Hybrid Canada

Think Green, Think Hypermiling: Because "How we do things" matters too

2010-05-26T06:57:00.016-05:00

In these times we live in, we are often consumed by the pursuit of material tangibles because quite frankly the social incentives are so relentless and pervasive. Some would add that in the end, we, as well as our personal and collective goals are best described by what we seek: be it a better job, a better house, a better car, world peace, and so on.

What about the "How" component?

Sure, many folks will acknowledge that "How we do something" is very significant too, not only because it affects the quality of these goals, but also because it is has the potential of transforming us as well as the world around us.

It is on this note, that I would like to leave you with a thought and an invitation:

As you commute to work during May 30 to June 5 (2010 Commuter Challenge), please think about how's your driving doing? If you are not sure, then how about taking the bus or carpool while benefiting our environment at the same time?

If telecommuting, carpooling, public transportation or riding a bike to work aren't viable options, then may we interest you in Hypermiling as an alternative?

Well, why not?

Our friends at Backbone magazine tried it and they liked the results.

Want way more kilometres out of your tank of gas?

Cheers :)

Hybrid pains and driver rehabilitiation...

2010-05-16T12:05:00.014-05:00

Never better than 10 liters per 100 Km. Really?

A good friend of mine owns a blue 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid and at least until recently, good fuel economy was not something he could report.

As this is a rather common claim by first time hybrid owners, we figured the causal issues could be easily identified and communicated over a brief meeting at a local mall's parking lot. Well, that is usually the approach and the results soon follow. You see, Gary is a "good driver" who has been accident free for the better part of the last 10 years. For someone who drives daily on our streets , that is indeed... commendable.

He also figured, that in purchasing this car he would not only see much better fuel economy than what he usually got out of his previous 2004 non-hybrid Camry, but he would also be within reach of the numbers the community often claims this hybrid can achieve. In retrospect, I felt somewhat guilty since I am one of those community voices that frequently makes that claim.

Barely a year later after the purchase, and despite the extra $2,000 credit he received from the government, he began to wonder if the "extra" cost of going hybrid was really worth it. Unfortunately, our experience tells us that Gary is not alone in thinking this way.

Anyway, this initial meeting went well considering that he did not like everything we had to offer in terms of advice. As I had mentioned, Gary thought of himself as an "extremely good driver" and did not believe that additional changes in driving behavior applied to him. Frankly I could not help notice he was somewhat disappointed with my advice. We left the mall parking lot that evening and I did not hear from Gary until approximately two months later.

When I answered the phone, I expected Gary to unload on me his own story of disillusionment, and how hybrids are nothing more than another empty promise filled with deceitful fine print. To my surprise it did not turn out to be that way. Further adding to my relief, Gary actually sounded quite enthusiastic and boastful of his new abilities ultimately taught to him by... his daughters driving instructor???

Indeed. Gary's older daughter will be getting her driver's license soon and Gary had the good sense to register her in a professional driver instruction program. What is also very refreshing is that this driving school uses hybrid vehicles and as a ride along passenger, Gary observed from the back seat the dynamics of truly safe driving. In training his daughter, the instructor managed to not only deliver on his main objective but also educate her dad in the very principles that he had learned so long ago and since forgotten.

Gary began to apply the instructor's directions and driving advice to his own daily driving and not surprisingly, he started to see good results in his Camry Hybrid. Armed with this new-found incentive he finally decided to adopt some of our earlier recommendations and the final accomplishments pretty much speak for themselves. Gary is now consistently getting fuel economy numbers in the 4.5 to 6.0 L/100km range and also admits feeling like a much safer driver.

As a reinvigorated and rehabilitated driver, Gary forwards the following advice to drivers of Camry Hybrids:

Take it easy. Keep your energy usage low and brake gently
Look ahead and plan your accelerations and stops
Follow the posted speed limit. It's true, you wont arrive any later.
Put the tire air pressure at 42 PSI and never let it get lower
Follow the gauges. Its fun and it really works!!!
Read and learn online
And last and not least... leave driver's Ed to the professionals

Thank you Gary and good luck. We're always excited to see positive change even if it is one person/family at a time. ;)

Squeezing your hybrid for the best "summer time" fuel economy

2010-03-22T09:19:00.020-05:00

As the winter wanes, the warmer temperatures return in almost lock-step with higher fuel economy for any vehicle. Your hybrid vehicle is no different as it too, appears to produce better and better numbers as we advance into spring and summer.

But how do you know that you are getting the best your hybrid can offer?

To start, look at the federal fuel efficiency ratings for your vehicle. Whatever that number happens to be, that is now your goal baseline. You may not always be able to achieve it... but then again, you may be yet another good hybrid driver that not only meets the rating but also exceeds it by a good margin.

First, lets consider how well your vehicle is setup. The following checklist will help you achieve an ideal setup:

Clear your trunk/hatch area and make sure that remove anything from the car that does not belong. This not only includes the usual seasonal items, but also items that you do not need to lug around on a daily basis.
Replace your winter tires with your OEM lower rolling resistance tires and do not forget to check the tire pressures. Again, the manufacturer recommended pressures are the minimum safe pressures and the Maximum Tire Pressure rating embossed on the tire’s sidewall represents the ultimate in fuel economy at the expense of the highly subjective ride comfort. Please use our tire pressure formula if you are unsure about what tire pressures to select for your hybrid:

Tire pressure (front tires) = Maximum Tire Pressure – 2 PSI
Tire pressure (rear tires) = Maximum Tire Pressure – 4 PSI
NOTE: Statistically speaking, tire failures (including blow-outs) occur because of under-inflated tires. Under inflated tires heat up a lot faster and will lead to accelerated tire wear and even catastrophic tire failure. In addition to offering improved fuel economy, higher tire pressures will lead to cooler running tires as well as even wear patterns.
Check your hybrid’s air filters and fluids and on the latter, make sure the fluids are maintained in good condition and at safe levels. Also, your engine oil should never be overfilled unless you want your gasoline engine to work extra hard.
Get those windshield sun shades out and make sure they are in good shape so their their coverage may be the best possible.
Operate your air conditioning at least once every week for 10 minutes in order to keep the system lubricated and in good working condition.

Once your vehicle is properly setup, whatever remains is quite easy depending on your willingness to do your part.
Yes, that’s right. Your hybrid vehicle has a great deal of potential but you must be willing to tap it and bring it to fruition. As usual, here are our perennial recommendations for safe and fuel efficient driving:

Drive defensively. Look ahead and try to anticipate the actions of other drivers ahead and around you. Learning to use your hybrid instruments (gauges, displays, graphs, etc) will help you greatly. Avoid feeling intimidated by other aggressive drivers while remaining courteous and fully compliant with the traffic act.

Minimize the use of your brakes by slowing down gently, preferably by leveraging your vehicle’s "glide" features. Please remember that when you are gliding you are neither using gasoline nor electricity to cover the distances you travel. If you use electricity, please make sure you use it to cover the longest distances possible.

Make sure you minimize the use of the cruise control on hilly terrain. The cruise control will make the engine work harder to maintain the speed as you climb the hills and that, is to be avoided at all costs.
Instead disengage the cruise control just before entering a climb and gently apply pressure on the accelerator pedal in order to maintain the best instantaneous fuel economy with minimal loss of speed. Do this while driving in the right most lane without impeding the normal flow of traffic.

Avoid aggressive accelerations and minimize the use of electric power as much as you should seek lowest RPMS when powered by the gas engine. Always remember that the electricity you use comes from the burning of gasoline, so minimize its use or use it wisely.

Let the hot air out first and then use your air conditioning wisely. Setting the climate control to the highest temperature possible and then slowly bringing it down (1 degree per minute) will provide you with the best results in cooling without impacting your fuel economy too much.

Lastly, focus on obeying your local traffic laws particularly with regards to the posted speed limits. If the conditions permit, travel no faster than the posted speed limit and even 5-15 km/h slower if possible. Why is it so important to do this? Because the air resistance to your vehicle quadruples every time you double your speed, so keeping the speeds down is one way to drive safely and, save the most fuel (money) and pollute even less.

