Honda Pilot Hybrid

Fleet Briefing: Consumer Reports Rankings, USPS, Sears

The Honda Fit, Volkswagen Golf TDI and Ford Escape Hybrid are the most fuel efficient vehicles in their classes, according to Consumer Reports.

In its July issue, the non-profit magazine is publishing a list of the most and least efficient cars in their respective classes, while also taking into account performance, reliability and safety requirements. The list is as follows:

“Hybrid and diesel vehicles provide better fuel economy than conventional cars, but they usually cost more to buy. As gas prices rise, the pay-back time gets shorter,” said David Champion, senior director of the Consumer Reports Auto Test Center in East Haddam, Conn. “All-wheel drive usually reduces gas mileage by about 2 mpg, while a manual transmission can improve fuel economy by 1 to 2 mpg.”

The magazine also tested several devices that claim to improve fuel efficiency, but CR’s testers did not find any that significantly raise gas mileage.

The U.S. Postal Service is planning to award VSE Corporation a contract to develop a more fuel-efficient, gasoline-based prototype for the service’s ubiquitous Long Life Vehicle (LLV). The classic postal delivery van seen all over America, the LLV was manufactured by Grumman Corporation and rolled out in 1986.

The USPS solicitation asked that contractors propose fuel efficient gasoline or diesel engines to be used in the USPS truck fleet, which at 215,000 vehicles is the largest civilian fleet in the world. VSE’s proposal with its subsidiary Wheeler Bros. was chosen, and a prototype vehicle is to be tested and delivered within six months.

Much of the USPS fleet is nearing the end of its life expectancy, and due to the service’s financial difficulties, producing a new fleet is not feasible at this time, VSE said. Its proposal is designed to extend the service life of the USPS fleet.

Sears will install 30 of Ecotality’s Blink Pedestal electric vehicle charging stations at ten retail locations this summer as part of The EV Project, which aims to install 14,000 commercial and residential charging stations in 18 major cities and metropolitan areas. Sears may expand to further locations upon completion of the pilot program.

Ecotality is the project manager of The EV Project, which aims to provide an infrastructure to support the deployment of 8,300 EVs. The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through a federal stimulus grant, made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Ecotality has partnered on the charging stations with national retailers including Fred Meyer, Macy’s, BP/Arco, Cracker Barrel and Best Buy, as well as commercial real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle.

Compare Honda Insight To Toyota Prius_2 | Priushybridcars.com

Honda is going to start giving Toyota’s Prius a run for its money. The Prius has long been the best-selling hybrid car in North America, but Honda is hoping to change that with an as-yet-to-be-named hybrid-only model (update – it’s called the Insight, again). Hybrid-only models are cars such as the Prius or Honda’s earlier attempt, the Insight, which are offered only in hybrid form, not standard fuel.Hybrid fans have been eagerly anticipating the Paris Motor Show in October 2008 to learn more about this car, including the name (still the Insight), but the announcement may come even sooner. Speculations had been made that the Insight name might be revived, but current rumors dispel this (or not). Will it be the Honda Green or possibly the Honda Eco? Nope…In Sight!The new Honda hybrid Insight will likely have a similar design to the hydrogen FCX Clarity (pictured above) or the Toyota Prius, but it will be larger while still remaining in the sub-compact category. A few speculations about design are already being made. The car will be a five-door, five-passenger vehicle with the hybrid components tucked under the rear hatchback area, to offer more interior cargo room. One of the best design features of this new hybrid, currently being called the “small hybrid” by Honda spokespeople, is the reported estimated mileage – upwards of 60 MPG.The biggest difference from the Prius? Price. The Honda Insight will come in around $18,500 – while the Prius starts around $21,500. Making the car more accessible for younger buyers is a strategy Honda is really hoping pays off.This announcement is counter to a rumor that had been swirling in hybrid circles for months: that Honda’s next foray into hybrid cars would be a hybrid version of the popular economy compact, the Fit. However, the auto giant denied that saying that the Fit got great fuel economy as is, so it would be best to offer buyers something a little different for the time being.Honda has an annual production target of 200,000, with half of that being sold in North America. Their overall sales goal for hybrids is to be selling 500,000 by 2012, about 10% of its total sales volume. The “small hybrid” is just a small piece of the puzzle. Other hybrid offerings in the next few years will likely include a replacement for the hybrid Civic, a hybrid coupe (the CR-Z), and a hybrid version of the Fit in a year or two. And according to Autoweek, it may be a while before we see a hybrid Honda Pilot or hybrid Odyssey. The best hybrid cars are yet to come.

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Used Car Buying Guide 2007

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