Environmentally Friendly Cars (Hybrid and Others): Part 2

Hi Everyone,


This is the second post of environmentally friend cars.


BMW Clean Energy^1,3


BMW has produced the first Hydrogen vehicle in the world. It is named BMW Hydrogen 7. It has been around for quite some time now. BMW has the idea of making hydrogen to be the fuel for the future. BMW hydrogen engines will burn the fuel to produce H2O or better known as water.


BMW has decided that hydrogen fuel is the long term solution to reduce emissions. Hydrogen has won over wind, sun, water and biomass and meet energy needs in a sustainable way.


Not only does BMW has pioneered Hydrogen fuel, it also has several hybrid cars to choose from.


Volvo Drive²


Volvo also has initiatives of researching environmentally friendly vehicles. See videos of the four Volvo cars that has been researched namely Volvo C30 Electric, Volvo V60 Plugin Hybrid, S60 and V60 Drive and Volvo Flexifuel (85% ethanol, 15% petrol).


Volvo has developed cars based on electric technology, hybrid technology and flexi fuel technology that reduces Carbon Dioxide emissions by 80%. 


Other car companies are going green as well including our national car manufacturer, Proton. Proton Emas is set to go on sale by 2013. Here are several links to other car companies on their environmentally friendly vehicle initiatives:


Kia Eco Dynamics
Ford Electric Vehicle Technology
Mazda SKYActiv Technology
Proton Concept Cars: Emas
General Motors: Design & Technology
Mercedes-Benz International: BlueTecEco

Cheers,

Rogerkoo


¹ BMW Clean Energy: Overview, http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/technology/cleanenergy/phase_2/cleanenergy.html


<sup>2 Volvo DRIVe: Environmental Programme - Explore, http://www.volvocars.com/intl/explore/Pages/drive.aspx


3 BMW Efficient Dynamics: Introduction</sup>
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/technology/efficientdynamics/phase_1/introduction.html

Environmentally Friendly Cars (Hybrid and Others)

Hi Everyone,


What do Honda Insight, Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid have in common? These are all hybrid cars! 


First launched in 1997, Toyota Prius is one of the first hybrid cars on the market. It is first available in Japan before it went worldwide 4 years later in 2001. Toyota Prius is now one of the world's best selling hybrid vehicle with 1 million units sold in the U.S and Japan. That's a total of 2 million units in both countries.¹ Honda Civic Hybrid has been around in Malaysia for a few years now. Priced around RM160,000 initially, the demand here has been slow but with a cheaper price now @ RM128,000, there is a slightly higher demand. Honda Insight was launched last year with a price tag of RM98,000 making it the cheapest hybrid car in Malaysia.² It is now in the top 10 best selling non national car in Malaysia.


Pollution is one of the causes of environment degradation. Efforts have been done to reduce pollution. Car companies started to research on reducing emissions and environmentally friendly cars in the late 1990s, from hybrid cars to BMW's hydrogen car technology and Volvo's bio-ethanol initiatives.


What are the differences between the different types of eco friendly vehicles? 


Here is information on How Hybrid Cars Work from HowStuffWorks.com.³


Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive®^4,5


Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive® (HSD) is a full hybrid system that uses an battery-powered electric motor and a petrol driven combustion engine. Either one of these can power the car alone.


HSD is a smart technology that can determine when to switch between petrol and electric and when to combine both petrol and electric for maximum efficiency with high performance and excellent fuel efficiency and thus reducing pollution.


It charges the battery when the petrol is running and when the brakes are pressed, energy that are wasted due to heat during breaking is converted into electricity for use later. The battery also receives more than sufficient energy from the petrol engine when coasting so that the car does not need to be connected to the mains at all.


The car also knows when to power off the car during breaking and powers on again after that when needed.


With both the petrol engine and electric motor running, the car will produce more power with a smaller engine. For example. the 1.8l Toyota Prius actually produces performance similar 2.4l performance car.


Honda I-VTEC and IMA^6,7,8


This is Honda's hybrid system combining both i-VTEC and IMA (Integrated Motor Assist). The i-VTEC engine serves as the main power source with the IMA providing an extra power when needed. The combined engines come with an ultra-thin brushless motor that reduces the weight by 15%. It is also thinner by 22%. It also comes with CVT and ECON mode where it increases regenerative recharging and enhances the energy saving of the air conditioner unit. 


Civic Hybrid also comes with a Power Control Unit (PCU) that carries out accurate engine management to switch the motor between motor assist, motor off, and regeneration modes depending on engine speed during acceleration, cruising, and deceleration. It achieves the highest fuel economy at all conditions. The PCU is combined with the Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) that controls the functions and regulates the power of the IMA.


The fuel consumption gives an astounding 29.5km/l reading, the highest for a 5-seater passenger car.