If you have any additional recommendations then please include your vehicle, and driving regimen (% urban/ % highway) for reference. Finally drop by CleanMPG to learn how to safely take your fuel economy to higher levels with hypermiling.

Believe me, you will not regret it. ;)

Where are the Honda Hybrids? No, really! Where are they?

2010-03-16T08:59:00.034-05:00

For many Canadians, the word "hybrid" will evoke the image of a distinctive looking Prius vehicle. Yes, these ubiquitous Toyota hybrids can be found in the streets of many Canadian cities performing the quiet and socially responsible role of people movers, as well as the popular workhorse of many Taxi fleets. And on this note, the Prius has become nothing short of a solid statement about not only the vehicle's reliability, but also its transportation potential and remarkable industry value.

Unfortunately for Honda, having been the first to introduce the "hybrid vehicle" to Canadians drivers did not guarantee the level of success they originally had hoped for. And after almost 10 years, why should Honda - a company with a world class legacy and formidable engineering resources – fail to meet its sales goals?

Maybe because it's not just about engineering?

Still, maybe Honda’s IMA hybrid architecture could have been made more capable, flexible and scalable, particularly when compared to latest Toyota HSD, but even in this area, Honda could have leveraged other opportunities that their IMA architecture has offered from the onset. Instead, Honda chose not to. Why?

The hybrid architecture

As evidenced by many in the hybrid community, the Honda IMA architecture has excellent world class environmental potential that is able to deliver truly astounding fuel economy performance in the hands of an attentive driver.

Yes, Honda hybrids will not deliver the most exceptional performance unless its driver is willing to learn and minimally leverage the finer attributes of the platform. But even when operated by an oblivious driver, the architecture will offer significantly improved fuel savings and lower emissions when compared to its non-hybrid counterparts. On this note, the IMA system has significant merits that cannot be ignored.

Packaging and implementation

The best performing Honda hybrids have always demanded some form of compromise on the part of its driver. Granted, for some the positive attributes of a Honda hybrid greatly outweigh the deficits and the word "compromise" is not always applicable. But in the eyes of the general public, Honda has taken a literal back seat to the much vaunted versatility offered by the Prius. The lack of a rear folding seat and a more constrained trunk capacity in its Civic Hybrids is a notable shortcoming in the eyes of many buyers.
Yes, the newer Honda Insight attempted to remedy this, but it introduced a few other limitations too with lower fuel economy, reduced passenger interior space and lower perceived quality (interior and ride).

Advertising and Product Awareness

To some, a Honda hybrid does not shout the “Look at me, I'm a hybrid” slogan whether parked or in motion and that is a big plus for many. But, its ability to sell in good numbers cannot be enhanced if such stealth is accompanied by minimalistic advertising efforts either.

On this front Honda Canada not only gets a regrettable rating in terms of promoting their hybrid models to Canadians, but they also get knocked down a few more points for not responding to community requests that could strengthen and enhance the visibility of their hybrid product line.

It is as if Honda Canada does not really want to sell any of its hybrids. At all! This is not only perplexing, but also contrary to the company’s long standing claim that it is truly serious about meeting its hybrid production goals.

But, would good advertising help Honda compete with such a shrewd and very able competitor like Toyota?

We are quite certain it would help. Especially when coupled with a lower pricing strategy and/or a more active presence in the community. And on this last ingredient, did I mention that Honda hybrid fans feel orphaned and often demoralized at green automotive shows and events without even the slightest corporate presence in sight?

Also, while the second generation Honda Insight is languishing on the dealer lots, its Honda Civic Hybrids have minimal visibility and must often be ordered in with the usual delays which is unacceptable to a green minded driver who may just as well buy a Prius from a Toyota dealer across the street. To make matters worse, in Canada the Prius is as affordable as the Civic Hybrid and the EX Insight and that is not a recipe for a sales success either.

A few desperate but yet friendly suggestions for Honda Canada:

Please, please, please: Lower the second generation Honda Insight prices by at least $1,000 and offer the navigation only as an option in the EX trim. Many would purchase the already well appointed EX if it was not loaded with the NAVI and the price it carries.
Offer navigation on the Civic Hybrid as an option, as well as other sorely missing "luxury" features (leather, etc) to match the European flavors. Concerned about the Acura CSX? Don’t be!
Simply re-badge the European Civic hybrid as the Acura CSX hybrid. As a previous Acura owner, I would certainly buy one for sure.
Please advertise and train your dealers to sell the virtues of Honda hybrid vehicles. The last thing you need is for dealers to openly discourage the purchase of Honda hybrid vehicles. Many have done this, and some still continue to do so. Acura dealers are particularly notorious for this.
Encourage and support your Honda service technicians to own and drive hybrids. It is quite frustrating for many Honda hybrid owners to have to explain basic operational concepts to these hard working technicians in the hopes of getting problems resolved in a prompt manner.
Last and not least, please support your fan base by just being present at events where Honda Hybrids are showcased. Your fan base is out here - in the real world - and they've been calling for you for many years.

Finally, drive safely and don't forget to greet the next Honda hybrid owner you cross paths with. :)

Spring is coming... and your winter tires have a reminder for you!

2010-03-10T13:27:00.008-06:00

Like many Canadian hybrid owners, you look at Spring as the return of the promised mileage and maybe even the opportunity to catch up on a few tasks around the yard left over from last summer.

But, as yet another winter season approaches the end, more tasks get lined up before you can go about enjoying the upcoming good weather. On this note, we would like to kindly remind our readers to not forget about their winter tires (you do use winter tires don’t you?).

Indeed, as soon as the weather begins to warm up and the temperatures begin to hover in the positive numbers, it is imperative to protect and preserve those expensive winter tires by switching them with your OEM LRR tires. Because of their very nature and construction, winter tires will experience accelerated wear when operated in warmer temperatures and that is something well worth avoiding, not only from a cost perspective but also in terms of their long term winter time effectiveness.

Quite often and regrettably so, some folks will continue to use their winter tires in higher temperatures only to discover that they've incurred more wear in one single month of operation, than they would over the course of two complete winters !!!

So, either mark your calendar or schedule an appointment with your favorite tire shop to have them switched. If you are a do-it-yourself kind of person, then make sure you clean up the winter tires (and the wheels) before storing them away. Removing the rocks stuck in the tire threads also helps a great deal.

When storing the winter tires with the winter rims attached, you can choose to stack them inflated. When storing them without the rims, many pros will suggest you keep them vertical. It’s all up to you, but do get those tires switched. ;)

Feasting on Toyota's Misfortunes

2010-02-28T09:18:00.004-06:00

It is not a good time to be a Toyota corporate representative at all. Walk over to your local Toyota dealer and you’ll likely see a change in tone that was not there before the media blew the lid off the un-intended acceleration issue.

Not too long ago, the once invincible Toyota Corporation had very little preventing it from becoming the top automaker in the world and not even the “engine sludge” debacle of the late 1990’s did much to tarnish its image in the eyes of the industry and the consumer alike.

Yes, Toyota had won the admiration of many and it effectively established the gold standard that other automakers were measured against. Toyota’s rise to the top was neither sudden nor without merit. Over the last decades, the company invested heavily on quality, technology and marketing that all but guaranteed it’s almost bullet proof reputation.

And despite the steady improvements by some of its competition, the industry as a whole is not without high profile recalls and it is only sensible - and self preserving - for other automakers to adopt a measured and restrained position even though they will invariably benefit from Toyota’s hardships.

Take Honda for instance. The company’s management instructed its employees and public relations personnel to not only avoid commenting Toyota’s misfortunes but also avoid predatory public comments.

Yes, Honda sales numbers indicate that the company is benefiting from Toyota’s woes but make no mistake: Honda is keenly aware that they are not immune to similar issues and on this note, neither is any other manufacturer. Unless you are a bottom feeder in this industry, you will refrain from publicly and openly capitalizing on Toyota’s misfortune.

