Toyota to build Australia’s first hybrid

Ford and Holden said it couldn’t be done, but Toyota is out to further differentiate itself in the Australian market by building the first locally produced hybrid car.

 Dave Buttner, Toyota’s head of sales in Australia, has confirmed that a hybrid version of either the Camry or Aurion will be built in the manufacturer’s Altona plant, in northern Melbourne. Toyota already markets two of the three hybrid vehicles available in Australia - the Prius and the Lexus RX400h - and the new addition is likely to contain the same Hybrid Synergy Drive technology that exists in the best-selling Prius model, should it follow the hybrids that Toyota markets in the US.

“We want to be the first local manufacturer with green credentials. We want to be known as the company that was first to market,” Buttner says. “We want to be the leader on this issue. We have been looking at the Camry and Aurion for the hybrid and it’s looking like the Aurion. It will go on sale in 2011 or 2012.”

(Source: Daily Telegraph)

Hyundai won’t bring its hybrids to Australia

Hyundai has stated that it has no plans currently to bring its hybrid lineup to Australia, choosing to rely instead on increasing its diesel range, according to carsguide. The car manufacturer currently produces hybrid petrol-electric vehicles for its home nation of South Korea and is looking into fuel cell development in the long term, but Hyundai Australia CEO Steve Yeo says that the short term non-petrol strategy will focus on diesel:

“[Hybrids are] for the future. For the time being we have a diesel strategy. Probably at the time of our i30 we can also give an idea of how to utilise our diesel strategy, including the i30.”

Hyundai’s diesel range currently includes the Santa Fe, with the i30 (which replaces the Elantra hatch) coming to Australian shores in October.

Source: carsguide

Perth gets hybrid taxis

Western Australia is set to be the third Australian state to trial hybrid taxis, with the state government offering a $15,000 grant and up to 20 per cent reduction in the vehicle lease rates for up to 10 hybrid taxis. Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said that, combined, the vehicles would emit 410 tonnes less CO2 over an eight-year lifespan when compared to standard taxis such as the six-cylinder Holden Commodore or Ford Falcon.

Hybrids are well-suited to urban driving where idling and frequent start-stopping is common, making taxis an ideal candidate. New York City in the United States is planning to convert their entire fleet to hybrid vehicles, and the vehicles are also being trialled in Townsville and Sydney. Unfortunately the WA government is likely to be limited in the variety of vehicles to be offered as part of the grant application process, with only two hybrids being sold in Australia currently that would suit the role: the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid (there is also a third hybrid available, the Lexus RX400h, but at about $95,000 each it’s unlikely to be racking up the kilometres as a taxi). The programme may be extended if it is judged to be successful, but no time frame was given for a wider introduction of the hybrid vehicles.

(Source: PerthNow)

Analysis: Australia’s future fuel

If you’ll indulge me for a moment, I’d like to take the opportunity to step back from each individual step that we’ve been focusing on here to take a look at the broader perspective.

In 2005, Australia consumed:

- 18,712 million litres of petrol (15,856 ML of which was used in passenger vehicles)
- 8690 million litres of diesel fuel (5,636 ML of which was used in rigid or articulated trucks)
- 1564 million litres of LPG/CNG fuel

Current indicators are that fossil fuel use has increased in the 18 months since this data was recorded; alternative fuel use in transport was not significant enough to appear with these statistics at the time. In terms of fuel production:

- Non-renewable fuel production has increased 446% in the last 30 years
- Renewable fuel has increased 28% in the same period

Clearly these are not the markers of a country that has embraced alternative and renewable fuels, as much of the world is doing. This is both a weakness and an opportunity for us: although we have so far given up the chance to be a world leader in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, we have been able to observe a very rapidly maturing field of fossil fuel replacements and make a sensible decision about which is best for the Australian environment. If you’re interested in knowing who the primary contenders are, read on.

First hybrid bus operator named

Hybrids might not yet be too popular as private vehicles, but if there’s one place they make perfect sense, it’s buses. Frequent stopping and idling makes a hybrid drivetrain with regenerative braking a wise choice for buses, making public transport an even wiser choice if you’re looking to use less fuel.

With these advantages in mind, Victoria is set to be the first state to trial a new diesel-electric hybrid bus. The Bus Association of Victoria recently announced that Ventura Bus Lines will be the operator chosen to test the new vehicle. Ventura already has a notable emissions record, operating the only ethanol-powered buses in the state. The new hybrid bus will enter service in 2008 on an as-yet-unnamed route that will “maximise its emission reduction capabilities”.

