Some people who drive flex-fuel cars know they are saving gas but they don’t always know that they are in a FFV.

Luckily, their production and use is slowly picking up in the United States.

What is A FFV?

The official name is flexible-fuel vehicles, or dual-fuel vehicles, for obvious reasons. They are alternative fuel cars using multi-fuel engines burning on gas and a second fuel source, most often ethanol.

In 2007, 17 models were listed as FFV, up from six the previous year, and only three in 2004-2005.

But American automakers are still far behind the world’s leader, Brazil, which today claims almost 72 vehicles produced there are flex-fuel.

According to Yahoo! Autos, some of today’s most popular flex-fuel 2008 models are Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Chevrolet’s Impala and Tahoe

There are 2 different kinds of flex-fuel systems

1. Single tanks which mixes different levels of bioethanol (or gasohol)
2. Independant tanks for each fuel system

Flex-Fuel Vehicles Have Been Around Awhile

It’s interesting to note that many automotive historians consider the first flex-fuel car to be a Ford Model T dating back to 1908, which had a carburetor that let the engine run adjustably on gasoline or ethanol.

Unfortunately widespread use has been slow in coming, not gaining much worldwide traction until the oil crisis of the 1970s, and in America the wait was even longer.

South American powerhouse Brazil has been pushing and selling ethanol as vehicle fuel since the gas-crisis ‘70s.

Automakers there quickly modified gas engines to allow use of ethanol by managing fuel injection and other technological advancements that help engines run better and longer.

By 2003, 4.8% of Brazilian-made cars were flex-fuel. The number has increased each year since, sometimes dramatically.

American automakers have gotten into the race. Ford claims to offer cars globally that use E85 – 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline.

Aside from the Model T long ago, Ford was one of the first domestic car producers to try flex-fuel. More recently, several Taurus sedans with 3.0-liter engines from 1995 to 1998 were FFVs.

In 2008, Chevrolet claimed to produce several flex-fuel cars in America, all with V6 or V8 engines, including versions of the Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Avalanche, Impala, and Uplander.

What Flex-Fuel May Mean for You

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates there are more than 6 million FFVs on U.S. roadways today.

They qualify as alternative fuel vehicles under the Energy Policy Act of 1992, and also qualify for AFV tax credits, not to mention they produce lower emissions for environmentally careful motorists.

The DOE claims flex-fuel cars are not dissimilar to vehicles that run on conventional gas alone.

Power, acceleration, cargo-carrying ability and more are comparable, whether motoring on ethanol or gasoline.

The only difference is lower fuel economy when flex-fuel cars run on ethanol alone.

The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition is promoting awareness for flex fuel vehicles. To determine if your car is E85 compatible you can use their eligibility feature.

There’s still a way to go. For example, the NEVC’s website lists locations who sell E85. The page for California has nine locations and in Southern California only one of them were located in Los Angeles

Here is there information:

Conserv Fuel
11688 San Vicente Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90049
310 571-0039

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Solar power in cars? Sure, it’s only to power a portion of the air-conditioning on fully loaded Prius versions, but an interesting concept nonetheless.

Certainly it’s food for thought today when record high gas prices and a burgeoning desire for more “green” cars has many car lovers looking for the next big thing.

Is Solar Power Realistic?

It’s very doubtful that solar power is the next big thing for cars. Solar panels are expensive, and storing the energy is not easy.

A Japanese government official, with expertise in renewable energy, said, “Even if you laid solar panels out on the entire roof of a house, you only generate enough energy to run two hair dryers.”

The Prius panels will be supplied by Kyocera Corp.

It’s not the first use of solar power in automobiles. Mazda offered a solar panel option on two models, the Eunos 800 and Sentia, in the early 1990s to ventilate when they were parked on hot days. The option proved too expensive, and unpopular, so it was discontinued after just a couple of years.

Automakers Want to Appear Eco-Friendly

“It’s more of a symbolic gesture,” said a Toyota source. And a good one at that, considering the publicity it will attract.

For more than a year now, major automakers have been in a race to see which kind of alternative fuels they can apply to motor vehicles, to steer clear of using fossil fuels.

While gas prices are, of course, a major reason, another is to show ecological awareness – a strong branding action by most companies.

The Popular Prius

Toyota already has a hit with its gas-electric hybrid Prius. In fact, the company has struggled to produce enough to meet demand. The Prius serves as great proof of the public’s shift from gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles and trucks to smaller, more fuel-efficient models.