Future Posts:


I will have another post in which we will explore BMW's Clean Energy initiatives to research on hydrogen powered cars and Volvo's DRIVE initiatives to develop environmentally friendly cars.




¹ Toyota Prius, Wikipedia Encyclopedia, 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius#First_generation_.28XW10.3B_1997.E2.80.932003.29


² Honda Insight - cheapest hybrid in Malaysia at RM98k, 2nd December 2010
http://paultan.org/2010/12/02/honda-insight-cheapest-hybrid-in-malaysia-at-rm98k/


³ Nice, Karim, and Julia Layton.  "How Hybrid Cars Work"  20 July 2000.  HowStuffWorks.com. 
http://www.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car.htm  14 October 2011.


⁴ Toyota Australia: Hybrid Synergy Drive - Hybrid Technolgy - How Hybrid Works
http://www.toyota.com.au/hybrid-synergy-drive/hybrid-technology/how-hybrid-works


⁵ Honda Insight - cheapest hybrid in Malaysia at RM98k, 2nd December 2010
http://paultan.org/2010/12/02/honda-insight-cheapest-hybrid-in-malaysia-at-rm98k/


⁶ Honda Malaysia: Honda Insight
http://www.honda.com.my/insight/about/


⁷ Honda Worldwide - CIVIC Hybrid Technology: Honda IMA system
http://world.honda.com/CIVICHYBRID/Technology/NewHondaIMASystem/PowerUnit/index_1.html


⁸ Honda Worldwide - Technology Picture Book (Automobile): IMA
http://world.honda.com/automobile-technology/IMA/detail/



Cheers,


Rogerkoo

Perodua Alza Advanced

The new Perodua Alza Advanced has just been launched. Perodua Alza has
received over 22,000 since it's launch a few months ago. Sales has
exceeded that of Proton Exora.
Proton Exora is also a successful MPV from Proton. Proton has been
revamping its brand and Exora is one of the models which receives a
good feedback. Other than that, Persona and the Saga also did very
well in their respective car segments.
The Perodua Alza Advanced comes with leather seats, reverse camera, in-
built GPS navigation system located in front of the driver, tinted
film and spoilers. It is priced around RM67K for the manual
transmission and RM70K for the auto. (Source: New Sunday Times - CARS,
BIKES, TRUCKS pullout, Page 12, March 28 2010)
With these advanced features, it will further boost the Perodua Alza
sales. I also expect that for families or people who want a larger
space, they would prefer the Proton Exora.
Proton Exora is having the Campro CPS engine and the Alza is getting
the same engine as Toyota Avanza. Whichever that anyone chooses, it
will be a good choice.
Both the Exora and Alza will face tough competition. Alza may have a
slight advantage over Exora because of people's perception on Perodua
cars. In general, people are more confident of the quality of Perodua
cars. At the same time, Proton has improved it's quality and
reputation with Exora, Persona and Saga models. I can see more Proton
cars on the road again. I am also driving a Persona.
Please feel free to comment on this. Thanks.
Cheers,
Rogerkoo

My Proton Persona

Hi,


I recently bought a Proton Persona H-Line last month. Collected the car on 11th February 2010. Mileage now is 2087 km in total. Before the Proton Persona Elegance was launched, I didn't know this facelift model is coming out this year. We were not informed about it until we saw it in the news few weeks ago. To me, my Proton Persona is good. Sometimes we can't catch it.


Specifications of Proton Persona H-Line:


Engine Capcacity: 1597cc
 
Engine Type: CAMPRO IAFM 1.6
 
Power: 82kW @ 6000rpm or 112 bhp
 
Radio: Blaupunkt 2-din Radio with 10 preset stations and a single CD player


Seating: 5


Safety Features: ABS, EBD, Front Driver and Passenger SRS Airbags


Security: Immobilizer


Transmission: 4 Speed Automatic


Extra Features:

• Power Auto Windows
• Electronically Controlled Side Mirrors
• Multi Information Display (Clock, Odometer, Tripmeter, Average Fuel Consumption, Distance to finish before refuelling and Engine Running Time)
• Steering Wheel with radio controls
• Remote Trunk Lid Opening
• Front Fog Lamps
• Proton Emergency First Aid Kit
• Lockatoo GPS (External)
• Proton Car Tools
• Vanity Mirror
• Cup holders

This car is definitely a good buy. With 82kW, the car moves forward when the accelearator is softly pressed. Engine is very smooth and with the Lotus handling, it provies a very good driving experience. It handles corners well too. The height of the car is also higher which provides a better rear view of the traffic. However, during reversing, you may not see the back clearly without the help of the reverse sensor. So far, the reverse sensor has provided me with quite accurate reverse distance. It beeps at the right time. I get used to it already. Been driving the car for nearly a month now. Overtaking is also easy as well. The engine repsonds with just a small tap on the accelerator.


