Improved Fuel Economy Tips and Hybrid Cars

Americans have been suffering "sticker shock" every time they pull into the gas station lately. Fuel prices keep rising with no end in sight.

With high fuel prices on the minds of most Americans, finding ways to be more economical and fuel efficient are on the rise. So what can you do to save money? More and more automakers are developing new, easy to use tools to help drivers keep an eye on fuel efficiency.

* Make sure your tires are properly inflated. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, you can improve fuel economy by about three percent by making sure your tires are properly inflated, but not enough people do it. The U.S. Department of Energy says nearly four million gallons of gas are wasted each day nationwide for every one psi of tire under-inflation. That translates to more than $10 million per day, or $3.8 billion per year in wasted gas money.

* Test your vehicle's emissions systems to make sure the engine is working efficiently. Fixing an engine that has failed an emissions test may improve gas mileage by four percent, on average. That's the equivalent of 12 cents per gallon.

* Change your car's oil and filters regularly. Changing the oil regularly (as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer) will increase the life of the car's engine. Clean oil reduces wear caused by friction between moving parts and it removes harmful dirt and grit from the engine. The car's air filter keeps impurities in the air from damaging internal engine components. Not only will replacing a dirty air filter improve fuel economy, it will protect the engine. Clogged filters can cause up to a 10 percent increase in fuel consumption.

Recognizing that not enough people find time to keep up with vehicle maintenance issues due to busy schedules and family commitments, more and more automakers are working on ways to help drivers worry less and pay less. GM is adding a new level of service to OnStar's popular monthly diagnostic e-mail that allows drivers to closely monitor conditions that can affect their car's fuel efficiency.

Enhancements to OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics, which collects valuable maintenance information on the vehicle's four key operating systems and sends a personalized e-mail directly to the owner, are being updated throughout 2006. Soon, the system will notify drivers of select models of the actual psi reading for each tire so they can make adjustments to improve fuel efficiency. The e-mail's oil-life monitoring feature now predicts the mileage at which the next oil change will be needed based on current driving patterns.

Enhanced vehicle emissions data gives consumers additional peace of mind that their emissions systems are operating efficiently. And vehicles that can run on E85 ethanol have access to the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition's (NEVC) handy E85 ethanol station on-line look-up tool through a hotlink in the OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics e-mail. And when driving, drivers can receive directions to the nearest E85 ethanol station by pressing the blue OnStar button in their vehicle.

The new hybrid cars are an excellent choice for anyone looking to save money at the gas pump and help the environment. Many car manufacturers are making hybrids because they are small and fuel-efficient. They are powered by a combination of an efficient gas engine and by electric motor that helps with accelerations. Batteries that recharge automatically power the electric motor. On this Hybrid Cars site you will find a large selection of topics covered with expert advice and tips for anyone considering the purchase of a hybrid car

EDITOR'S NOTE: Calculations based on an average gas price of $2.60 for 2006 from the DOE's Energy Information Administration. Estimates for fuel savings from vehicle maintenance are based on studies and literature reviews performed by Energy and Environmental Analysis, Inc., Washington, DC.

Courtesy of http://www.activehybrid.com

The new hybrid cars are an excellent choice for anyone looking to save money at the gas pump and help the environment. Many car manufacturers are making hybrids because they are small and fuel-efficient. They are powered by a combina

Toyota Camry Hybrid Car Review

In an effort to boost the lagging sales that have been in force since the gas prices went through the roof most of the auto makers in the world are looking for ways to improve gas mileage. This is the main reason why so many of the largest car makers are rolling out models that are hybrid versions of their existing models. This is directly targeted at the consumers who are having a hard time dealing with the stress and strain of the increased gas price and are thereby buying fewer cars. In the past three years car sales have dropped an amazing forty percent which is a testament to the effect that the gas prices have had on the sales and the total industry. Toyota has been in the lead with the hybrid vehicles thus far. Using the technology that they claimed to have created, they are turning the entire line of models they offer into hybrids and this tactic has helped them to boost sales by about thirty percent world wide.

