Posts Tagged ‘hybrid vehicles’

Gas Guzzlers About To Get An ‘F’

Monday, August 30th, 2010

A new letter grading system could turbocharge green vehicles sales!

  • The Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department have proposed new rules that would require car dealerships to display a letter grade on each of their vehicles, illustrating how well (or poorly) the vehicle does on fuel efficiency and harmful emissions.
  • Electric cars and hybrids would be the ‘A’ students, while Hummers and the like are most likely to end up in detention.
  • Right now, dealers are only required to display a vehicle’s miles per gallon and estimated yearly fuel costs. The industry is obviously not happy with the proposal, saying it would amount to a government endorsement of certain cars and not others. Still, major auto manufacturers have been preparing for this kind of change by producing more hybrid and electric cars.

Facts & Figures

  • Grades will range from A – D
  • A small car like the Toyota Yaris would likely be graded B+ while many SUVs and pickup trucks would probably score C or worse
  • Sales of SUVs and crossovers have gone up by 21% this year

Best Quote

“We think a new label is absolutely needed to help consumers make the right decision for their wallets and the environment.” – Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation at the EPA

Hybrid Recall – Environmentalists In Danger Behind the Wheel

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Environmentally conscientious drivers liable to be harmed by the source of their enviro-friendliness!

  • On February 11th, 2010, Japanese car manufacturer Toyota recalled 400,000 Priuses and other hybrid models in response to allegations and customer complaints of brake deficiencies.
  • A software glitch in the cars’ braking systems apparently causes brief, terror-inducing delays in the braking capacity on bumpy or icy roads. However, to date, no accidents or injuries have been reported.
  • Over the past several months, Toyota owners have experienced other problems with the quality and safety of their various models, leading to over 7 million Toyotas being recalled.

Facts & Figures

  • The braking glitch fix takes approximately 40 minutes.
  • The recall applies to 223,000 hybrids that were sold in Japan, 133,00 Priuses and 14,500 Lexus HS 250h vehicles in the U.S., and around 53,000 Priuses throughout Europe.
  • In 2009, Toyota recalled roughly 3.8 million of its vehicles to fix floor mats that would “entrap” gas pedals.
  • Toyota has received over 80 complaints on the 2009-2010 Corolla concerning the car’s “hard-to-handle” steering.

Best Quote

“If the company had paid more attention to consumers’ viewpoint, it could have realized that there was a safety problem.” – Ryusuke Itazaki, Chief of the Recall Department at Japan’s Transport Ministry