How about consumers, particularly those who are directly affected by these recalls? Well, I break this rather significant universe into two distinct groups: The long time Toyota owners, and those who have only recently purchased their first Toyota.

It is quite possible that Toyota’s long term prospects are not in jeopardy with the first group of owners. These owners have likely purchased two or more Toyota vehicles and have become very loyal to the brand. Perhaps the most loyal Toyota fans are the owners of the company’s most recognized hybrid car, the Prius. If you have any doubts about this, why not check some of the most popular online forums like CleanMPG and PriuChat?

The same cannot be said about the second group of owners. In fact, Toyota has every reason to be very concerned about this second group of owners as well as the pool of potential new owners that are so critical for its continued growth. You see, these owners did not have a chance to develop the brand loyalty of the first group and are hence more likely to cast doubt on Toyota’s much vaunted reputation.

Will Toyota ever recover from the effects of this crippling rash of recalls (floor mats, stuck accelerator pedals, steering issues and alleged software glitches)?

While we certainly hope so, we also hope that the automaker will re-engineer its internal communication processes as well as the mechanisms that admittedly failed the consumers and the brand’s image. This includes improved customer support as well as a return to a greater focus on quality control in all stages of the design and manufacturing processes.

The future remains bright for Toyota and we have no doubt that this crisis is not going to be wasted by the company, the government regulatory agencies or its competitors.

Even the legal industry is a significant beneficiary as it devours the automaker’s margins and reputation in its insatiable appetite for lawsuits.

Even though the maggots also get to feed, consumer and product safety will improve and that my friends, is good for us all.

Is more frequent driver testing the answer?

2009-09-09T08:40:00.009-05:00

Would you be surprised to learn that the greatest threat to safety on our roads is “careless driving and dangerous driving practices”? More so than the traffic conditions and the condition of the vehicles themselves?

Indeed it is, according to a recent national poll.

Further aggravating the seriousness of the situation, many of the poll participants aged 26-44 openly admitted to dangerous driving habits in the course of their hurried and distracted daily driving routine. Also worrisome is that this particular age group is also known for a higher statistical incidence of road rage and extreme aggressive behavior.

While many road safety experts and advocates agree that safety requires three things “Safe cars, safe roads and safe drivers”, the later is often the most elusive and yet, ironically the simplest to address and even control. Or is it?

Looking at the numbers

To be more specific, this poll also found that most drivers believe it is quite safe to exceed the posted speed limit by 5-10 km/h.

71% of the polled drivers speed on a regular basis (surprisingly, seniors were meaningfully represented in this group).
Nearly 1 in every 3 men believes it is acceptable to exceed the posted speed limit by 5-10km/h.
Many of the polled drivers (59%) also admit they will eat while driving
A majority of the drivers with ages between 26 and 44 admitted to having the most dangerous behaviors on the road.
37% of the polled drivers admit to talking on a mobile phone while driving.
Amazingly, 14% of the polled drivers also admitted to reading while driving.

To summarize, in this nationwide poll by (Mason-Dixon) approximately 90% of the participants admitted to engaging in one or more of the above violations in the past 6 months and not coincidentally, these very same behaviors are identified by experts as the primary reasons for traffic fatalities on our roads.

What about driver re-testing? Would this help?

Perhaps, and according to most drivers polled: Definitely, yes.

But the vast majority indentified only the very young and the older drivers as needing frequent testing. When asked if everyone should be subjected to regular road testing, most drivers characterized the suggestion as a wasteful and costly undertaking. In fact, many of these respondents described themselves as either “safe” or “very safe” drivers despite having also admitted to being involved in a minor traffic accident in the last 2 years where they were found to be at fault by at least 50%.

Of the many unsafe practices these drivers also admitted to, regular speeding, tailgating at unsafe speeds and lane changes without signaling were among the most common.

Now then, is general mandatory or targeted testing the answer?

Again, unless forced to do so, many drivers would rather avoid a re-test. They often cited their “safe driving record” and cost (personal and societal) as supporting reasons. For many of these drivers, minor infractions and other behavioral “faux-pas” are not the primary causes of the loss of life and loss of property on our roads, even though they concede that these practices could still be the root cause for an accident. According to these folks the problem is always with someone else as reflected by the numbers produced by the same poll:

77 percent of the polled drivers said seniors should be periodically retested
69 percent favored retesting for teens

When overlapping the above statistics with the earlier numbers identifying problematic drivers in ages between 26 and 44, we come to the conclusion that perhaps all drivers should undergo some sort of regular mandatory road testing.

However, any type of mandatory testing is bound to carry a significant operational overhead to be shouldered by the already cash-lean testing centers. Without even factoring other consequences this alone has the potential of being considered the political minefield that many politicians would rather avoid.

After all, it is quite conceivable than many licensed drivers would lose their privilege to drive on the account of a failed test and if these statistics are any indication, we suspect the numbers would be high enough to scare even the most courageous legislator.

What are the chances that we will ever have general mandatory testing? Very slim indeed. The same cannot be said about targeted testing, but then again this option is often the least favorite and the pushback from special interest groups can be quite pronounced.

How about incentivized testing?

This type of testing could be used in the context of reduced insurance premiums and also the prerequisite to recovering from a loss of driving privileges.

In the case of good drivers, a regular road test (say, every 5 years) could make them eligible for an additional discount that will be in effect until either a traffic accident or traffic act violation is filed on that driver’s record.

Incentivized testing could also be used to lower driver license renewal fees and could potentially include other rewards affecting reduced member ship fees in some of the nation’s auto clubs. Some suggest that this type of benefit should also help negotiate lower personal insurance premiums and even lower financing rates.

How about traffic act enforcement?

In the absence of a smart highway system with sophisticated vehicles to use it, the only viable options left to us is to adjust the safety equation with either more or less traffic enforcement. On this front, we have the costly presence of enforcement personnel on our roadways and even the much hated “cash cows” of speed and intersection camera systems.

But does enforcement work? And if it does then why have we not invested on more of this to stem the continued loss of human and material losses.

Could it be because enforcement is an essential component but not the only determinant in promoting safety and compliance with the traffic act?

Indeed, increasing safety on our roads is one of the complex issues of our time, dwarfed only by the multitude of approaches and perspectives on how to increase safety.

As it has been shown in the past, over-using the hand of enforcement would likely result in diminishing returns in safety with extreme rises in cost which also happen to have other consequences and societal costs.

Conversely, reducing the amount of active enforcement while everything else remains unchanged would not only worsen the road safety but also erode the purpose and value of the traffic act and its laws.

Perhaps the answer lies with a combination of approaches that combine some form of testing and enforcement. Adding education and continuous promotion of traffic safety on a variety of mediums and venues could also help as it is being shown by the initiatives adopted by many local governments.

In the meantime what can you and I do to increase safety on our roads?

As some would say “Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I will remember.” we believe that the most affordable approach to improving safety on our roads is to "do it by example" as often and frequently as possible.

Safety begins with each of us, and even though it may, at first, be accompanied by a sense of futility, the results can be quite impressive. In other words, driving courteously, defensibly and in compliance with the traffic regulations in your area serves as a living and practical demonstration that you can not only arrive safely to your destination but you will do so efficiently with not only maximum financial benefit to yourself but with sizable environmental benefits to spare.

What can I do to be a better driver?

