Toshiba near deal with Toyota on hybrid car chips
Reuters / February 14, 2005
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TOKYO -- Japan's Toshiba Corp. said on Monday that it was in the final stages of talks with Toyota Motor Corp. about supplying the automaker with microchips that control key functions of hybrid cars.

Toshiba, the world's fifth-largest chip maker, said it planned to spend $94.87 million from 2004 to 2006 to build a production line at an existing plant in western Japan that will make semiconductors for use in hybrid cars.

A comp ...

Armed with a Bazooka BTA6100 amplified subwoofer, we fix one of the biggest weaknesses of the new Toyota Prius.

Project Prius: Breaking The Sound Barrier - LA Car, February 12, 2005

Excerpt from an article at DallasNews.com (registration required):

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The Prius Patriots: Why conservatives are garaging their gas hogs


Since when do right-wing Washington he-men drive Priuses, the compact Toyota hybrid cars that get an estimated 60 mpg on the highway? Aren't those supposed to be the cars of choice for pale-faced tree-huggers and liberal college professors too timid to roar down ...

Why you will want a gasoline-powered 'strong' hybrid, and why diesel-hybrids won’t make it in North America.

http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section=article&storyid=807

Diesel-electric hybrid cars make no real sense in North America, and not much elsewhere. Period. That's a pretty strong statement, but suspend disbelief, read the following and then make up your own mind.

There's an interesting article on a hydraulic (rather than battery/electric) hybrid system for diesel trucks in today's New York Times. For example, it claims that the hydraulic hybrid system can recapture 60-70% of energy in regenerative braking, rather than 30-40% for a battery hybrid. The article link is
here

http://press.arrivenet.com/bus/article.php/583497.html

The Portico is also designed to accept Hyundai's hybrid drive system. This configuration features two electric motors; one driving the front wheels and a second driving the rear wheels, providing efficient AWD (all-wheel-drive) capability. Front power is supplied by a 110 kW (136 horsepower) electric motor; a 60 kW (83 horsepower) motor powers the rear wheels.

SPECIFICATIONS: Hyundai Portico Concept Vehicle

Configuration: Hybrid AWD: Front engine/front drive, rear motor/rear drive Wheelbase: 3,070 mm / 120.9 inches Overall length: ...

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/02/the_ford_marine.html

http://www.mixedpower.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=350

Earlier this year, Bill Ford announced that production of the Mercury Mariner hybrid would be moved up a year to the his fall. Now the company has released initial details about what will be its second hybrid SUV.

Based on the hybrid powertrain from its cousin the Escape Hybrid, the Mariner Hybrid delivers an estimated 33 mpg (city), 29 mpg (highway) and is targeted to meet California’s Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle standar ...

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/10853649.htm

There's another reason to buy the Toyota Prius hybrid. Customers are willing to wait months to buy one. Critics tabbed it as a car of the year in 2004. And, today, it'll be named the best value of any car under $23,000 by IntelliChoice, the Campbell company that evaluates the cost of buying or leasing a vehicle.

That means a Prius owner will pay less to own one for five years than any other model of that price.

The full results will be posted on www.intellichoice.com today.

By Matt Nauman
Mercury News

The Best Cars To Drive In Rush Hour Traffic - LA Car, February 8, 2005

Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius makes the "best car in rush hour traffic" list, but not because of its green credentials. The Prius makes it because it's one of the most entertaining vehicles on the road. Between its ability to operate in pure electric mode at low speeds, to its graphic energy and consumption displays, to its auto-shutdown operation at idle and auto-start function when accelerating - the Prius ...

EVANSTON, Ill., Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The New England Patriots may have won Super Bowl XXXIX, but Toyota Prius scored highest with the students and faculty at the world's No. 1 business school, according to the Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review panel.

"As always, the Super Bowl featured a mixed bag of advertising," said Kellogg School of Management Clinical Associate Professor Tim Calkins, who spearheaded the Review. "There were some clear winners this year and also some big misses."

As major corporations and lesser-known startups agreed to pay an average of $2.4 million for ...