The Toyota Camry is one of the more popular models that this company has produced in its class. The Camry has always been a bit more sporty then the rest of the line and that has appealed to a much broader market then the other models which were aimed at the aging baby boomers and their children. Still the Camry has also been an important family car in most cases, and the four door style has seen a definite jump in sales since the hybrid version was released. It is important to note that companies like Toyota did not see the brunt of the sales down fall since they have always produced fuel efficient vehicles since they were invented. They did however see enough of a drop that they saw fit to bring about the hybrid technology which has revolutionized the entire auto making industry.

The Toyota Camry hybrid is nothing short of amazing. Using the multiple electric motors that has been so useful they have brought in a new day in driving. The main accessories, like power steering and air conditioning, are all run from the electric motors, which means the car can run as all electric rather than having to run the car on gas. One of the nicer perks is the self charging batteries. The batteries start to become recharged every time the car decelerates and can maintain enough power to travel over three hundred miles without stopping for recharging.

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What You Need To Know About Hybrid Cars

Hybrid cars definitely help fight the pollution problem by reducing emissions.

Hybrid cars combine a gasoline engine with a battery-powered electric motor. The electric motor kicks in at certain because of this hybrid engine gets significantly better gas mileage than a conventional gas engine.

Hybrids consume less gas and produce less pollution per mile than conventional gasoline engines. Hybrid cars have been on the market in the United States since 1999, but more and more are being developed and introduced each year.

The hybrid engine currently sold in the Honda Civic Hybrid gets 10 to 15 miles more per gallon than a regular gas engine in the same car. The hybrid engine of the Prius, made by Toyota, produces 90 percent fewer harmful emissions than a comparable gasoline engine. No doubt about it, these cars are good for the environment!

Hybrids are more expensive. Just like with any new technology, you will pay for the privilege of being a pioneer. The hybrid cars on the market today cost as much as $6000 more per car than comparable cars with conventional gas engines.

This means that the amount of money you save, or don't save, by buying a hybrid is very much dependent on gasoline prices and also depends upon how long you intend to keep the vehicle.

If you are the type person who trades every two years you may very well not benefit from the savings. If gas is priced at $1.80 per gallon (we wish), it could take the average driver (15,000 miles per year) between 10 and 15 years to amortize the $3500 increase in the initial price.

If gas prices stay the way they are at the time of this writing in October, 2005 you will realize savings much more quickly.

The Federal government is still offering tax breaks to buyers of hybrid cars through 2006. The amount of the tax break you are able to claim depends on the year in which you file and the tax bracket you're in. Some individual states also offer tax breaks for hybrid buyers. So maybe being an environmentalist has its tax advantages.

Gregg Hall has been in the automotive industry for over 20 years including owning and managing several dealerships. Ge the auto parts you need

Hybrid cars with 250 mpg fuel mileage

Is it possible to have 250-mpg mileage with hybrid cars? Yes, Bellevue auto visionaries thinks so. The people owning Toyota Prius and Honda hybrid cars are eyeing for an mpg of 40 to 50 then how a automaker claims to have technology that can give this high mileage. What technology they are using? Let us try to look at answers of these questions.

Is it possible to have 250-mpg mileage with hybrid cars? Yes, Bellevue auto visionaries thinks so. The people owning Toyota Prius and Honda hybrid cars are eyeing for an mpg of 40 to 50 then how a automaker claims to have technology that can give this high mileage. What technology they are using? Let us try to look at answers of these questions.

20 member team at AFS Trinity Power Corp claims to make this possible with their plug in hybrid car. On technology front, they are going to use flywheel to create and store power. Conventional cars use gasoline engine to power the vehicle whereas hybrid cars use gasoline engine with battery support. However, the claimed car will use gasoline engine, battery source with flywheel or a capacitor. The power load is shifted among these sources according to the requirement.

The flywheel will help the car in two ways i.e firstly it will help the car in the time of acceleration and secondly it will absorb the power which is being wasted while braking. It will also help the car to use lesser number and lighter batteries. This will collectively help to reduce the overall weight of the car. Flywheel or capacitor is said to absorb power efficiently and quickly.

In future, the gasoline engine could also be replaced with more fuel-efficient hydrogen fuel cells. It is estimated that these cars would cost $3 to $7 for gas and $4 for electricity per week, which is much lower, then $14 for hybrid cars and $36 for conventional cars.

As the environment is degrading each day and fuel is depleting even faster, these types of technology could help stabilize the situation largely. Let us see if dreams of Bellevue auto visionaries come live. Think of a situation if oil imports from Middle East stops due to some reason.

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