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Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed our new email last month—The Pulse—and the great content. For those of you new to the Up The MPG newsletter, welcome! There is an abundance of big news on the auto front, with historic clean car standards going into effect, a bevy of new hybrids heading to market, and two new models getting added to our Hybrid Scorecard.
Let's get going,
Scott Nathanson
UCS National Field Organizer &
HybridCenter.org Administrator
In this issue:
 Historic National Clean Car Standards are Now Law of the Land
Nope, it’s no April fools joke, the national clean car standards are now the law of the land. On April 1, the Obama Administration announced the final rule, which will increase average new car fuel economy to 37.8 miles-per-gallon and average new light truck fuel economy to 28.8 mpg in 2016. By contrast, in 2009, these vehicles averaged about 31 mpg and 23 mpg, respectively. Fleet-wide, this amounts to about a 30 percent increase in new vehicle fuel economy compared to today’s fleet efficiency of just over 26 mpg. The standards also set the first national global warming emissions standard for vehicles at 250 grams per mile, approximately 25 percent less than the emissions produced by today's average new vehicle. Here’s our statement for more details.
It’s pretty heady stuff, but was not without its last minute tumult. As some of you already know, Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post exposed a last-minute attempt by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to undermine the calculations used for the clean car standards that would create an unfair barrier to strengthening standards beyond 2016. Essentially, the OMB tried to claim that American drivers won’t really benefit from the money that buying a cleaner car will save them in the future. By dramatically devaluing the future gas savings of clean car technology, the OMB could make it easier for car manufacturers to argue that the cost of the new technology is not balanced out with enough savings to benefit consumers. You can get all the details from a letter consumer and environmental advocates, including UCS, sent to the OMB (pdf).
Given hybrid owners are the perfect people to show how consumers do value future gas savings, and are willing to put today’s dollars down for future savings, we let our hybrid-owning members of the Driving Change Network know about this, and asked that they let the Post and the OMB know what they think of this move.
The response? A hybrid-owners party on the Post’s blog! Go check out all of the great comments for yourself, but here are a couple of snippets that I thought were particularly resonant:
“As I am currently unemployed I am especially aware of transportation costs and my Prius awards me with very low demands at the pump.”
“Remember that with the Cash for Clunkers Program, people got rid of their Explorers (like we did in 2001) and bought Corollas and Civics. Anything to get higher mileage.”
“But reducing our carbon footprint, reducing pollution, helping the local economy (by buying energy here, rather than the Middle East), and increasing our energy independence are all incredibly important--and will REMAIN important. Why would you discount the future "value" of these issues when you know they are only going to become more pressing?”
“My transportation choices are determined by the impact on the environment and on our national security. How does one put a dollar value on environmental protection and national security? For certain, the value of these does not decrease over time!”
“We hope to eventually have 2 cars that get over 50 miles to the gallon, preferably 100 mpg. I would be very angry if the OMB discount rate kept cleaner, more-efficient options out of the show rooms at that time. I think the OMB is caving to Big Oil companies which want to continue selling as much gas as possible while racking up obscenely huge profits.”
 This is fantastic stuff, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) ended up standing firm, refusing to devalue the benefits of saving money at the pump. Indeed, in a joint statement on the rule the EPA and the DOT credited you for this strong final rule, saying, “DOT and EPA received more than 130,000 public comments on the September 2009 proposed rules, with overwhelming support for the strong national policy.”
So let me extend the kudos to all of you. We made this happen together through years of determination and hard work. But let’s not kid ourselves—our job is far from finished. Already, regressive groups like the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) are lining up their lawyers and lobbyists to take away the EPA’s authority to regulate global warming emissions from cars. So head to our action alert and use your consumer power to help defend our hard fought victory.
DCN Newsbytes
- Toyota offering to replace gas pedals: In the January recall, Toyota drivers were asked to bring their vehicles to the dealership for a gas pedal repair. Dealers inserted a small metal shim into the pedal mechanism to eliminate friction that they believe was causing some pedals to stick. According to Toyota, 1.3 million vehicles of the 6 million that were recalled have been brought in for a gas pedal or floor mat modification. Toyota is also in the midst of investigating two incidents of unintended acceleration in a Toyota Prius, and has just announced that drivers not feeling satisfied with the first fix can bring their Toyotas back to the dealer to get their gas pedal completely replaced. More on Toyota at the Hybrid News Center.
 General Motors looking to make more hybrids: Outgoing General Motor’s Vice President Bob Lutz acknowledged the company will continue to offer big trucks and SUVs for consumers, but in the future most of them will be hybrids. General Motors is looking at hybrid technology as a way for it to meet the new fuel economy standards that are raising the average fuel economy to 35 mpg by 2020. Sales of the Silverado and Sierra Hybrid pickups, however, have been slow. More on GM's plans at the Hybrid News Center.
