AUTO-PHILE #78 By Tom Wilson


The Auto-Phile doesn’t have anything on “phile” about hybrid cars. I HAD nothing on “phile”, until a recent sermon by our assistant minister: “Reflections on Chanukah and Our Sources of Energy.” She discussed some efforts at energy conservation, including hybrid cars. I suddenly realized that (1) I had never even considered writing an Auto-Phile column on hybrid cars, (2) I knew practically nothing about hybrid cars, (3) I had never even DRIVEN a hybrid car, and (4) I had some good friends who recently had bought one of these cars! What a great excuse for making a chance to get in and drive one of these new-fangled beasties, particularly since I am a dyed-in-the-wool conventional American-car fanatic!) So if you are like me, you don’t know much about these new and unusual cars, and have not tried to find out. You could go on the internet and find a lot of technical data on them. You might find a local dealer who will take a deposit and put you on a waiting list to join those in this new trend. But just think, you don’t even have to turn your computer on or go downtown to a dealer to find out about this subject. You can just read this article where I share my fuzzy notions and impressions of the new HYBRID CAR!

The word “hybrid” means “of mixed parentage,” or “anything of mixed origin or unlike parts, “according to our Webster’s New World Dictionary, 1982 edition. “Unlike parts” in this case meant to us that the car can be driven along by a gasoline engine or by and electric motor. I had quite a bit to learn, though. I learned that was wrong! I learned on the test drive that the gasoline engine stops when the car stops and the brake is applied, but fires up when the car starts moving! The gas engine is the primary source of power, the electric motor gets its current from a generator, which in turn gets its energy from that gasoline engine! All these components are built together on a single combined driveshaft/crankshaft.

This creates a few questions: How does it all work? Is it easy or complicated to drive? And of course, does it really conserve energy? Let us rely on a BBC website, which tells us how it works: “A hybrid car is powered by an electric motor. The motor's battery is recharged by an electric generator, which is powered by a petrol engine. Since the petrol engine runs at an optimal speed, it consumes fuel in a more efficient way than traditional petrol engines. Additional power to the battery comes from kinetic energy from the wheels when the car is slowing down. (A-P note: this function is utilized on most railroad diesel locomotives you see on railroads today, and is called “dynamic braking”) The petrol engine provides extra power for the car when required.”

A quick internet check reveals that Toyota Prius and Honda Civic are models currently available. These were the earliest hybrids on market. In 2004, Ford Motor Company was the first American manufacturer to offer a hybrid, in the form of a sport-utility vehicle! Hyundai, a Korean company, has now submitted samples of a new hybrid for approval by U.S. transportation authorities.

Our Auto-Phile test-drive car belongs to Mrs. Marion Holt, of Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. It is a 2003 Honda Civic/Hybrid, four-cylinder, 93 hp. four-door sedan. It weighs 2770 lbs. and has a load capacity of 850 lbs., for a max. gross vehicle weight of 3620 lbs. As an early hybrid, it was purchased when dealers had many of the vehicles in stock, because hybrids had not yet gained widespread acceptance. It was on the lot at Victory Honda of Plymouth, and purchased on December 13, 2002. List price was $20,550.00. The Marion Holt and her hisband Nick bargained from the sticker price down to $19,215.00, but taxes and other various charges brought the final sale transaction price to $20,573.00. This was a pretty good deal, as an engineer friend of the Holts said that if the car had been priced to cover the amount per car that Honda had spent on engineering and producing it, it would have cost in excess of $40,000.00!

The Civic instrument panel features an instant digital readout of fuel economy, so the driver can size up mileage at all times while driving. Mrs. Holt reports that the car gets 44 miles per gallon in normal driving. The car gets 42 miles per gallon in city driving. This is because of the gas engine being shut down any time its power is not required to charge the batteries to move the car. Simply put, it completely eliminates fuel consumption while idling at traffic lights and in static bumper-to-bumper traffic! Regular unleaded gasoline is the standard diet for this car.

Intercity use has been limited. The Holts took the car on an 550-mile interstate trip, and while the fuel mileage was enjoyable, comfort and noise level were noticeably poorer than their other car, a heavier import luxury sedan. When queried about passenger comfort and convenience, the holts rated the car at 7 and 8 out of ten, ten being the “ideal.” Presumably their heavier luxury car was the basis for comparison!