Leave 5 to 10 minutes earlier before your commute.
Drive at or safely below the speed limit and obey all traffic signs and signals.
DO NOT respond or acknowledge any displays of aggressive, combative or unlawful conduct on the part of other drivers. Allow them to pass and signal your intentions clearly and appropriately.
Observe potentially dangerous situations and give yourself enough room to preempt the safe avoidance of an accident.
When driving, look ahead and plan your decelerations and lane changes. Brake gradually and gently especially if you strive to maintain at least a 2-4 car length buffer between yourself and the vehicle immediately in front of you.
Maintain your vehicle in good operating order. Check your tire pressure and please remember that the manufacturer tire pressure is the minimum safe pressure you should practice. Contrary to the belief of many drivers and others in the industry, tire blow-outs and other catastrophic tire failures are more likely when the tires are operated with an inflation level below the manufacturer recommended value. Although mild over-inflation (pressures above the tire’s maximum rated pressure) is safer than operating your tires under-inflated, we strongly suggest you consider the conditions of your tire (age and prior damage) as well as the climate and roads you drive in.
Finally, adopt any number of basic hypermiling techniques as afforded by the CleanMPG hypermiling toolkit. When in doubt, please ask ;)

Please discuss;

Understanding your hybrid's NiMH battery pack

2009-09-06T16:54:00.008-05:00

As many of us know, our hybrid electric vehicles are equipped with battery packs consisting of chains of battery cells. Depending on the type of manufacturing technology and packaging, these battery cells can either by prismatic or cylindrical and there's much to be said about their management and longevity.

In any case, as your vehicle ages some new found behavior's may become more pronounced and an explanation may be needed in order to avoid undue concern or panic.

To read more, please follow the next link:

Explaining the basics (101) of the NiMH chemistry

Cheers;

Is your driving turning the Prius into a monster?

2009-08-16T21:51:00.045-05:00

We have a small but somewhat interesting group of hybrid owners that in addition to trivializing the principle of fuel saving driving techniques, are also bent on promoting the notion of a driving attitude unsurprisingly dubbed "Just Drive It".

According to these folks, "Just drive it" is all a Prius owner needs to know in order to materialize the benefits of the technology, nothing more. In other words, just power up the vehicle and drive it as you would any other car and let the hybrid power train management take care of the rest.

Then again, if it were not for the additional fuel savings and lower emissions potential that these hybrid vehicle's can offer when used properly, perhaps the "Just drive it" principle would have at least one merit to stand on: Never-ending mediocrity.

Why should you hypermile and not "Just Drive it"?

Hypermiling is a fuel saving discipline that is based on a toolkit of basic, intermediate and advanced techniques.
The governing principle is quite simple: While operating within the legal boundaries of the traffic Act, use one or more basic techniques and you'll surely increase your vehicle's fuel economy (and lower its emissions). Use a few more and you'll not only beat the EPA rating for your car but you'll do so by a very wide margin -- made even wider by the updated ratings released in 2008.

In short order, this is just a small sample of what hypermiling can do for you:

If you cannot or do not want to buy a fuel efficient hybrid vehicle, then hypermiling can help you improve your current fuel economy by as much as 50% or more. In some cases, the improvement can be quite dramatic and depending on the vehicle, the lower fuel consumption will rival and often better that of any hybrid when driven in less optimal ways. Despite the demonstrated and documented evidence, this is something some Prius owners stubbornly dismiss.
If you own a hybrid vehicle, hypermiling will not only greatly enhance the benefits that the underlying technology offers over their non-hybrid counterparts (significantly lower emissions and astounding fuel economy potential), but you'll also open up a whole new dimension of rewarding driving enjoyment that is ultimately beneficial to us all.
By using any of the sanctioned CleanMPG hypermiling techniques, a driver will become inherently more aware of his/her surroundings and preempt much of what happens with a driving attitude that is not only safer but also more defensive. In contrast, "Just Drive It" is just that. No encouragement for change in driving habits, meaning that you'll likely continue to drive inefficiently and oblivious to the implications built into the act of driving.
Hypermiling will produce measurable benefits in almost every identifiable area, and even more so with almost any hybrid technology currently on the market. Be it HSD or IMA, hypermiling will truly transform these architectures into the environmental powerhouses that they are.
For those of us who have tried hypermiling, the alternative is akin to waste and sadly so characteristic of the 20th century ways of thinking. In a world of diminishing resources and limited hybrid vehicle supply, hypermiling and ecodriving are the single most important driver centric activities that can truly leverage the inherent potential of the technology available, today.
You purchased a brand new hybrid vehicle and you paid a noticeable premium for the vehicle's content and technology. It is only obvious and in your interest, to fully utilize the benefits of the technology you paid for. Refusing to do so by ignoring the built-in hybrid specific instrumentation is a sure way to erode the financial return on your expenditure. Hypermiling will not only accelerate the rate of return but also accentuate it to unheard of levels.

So there you have it. A simple set of just two options is offered for your consideration and reflection. Along with our collective impact and aided by the constantly evolving automotive technology we can either choose hypermiling as the complementing half of the ideal solution...
...or we can continue to endorse the lesser examples of driving mediocrity as seen on our roads on a daily basis.

For all our sakes, please choose wisely.

The 2010 Prius in-depth review - review video

2009-07-29T11:48:00.006-05:00

Even though we're on the final stages of editing the actual in-depth review of the Canadian 2010 Prius, we opted to make the wait less painful by releasing the video review earlier.

At the end of the video you'll also find a summary of the observed fuel economy along with the set of techniques we used for our testing.

However, I will also attempt to answer a couple questions regarding the maximum fuel economy economy we achieved in this car, but before doing so allow me to provide an appropriate context:
- The numbers I will mention are the "displayed fuel economy" and not the actual consumption (hand calculated). Please note that the Prius III tends to overestimate its displayed fuel economy.
- These numbers were recorded on a "per trip segment" and also under somewhat favorable conditions (low speed and light traffic)
- Low speed pulse and glide was often the preferred technique under these scenarios.

Anyway, under the conditions mentioned above, our best fuel economy was recorded at 1.8 L/100km over a ~11+ KM segment... but as some of us know, sustaining these numbers over longer distances is an entirely different matter and may require a bit more work and focus.

Enjoy

A snapshot of this year's HybridFest 2009 (GreenDrive Expo)

2009-07-28T08:54:00.013-05:00

Another year and another HybridFest - a yearly event dedicated to alternative fuel vehicles.

Almost ritually, this event takes place in Madison, Wisconsin during the third week of July (July 17-20) and attracts hybrid owners as well as manufacturers from many states and provinces across the continent.

The group photo captured the vehicles that participated in the MPG competition which took place on Friday 17. This MPG competition pits the owners of hybrid and other fuel efficient vehicles against a 42km (26 miles) course.

Here are the results for this MPG competition:

Vehicle (Make,Model)	Class/Division	L/100KM - MPG US	% Above EPA
Honda Insight (Manual)	1	1.92 l/100km - 122.4	135.4%
Honda Insight (Manual)	1	2.17 l/100km - 108.8	109.2%
Honda Insight (CVT)	1	2.64 l/100km - 89.3	90.0%
Honda Insight (Manual)	1	2.54 l/100km - 92.5	77.9%
Honda Insight (CVT)	1	3.30 l/100km - 71.2	51.5%
Honda Insight (Manual)	1	3.07 l/100km - 76.5	47.1%
Honda Insight (Manual)	1	3.09 l/100km - 75.9	45.9%
Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	2.73 l/100km - 86.0	87.0%
Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	2.74 l/100km - 85.7	86.3%
Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	2.81 l/100km - 83.5	81.5%
Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	2.92 l/100km - 80.4	74.7%
Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	3.00 l/100km - 78.3	70.2%
Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	3.05 l/100km - 76.9	67.2%
Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	3.28 l/100km - 71.7	55.9%
Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	3.38 l/100km - 69.5	51.0%
Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	3.54 l/100km - 66.4	44.4%
Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	3.69 l/100km - 63.7	38.5%
Toyota Prius Gen 3	2	3.41 l/100km - 68.8	37.6%
Toyota Prius Gen 3	2	3.44 l/100km - 68.2	36.4%
Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	3.86 l/100km - 60.9	32.5%
Honda Civic Hybrid: All	3	3.29 l/100km - 71.5	70.2%
Toyota Prius Gen 1	3	3.93 l/100km - 59.7	45.6%
Honda Civic Hybrid: All	3	3.97 l/100km - 59.2	41.0%
Toyota Camry Hybrid	4	3.71 l/100km - 63.3	86.1%
Toyota Camry Hybrid	4	4.42 l/100km - 53.2	56.5%
Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD	5	5.13 l/100km - 45.8	69.6%
Toyota Prius Gen 2 (PHEV)	6	1.21 l/100km - 195.0	323.9%
Toyota Prius Gen 2 (PHEV)	6	1.42 l/100km - 165.0	258.7%
Toyota Prius Gen 2 (PHEV)	6	2.01 l/100km - 117.0	154.4%
Honda CRX 1991	7	3.61 l/100km - 65.1	141.0%
Volkswagen Golf TDI 2001 (Man)	7	2.70 l/100km - 86.8	128.4%
Honda Civic CX (Man)	7	3.80 l/100km - 61.8	62.6%
Saturn Aura XE 4 Cyl	7	6.79 l/100km - 34.6	33.1%

Among other fun activities and events there were technical discussions and vehicle manufacturer presentations (Ford Fusion hybrid, and others) which took place at the Clarion Hotel. The nearby Alliant Energy Centre was also home to the expo component of this 3 day event, where many players in the fuel efficient automotive field demonstrated their products and services.