- Lithium-ion batteries poised to power hybrids: Most hybrids on the roads today are powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery, but more and more automakers are looking to begin using lithium-ion batteries instead. One of those automakers is Honda. This switch may signal Honda’s desire to beat out Toyota and take the lead in the hybrid market. Lithium-ion batteries can store as much as twice the energy of nickel-metal hydride batteries, but come at a higher price. This price is likely to come down, however, as the technology advances and production increases. The Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid is the first to use lithium-ion batteries, and the Nissan Leaf, a battery electric car which will go on sale later this year in Japan, the United States, and Europe, will also use lithium-ion batteries. Toyota isn’t ignoring this technology, and has announced they will use lithium-ion batteries to power the upcoming plug-in Prius and a short-distance electric car. Rear more at the Hybrid News Center.
What's the Score on the New BMW and Mercedes Hybrids?
Two new hybrids from two new automakers have hit the roads, and our intrepid Hybrid Scorecard team—Program and Outreach Assistant Leah Parker and Senior Vehicles Engineer Don Anair—have sifted through the information and crunched the numbers. So let’s see how the Germans have decided to jump into the hybrid game.
 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid: You might remember that I mentioned the S400 with some interest a couple of months back because it carries a lower sticker price than its closest conventional counterpart, presumably because of its smaller engine. I also noted that its fuel economy performance seemed a bit tame given it downsized the engine from a V8 to a six-cylinder in addition to adding the hybrid drivetrain.
A closer Scorecard examination lends some added perspective. The S400 manages only a 14 percent reduction in global warming emissions, and loses around 30 percent horsepower while doing so. Yet the Lexus LS 600h L (a full hybrid that is also considered a “muscle” hybrid) is able to achieve the same 14 percent reduction without engine downsizing. By comparison, the Lexus HS 250h achieves more than twice the reductions, reducing global warming emissions by more than 30 percent compared to its closest convention counterpart.
Indeed, the S400 and the non-hybrid midsize Mercedes E350 both use the same sized V6 engine, and get the same combined fuel economy rating of 21 mpg. This seems to indicate that the hybrid system for the S400 is doing nothing more than making up for the difference in weight between the two vehicles, a somewhat paltry use of the technology. In all, a very pedestrian Environmental Score of 5.3.
The good news in all of this is that Mercedes is offering a more fuel efficient alternative to its line-up of 8 and 12 cylinder S-class sedans (Yes, you read that correctly. The S600 has a whopping 510 horsepower, 12-cyclinder engine in it). When you downsize a gasoline engine, you not only save gas, you save money on the engine itself. That is why the S400 is the first hybrid that actually beats the conventional car’s price tag; thereby earning it a “Very High” on the scorecard. More on the Mercedes on its scorecard page.
 BMW ActiveHybrid X6: Okay, before we get into this, I must note that I have had very good experiences with BMWs in the past. My aunt and uncle have had them since I was a kid, and some of my first driving experiences were behind the wheel of a BMW. But even with those fond memories of the brand, I am really not sure what BMW was trying to do with this hybrid SUV.
On the Environmental Score, it’s close to bottom of the barrel. Compared with the X6 50i, the ActiveHybrid X6 achieves a 17 percent reduction in global warming emissions. While that’s a bit better than how the S400 fares, it pales in comparison to its luxury hybrid SUV rival, the Lexus RX 450h, which achieves a 31 percent reduction in carbon emissions in the all-wheel-drive (AWD) version. The smog-forming emissions of the ActiveHybrid X6 earn an EPA air pollution score of seven (and that’s only in states that have adopted the California clean car standards—in the other states it’s just a six), significantly worse than the RX 450h score of nine. These factors combined give the ActiveHybrid X6 an Environmental Score of 4.4.
Unlike the Mercedes, BMW opted not to downsize the gasoline engine, and partly as a result is charging a whopping $11,700 for the hybrid drivetrain. The ActiveHybrid X6 therefore joins the Lexus LS 600h L as the only hybrids that currently rate “Very Low” for Hybrid Value. If you consider the RX 450h with its $4,350 hybrid price premium translating to a 31 percent reduction in global warming emissions, it’s pretty easy to see why.
The ActiveHybrid X6 also joins the LS 600h L in another dubious category—Forced Features. With some $10,000 worth of extra features standard over-and-above the well equipped X6 50i, the ActiveHybrid X6 is the only other vehicle with five-digits worth of Forced Features, meriting it the full $$$$$ score.
I really struggle to understand what market segment this particular vehicle is trying to reach out to. Whatever it is, I’m guessing it’s going to be very small. More on the ActiveHybrid X6 here.
Comings...and Goings...On the Hybrid Timeline
So what’s next for the ever-watching eye of the Hybrid Scorecard? Well, the 2010 Geneva Auto Show gave us a peak at some interesting cars that will, or in some cases won’t be making it to U.S. showrooms. There’s also been some interesting news that may flip the script on how to add more “muscle” to hybrids. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from our recently updated Hybrid Timeline.