Compared to a standard non-hybrid Honda Civic, the hybrid model has a bit less trunk storage space, but the standard trunk storage area seemed quite adequate for travel luggage and groceries. The under-hood view of the car was filled with a lot unfamiliar equipment to my eyes. Anyone working on this car certainly would need factory training!

No mechanical repairs have been required on the test car during the two and one half some years since it was new. Body repairs were required after a deer collided with the left side body panels. The panels had to be repaired or replaced. Later, a battery failure turned out to be a missed “point” of damage – the deer’s antler had pierced the front compartment and made a hole in the side of the battery! The car was pulling away from an intersection stop, possibly a time when warning sounds would be at the max. One might wonder if the quietness of the car was less of a warning to the deer, but this may be a stretch of the imagination.

AUTO-PHILE TEST DRIVE REACTIONS

Sitting in the driver’s seat was a surprise. The seat was spacious enough for my six-foot, 187 lb. frame, and seemed to hold me in place without my being cramped. I did find the instrument cluster a bit bewildering, though. A variety of digital and graphic displays indicated engine RPMs, fuel level, shift selection, and other usual stuff, in addition to a special display showing the surplus or deficit of electric power between the generator and the electric motor.

We took this car for a spin of about 10 miles. We started with a mile of unpaved gravel, and then almost all of the rest of the drive was paved. Potholes in gravel, tarmac, and other paving are clearly felt in this car. The test drive in the 2770-pound vehicle with approximately 300 lbs. of passengers, (total: 3070 lbs.) seemed to send up a bit more noise and road shock for a such a new car at that gross weight. Conversely, for that weight, and for its listed 93 horsepower, the car was really a hot rod! Leadfooting the accelerator pedal caused an impressive reaction, but without the jerky feeling of a stick-shift or a standard automatic-transmission car! More interesting was this big difference: In most cars the strongest burst of acceleration is when the most inertia is being overcome, that is, from a dead stop. Then the acceleration tapers off all the way up to cruising speed with the only acceleration “kicks” when the automatic transmission steps up a gear, a glitch hardly noticeable on more-modern automatic transmissions. In the Civic/Hybrid, when I put the pedal to the metal, an initial smooth upward acceleration seemed to phase up slightly to an even stronger acceleration! The smoothness reminded me of the now-ancient Buick Dynaflow transmissions that were fluid torque-converter-driven all the way from dead stop to cruising speed. Our thought is that this slight upward increase in performance of the Honda might have been higher “on demand output” performance from the on-board gasoline engine increasing its rpm output, and consequently providing the extra juice available to the electric motor.

Our test drive of some 10 miles took about 45 minutes. I chose gravel and paved roads, went through many stop-sign type intersections, and through a couple of large subdivisions. At one point in a series of close turns around and around a cul-de-sac, the Honda did not slip at all, even when encountering a few bits of loose gravel that should have broken the car’s sides-slip traction! Also, body lean did not seem as bad as the heavier cars I was used to driving!

Mrs. Holt said that she certainly would buy another hybrid car. She has only driven one other hybrid, but only for a brief test drive. She generally uses a car for about 100,000 miles, and that would be when she would consider trading in or selling the current Civic Hybrid. When queried about whether this car was in any way more difficult to drive or to own, she indicated that ownership and driving was not different in any way, except for the occasional inquiry from strangers who were curious about the car and wanted to know more about it. After the test drive, Mrs. Holt said that one of the things that she and her husband liked about the car was that despite its modest size, they could carry TWO bicycles on it, on two separate bike racks, one on top and one on back!

Specifications for a text box:
Honda Civic Hybrid, 2003, four door sedan, specifications:
Length: 174.8 in.
Width: 67.5 in.
Height: 56.3 in.
Wheelbase: 103.1 in.
Track: 57.9 in. (front and rear)
Weight: 3630 lbs.
Fuel capacity: 13.2 U.S. gallons
Engine: 4-cylinder, overhead cam, water cooled
Bore & stroke: 2.87” x 3.15”
Displacement: 82. cu. in.
Compression ratio: 10.8-1
Electrical system: 12 volts
Tires: P185/70R14 87 S
Source: 2003 Owner’s Manual Civic-Hybrid, Copyright 2002, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

While planning this report on hybrid cars, I discovered another friend that had purchased a hybrid. The proud owner, David Hall, agreed to demonstrate his car, explain its features, and let us go for a test drive.

