balanced and beneficial to a cause greater than temselves. When that happens, I may agree to an interview or two.

Cheers;

An almost depleted IMA battery...

Today while we were returning from my daughter's birthday celebration dinner, we encountered some stop and go traffic. We were riding on our 2006 Civic Hybrid and as usual we expect the fuel economy to suffer a little in a bumper-to-bumper routine.
However, it was a little warm today and we even though we had the automatic climate control ON, the battery state of charge was almost depleted in less than 20 minutes in this crawling traffic. So what happened?
Just before the traffic slowdown the battery state of charge was sitting at 6 bars. Less than 15 minutes later the state of charge indicated 3 bars. 20 minutes later the SoC was sitting at 1 bar. From that point on, no electric-only propulsion or EV assist was available and the system kicked into a 4 regen bar routine which lasted for a good 10 minutes after we left the traffic congestion.

Now, this is the second time since last summer that I've encountered this battery state of depletion. The weather was a little warm (30C) and the resulting mileage was still not too bad (5.2L/100km). Normally we get 3.8-4.2 L/100km in this type of typical city driving itinerary.

Anyhow, let the summer come - This is still better than the -40C winters we are accustomed to !!!

And another hybrid is added ...

Well, the second Honda Civic hybrid (2007) is now added to our hybrid collection.

This also means that the 2007 Prius is going out to its new role as a company vehicle. OK, OK. Many of you will say, what the heck? Why replace a Prius with an HCH? Why not keep one of each instead of going HCH all the way?

Well, the Prius never really connected with my wife and frankly despite its "current" exceptional fuel economy, it did perform worse than the 2006 HCH during the colder winter months. So even though I would really like to keep it at home, it is now to an alternate parking lot. The other bright side of this deal is that I got the same price for it that I had paid back in October 2006. On top of that, I am getting a $4,000 rebate from the government for the new one. In the end, it is an awesome deal.

Does diesel have a future in a cleaner and more eco aware future ?

Sure, why not.

The key though is for it to be as clean as possible. But can it be clean enough? This means that it must easily achieve a Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions rating or better otherwise the lower fuel consumption alone will not be much better over the exiting (and very dirty) solutions we have available. Heck, even a standard fuel efficient gasoline powered vehicle is rated as a Tier 2 Bin 5 and we all know that that is not clean enough.

Our future success in this area will depend on a viable and relatively clean set of technologies and the Diesel solution will only be part of that future if, and only if, it cleans up its act. Unfortunately, this also means that much of the touted advantages that diesels are purported to have will also be eroded by higher costs and engineering complexity needed to clean up its emissions. And given the challenges ahead of diesel platforms like cost of fuel, technical competence on the part of dealers and compliant emission control systems, the scrutiny placed on this technology is only bound to increase with time. Also complicating things a bit, is that hybrids keep getting cheaper and progressively more efficient with each new generation and that too will only help dampen the diesel acceptance.

Only time will tell, but I sure hope Diesel vehicle manufacturers invest enough and in very short order to assure Diesel tech of a good future. We desperately need a good array of viable future solutions and academically speaking, there's no reason why Diesel cannot be a part of it... if it could just clean up a fair bit.

Hybrids and poor fuel economy? The driver is key.

Why are there hybrid owners who complain about their car's poor fuel economy? Could it be that their car has a problem or could if be that the car's manufacturer lied about its fuel economy potential?

First of all, let's tackle a few misconceptions first.

The EPA and NR-CAN fuel economy numbers

The car manufacturers are only allowed to advertise a vehicle's fuel economy based on what the designated government agency determines is an achievable mileage potential. In the United States, the EPA provides the MPG numbers. In Canada, the NR-CAN performs this duty as well, and other countries have their own regulating agency that perform a similar role.

Agencies like the EPA and NR-CAN have devised a testing protocol that may reflect an interpretation of what a typical driving routine looks like. This may include test sequences that resemble city and highway driving as well as different ambient temperatures.
Furthermore, all vehicles are tested with the same protocol regardless of class and all this testing does is establish a common baseline that enables us to measure one car's fuel economy potential relative to another under the same testing scenarios. Nothing more, nothing less.