As usual, we (CleanMPG) had our opportunity to evangelize the benefits of safe and efficient driving to many of the attendees.

Here's a video covering the "Talk to a hybrid owner" session and also the exhibits at the Expo Centre:

Cheers

Optimistic Fuel Consumption Displays - or just another case of "No second chance for first impressions" ?

2009-07-25T09:29:00.010-05:00

You finally decided to visit your local dealer in hopes of taking a brand new hybrid for a spin. You get in the car and the salesperson kindly shows you the basics about the vehicle and also clears the MPG-L/100Km trip display and you depart. Along the way, you observe very good fuel economy and the final numbers displayed at the end of the test drive become nothing less than "the cherry on the cake".

Yes, you are impressed. And that impression tied in with the unmatched smooth and silent driving experience remains in your mind; tempting and seducing you... at least until a few weeks later at the pump!

OK. Perhaps not all of us purchase a fuel efficient hybrid based solely on the fuel economy numbers we achieve in a first test drive. But, wouldn't many people be tempted to make a purchase decision primarily hinging on this factor alone?

As many of us already know, some hybrids have always been calibrated to slightly overestimate the displayed fuel economy... and now that Honda also appears to have returned to the practice with their 2010 Insight (see our in depth review of the 2010 Insight for details) then why not have it escalate to the next level?

In the case of the new 2010 Prius: How does a 3-7 MPG (US) overestimate sound?
It appears that the discrepancy is larger when highly focused and fuel efficient driving is employed whereas the gap seems lessened when the vehicle is driven in less optimal ways.

How do we determine that "instrumented overestimates" are occurring?

Carefully and patiently top of the tank until you see the fuel level, then reset the trip meter of your choice and drive. At a later date/time, return to your favorite pump and refill to the same level as before and calculate your vehicle's actual fuel consumption by hand. Do this just several times and you will have your confirmation.

NOTE: While topping off an AT-PZEV rated vehicle on a regular basis and in this fashion is not a recommended practice, a few times will certainly not compromise your vehicle's evaporative emissions system.

Wasn't it always like this?

Mostly yes, but still... while some "up or down" deviation is acceptable, this much will inevitably be noticed.

Comments?

New hybrid added to the home fleet

2009-07-22T08:40:00.009-05:00

Even though my wife grew attached to her 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid, she has now accepted her new upcoming car: a 2010 Toyota Prius.

Why the change? Toyota improved the new car on a good collection of issues that lessened her previous Prius experience (a 2007 model), namely the overall human interface and driver accommodations to the point that she now thinks the 2010 Prius is a natural step up from her HCH-II. Of course, winter time performance on a couple of areas is also something that made her 2007 Prius also a little less exciting, but that too was something Toyota did not ignore in the redesign of the 2010 Prius.

So, what was wrong with her current Civic hybrid?
Nothing really. The 2007 Civic is an admirable performer and we are both sorry to see it go. It is a refined, solid, efficient, quiet, smooth, clean and extremely safe and dependable hybrid vehicle... Its just that with the new Prius she will be able to further reduce her fuel consumption (to match mine) without any big changes to her driving routine.

Anyway, I just hope its next owner gives her 2007 HCH a good home that is worthy of its amazing Eco potential.

Her new Prius (a Sandy Beach Metallic) is on its way and it is indeed good to become a Honda and Toyota hybrid household again.

And why not? In my books, these vehicles remain the best performing hybrid vehicles on our market today.

Cheers;

2010 Toyota Prius - In depth review (coming soon)

2009-07-04T16:17:00.009-05:00

Yes, finally !!!!

The updated version of the legendary hybrid vehicle we know and love is finally available to Canadians!

Toyota listened to many of the requests from earlier owners and factored in so many improvements that we're going to have a field day just mentioning the most relevant ones!

As usual, our review will not seek to duplicate what the mainstream automotive media does. Nope, we suspect you want to know the kinds of things that even your Toyota salesperson does not know... and on this note, we have quite a bit of detail in store for you. And how about a comparison between the 2010 Prius and its main competitors from Honda, the 2010 Insight and the existing HCH-II?

Still, if you cannot wait for our assessment of this car's true potential, I humbly suggest you get started by visiting your local dealer and taking one on a test drive. Trust us, you will not regret it.

But, if you decide to wait we promise you'll be far better informed when you finally take that test drive.

Cheers;

The Canadian 2010 Honda Insight EX review is up

2009-06-08T09:18:00.009-05:00

I am happy to report that we finally published the much awaited Honda Insight in-depth review.

As you will discover, this is no mere review since we not only explored this car in detail but we also managed to compare it to the Honda's Honda Civic Hybrid, which also happens to share the showroom floor with the 2010 Insight at your local dealer.

NOTE: If you are not interested in what this car can do from a fuel economy and lower emissions perspective then it is likely that this review will not excite you.

As we have said many times before, our focus is safety and ecologically responsible driving. On this note, you will not read about 0-100 km/h numbers or slalom acceleration forces or braking distances. For that we happily refer you to our dependable colleagues in the mainstream press who over the years have done an admirable job on the latter.

The Canadian Honda Insight EX review

Comparison between the 2010 Honda Insight and the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid

Coming up: Canadian 2010 Toyota Prius + Detailed comparison with the 2009 Prius

Enjoy

2010 Honda Insight test almost done.

2009-05-02T08:06:00.010-05:00

Our in-depth review of the 2010 Honda Insight is almost over and we're making a call for some feedback from the community of HI-II owners:

We're looking for feedback in the following areas:

Specific attributes of driving behavior of the vehicle that impress you or not.
Instrumentation benefits/detriments in everyday use.
Have you noticed any fuel consumption patterns due to cold, driving regimen including observable differences between displayed versus computed mileage?
How about the econ button? Have you used it or just kept it off? Your thoughts?
Practicality. Did you exercise its cargo and/or passenger flexibility?
Anything else you may wish to reference, including how this car may have changed your daily driving strategy.

You may email me or post your feedback here:

Impressions and general feedback

In the meantime, here's a snippet from the review vault:

You betrayed your hybrid message by endorsing a Diesel

2009-04-28T16:27:00.012-05:00

In recent days, some folks have asked me why did I review a Diesel vehicle when I am such a staunch supporter of fuel efficient hybrids? Even more shocking, is why did I give such a good rating to this TDI at all even though it is nothing more than a Tier 2- Bin 5 vehicle?

These are all good questions, so let me explain in case I did not reflect that in my review well enough:

First of all, please note the qualifier “fuel efficient hybrids”, as I do not support all hybrids. In fact, I am more likely to support and endorse a clean Diesel car like this Jetta TDI, than I am of supporting a Toyota/Lexus hybrid SUV or GM hybrid SUV.
Second. Even though this 2009 Jetta TDI is still not as clean as I wished it could be, it still represents a significant amount of progress over what we have always known about past diesel tech. In my view we need more fuel efficient choices and as my review indicates, this particular car has an inherent fuel economy potential that simply cannot be ignored. In fact, compared to many gasoline only vehicles I would tend to regard this Jetta as a very attractive alternative to the 92% of vehicles on our roads today.
Lastly, if you read my review of the 2009 VW Jetta TDI, you'll also note that I did not say this Jetta is an alternative to a fuel efficient hybrid at all, but then again, neither Toyota nor Honda can make enough hybrids to satisfy the needs of our market.