Braking is also good. You'll need to press more though to stop completely. Other cars have differnt braking systems. Some with a gentle tap on the brake, it will stop quite fast, but for Proton Persona, it provides a gradual braking. Therefore, the brake need to be pressed more. It also brakes smoothly. However, it does have the braking sounds that automatic transmissions have for local cars. Hehe. Intially, when braking harder, I can hear a low screeching noise when pressed completely. After my first car service @ 1000km, there is no more sound unless I break in short distances (jam and carpark). But still it does not happen frequently now. I should brake further away and stop the car gradually. 


The auto transmission has a smooth gear change. It is the smoothest compared with other Proton models with the exception of maybe the Proton Perdana. I almost can't feel the usual jerk when shifting from P to R. The orange dashboard lights at night has a very cool effect and does not strain the eyes.


Aircond is functioning well and exceeds expectations. It is very cold. Probably the car is still new. Without low fan speed, the aircond can fills the entire car well. Mid temperature is around 25 degrees. I normally put it between 21 to 25 degrees.


Generally, the Blaupunkt 2 din radio provides me with a reasonable sound quality with CD. Radio controls can be adjusted at the steering wheel. The only thing missing now is the USB / MP3 support for the radio. This is provided in the new Persona Elegance.


It has now a fuel consumption of 7.6l per 100km. At my last refuel, I pumped RM64 after travelling a total distance of 331.1 km. Last week, I was caught in the jam at East West Link for about 1  1/2 hours. Usually, the jam is 30 minutes to 1 hour on the way to work. With that in mind, a fuel efficiency of 9.31 km/l is considered alright. Please let me know if you agree or disagree with this. The week before, the fuel effiency was 9.95km/l. I think if the traffic is good, the fuel efficiency can be improved with around 11km/l. Honda City is better than this with around 12.5km/l to 14km/l. From the NST Cars, Bikes and Trucks pullout, Toyota Vios has the best fuel efficiency in this class.


The exterior of the car and the interior of the car are nice. The interior sits 5 people comfortably withouht any issues. Leg space may not be the best but it's ample after hearing the feedback from some of my family and colleagues. Honda City, Vios and the Sentra may have a larger space there. The cushion is also comfortable and soft. The quality of the interior has improved. It is not hard compared to the ones in the Proton Wira Aeroback that my mother drives. Exterior is the same as the Gen2 except that this is a sedan instead of a hatchback. The way to differentiate the Gen2 with the Persona is the the silver decorative piece in the rear on the Persona.


It doesn't come with a seat belt indicator. My colleague told me about it and I verified it myself. Anyway, I have no problems wearing my seatbelt. It is what I normally do after I before I reverse or drive the car.


It has a very big boot too. Over 421 litres.


Here are some photos of my car (Car number has been taken out to protect privacy) :

The New Proton Persona H-Line (Full Spec). Comes with a 1.6L Campro IAFM engine generating 82KW of power, 2 front air bags, GPS, ABS, EBD, electronically controlled side mirrors and power steering among others. Big and spacious boot too.

Proton Persona was voted the 2008 Best Model of the Year by Frost and Sullivan

Right side view of the car

Front grille and teardrop lamps. Once again, the number plate also comes with the 2008 Best Model of the Year by Frost and Sullivan caption at the bottom.

The dashboard. It will be illuminated with orange colour (same as the colour that you see P and the multi function display) at night when I turn on the lights

Front of the car. Steering wheel comes with radio controls. Can adjust the volume (louder, softer, mute) and go to the next / previous tracks when playing CDs while driving

Closer view of the middle of the front of the car.

The automatic gear (P,R,N,D,3,2,L) and the fan and aircond controls

 Back seats

Side door controls

The Lockatoo A903 GPS given by Proton for H-Line and Special Edition models. Brand is Lockatoo. Powered by TM. Accurate but voice output is not so great.

The Lockatoo GPS also comes with this casing to carry around or leave at home when the GPS is not in used (to prevent theft).

For those who know me, please don't hesitate to contact me to share the photo album

So far I have no problems with the car with the exception of the brake sounds earlier but it has now been resolved. May ask them to check again @ my 5000km service. I can control the car well now. I would recommend to buy a Proton Persona Elegance now. The H-Line in the Persona Elegance variant is now RM59,999 (similar to the Proton Persona SE specifications) which comes with leather seats, cruise controls and body kit as standard. Proton has change the lineup of its Persona models a few weeks ago. I am satisfied with this car. The cost of this car is a few thousand less than the Persona Elegance H-Line.

