Well, it appears that today's topic of much conversation is that of HIGH gas prices. Some of our friends over in Europe have been experiencing ridiculous prices for quite some time now; as a matter of fact, one of our guys just got back from a vacation in Germany and was amazed to find common gas prices of $7-$8 per gallon. Even more shocking: people all seemed callused to it. Maybe it's because it sounds better when quoted in Liters rather than Gallons (imagine paying by quart for gas... yuck), more likely, however, they have just resigned themselves to the fact that they're not in America - maybe that's why the world has such a bad attitude toward us... we get gas cheaper than them, haha.
Anyway, back on topic: I tend to believe in the incredible ingenuity of the American and Japanese (Toyota being a Japanese Brand) people, especially when it affects their pocket-books and livelihood. We are not like the French on that clip of End of Ze World on YouTube "but I'm le Tired...then have a nap... AND THEN FIRE THE MISSLES"... we get pissed off and immediately get moving on finding a solution... that's the beauty of Capitalism!
This being said, what is up and coming and what is already here?
Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive
Toyota currently leads the marketplace with their Hybrid Synergy Drive that combines the power of gasoline engines with that of electric, thus allowing impressive performance and fuel economy. At the present time, the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive really does seem to be the most cost-effective way to save on gas and have decent performance - faster than a Moped :-). I'm going to get on my soap box for minute and address the people that say that you pay a huge premium on all Hybrid vehicles and it will take forever to earn your money back via gas savings. Let's take a closer look... a Toyota Corolla is NOT the equivalent to a Toyota Prius... that's the end of that comparison (just like a Toyota Yaris is not a Corolla); the Camry Hybrid (187HP), comparably equipped to the XLE Trim costs about $500 more than the I-4 (158HP) and $1,500 less than the V6 XLE (268HP); the Highlander is the largest difference in price, with about a $5,000 premium over a comaparably equiped V6, but offers additional safety features (VDIM) and 3rd Row Seating as standard. If you're looking for something economical and need it now at a price less than your house, Toyota is your best bet (no other manufacture has a better Hybrid System than Toyota. period). Read More Here.
Tesla Motors' Electric Supercar
There is another up and coming automaker, Tesla Motors, where for a cool $110,000, you can get from 0-60MPH in 3.9 seconds while achieving the equivalent to more than 250MPG. It cost less than 2 cents per mile to drive compared to my current 25 cents per mile! If not for the 6-digit price tag, I'd definitely check into getting one. The way I calculate it, I'd have to drive it 261,000 miles (@$5/gallon) to get back the savings over my BMW 335i (or about 14.5 years @18k/yr). Sell it for $60,000 and we might have a deal! Read More Here.
BMW's Hydrogen Sedan
Okay, I know I work for a Toyota Dealership, but I gotta' say, I LOVE the drive of a BMW. Don't get me wrong, my Camry is great for my day-to-day commuting, but there is just something about knowing that you could smoke just about anything on the road on a whim and kill it on any track in the world. BMW (last I heard) had 20 working prototype vehicles known as the Hydrogen 7 that combines the fun of driving with incredible efficiency of essentially burning water. BMW is also developing their version of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive as an interim while attempting to build demand for Hydrogen refueling stations, but I'd much rather put water in the tank for guilt-free driving (and, in my opinion, their not going to be able to catch up with Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive any time soon... especially by partnering with Chrysler of all companies... go figure... I guess they and Mercedes want to keep it in the German family). I gotta' say, the free maintenance - well pre-paid if you consider the price of a BMW - should add assurance that the Hydrogen system will work...or at least is paid for if it doesn't. Read More Here.
So we've explored a few different technologies (both available and coming) that each cost more than your base, run-of-the-mill four banger, but as time goes on, I'm sure it will be like any technology, and prices will continue to become more affordable, yea even the industry standard.
A few additional options to increase fuel economy available that we've not discussed include...
* (but who cares about the added efficency when you're paying 25% more for it... which REALLY doesn't make sense, as a bi-product of regular gasoline refinement; additionally, this isn't really a new technology),
*Ethanol (nice idea, but like Diesel, costs more than it's worth)
*Superchargers / Turbochargers (I'm all for better performance AND fuel savings, but this isn't really a new technology either... great idea, though... and a direction BMW, Mercedes, & Ford seems to moving toward).