So it stands to reason, that Clean Diesel has a definite place in our future and the only thing it needs to improve even further, is additional emissions scrubbing and some level of acceptance by the general public. With environmental concerns at an all-time high, a good amount of scrutiny is pressing Diesel car makers to improve so I am sure this is something to keep an eye on.

If anyone thinks that we'll make the most progress by pushing hybrids only then I would say they are seriously mis-calculating the market penetration hybrid tech can have for the next 10 or so year. The biggest constraint to accelerated hybrid proliferation we have remains the paltry production capacity which is unlikely to ramp-up fast enough to produce the benefits we seek.

But while that happens, we not only need good ideas to come to fruition in the engineering war-rooms of our auto manufacturers, but we also need to leverage whatever technologies we have today which constitute a measurable improvement in emissions and fuel usage. As I said many times before, with additional improvements in the Clean Diesel tech there's no reason why this technology cannot share the roads with the still evolving hybrid platforms for the next 10 years. Sure it may be several steps behind hybrid technology in emissions but so far it has proven that it can be as clean as the other 95% of the vehicles on our roads today. And with the mileage potential we demonstrated this is a good place to start at.

The 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI review finally posted

2009-04-26T19:09:00.005-05:00

Yes, it took a while but we wanted to make sure we had a chance to fully assess the fuel economy potential of this vehicle - with of course, a Canadian Spring time perspective added in. This also meant doing it with roads devoid of snow or ice and also with an opportunity to take the car through a variety of driving regimens.

If you wish to see how well a 2009 Jetta TDI can do under safe and fuel efficient driving please follow the link below.

CleanMPG - 2009 Jetta TDI review - (Canadian Comfortline model)

Enjoy.

2010 Honda Insight - In depth review and FAQ coming soon.

2009-03-29T16:12:00.011-05:00

Yes, the mainstream publications have already released a lot of Insight II specific photos and videos regarding Honda's newest hybrid vehicle...
But, what is it like to live with this car with regards to its abilities and fuel economy potential in a typical urban setting... especially on how it compares to its bigger brother the HCH-II? Here are a few additional questions:

How does it hypermile and what techniques give you the most bang for your hypermiling buck?
What about soft gliding and its ease of use?
How's SoC management and what works best?
How easy is it to manage the electric assist?
What about the mid 3's mode for low speed urban commuting?
How effective is the SAHM mode on the highway and what speed ranges can we expect SAHM to be sustainable?
Pulse and Gliding?
S-Mode accelerations?
The ECO button?
The temperature thresholds and how it compares to the warm stages of the HCH-II?

Well, I'm going to spend some quality time with a new 2010 Honda Insight over the month of April and my primary goal is to provide some of the answers to these questions. So, if you have additional requests and ideas please feel free to submit them for our consideration and testing. :)

By the way, here's an exclusive 2010 Honda Insight video for your enjoyment:

2009 Jetta TDI review coming soon...

2009-03-23T11:52:00.005-05:00

This morning I had a little invitation from a local VW dealer. Yes, I was offered the opportunity to review a 2009 Jetta TDI and I am seriously going to consider it. Sure, I have a high amount of affinity for fuel efficient hybrid technology but I still believe cleaner Diesel tech has a very important role to play in our immediate future. ;)

Anyway, I hope the dealer understands that unlike most folks testing their cars, I will be walking into their dealership with a scangauge in hand and a dead-serious desire to drive the demo unit into the lowest L/100km I can get.

As soon as I get enough information and driving impressions on this vehicle I will publish the review at CleanMPG. In the meantime I'll post the little bits of info as I get them.

Installing the LED taillights

2009-03-21T10:22:00.020-05:00

After looking at the boxes for several days I decided I would give the installation a shot. Each box arrived with a different set of tail lights. I picked a set and opted to get my hands dirty with the task of prepping the car for the tail light replacement. This also meant securing an old blanket where I could temporarily rest the bumper and the taillights while working on the car.

The following is a brief summary of the major steps taken during this retrofit. A good set of tools is a must to avoid damaging the new and the OEM parts.

If you have rear mudflaps you may have to remove them. To do this well you may also need to remove the rear wheels since we may not have enough clearance to remove the flaps.
Then you have to remove a total of 4 screws on each side of the rear wheel well that are holding the bumper in place. Take care to note which screws go where in order to reverse the procedure later on - yes they are all slightly different.
Then it is a matter on unbolting two high mounted screws (under the trunk lid) with a hex key and then carefully pop off the two clips at the bottom of the bumper.
Once this hardware is out of the way and with the help of an assistant we pull out the bumper starting from the ends at each wheel well. An assistant will help hold the lightweight bumper without it falling on the ground - remember the bumper is a painted surface.
The next step is to remove the trunk lining out of the way enough to gain access to each tail light. Remove the connectors and bulb from each taillight and take note which bulb came from which orifice.
You need a good wrench to remove a total of 4 nuts out of each taillight. Once the nuts are removed we need to loosen up the metal bracket holding up each tail light. The single screw attaching the metal bracket to the bottom of the tail light also needs to come off completely. We do this to both taillights and gently remove the units.
At this stage you are ready to unpack then new tail lights and slide them into the appropriate locations.
Perform a readiness test before bolting everything back in. This may include pressing the brake pedal, turning on the marker lights and the hazard lights. If all looks good simply bolt everything back to the way it was. Make sure the water seal is properly positioned around the inner edge of the taillights otherwise you may end-up with some water in your trunk after a car wash.

The picture to the right shows the OEM and the new LED tail lights for the rear right side of the car. The top light is the OEM part and the bottom (with the attached load resistor) is the new assembly.

Some words of caution...

Make sure that you insert the new taillight connectors into the OEM wiring harness carefully since these are not as smooth and rounded as the OEM bulbs were and you may crumple the internal contacts in the OEM harness.

Also, as you may notice one of the new tail lights has a bad LED. I will be exchanging this one one of these days.

Was it worth it?

That's what I will be assessing over the next few days. At some point the full review of this accessory will be posted at www.CleanMPG.com. Anyway, the whole setup took about two hours to complete especially after you include the inner (trunk lid mounted) tail lights.

Here's a little video showing the tail lights in action. The side marker lights are on as well as the hazards.

Cheers;

Adding LED tailights to the HCH-II

2009-03-03T13:03:00.001-06:00

A local group of HCH-II owners agreed to review a set of HCH-II tail lights that run mostly on high intensity LED arrays. These tail lights are complete assemblies that match the size of the OEM tail lights and only use a single stock incandescent bulb used for the backup light. The remaining light clusters are strictly LED based and the complete units are OEM plug and play.

Oh, yes. These units are DOT approved too. Here's a sample:

The candidate units will be Altezza, APC and ANZO branded and we will report on how they perform in terms of power usage. We expect these to perform as well as the OEM units in terms of lighting effectiveness, but we are not sure if these will actually consume less power. As you may know, the upcoming Toyota Prius has this feature and so does the 2009 Honda Insight. For good reasons, LED tail lights are expected to save a few percent in nominal energy over the more traditional lighting.

We have ours fingers crossed... as these tail light units are very expensive roughly $250 to $400 so we hope they work. If they don't, well... at least they will look OK.

Update on the latest software updates for the HCH-II

2009-02-26T20:26:00.000-06:00

Well, a couple of months have passed and I have a much better idea whether the latest updates actually improved things with regards to the occasional SoC crashes. Please check this post for actuall update details:

Software update part numbers

First let me summarize what the current behavior now is:

Regen affinity is much higher during low throttle conditions while is the ICE is cold. This relates to the early temperature transition stages (S0 through S3).
When SoC descends to 5 bars a forced regen is induced as it did before when it dipped below 5.
SoC crashes still happen but these are detected before the SoC dips below 5 bars.
Forced regens stop when the SoC reaches a full 8 bars
Finally, forced regens usually jump from an SoC of 6 bars to 8. No smooth transitions as they did before.

