NEW YORK -- Automakers are rolling out technology that will help people who drive everywhere -- even the four blocks to the video store -- do a little less damage to the environment.
On Wednesday, Ford and Toyota announced new fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles that also reduce the amount of harmful pollutants.
At the 2003 New York International Automobile Show, hybrid car pioneer Toyota introduced an upgrade of the Prius hybrid while Ford introduced an SUV that even Greens may tolerate.
Hybrid cars complement an internal combustion engine with an electric motor that is used at lower speeds and to help with acceleration. By turning off the engine when stopped and relying instead on a battery-powered motor, hybrid cars can substantially increase fuel-efficiency.
The 2004 Prius, which will be available in the fall, is more fuel-efficient and somewhat larger than the compact version that first appeared on American highways in 2000. In stop-and-go city traffic, the Prius' computer will instruct the electric motor to provide the primary power, reducing gas consumption.
The Prius also features regenerative braking, which uses some of the friction energy created while stopping to recharge the battery. Toyota says these innovations will give the car a combined fuel-efficiency rating in the mid-50s miles-per-gallon, a 15 percent increase over the previous model.
"It does everything on earth better, and is far better for our Earth," said Toyota president Fujio Cho.
Toyota had to upgrade the quirky Prius to compete with the Honda's larger Civic hybrid, said Karl Brauer, editor-in-chief of car review website Edmunds.com. "They need to make it ready for prime time."
While the new mid-size Prius was designed to look more like a standard car than its odd-shaped predecessor, the accelerator controls will be less familiar to drivers. Instead of a gearshift, the Prius has a joystick on the dashboard for changing speeds using only the fingertips. A computer optimizes performance of the by-wire accelerator that uses electronics instead of gears.
Another Prius feature aimed at the in-a-hurry crowd enables drivers to get in the car and start moving without taking the keys out of their pockets. As a driver approaches, the car will detect the keys in the pocket and unlock the doors. A Start button on the Prius' dashboard replaces the keyed ignition.
Ford is revving up production of the Escape hybrid, a first-of-its-kind sport utility vehicle, which will be leased to fleets by the end of the year, and sold to consumers in summer 2004. The 4-cylinder vehicle will look just like its gas-guzzling counterpart, but can get up to 40 miles per gallon in the city instead of 23.
The Escape Hybrid can help fight city smog because it can be powered by the battery up to 40 percent of the time, according to Steve Lyons, president of the Ford division. Lyons said the company would produce approximately 20,000 Escapes per year.
Edmunds' Brauer sees the hybrid SUV as a unique pairing of two distinct worlds -- those who care about the environment and those who want independence at any cost.
"(The Escape) widens the appeal of hybrid cars, giving consumers a range of options," said Brauer. "It could give a boost to the hybrid market."
Ford also announced its next hybrid car would be a Futura sedan, due out in 2005. Ford's Lyons, like many industry executives, believes that hybrids "will be the technology to transition us from combustion-engine vehicles to fuel-cell vehicles." Fuel-cell vehicles are powered by hydrogen, but are not expected to be commercially viable until at least 2010.
Brauer said that higher pricing is limiting the hybrid market to only gradual growth. Despite government tax incentives and savings on gasoline, hybrids still cost more to own than conventional cars, Brauer said. Most consumers aren't willing to pay just to reduce pollution. "Americans are extremely environmentally conscious -- as long as it doesn't cost them anything."
Toyota said the 2004 Prius would be priced similarly to the original model at $20,000, while Ford did not comment on pricing.
