Word: hybrid
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...Tokyo Motor Show produced some fascinating variations on the hybrid theme, among them the Mercedes "Bluetec Hybrid" concept vehicle. This vehicle is a diesel-electric engine known as a "mild" hybrid, because it's a scaled-down version. The diesel engine stops when idle and the electric motor boosts acceleration, but unlike full hybrids (such as Toyota's Prius), this vehicle can't run on the electric motor alone. The mibrid is cheaper to make and has a small battery, which lightens the load. And diesel makes it more fuel efficient than a regular gasoline hybrid. Mercedes' parent company, DaimlerChrysler...
...niftiest new hybrids is from Mazda, the Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid concept car. This "tribrid" has three energy sources--gasoline, electricity and hydrogen. The main combustion engine can burn either gasoline or hydrogen, which is fed to the engine from a tank in the trunk. The driver can change between the two by hitting a switch next to the steering wheel. Hydrogen as a fuel burns like gasoline, but it's about 10% more efficient, and emits only water. Throw in the hybrid function (an electric motor) and fuel efficiency rises again. Mazda hopes to have the car available...
...quest for the hybrid has also turned into a quest for hybrid builders. Ford, for example, is now competing with Toyota to hire engineers from the software and the aerospace industries to work on Ford's new vehicles even as the automaker eliminates jobs in other parts of the company. Ford's hybrid program now has 200 job vacancies for engineers and technicians with the critical skills in software development and battery integration needed to field the next generation of hybrids, says Ford spokesman Said Deep, who adds that the new recruits believe they are working on something truly important...
...Companies such as Subaru and Mitsubishi are tinkering with hybrid systems that place the electric motors at the wheels to give the vehicles more power and traction when they switch to four-wheel drive. For now, these types of hybrids are specifically designed to appeal to drivers who like to go off-road. However, the same layout will also become more common as the hybrid evolves and electric motors at the wheels become the primary source of power, Gauthier predicts. "Over time, you move to a vehicle where the internal combustion engine isn't connected to the driveline," Gauthier says...
...HYBRID. An SUV will glug $1,831 on average at the pump this year, and a sedan will ring up $1,453, according to the Alliance to Save Energy. Meanwhile, a hybrid will swallow as little as $589--not to mention that tax break of up to $3,000 included in last summer's energy bill for buying...