Hybrid-Electric Car
2009 Prius
The Prius is available in three trim levels: Standard, Base and Touring. All trim levels employ Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive, a hybrid powertrain technology that unites a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with a powerful electric drive motor to generate 110 combined horsepower, mated to a continuously variable transmission. Comfort and convenience features including power mirrors, remote keyless entry, automatic air conditioning and a tilt steering wheel with redundant climate and audio controls are standard. Safety features found on every Prius include anti-lock brakes with brake assist, traction control, front side-impact airbags, front and rear side curtain airbags and a tire pressure monitoring system; vehicle stability control is available on Base and Touring trims. Hybrid-related components are backed by an 8 year/100,000 mile warranty.
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Ethanol Car
2009 Impala
The Impala is a full-size front-wheel drive sedan capable of carrying up to six people. It comes in four trim levels: LS, LT, LTZ, and SS. The LS and LT include a 211-hp 3.5-liter V6 engine which is also available in an E85-capable version. The LT is available with a 233-hp 3.9-liter E85-capable V6 which is standard on the LTZ. The SS comes with a 303-hp 5.3-liter V8 engine. All trims come with a four-speed automatic transmission. Standard equipment includes front bucket seats and front, side and side curtain airbags.
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Diesel-Biodiesel Car
2009 Jetta Sedan TDI
Volkswagen has just released the official pricing for the new 2009 Jetta TDI and, as promised, the price will be about $2,000 more than the base gas engine. The Jetta TDI will run $21,990 in four-door sedan form and $23,590 in SportWagen style. The TDIs will be equivalent to the SE trim level for the gas-engined cars which is the mid-level setup. The TDI will be available with a choice of either a three-pedal completely manual 6-speed gearbox or two-pedal DSG setup. The DSG also has six forward gears and steering wheel mounted paddle shifters for those so inclined. Volkswagen also released the results of some real world mileage testing that they commissioned. When the official EPA mileage numbers came out last month, the DSG model scored a slightly disappointing 29mpg city and 40mpg highway. The new for 2008 EPA test procedures are thought to underestimate real world performance for diesel engines. Volkswagen hired third party tester AMCI to find out and their numbers came out 24 percent better than EPA at 38mpg city and 44mpg highway. We'll be waiting patiently for our own opportunity to find out just what a Jetta can do in the ABG garage. The fifty-state legal Jetta TDI will be on sale in August, but dealers should be receiving some any day now for test drives.
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Definitions
Hybrid Electric Car:
is a hybrid vehicle that combines a conventional propulsion system with a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) to achieve better fuel economy than a conventional vehicle. Its secondary propulsion system, additional to the electric motors, means that it does not require regular visits to a charging unit as a battery electric vehicle (BEV) does.
Ethanol Fuel:
is ethanol (ethyl alcohol), the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. It can be used as a fuel, mainly as a biofuel alternative to gasoline, and is widely used by flex-fuel light vehicles in Brazil, and as an oxygenate to gasoline in the United States. Together, both countries were responsible for 89 percent of the world's ethanol fuel production in 2008.[1] Because it is easy to manufacture and process and can be made from very common crops such as sugar cane, potato, manioc and corn, in several countries ethanol fuel is increasingly being blended as gasohol or used as an oxygenate in gasoline. Bioethanol, unlike petroleum, is a renewable resource that can be produced from agricultural feedstocks.
Biodiesel Fuel:
a fuel made primarily from oily plants (such as the soybean or oil palm) and to a lesser extent from other oily sources (such as waste cooking fat from restaurant deep-frying). Biodiesel, which has found greatest acceptance in Europe, is used in diesel engines and usually blended with petroleum diesel fuel in various percentages (see also renewable energy).