So, do car manufacturers mis-represent the fuel economy potential on the sale sticker of a vehicle?
Definitely NOT.

Now that we got this very important truth back into focus we'll move on to the other issues.

Mechanic or electronic issues with the car .
It is conceivable that the car may have developed a problem that is contributing to lower fuel economy. While this is not common, it has happened enough times to make the following areas worth investigating:

1. Wrong engine oil grade or wrong amount. Higher viscosity oil or too much oil in the crankcase will decimate your fuel economy.
   
2. Incorrect tires. If your tires are not LRR (Low Rolling Resistance) rated like the OEM tires your car came with, then you will get severely lower fuel economy.
   
3. Poor tire inflation (Always press tires up to the max sidewall pressure. The placard pressure is the MINIMUM safe pressure). Properly press tires are safer, cooler, provide better fuel economy and last longer. Blowouts and other catastrophic tire failures only occur due to lower pressures which cause higher friction, more heat due to tire hysteresis, and physical damage when hitting potholes.
   
4. Poor wheel alignment (Check regularly especially after a light accident or hitting a pot hole)
5. Failed electrical sub-system (i.e: power steering, climate control, etc) or device (relay, solenoid, etc)
6. Fuel with lower energy. Winter gas formulation and gas blended with ethanol will produce poorer fuel economy.
   

Dealer expertise.

Any dealer will easily diagnose any of the above with basic common sense and some level of expertize. If you feel your dealer is not up to the task please visit another dealer and compare the service and advice they provide. Remember, the dealer should never, ever, contradict the advice offered by the user's owner manual. If they do, then RUN away from them and report such dealers to the automaker's corporate office in your region or country.


The impact weather and ambient temperatures in fuel economy

• Wind, rain and snow will increase the drag on the vehicle while in motion. Any added drag will require more fuel in order to maintain a steady speed.
• Cold temperatures will force the gas engine to run longer and more aggressively which leads to greater consumption of fuel.
• Hot temperatures will also cause fuel economy losses. The use of air conditioning will lead to the consumption of extra energy which in the case of hybrids comes from nowhere else but the gasoline the gas engine consumes. Where do you thing the energy in the battery pack came from? ;)
  

The Driver and his/her role in the fuel economy

...Ah, the driver !!

Yes, the driver is often the single most important factor in achieving good fuel economy. Yet, many hybrid owners do not believe so! Why?
Let's look at some of the explanations many drivers have offered over the years:

Typical list of excuses

• I paid extra for this hybrid therefore I expect all this high tech to perform.
• The Automaker said I would get 50 MPG, therefore I should be able to get it.
• They say hybrids are great at saving fuel that is why I bought one.
• I needed to save time in my commute so I bought my hybrid for HOV use.
• You got to keep with the speeding traffic, if you don't then you are an obstacle and a hazard to others.
  

So, what is the key to good fuel economy in my hybrid? Here are the golden rules:

1. Slow down! The posted speed limit is the MAXIMUM speed limit you can (not should) drive at in the best conditions possible. Remember any speeds above 60 MPH (100km/h) will contribute to significantly lower fuel economy. The best speeds are 80-90 km/h (50-55 MPH) and this is true for any car.
   
2. Coast and glide as much as possible and avoid sudden stops. When you are coasting or gliding you are covering the distance without any fuel use. Sudden stops will cause the hydraulic friction brakes to be used and this is not ideal at all.
3. Accelerate slowly and keep the gas engine's RPM to a minimum. Remember, there has never been a legal requirement to accelerate as if life was a drag race.
4. Avoid driving in electric unless your state of charge allows for that. Remember, that the energy you stored in the battery pack is very expensive and should be preserved for the worse possible moments like bumper to bumper traffic or AC use.
5. Be considerate to other drivers and drive slower on the right most lane. Signal your intentions and to not engage in retaliatory/aggressive driving. This will allow you to preempt other drivers as well as anticipate events on the road ahead. For example, watch for traffic lights ahead that are turning red and glide to the stop whenever possible. If others cut in front of you then let them. Ignore the sounds and gestures of other drivers if you know they would not do that when a road examiner or police officer is driving with them.
6. Finally, combine your trips. A cold engine will typically consume more fuel and if you can do all your errands in a single drive then you will take advantage of a warmer and more efficient engine.
7. Finally, visit www. cleanmpg.com for great advice. Hypermiling will turn you into a better and safer driver. It also does not hurt if you save more money in the process, does it? ;)

Good luck

HCH-II Recalibrations (Recal). What are they ?