___________________________________
Anyway, back on topic: I tend to believe in the incredible ingenuity of the American and Japanese (Toyota being a Japanese Brand) people, especially when it affects their pocket-books and livelihood. We are not like the French on that clip of End of Ze World on YouTube "but I'm le Tired...then have a nap... AND THEN FIRE THE MISSLES"... we get pissed off and immediately get moving on finding a solution... that's the beauty of Capitalism!
This being said, what is up and coming and what is already here?
Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive
Toyota currently leads the marketplace with their Hybrid Synergy Drive that combines the power of gasoline engines with that of electric, thus allowing impressive performance and fuel economy. At the present time, the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive really does seem to be the most cost-effective way to save on gas and have decent performance - faster than a Moped :-). I'm going to get on my soap box for minute and address the people that say that you pay a huge premium on all Hybrid vehicles and it will take forever to earn your money back via gas savings. Let's take a closer look... a Toyota Corolla is NOT the equivalent to a Toyota Prius... that's the end of that comparison (just like a Toyota Yaris is not a Corolla); the Camry Hybrid (187HP), comparably equipped to the XLE Trim costs about $500 more than the I-4 (158HP) and $1,500 less than the V6 XLE (268HP); the Highlander is the largest difference in price, with about a $5,000 premium over a comaparably equiped V6, but offers additional safety features (VDIM) and 3rd Row Seating as standard. If you're looking for something economical and need it now at a price less than your house, Toyota is your best bet (no other manufacture has a better Hybrid System than Toyota. period). Read More Here.
Tesla Motors' Electric Supercar
There is another up and coming automaker, Tesla Motors, where for a cool $110,000, you can get from 0-60MPH in 3.9 seconds while achieving the equivalent to more than 250MPG. It cost less than 2 cents per mile to drive compared to my current 25 cents per mile! If not for the 6-digit price tag, I'd definitely check into getting one. The way I calculate it, I'd have to drive it 261,000 miles (@$5/gallon) to get back the savings over my BMW 335i (or about 14.5 years @18k/yr). Sell it for $60,000 and we might have a deal! Read More Here.
BMW's Hydrogen Sedan
Okay, I know I work for a Toyota Dealership, but I gotta' say, I LOVE the drive of a BMW. Don't get me wrong, my Camry is great for my day-to-day commuting, but there is just something about knowing that you could smoke just about anything on the road on a whim and kill it on any track in the world. BMW (last I heard) had 20 working prototype vehicles known as the Hydrogen 7 that combines the fun of driving with incredible efficiency of essentially burning water. BMW is also developing their version of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive as an interim while attempting to build demand for Hydrogen refueling stations, but I'd much rather put water in the tank for guilt-free driving (and, in my opinion, their not going to be able to catch up with Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive any time soon... especially by partnering with Chrysler of all companies... go figure... I guess they and Mercedes want to keep it in the German family). I gotta' say, the free maintenance - well pre-paid if you consider the price of a BMW - should add assurance that the Hydrogen system will work...or at least is paid for if it doesn't. Read More Here.
So we've explored a few different technologies (both available and coming) that each cost more than your base, run-of-the-mill four banger, but as time goes on, I'm sure it will be like any technology, and prices will continue to become more affordable, yea even the industry standard.
A few additional options to increase fuel economy available that we've not discussed include...
* (but who cares about the added efficency when you're paying 25% more for it... which REALLY doesn't make sense, as a bi-product of regular gasoline refinement; additionally, this isn't really a new technology),
*Ethanol (nice idea, but like Diesel, costs more than it's worth)
*Superchargers / Turbochargers (I'm all for better performance AND fuel savings, but this isn't really a new technology either... great idea, though... and a direction BMW, Mercedes, & Ford seems to moving toward).
___________________________________
Jeff Rance, II
Online Part Sales Manager
Direct: 972.792.4823
E-mail: JT2 at JT2Auto.com
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