This is the post update behavior in a nutshell and after a few months of living with it I can't say I am happy with it. I will be contacting Honda regarding the update and I will be forwarding my feedback especially since no additional updates have been placed on the channel.

I'll post additional info as soon as I get more information on this issue.

Life Cycle assessment for Honda and Toyota hybrids (HCH-II & Prius II)

2009-02-09T19:48:00.001-06:00

I recently re-discovered a chart that had originally been published in one on Honda's 2007 environmental reports. In this chart Honda illustrates how much CO2 the Civic Hybrid produces above its gasoline only powered counterpart. The graph identifies the volume of CO2 produced during its first 100,000 Kilometers (62,000 miles) and it also identifies which aspect of the cars life (from production to use and disposal) contributes the most.

Let us just say, that when it comes to energy usage the Civic Hybrid produces far less CO2 and requires measurably less energy to operate for the first 100,000 km. Can you imagine how much of a discrepancy there would be if the study had been extended to 200,000 km?

What about the Toyota Prius, the most popular and ubiquitous hybrid in the world?

Pretty educational isn't it?

A few words:

Since these two graphs were published by the two largest global producers of of Hybrid electric vehicles in the world, they carry a fair amount of similarities and results. What is remarkable is that despite the additional amount of resources and energy their fuel efficient and capable HEV consume during their production, they will require relatively little time and mileage to best their conventionally powered siblings.

Yes, these graphs were provided by both Honda and Toyota and not an independent source but it is the best and most authoritative we can get, which is far more than the shameful guesswork CNW did during their much controversial study.

No wonder CNW never allowed their work and claims to be peer reviewed. :(

The Prius Detroit Connection event

2009-01-13T21:46:00.000-06:00

Toyota issued invitations to 50 of the most active Prius owners to attend the unveiling of the new 2010 Toyota Prius in Detroit during the NAIAS event. We had folks from all over the continent (US and Canada) as well as Pat Sparks from Australia. Most of these folks were members of online communities (CleanMPG and PriusChat - both of which I am a member) and we not only had an opportunity to rub shoulders but we also managed to have a hands on experience with 3 distinct trim levels of the upcoming 2010 Prius.

Special thanks goes to Toyota for the extremely well organized event as well as the online community who tirelessly continue to make the Toyota Prius the pinnacle of excellence in the automotive world.

Anyhow, here are a few videos for your enjoyment:
The following is a detailed video of the power-train components (ICE and HSD). Please note the engine, the exhaust recirculation system and the more compact battery pack+cooling packaging.

The next two videos capture an interactive kiosk display that highlights the new developments on the 2010 Prius.

Live from NAIAS (Detroit) and the Prius 2010 PDC event

2009-01-12T21:35:00.000-06:00

This years's North American International Auto Show event was underscored by the introductions of two very important vehicles: The 2010 third generation Toyota Prius and the 2010 second generation Honda Insight.

Here are some videos of the event:

The 2010 Honda Insight

The 2010 Toyota Prius

More to come ...

New HCH-II software updates (Winter 2008)

2008-12-26T19:03:00.000-06:00

I had promised a few months ago that I would send notice of new software updates for owners of 2006, 2007 and some 2008 models. I have not confirmed if one or all of these updates apply to newly produced 2009 models.

This is it folks. We have a new batch of software updates that are purported to address some of the issues experienced by owners of the said model years.

Since at the moment I can only mention part numbers and a description, I am hopeful that this will be enough when you request the application of the updates from your dealer. If this is not enough then please let me know and I'll fetch additional info on these part numbers.

Part# 19301PMX306
Desc: PGM-FI Update + additional update

Part# 37820-RMX-A53
Desc: Battery Initial Calibration

Part# 1K100-RMX-A06 (S/B# 01-084...)
Desc: Battery Update + additional update

Part# 1K100-RMX-A06 (S/B# 03-002...)
Desc: Motor Update + additional update

I will be scheduling an appointment from my local dealer to have these updates applied to my two HCH-II's and hopefully some of you will be able to do the same at some point.

Perhaps these updates will offer an improvement for some of the issues concerning the community over the last year or so. ;)

The Honda Civic Hybrid (HCH-II FAQ) Frequently Asked Questions

2008-11-20T11:35:00.000-06:00

This one has taken me a fair amount of time to complete... you know, in the priority list of things to do some of those things end-up taking a bit longer.

Anyhow, this FAQ article is a must read by any HCH-II owner as well as anyone else looking to purchasing one.

The Second generation Honda Civic Hybrid FAQ

Enjoy.

A Hybrid Owner’s winter survival guide

2008-11-03T11:20:00.000-06:00

Yes, after almost 14 months it is complete and you may find it here:

A Hybrid Owner’s winter survival guide

My hope is that this article will help Prius and HCH-II owners overcome the fuel economy hit due to winter time driving. As with anything else in life, a bit of knowledge and upfront preparation can do wonders for your emissions and fuel economy.

Highlight: Temperature transition table for the Prius-II

Highlight: Temperature transition table for the HCH-II

You'll find a lot more detail in that article.

Enjoy :)

Finnally, hypermiling to be taught in Driver's Ed... Well not quite there yet

2008-06-03T09:10:00.000-05:00

Well, the ball is in motion and I may have found a level of receptiveness with some at MPIC (Manitoba Public Insurance). There is a general agreement that including references to eco-driving principles in the Driver's ed handbook is a good thing. What concerns me is the level of detail (or lack of) as well as the lack of driver testing in this particular area. I sure would like to see the word "hypermiling" used in the literature but given that this is something of a first, I will understand the reluctance and the rather timid approach.

In any case, smaller steps forward are better than no steps at all... but despite this the effort forward continues.

For furhter details on hypermiling and eco-driving please visit us at WWW.CleanMPG.COM

What if I need to service my hybrid vehicle ?

2008-05-06T10:54:00.002-05:00

It is a fact of life that nothing lasts for ever, but when it comes to manufactured goods of increasing complexity it is only a matter of time before some form of technical servicing and/or repair is required. Since today's cars are nowhere near as disposable as other less expensive technology goods, the only way to ensure a lower cost and sustainable vehicle ownership is to perform regular maintenance and hope to avoid major costly repairs.

Inevitably, this brings us back to the question about hybrid vehicle serviceability and what owners must know and do, in order to avoid complications and a higher cost of ownership. Let's face it, while maintaining a hybrid vehicle is generally affordable, repairing is entirely a different matter altogether.

Lets see what advantages hybrid vehicles have over their conventional counterparts:

Less engine and power train wear-and-tear. Thank the "live-for-ever" electric motors along with their simpler transmissions for this.
Less brake pad and shoe replacements/repair. Thank the "live-for-ever" regenerative braking for this.
Most systems are electrified such as Power Steering and climate control. This renders these operations more reliable and efficient.
For many hybrids there are longer lasting oil change intervals.
Battery packs have long warranties and the vast majority have proven to last the useful life of the vehicle. This is something hybrid detractors do not like to hear.

Yes, since their entry into the market almost 10 years ago, hybrid electric vehicles have been found to be more reliable than their gas powered counterparts. In fact, hybrid vehicles have become the models of reliability across manufacturers and even across vehicle classes to such an extent that many industries have adopted HEV's in their fleets not only because of the gas savings but also because of the significantly lower wear and tear incurred.

But as we said before: nothing lasts forever. And it is on this note that we will once again delve into the intricacies of maintaining and even servicing your HEV.

Maintenace: What is it and why?