We often hear about recals from Honda Hybrid owners and we learn to fear them based on the reports of an impending traction battery failure. As the HCH-II ages, these chats about recals are likely to become more regular and often send other owners into a panic mode. Is this a reason to worry? Probably not.

What is a recal (recalibration) on the HCH-II ?

The HCH recalibration is an automatic process that is purely instrumented. In other words, there is a sub-system (BCM) in your HCH-II that is responsible for monitoring and managing the charge level of the hybrid battery pack and because of the errors incurred in measuring not only the pack's charge level but also how much energy enters and leaves the battery pack, in time this measurement becomes less precise.

To better explain this relationship let's depict a typical charging and discharging scenario:

1. When you depress the brake pedal your car will capture a given amount of energy which is then sent to the battery pack. The car's system measures that amount of energy and assumes that (let's say) 1600 watts-hour worth of energy was send to battery pack. But because of the energy losses due to converting electrical energy to chemical (with heat as a by-product) and the approximated method of measuring this energy, the real amount of energy ends us being a little lower than measured... perhaps just 1460 watts-hour actually made it into the battery pack. Yet the system does not necessarily see it that way. The SoC is incremented as a function of this estimate of energy that "was" added to the pack.
2. When you depress the gas pedal and you get electric assist to move forward, the system will obtain energy from the battery pack and will attempt to measure how much of this energy is flowing into the power-train. This measurement is also an approximation and the charge level of the battery pack will be adjusted to reflect the energy that was consumed.
3. Finally, the measurement of the battery pack's charge level is in itself an approximation not only because it is affected by the estimate of how much energy was stored in it but also how much energy was obtained from the pack.
   

You can see that over time, the battery charge level will be inaccurate and the car's governing system may evoke a recalibration. Basically, a recalibration simply invalidates the current charge level by "setting' it to a low enough charge level that is enough to trigger a forced regeneration process. Often we will see the charge level dipping rapidly towards an SoC reading 1 or 2 bars only which is equivalent to the lowest safe voltage permitted by the Battery Condition Monitor (BCM).
Because of this induced and fake low charge level, a forced regeneration (charging) will be triggered and will stay in effect until the car's SoC reaches 7 or 8 bars. When the highest safe voltage is detected (SoC at 7 or 8 bars) the BCM will request the cancellation of the forced regeneration.

Now, if these recals are very frequent then these events could indicate a possible condition caused by any of the following:

• If the battery pack is too cold or too hot, the system expects measurement errors to be magnified and the chance of a recal increases. Very cold weather or very hot weather with AC use are typical scenarios. This is normal.
• A problem with one or more cells in the battery pack can also cause a recal. A single faulty cell can cause precocious fluctuations in the battery pack's SoC and these fluctuations in turn, can cause the detection of either extreme of the permissible charge level which inevitably leads to a recal. This is not normal and will likely be a symptom of a fault condition. In this situation you may see an IMA warning light appear on the dash and when it does you should schedule an appointment with your dealer for a detailed assessment of the problem.

What if we are getting frequent recals, especially in moderate weather but no IMA light appears? You may try any of the following:
- Perform a power reset procedure.
- Check with your dealer for any software updates for your car.
- Maintain a detailed summary of these incidents and report them to your dealer is they persist.

In summary:

Just because we a get a recalibration it does not mean that our battery pack is going downhill. Keep an eye on it and ask online (www.CleanMPG.com) to be sure. :)

TRAC issues still?

Today, the Prius has a change of heart and it simply refused to climb the icy driveway. Yes, I had hoped that this issue had been resolved for the 2007 model years since the occurrences appeared to be far lower that what has been reported by owners of previous model years. Well, the issue is not entirely resolved at all. The car will not spin the wheels at all and just sits there with no will to move forward at all.