If you’re wondering what alternative fuels the buses in your state are running, keep checking here regularly - a full list of alternative fuel buses in each state is coming soon.

(Source: Australasian Bus News)

No love for hybrids in Australia

If the latest motor vehicle sales figures are anything to go by, Australia has a long way to go to clean up its act on the roads, both on the supply and demand sides. The year-to-date statistics show that just 0.5 per cent of all vehicles sold were hybrids, and 62 per cent of those vehicles were bought by governments. On a positive note, the trend for hybrids is upwards, with the past month seeing the most hybrid vehicles yet sold in Australia (380).

Why are hybrid sales so sluggish in Australia when compared to other parts of the world? There are a variety of factors that play into it, not the least of which is a lack of incentives from state and federal government to buy more efficient cars, making them a more expensive purchase than in other countries. Coupled with concerns about battery life and misconceptions about the “true” environmental cost of manufacturing, as well as a lack of variety on the supply side, it’s little wonder that most of Australia has yet to see the value in them. Given the limited market, are we likely to see an Australian hybrid on the roads any time soon or will our auto companies deem it too risky an investment?

(Sources: Courier Mail, Australian Bureau of Statistics)

Peugeot to add a hybrid to its lineup

It’s no secret that Australia’s choices in hybrid cars are limited at best, so it’s always good news when a new one pops on to the market. The new Peugeot 308 will make its debut at Frankfurt in September, with the choice of either a petrol or turbocharged diesel engine as well as a hybrid diesel powertrain, according to CARSguide. The petrol and diesel models will be shown at the Melbourne Motor Show next March, with the hybrid likely to arrive in 2009. An E85-compatible model is also expected at some point, but is unlikely to be released in Australia due to the unavailability of E85 petrol.

The 308’s fuel economy and emissions numbers are impressive, with the smaller petrol model using 6.7L/100km for 88kW of power and the 2.0L diesel using only 5.5L/100km but providing up to 100kW. The HDi hybrid diesel engine’s numbers remain a point of some contention, with sources claiming anywhere between 4.5L/100km and as low as 3.4L/100km for the 1.6L, 66kW engine. Emissions for the diesel hybrid also vary between 90 and 120g/100km of carbon dioxide. One thing that is guaranteed on the HDi is the inclusion of an all-electric mode under 50km/h, as well as regenerative braking and a stop-start motor that switches the engine off when idling to conserve fuel. Prices for the new models have not yet been confirmed.

(Sources: Green Car Congress, CARSguide)

Expert calls for Australian peak oil study

Visiting US peak oil expert Dr Roger Bedzek is calling on the Australian government to immediately study the effects that peak oil would have on Australia. The former White House consultant is in Australia to give a series of lectures on the theory of peak oil, which states that oil production rates will soon reach or has already reached its highest point. He suggested that Iran’s recent controversy regarding its domestic fuel restrictions highlight the effect that a drop in oil production may have.

“The problem is we’re so tightly stretched now there’s no slack in the system, so even minor perturbations in the system, such as reduced output from Iran, affects the entire world.”

To counter this potential problem, Dr Bedzek is calling on Australia to investigate “possible, aggressive actions on both its supply side and on the demand side”, including energy effeciency measures in transport and alternative fuels including biofuels, hybrids and liquid fuel from coal, as soon as possible to mitigate the effects that peak oil might have.

“It’s going to take a long time, in terms of changing development patterns, running rail and light rail systems, mass-transit systems out to the suburbs and that,” he said.

“If you don’t try to take these kind of mitigation options starting immediately, the ultimate cost to Australia will be many billions more than that [the investment in making the changes].”

(Sources: ABC News, NineMSN)

Hino releases hybrid truck

Road freight makes up a significant portion of Australia’s transport emissions, so it’s little wonder heavy vehicle manufacturers are looking for ways to reduce their fuel consumption. The Hino Hybrid, released this week at the Queensland truck and machinery show, shows that some companies in Australia are getting on with the job.

The Hino Hybrid’s recent marathon test run generated a fuel consumption of just 10.9L/100km over 512km of inner-city driving by virtue of combining its 110kW common-rail diesel engine with a 23kW electric motor and a start-stop system that turns the engine off when idling.

In a press release, Hino claimed that the new hybrid truck represented a 20 per cent saving in fuel consumption and 25 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions over similar-sized trucks. Additionally, the new truck reduces particulate emissions by up to 85 per cent.

The truck is designed to be most effective in urban driving conditions, where frequent idling in traffic and at red lights results in inefficient fuel use.