Maintenance relates directly to the preventative servicing we perform on a vehicle. The long standing wisdom is that any maintenance we perform on the basis of a recommended schedule, the greater the assurances of trouble free operation. The typical maintenance items that we can all relate to range from the usual oil and other fluid changes, tire rotations and replacement, brake checks, to tune-ups, and so on.
On this matter hybrid vehicles have proven to be very frugal and therefore very enticing and one of the reasons they have such a good TCO index in this industry. Sure, some hybrids require special fluids and even special maintenance procedures that are more expensive than that of a traditionally powered vehicles, and there not denying this helps reduce (but not eliminate) the cost benefits of hybrid vehicle ownership.

Nevertheless, you should keep the bigger picture in mind especially when picking among your options. We perform maintenance so that we can avoid the possibility of a serious failure which more often than not, will be far more expensive to repair. So, regularly scheduled maintenance is good, repairing a is preventable problem is bad. Agree?

Repairing your Toyota or Honda hybrid vehicle:

In the event that a repair is required then you must ponder carefully about your options.

Where to repair your hybrid vehicle. You may or may not like going to your dealer for repairs but so far they are your best option. They are the only ones who are expected to have the training and service support needed to safely and successfully perform the repairs. If you already have a good and trustworthy dealer then you have a great deal of good will at your disposal that may even pay you back in the form of lower repair bills and other warranty accommodations. If you don't have a good dealer then start looking for one if you have that option. Independent shops may want your business and even offer you a price to match but very few will actually be able to do the work with the knowledge and safety your vehicle requires. But if the statistical evidence is of any comfort, then as the owner of an HEV you are already less likely to face a repair bill than the average person. Just make sure you have your vehicle properly maintained and up to date with the latest control software.
How much will it cost. It depends primarily on what is broken. But as we all know, it also depends on the shop and the pricing they offer you. In any case, always seek a second opinion if you suspect the price is too high. Better yet, visit any of the online forums for your particular vehicle and ask the question. Chances are that someone will quote the nominal cost of the repair procedure and that should be all you need to move forward with a particular service department. Also, do not forget to look for the significance of this repair. If the repair bill is high but it will give you another 100K miles or more then maybe that's not too bad. It becomes another story entirely if this becomes a frequent and recurring expenditure.
Can I drive with a broken sub-system and postpone the repair to a later date? Only do so, if and only if, your qualified technician says it is safe and harmless. But, chances are that if a system is off-line or broken, a warning has been issued and likely to be important if not critical. Again, do not compromise your safety and that of others by delaying a critical repair.

We should always remember that while mileage varies for person to person, so does wear and tear and the need for proper maintenance for your hybrid vehicle.
In any case, if you already have a good service relationship with your service department then maintain it well. It may actually serve you well if you ever need it as leverage for warranty or even post-warranty work. This is called "good will" and it is amazing how many folks ignore it even dismiss it.
If for whatever reason you do not yet have a good dealer, then I suggest you do some research and locate one just in case you ever need it.
If you prefer to use the services of an independent shop, then I suggest you ask them for confirmation and proof that they are not only trained to service advanced hybrid platforms but they also have access to the same technical resources and parts the dealers use. If an independent service shop cannot comply with your request then look elsewhere.

You certainly would not go to a witch doctor if what you really need is a brain surgeon, now would you?

What is a bad driver ?

2008-04-09T10:23:00.000-05:00

This issue often comes up in discussions among the ecodrving and hypermiler communities. These two groups of people are often at odds with the rest of the motorists on our roadways on a variety of controversial aspects. Let's tackle just a few in order to gain the appropriate perspective:

Most motorists speed. They regularly exceed the posted speed limit and only come to their senses at the sight of law enforcement personnel by the road side or on a marked vehicle.
Many motorists are oblivious to proper and safe driving protocol. Using anticipatory driving, using the turn signals as prescribed by most DMV's and exercising caution in the proximity of emergency or construction personnel is rare.
Aggressive driving and occurrences of road rage are too frequent and often the cause of accidents.
Distracted motorists are frequently noticed on our roadways performing all sorts of tasks ranging from the consumption of food, chatting on the cell phone, applying make-up and even texting.
Quite often vehicles are found traveling at higher speeds with visibly under inflated tires. Under inflated tires are the main source of catastrophic tire failures at highway speeds (tire blow-outs) and these failures often cause serious accidents potentially involving many vehicles sharing the same road... sadly, whether traveling in the same direction or not.
Failure to observe recreational, pedestrian and school signs. Many motorists not only speed in these zones but also perform aggressive and sudden maneuvers that exacerbate the danger factor.
Tailgating. This is a systemic and often un-enforced violation. Tailgating (the act of following another vehicle too close for the speed) is being performed by motorists of almost every vehicle class and can last anywhere from several seconds worth, to longer time spans. Oddly enough, several automotive support groups (such as the AAA) have accused hypermilers of tailgating large trucks in what is often described as "drafting" but this is obviously false and ill informed. Hypermilers' main creed is to adhere to their DWB technique (Driving With Buffers) which effectively excludes any drafting activities. No reason to tailgate is good enough to risk anyone's safety.

Wow. Quite a list, is it not?

So, what defines a good driver then? For starters, consider yourself a good driver if you can honestly state you consistently do none of the above. If you can admit it to yourself that you engage in one or more of the above activities then I humbly urge you to reconsider.
Any change or improvement no matter how small, is always welcome and much needed to reduce fatalities on our roadways, reduce emissions and reduce fossil fuel use.

If you need to take it one step further then consider adopting one or more hypermiling techniques. You'll not only be an even better driver but you'll be safer, more aware of danger and the impact of your presence on the road.
You'll also be more environmentally friendly and responsible, and maybe even save a lot of money in the process. All good things for sure and the kind we can all benefit from. :)

Cheers;

Hybrid wars...

2007-09-28T22:10:00.000-05:00

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...-

2007-07-02T10:23:00.000-05:00

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 ...

2007-06-21T20:20:00.002-05:00

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...

2007-06-21T20:07:00.002-05:00

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 ...

2007-06-07T13:00:00.002-05:00

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 ?

2007-06-01T09:49:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-05-08T14:48:00.000-05:00

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:

Wrong engine oil grade or wrong amount. Higher viscosity oil or too much oil in the crankcase will decimate your fuel economy.
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.
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.
Poor wheel alignment (Check regularly especially after a light accident or hitting a pot hole)
Failed electrical sub-system (i.e: power steering, climate control, etc) or device (relay, solenoid, etc)
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:

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 ?

2007-03-06T19:23:00.004-06:00

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:

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.
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.
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?

2007-03-02T08:59:00.001-06:00

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 ????

2007-01-28T19:22:00.000-06:00

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

2007-01-09T10:12:00.000-06:00

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:

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.
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.
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.
If your car has a block heater installed, use it. It will do wonders for your vehicles durability and fuel economy.
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. ;)

And yet another beginning... welcome :)

2006-11-15T15:58:00.000-06:00

I would like to welcome you to my fuel economy blog.

As you will notice, my interests in the realm of automotive topics range from vehicle technology to the human engineering aspect and everything else in between. Indeed, human engineering really intrigues me particularly the human behavior and how it affects the relationship of the vehicle with our environment.

As an engineer, the aspect of fuel economy whether determined by technology or human behavior is hardly foreign to me since this it something that comes with the territory. To this effect, I have never owned a large or opulent vehicle and I have always looked at technological efficiency as the primary determinant of my automotive preferences.

Yes, I have a chronic dislike for large vehicles unless these are for commercial, military or industrial use. Using these for regular commuting and leisure is a serious challenge for me to accept and obviously my goal is to demonstrate through example that such vehicular use is not only not sustainable but also not required at all.

I am a happy hybrid owner and I do not intend to ever replace these vehicles with anything less. Reliability, technology, lower emissions, lower TCO's are just some of the primary benefits. But so is the measured use of our resources as the main underlying criteria for not only having chosen hybrid vehicles but also encouraging others to do the same.

In any case, you'll also find many of my articles and various other community contributions in various places around the web. Please check www.CleanMPG.com and www.Hybridcars.com for
more.

God bless and good luck.

MSantos