Rating: 8/10

Cheers,


Rogerkoo

Toyota Prius

Hi Everyone,

We have only seen a hybrid car on the market now which is the Honda Civic Hybrid. There are over 100 Civic Hybrid owners on the road. Priced around RM162,800 initially, it is now sold aroudn RM128,000. This price reduction is due to the reduction of several taxes for hybrid vehicles. It is still relatively expensive for some of us who wanted to play a part to save the environment. It is a 1.3L car which combined with the electric motor produces power similar to a 1.8L Honda Civic. It is priced nearly the same as the Honda Civic 2.0L.

Similarly, Proton is developing its own hybrid car as well. Dato' Seri Abdullah, our former primer minister has sat on it to go to one of the events he attended before he stepped down.

Toyota Prius, one of the first hybrid vehicles in the market, now 3rd generation has been selling well in US, Japan and Australia. Recently, Toyota Prius is the top selling car in Japan with over 22,000 cars sold. It is the number 2 car top selling car trailing only the Honda Fit (Jazz in Malaysia).¹

The 3rd generation Toyota Prius Hybrid will be launched in Malaysia next month. It is great to hear that this car is finally here in Malaysia. We can now play a role in reducing air pollution in the South East Asian region. The 3rd generation Prius has a 1.8L engine which produces 98hp and the electric engine produces about 80hp.² Combined, the new Prius performs like a 2.4L car. To differentiate Toyota Hybrids from the normal Toyotas, the logo has a blue glow around it.

Prices for the Toyota Prius in Malaysia is expected to hover around RM170,000 similar to a 2.4V Toyota Camry!³. So expensive for a Prius. If it is priced around the same price around a Toyota Vios or even a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic Hybrid, it might appeal to more people. Why do we have to pay so much for a Prius? We can buy MyVi or Persona or even Viva which have high fuel efficiency? The Prius has a better fuel efficiency than these cars. Taxes for hybrid cars should be reduced so that the hybrid cars selling here would be less costly.

Why do we need to pay a high price to own a Toyota Hybrid or Honda Civic Hybrid? In Australia, it is priced at 37K for the normal model and 46.5K for the higher end model. More expensive for the 3rd generation model. Previously it was only about 30K. Even though it's higher now, if we do a direct conversion, it s around RM108-111K for the normal model and around RM137K to RM140K for the higher end model.⁴ I do not know the number of models are in Malaysia. Please note that the US Prius has 4 models to choose from. Not sure which models are available here. Prices in the US starts from US$22K.

I would be interested in the Toyota Prius if it would be priced lower. However, I will still stick to the normal petrol cars like the Persona or MyVi for now if I am to buy a car in the near future. Maybe in the future, I will be able to afford to buy hybrid cars.

To find out more about the Toyota Prius, you can go to Paul Tan's Automotive News or Toyota Prius website. You can also read The Star Motoring for more details of the car in Malaysia.

¹Toyota hybrid is Japan's top selling car in June, The Star Online, http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/7/6/business/20090706122753&sec=business ²The 3rd Generation Toyota Prius Hybrid, http://www.toyota.com/prius-hybrid/ ³3rd generation Toyota Prius - first impressions, Paul Tan's Automotive Blog, http://paultan.org/archives/2009/07/24/3rd-generation-toyota-prius-first-impressions/#more-16020 ⁴Toyota Prius vs Honda Civic Hybrid Road Test >> Car Advice, http://www.caradvice.com.au/2214/toyota-prius-i-tech-vs-honda-civic-hybrid-road-test/

New Honda City and Il Divo: The Promise!

Hi, Here are some pictures that I have taken in my church, First Baptist Church at Petaling Jaya on Friday night:

I am attending the CCF (Campus & Career Fellowship) in the church every Friday at 2015. Please feel free to let me know if you want to join. The normal activities that we do are worship and then bible study. We may have supper too after that at a Mamak stall or Restoran Gasing (Fried Noodles etc).

Our church will hold the VBS (Vacation Bible School) from 24th November to 30th November

Karis Ministry Notice Board. A ministry for senior citizens

The main church hall building. There are lower & upper levels. The Sunday services at 0845 and 1100 respectively are held here. Wedding ceremonies too.

Night view of PJ. Can't see very clearly here but if you are able to see the red light, it is Amcorp Mall and Offices

The New Honda City will be launched in Malaysia in mid-December. I have seen pictures of the new Honda City. It is very nice. Will like to see it someday in the showrooms. Have a look at the Honda City preview at this website: Excitement In The City. If you have a fast internet connection, it will load faster because it utilises the Google Maps technology here. Il Divo's new album is available in Malaysia now at Speedy Video. I think Tower Records may have it as well. I am going to buy it. In The Star yesterday, there is an advertisement of the new album, The Promise. Some of the hits are The Winner Takes It All, Hallelujah, Adagio & Amazing Grace. Saw some of them in YouTube. It will be another good album for them. I have the Siempre album now. Do you know that Simon Cowell was one of the persons who discover Il Divo? That's all.