MANSFIELD -- Whether they're trying to save the planet or just save a few bucks at the gas pump, Richland County residents are driving green.
Sales of gas-electric hybrid cars across the region are accelerating as motorists try to break -- or is that brake? -- their oil dependency.
"From what we have seen, there has been an increased interest in hybrids. We've had a rush on them," Graham Toyota sales manager Art Holcomb said. "People love the gas mileage."
Toyota has been a trailblazer in hybrids since introducing the Prius in the late 1990s (the first generation Prius arrived in the United States in 2000). More than a decade later, Prius is still the top-selling hybrid and Toyota's third best-selling model in the United States.
"The Prius has always done very well for us," Holcomb said. "It's always been one of our top sellers."
The technology powering the Prius and other gas-electric hybrids is surprisingly simple. In addition to a scaled-down conventional (gas-burning) engine, hybrids have an electric motor powered by rechargeable batteries. The electric motor propels the vehicle during slow-speed driving, while the gas engine does the heavy lifting at higher speeds. When additional power is needed, the onboard computer can activate the electric motor to work in conjunction with the engine. When the brakes are applied, the vehicle's generator converts energy into electricity that is stored in the batteries.
The result is a fuel-efficient, low-emissions vehicle. Gas-electric hybrids can get up to 50 miles to the gallon.
Even more efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles already are on the streets --and more are on the way. By 2015 electric cars could be everywhere.
"We're talking about a true zero-emission vehicle that is 100 percent electric. There will be no more going to the gas station," said Jason Saxton, assistant manager at Nissan of Mansfield. "These cars already are available on the coasts, but we don't have the infrastructure in this part of the country yet.
"Right now, the technology is still in its infancy."
The all-electric Nissan Leaf should be available in north central Ohio in 2012. The price tag -- list price is $33,700 but with incentives and tax breaks actual cost could be closer to $25,000 -- includes a home charging station.
According to Nissan, it takes about eight hours to fully charge the batteries, and the Leaf can go 100 miles on a full charge. Quick-charge stations, installed in test markets around the country, can charge the batteries to 80 percent in about 30 minutes.
More advanced technology is on the drawing board and, in some instances, on the street. Fuel cell vehicles, which run on hydrogen gas, are being tested in California.
Fuel cell vehicles, which convert hydrogen gas and oxygen into electricity to power an electric motor, emit no greenhouse gasses or other air pollutants. Car manufacturers still face plenty of obstacles, not the least of which is controlling costs to compete with hybrid and electric vehicles.
Ultimately, consumers will decide which green technologies succeed.
"It really depends on how society takes to these vehicles," Saxton said. "We are used to driving to the gas station and filling up, so there will need to be a change in the way we think. That shift already is happening overseas and we're trying to catch up.
"These new cars are better for the environment, so it's something we need to look into."
Sales of gas-electric hybrid cars across the region are accelerating as motorists try to break -- or is that brake? -- their oil dependency.
"From what we have seen, there has been an increased interest in hybrids. We've had a rush on them," Graham Toyota sales manager Art Holcomb said. "People love the gas mileage."
Toyota has been a trailblazer in hybrids since introducing the Prius in the late 1990s (the first generation Prius arrived in the United States in 2000). More than a decade later, Prius is still the top-selling hybrid and Toyota's third best-selling model in the United States.
"The Prius has always done very well for us," Holcomb said. "It's always been one of our top sellers."
The technology powering the Prius and other gas-electric hybrids is surprisingly simple. In addition to a scaled-down conventional (gas-burning) engine, hybrids have an electric motor powered by rechargeable batteries. The electric motor propels the vehicle during slow-speed driving, while the gas engine does the heavy lifting at higher speeds. When additional power is needed, the onboard computer can activate the electric motor to work in conjunction with the engine. When the brakes are applied, the vehicle's generator converts energy into electricity that is stored in the batteries.
The result is a fuel-efficient, low-emissions vehicle. Gas-electric hybrids can get up to 50 miles to the gallon.
Even more efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles already are on the streets --and more are on the way. By 2015 electric cars could be everywhere.
"We're talking about a true zero-emission vehicle that is 100 percent electric. There will be no more going to the gas station," said Jason Saxton, assistant manager at Nissan of Mansfield. "These cars already are available on the coasts, but we don't have the infrastructure in this part of the country yet.
"Right now, the technology is still in its infancy."
The all-electric Nissan Leaf should be available in north central Ohio in 2012. The price tag -- list price is $33,700 but with incentives and tax breaks actual cost could be closer to $25,000 -- includes a home charging station.
According to Nissan, it takes about eight hours to fully charge the batteries, and the Leaf can go 100 miles on a full charge. Quick-charge stations, installed in test markets around the country, can charge the batteries to 80 percent in about 30 minutes.
More advanced technology is on the drawing board and, in some instances, on the street. Fuel cell vehicles, which run on hydrogen gas, are being tested in California.
Fuel cell vehicles, which convert hydrogen gas and oxygen into electricity to power an electric motor, emit no greenhouse gasses or other air pollutants. Car manufacturers still face plenty of obstacles, not the least of which is controlling costs to compete with hybrid and electric vehicles.
Ultimately, consumers will decide which green technologies succeed.
"It really depends on how society takes to these vehicles," Saxton said. "We are used to driving to the gas station and filling up, so there will need to be a change in the way we think. That shift already is happening overseas and we're trying to catch up.
"These new cars are better for the environment, so it's something we need to look into."
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