 Honda CR-Z may “muscle up”: The little hybrid sports car has been doing pretty well for itself in Japan so far, but the 10 second 0-60 and sub-Insight fuel economy have not created a positive buzz. It sounds like Honda isn’t sitting idly by on this and is working on a high-performance CR-Z Type R for a 2012 release. What’s really interesting about this is that it looks like they’ll be trying to “muscle up” without sacrificing fuel economy. Honda is looking to increase the current CR-Z’s 113-horsepower 1.5-liter four-cylinder up to 150 horsepower and replace the 14-horsepower electric motor with a larger 50-horsepower unit for a combined output of 200 horsepower for the Type R. If they pursue it, this could be a model for a true “performance hybrid” rather than the muscle hybrids we’ve seen in the past (and in the case of the new ActiveHybrid X6—the present).
Korean hybrids come a-knockin’: Kia and Hyundai have emerged as serious rivals for the major automakers across the board, and here come the hybrids. The Kia Optima Hybrid and Hyundai Sonata Hybrid will be making their debut at the 2010 New York Auto Show. Both will share a full hybrid drivetrain merging 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and a 40-horsepower electric motor that can produce 278 lb-ft of torque. Given the conventional Sonata gets an estimated 35mpg highway with the same 2.4 liter engine, the Sonata and Optima Hybrids could challenge the Fusion/Milan Hybrids for the top spot in sedan fuel efficiency, and possibly at a lower price point. I’m looking forward to seeing how these will play out in the Hybrid Scorecard.
 Infiniti M Hybrid gets a #, BMW a %: Nissan has said it would have an Infiniti M Hybrid ready for 2011, but made it official in Geneva with the introduction of the M35 Hybrid. Nissan says it’s a parallel drivetrain that will employ a lithium-ion battery, a 67-horsepower electric motor and a 3.5L V6 engine modified to run with an Atkinson cycle for greater efficiency. The drivetrain includes a dual-clutch setup that isolates engine, allowing the electric motor to propel the M35 at speeds of up 62 mph. In real world testing, Nissan engineers have found that the M35 Hybrid is capable of driving in electric-only mode nearly 50 percent of the time. BMW also debuted a 5-series hybrid concept, which has a 53-horsepower electric motor and a cool feature where it will analyze previous route data, allowing the hybrid systems to optimize energy usage and generation. That said, stated fuel savings have been in the 10 percent range, which would be quite surprising unless they plan to make it another muscle hybrid. It will be interesting to see how these vehicles fare compared to more upscale hybrid midsize sedans like the Mercury Milan Hybrid and Lexus HS 250h.
Bye-bye Ram, Converj: Two expected hybrids are coming off the books. Chrysler has officially pulled the plug on the Dodge Ram Hybrid that was due out this year—continuing a trend away from hybrid vehicles for the company despite its federal bailout promises to focus more on hybrid and electric vehicles. Chrysler will still use the Two Mode hybrid transmission to develop a test group of 140 plug-in hybrid electric Rams as part of a $48 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (yup, that’s $350,000 per vehicle). Let’s hope the taxpayer gets its money’s worth there. GM also decided that the upscale version of the Chevy Volt—the Cadillac Converj—won’t be going to the production line as Vice Chairman Bob Lutz intimated at the Detroit Auto Show. Instead, they will focus on the Volt and the European platform for the Voltec drivetrain, the Opel Ampera.
The most fuel efficient hybrid will NOT be coming to a dealer near you…unless you live in Europe: Compounding the frustration over having been deprived the Toyota Estima and Alphard Hybrid minivans to their exclusive Japanese domain, the world’s hybrid leader is now giving Europe the world’s most efficient hybrid vehicle. The compact Toyota Auris, which has been a successful product in Europe for some time, is getting a facelift and a hybrid version for 2011. The vehicle is estimated to get a combined 74.3 mpg on the European testing scale, which is roughly 62 mpg in the United States The extended electric range of the vehicle will allow it to travel up to 1.2 miles at speeds up to about 30mph. This might not be coming stateside for fear of competition with the “mini-Prius” due out in 2012, but it’s frustrating that U.S. consumers can’t get their hands on such an efficient car ASAP.
Many more models headed to the showroom, and concepts that just might, over at the Hybrid Timeline.
Who's Got Hybrids Now?
Our Who’s Got Hybrids community continues to grow! Please help us expand this community even more by sending in a photo and telling your hybrid story. Also, please ask your ask your hybrid-owning friends to join us.
 Joseph Cain of Tallahassee, FL bought his 2009 Prius back in September. His overall gas mileage for the first 10,200 miles is 56.65 mpg. Very impressive!
 Christy Wyckoff of Fort Collins, CO has had her Ford Escape Hybrid for more than four years and thinks it’s great! She loves averaging 28 mpg, which is great for an all-wheel-drive SUV! For an SUV, she thinks it handles fantastic in the snow and mud, and she’s happy it has the clearance necessary to let her drive through the fields on her ranch. But she does get some strange looks from her neighbors!
 Maitland Hardyman of Port Townsend, WA just traded in her Gen. 2 Prius for a Gen.3. Her family has owned each generation of the Prius, and likes them all! She says her family uses them hard and has had remarkably little trouble.
That’s it for this month—and what a way to get Spring started! Of course, as I do in every April issue, I must conclude with—LET’S GO METS!
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