2004 TOYOTA PRIUS HYBRID - IMPRESSIONS

The new Toyota Prius Hybrid is a four-door hatchback sedan. It differs from the Honda Civic Hybrid in its more full, boxy rear-end, streamlined but almost station-wagon-like in appearance. Rear seats flop forward to make a level cargo deck, and at the rear limit the deck lifts to reveal a flat storage level below, with the tire and emergency tools even below that! A Maneuverable car, we tried some close circles at low speed in a public parking lot and found to turn fully around in something like 30 ft., possible less – remarkable for any modern car! Seats were of the usual bucket type and very comfortable, but I found the steering wheel rather distant, with any seat setting, keeping the driver’s elbows rather high while driving. The security system was completely new, incorporating a transmitting device in the owner’s key fob that enables him to unlock the car with a simple external button-push. The fob also contained a midget mechanical key to serve as a backup, in case of an electric failure.

The Prius instrument is like no other. There are several things about this car that will take some “getting used to!” A digital LED speedometer and related indicators are set deeply in the dash panel, far forward of the driver, but they are of a size that is quite easy to read. The gear selector, mounted in the dash just to the right of the steering wheel is fully electric, and reminds one of the 1955 Chrysler cars that had a mechanical selector in this position. The selector action is “momentary,” that is, the driver pushes the knob toward the desired “gear”, up to R for reverse, down to D for drive, N in the center, right and down to “B” for engine braking, (this is the one to put it in to charge your batteries as you coast down from Pike’s Peak!) and a separate button to push P for park, which locks the car in place. In the very center of the dash console is a large illuminated LCD screen, which serves virtually every other control or information function of this totally high-tech car, including heater/AC controls and setting, complete radio/compact disc player, and…yes, a global-positioning system complete with on-screen input phone-keypad for map, address, destination search and directions on a map! Pretty hard to get lost in this baby! The LCD screen keeps the driver posted on whether the engine is charging the batteries or the wheels are charging them, with a reversible arrow progressive display, whether the wheels are turning, instant gas mileage, and so on.

The 2004 Prius listed at $26,000.00 and delivered at $28,000.00. It has a bit less horsepower than the Civic, at 75…was purchased on in November of 2004. Hall has put only 4000 miles on the car so far, and reports 45 mpg on regular unleaded gas. Dave use the Prius mostly for city driving. His longest road trip so far has been 100 miles. He is quite happy with the seating, comfort, and economy, and is quite enthusiastic about the rear cargo-hatchback arrangement, which accommodates his cross-county skis! He has no trouble with the differences in the car, but when needed the family van on one occasion, he had to switch vehicles with his wife, so she had to be oriented to the Prius’s oddities. Also, Hall pointed out that the security system required a little know-how, and that Toyota had provided a little tablet of instructions cards to provide for parking attendants that had to move the car!

Our test drive took us from the Old West Side of Ann Arbor out to open roads to the west, allowing us to get to open road speeds. Our approximately 40-minute 15-mile tour took us through a shopping center, through heavy traffic, and downtown congestion. I never did quite get used to the sticky brakes on the Prius. They seem to do an awful lot of braking to the size and weight of the car. (After the test drive, I hopped in the 1990 Fleetwood and had to re-adjust, as the Cadillac’s brakes seemed a bit dead!). The Prius was certainly quiet inside and the seats comfortable enough. Driver and passenger door and window controls are pretty standard power stuff. The dash panels, in an era of auto interiors that are rounded off for passenger crash safety, are rounded off more than any we have ever seen. The surfaces are molded plastic of course, but the feeling of being in the center of the car, with it extremely long, slanted front and rear windshield and backlite, combined with the pillowlike interior panels made me feel a bit like I was shopping in a furniture store!
Are you ready for the “Hybrid Age?”

Text box for Toyota Prius specifications:

Toyota Prius Hybrid, 200, four door sedan, specifications:

Length: 175 in.
Width: 67.9 in.
Height: 59.1 in.
Wheelbase: 106.3 in.
Track:(front: 59.3 in, and rear: 58.3 in.)
Weight: 2900#
Fuel capacity: 13.2 U.S. gallons
Engine: 4-cylinder, inline, 4-cycle, gasoline
Bore & stroke: 2.95” x 3.33”
Displacement: 91.4. cu. in.
Compression ratio: 10.8-1
Electrical system: 12 volts
Tires: P185/70R14 87 S
Source: 2003 Owner’s Manual Civic-Hybrid, Copyright 2002, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.






Picture: Fron engine compartment, Honda Civic.