[Peakoil] Hybrid efficiency not so great?

[Alex Pollard]

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2008/s2269833.htm

Hybrids not so economical outside cities
AM - Tuesday, 10 June , 2008  08:06:00
Reporter: Rafael Epstein

TONY EASTLEY: As more Australians scramble to buy hybrid, petrol/electric 
cars, Britain's biggest selling auto magazine has taken a swipe at them, 
saying hybrids are no better for emissions than an efficient diesels or 
petrol driven car.

The magazine Auto Express says none of the hybrid's advertised emissions 
figures were borne out in their test drives.

Europe Correspondent Rafael Epstein spoke to the magazine's road testing 
chief Chris Thorpe.

CHRIS THORPE: Well, I think the first thing we found is that manufacturer's 
claims are not necessarily what you will get in real day to day driving.

RAFAEL EPSTEIN: So the emissions aren't as good as they say they are?

CHRIS THORPE: We've recorded the economy and then calculated emissions from 
the economy figures so we didn't actually sort of plug the exhaust pipes in 
and harness all the emissions.

But what we found is that the manufacturer's claims are valuable to provide 
a comparable figure for each car but they don't necessarily reflect what 
will be achieved every day.

RAFAEL EPSTEIN: And if you are concerned about emissions, is a hybrid car 
going to substantially reduce the emissions you will get out of using the 
vehicle?

CHRIS THORPE: I think the answer to that is not necessarily. Hybrid cars 
have low emissions in the government tests so they look very good on paper.

What we found is in reality, they are not as efficient as a good diesel 
engine car so you will use less fuel choosing an efficient diesel model 
which will have correspondingly less emissions than if you have a hybrid 
model which will maybe use a bit more fuel than you expect.

RAFAEL EPSTEIN: How can a hybrid car end up using more fuel to go the same 
distance?

CHRIS THORPE: It is all down to the technicalities of how the electric 
motors help you drive forwards. So for example the Toyota Prius in town, 
you can creep along just using the electric motor which is great, you have 
zero emissions but when you get out of town and you are going at higher 
speeds, it has got a small petrol engine and it is quite a heavy car so you 
end up working that engine very hard and using a lot of fuel. 

RAFAEL EPSTEIN: So if you really want to save the planet in your car 
choice, if that is possible, you would actually choose an efficient petrol 
car?

CHRIS THORPE: Yes, I would. Yeah I think at the moment hybrid cars aren't 
quite where they need to be to offer an advantage in emissions and petrol 
consumption compared to just an efficient standard car.

RAFAEL EPSTEIN: But if you were using your car say, just to drive around a 
city, like you know if 90 per cent of your trips are commuting, surely once 
you have a vast majority of your trips in a hybrid car, doesn't it then 
begin to give you an emissions advantage?

CHRIS THORPE: Well, that is where they come into their own is around town. 
So if you literally just drive, you live in the city, you drive to work in 
the city then they may well make sense.

We think that that only applies to a very, very small number of people. 

TONY EASTLEY: Chris Thorpe from Britain's Auto Express magazine speaking 
there with out correspondent, Rafael Epstein. 
___________________

Alex
O4O4873828

President
ACT Peak Oil Inc.
http://act-peakoil.org