Hybrid Vehicle Tax Credits

Here is a small excerpt from this article:

"Both diesels and hybrids must meet certain emissions certification levels to qualify: Smaller vehicles must have a Federal emissions rating of Tier 2 bin 5 or better, and larger ones must achieve Tier 2 bin 8, a less stringent requirement. While most hybrid vehicles already meet the emissions requirement, no diesels are currently rated cleaner than bin 9. Diesels will probably reach the magic numbers with the introduction of ultra-low sulfur fuel that hit the pumps in late 2006. ACEEE expects the '08 Mercedes-Benz E320 BlueTec diesel to qualify for a $1,300 tax credit running on low sulfur fuel.
 
Legislators hope the tax credits will increase the variety and classes of hybrids available to consumers. If gas prices head for the rarified air over $3 a gallon, consumers will be dumping greater shares of their budgets down the tank. That scenario could fuel resurgence in hybrid sales. Toyota's President Katsuaki Watanabe announced plans to sell a million hybrids a year by the end of the next decade, or about 600,000 hybrids in the U.S. To reach that goal, about a quarter of the automaker's vehicles would have to be hybrids. The automaker added a hybrid Camry to its '07 lineup that began sales last year. The Camry sold quickly and the tax credit dropped from $2,600 to $1,300. Both 2wd and 4wd versions of the Highlander Hybrid also sold crisply and their tax credit fell from an initial $2,600 to $1,300. Selling hybrids as a mainstream vehicle still depends upon the price of gas and environmental concerns overcoming the $3,000 to $5,000 premium on these models."

Full article

How Car Companies Cheat the New Fuel Economy Rules

This article is a horror show of corporate greed and lies all in an attempt to circumvent government policies which are designed, rightly or wrongly to make our lives better.

Here is a small excerpt:  "Also, I discovered that the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel-mileage numbers found on car window stickers and quoted in new-car reviews may or may not be what’s used to calculate CAFE. A long phone conversation with a representative from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the group that sets CAFE standards, only muddied my understanding: If the government wants to keep something secret, it should try to explain it.
I found that manufacturers get credits for equipping their cars with air conditioners, making them capable of using multiple fuels and, likely, being built in the states of senators with the most seniority. If car factories or parts suppliers suddenly locate to West Virginia, Massachusetts, Vermont, Hawaii or Montana, be suspicious. And if they move from West Virginia, Massachusetts or Hawaii, it means Senators Robert Byrd, Ted Kennedy and Dan Inouye have left the Senate."

read more here

Hybrid Engine Myths

A common unfounded fear about hybrids is that they will endanger accident victims and rescue workers. The Associated Press even ran a poorly researched, inaccurate article describing danger that doesn't exist. While the original erroneous article can still be found on the Internet, AP's later retraction requires more digging. The truth is that there are no reports of an accident victim, first-responder or service technician being injured by a hybrid's high-voltage battery. Hybrids are no more—and no less—hazardous than are conventional cars. Proper training and the discipline to correctly follow safety procedures are required for both.

"Hybrid car fires present no more of a risk than conventional cars," says Todd Hoffman, founder of Scene of the Accident emergency personnel training group. "There is no potential for electric shock if the (hybrid) vehicle is partially or fully submersed in water."

Here's something about hybrids that should be of concern: There's a huge difference between something that is recyclable and stuff that actually gets recycled. Currently it's not profitable to recycle the nickel-metal-hydride (Ni-MH) batteries employed in almost all hybrids and many personal electronic devices. Proceeds from reclaimed metals roughly equal the cost of recycling Ni-MH batteries. If the market price of nickel, chromium and iron is depressed and shipping costs are high, it's a money loser. read more