The car is equipped with brand new Michelin X-Ice winter rubber... which just happen to be my most preferred winter tires (got them on my 2006 HCH too). Too bad we cannot disable the TRAC via an inhibit button, but I guess protecting the MGSet is more important. I'll try explaining that to my wife. :(

But why should I not drive in electric ????

Ok, for the 1000th time: Driving in electric only is NOT desirable if your goal is to have the best fuel economy and emissions possible !

Why would this be? Isn't this the objective when buying a hybrid vehicle to begin with?
Answer: NO. The main reason why it is not a good idea is because the energy contained in the battery pack was acquired as a result of a slow down (braking) or through a forced regeneration (gas engine charging the battery pack).
The means to greater fuel economy is steady and lower speeds and a desire to conserve momentum (remember your high school physics?). Furthermore, the energy you place into the battery pack is far greater than what you'll get out. This happens because of the energy conversion losses and the more exchanges are there between the battery pack and its upstream and downstream systems the greater the losses.
For the more technical, these losses manifest themselves in the form of heat generation, internal resistances, parasitic interferences and frictional losses.

With this said, hybrids are still more efficient than regularly powered vehicles because they recover energy whereas the others would simply waste it all away in the form heat and friction.

The other point I want to touch on:
A Prius is good for 2.9-3.9L/100km in city duty. On the highway, you should be able to get at least 4.4 l/100km.
A Civic hybrid is good for 3.6-4.1 L/100km on the highway. You can also get this performance in city driving but you have to throw the entire hypermiling book at it (forget eco-driving).

Remember, speeding (traveling at or above the posted speed limit) is a sure way waste fuel and traveling at more than 100km/h (62 MPH) should be avoided.

If you own any of these cars and you are are not getting the mileage I mentioned then it is time to learn a few more tricks about your car, but the simplest you can learn is still to stay off the battery pack. I cannot stress this enough.

Winter driving In a hybrid vehicle

Temperature is the key.

The fuel economy losses due to cold weather especially sub-freezing temperatures are not just limited to conventionally powered vehicles. Hybrid vehicle's with their downsized internal combustion engines are particularly vulnerable and more susceptible to significant energy losses.

That is why many owners of fuel efficient hybrids report terrible fuel economy achievements during the cold spells. They note anything from a gas engine not stopping any longer and electric only operation being nearly impossible for weeks and even months in some places.
However, does this mean that a conventionally powered vehicle would do better in similar circumstances? Certainly not. Even with the detriment of cold temperature operation a hybrid will always be more efficient in part because its small engines running on closed loop operation (the initial stage of warm-up for modern fuel injected vehicles) will still consume far less fuel than their conventional counterparts.

OK, so is there anything hybrid owners can do to soften the cold weather blow to their fuel economy and emissions?
Fortunately there is. Lets just cover some of the most important:

1. Keep the gas engine RPMS down especially during the warm-up stages. Yes, your accelerations will be slower than usual but if you watch your instantaneous fuel economy display you'll notice that it takes little pedal pressure to hit the depressing numbers. The strategy during these warm up stages is to let the higher engine RPM power the car forward with the least amount of throttle pressure. Yes, it is a little slow but full of goodness.
   
2. Avoid setting the climate control temperature to a high value. In fact, you should set it to its smallest value possible!! This will help the car warm up even faster. When it does, tyou be warming up too in no time. This is yet another case where less is more.
   
3. Block your front intake grille. There are many ways of achieving this but whatever means you choose, make sure that it is not just effective but also safe. A popular choice is to use foam pipe insulation typically found in the plumbing section at most hardware stores.
4. If your car has a block heater installed, use it. It will do wonders for your vehicles durability and fuel economy.
   
5. Check your tire pressures. When it is cold the tire pressures are reduced and that induces unnecessary drag as the vehicle moves. Bumping the tire pressures to their maximum rated pressure will help offset the fuel economy losses of winter.

After doing all this and perhaps a bit more, how much improvement can we see in our fuel economy?
Depending on how far you go, you could see very significant improvements. For instance, if you typically get, say 8 liters/100km during the coldest days in short drive commutes, with these techniques you'll see a 1 to 3 L/100km improvement. Not too bad at all if you consider what most other conventionally powered vehicles achieve under similar circumstances. ;)