Toyota’s homeland rival, Honda, also plans to bolster its hybrid focus with a new affordable model early next year, and follow it with several gas-electric autos.

The Prius is the world’s first mass-produced gas-electric hybrid car. It was first sold in Japan in 1997, and began surfacing in other markets in 2000.

Overall sales have topped 1 million units worldwide. Toyota’s goal is to sell at least 1 million hybrid cars a year in the early part of the next decade.

The company plans to offer it’s reliable fuel-saving system on more cars.

The Battery Race

The real race today among automakers is coming up with the best battery.

The technology is just not there yet to have batteries strong enough to power a car, yet small enough not to bog them down.

Automakers and battery makers have teamed to produce lithium-ion batteries that can store more energy in smaller packages to expand distances between re-charges.

Today there are an estimated 53,000 fully electric cars on American roadways. That’s quite a jump from the 1,600 or so in 1992 – and the average annual growth in those numbers is 28.5%.

But it’s clear that there are many more cars in the United States than 53,000. The electric car has a ways to go.

But at least it’s ahead of the fully solar-powered car.

Consumer Needs Will Continue to Define the Industry

There have been drawbacks, which automakers continue to try to address, such as high battery costs, and limited distances between recharging.

But the automotive industry has gotten better at acting faster to meet consumer demands. And gas prices are forcing consumers to pressure for more car choices.

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Consumers are feeling the financial pinch at the pump, and for a totally different reason, environmentalists want less gas burned.

Regardless of the reason, people need to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Odds are good that you are in the same boat. Where can you learn more about your vehicle, or a car you want to buy?

Who Can You Trust?

The Internet can be a blessing – or a curse. 

Which information should you trust? 

Is what you’re reading coming from some huge company and the imagination of their spin doctors?

Or is the bad review you read about a car coming from someone with sour grapes over a past dispute?

Try the Government First

A great place to start is The Government’s fuel economy website, which is operated by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency.

The site contains information which helps the federal agencies meet requirements of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 instated to provide accurate miles-per-gallon information to the public.

They also provide easy access to fuel efficiency ratings for cars and trucks dating back to 1985. Be sure to check out their downloadable Fuel Economy Guide.

Looking Beyond the Feds

Aside from Government, there are other trustworthy, independant organizations who offer straightforward information about the fuel efficiency of a vehicle, and how to buy a greener car.

For example, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is an independent, nonprofit organization that monitors energy policy. Based in Washington, D.C., the ACEEE runs an environmental vehicle ratings resource, which offers vehicle ratings, tips for greener driving as well as news within the industry.

The organization claims the Green Book provides independent scores on every vehicle in terms of environmental friendliness.

But not everyone is convinced the site is fair. For example, topping its list of “Meanest” vehicle for 2008 – those most damaging to the environment – is the Volkswagen Touareg.

Green Cars cites the Touareg’s low “Green Score” of 14 is due to the poor 15 to 20 miles it gets per gallon.

Some feel the “Green Score” is unfair due to the Touareg’s use of diesel and how miles per gallons are calculated for such vehicles. An average North American full-size sport utility vehicle – like the Touareg – usually gets 13 mpg city and 16 mpg highway.

It also should be noted that the Touareg was Motor Trend Magazine’s Sport / Utility of the Year for 2004, Four Wheeler Magazine’s Four Wheeler of the Year for 2005, and Overlander’s 2003 4WDOTY.

By the way, the site’s “Greenest” vehicles were the Honda Civic GX with 24-36 mpg for a Green Score of 57; the Toyota Prius with 48-45 mpg; and the Honda Civic Hybrid at 40-45 mpg.

Forcing Consumers to Go Green?

One thing to remember about hybrids is not everyone believes the government’s fuel efficiency estimates for them.

The U.S.

In fact, in early 2006 the EPA announced plans to calculate fuel economy differently for new cars and trucks. The agency is working to improve the estimates in terms of real driving experiences.

These days you will see lower miles-per-gallon numbers than in the past for new cars.

The EPA has been criticized for bloating the mpg numbers of hybrids, in an effort to convince consumers to buy more, and therefore reduce emissions and help the environment.

Canada

American agencies are not alone in this. In 2007 The Canadian Federal Government introduced the Vehicle Efficiency Incentive (VEI), in an attempt to promote fuel-efficient vehicles through incentives.

Effective March 2007, the VEI included a performance-based rebate program offering up to $2,000 for the purchase of a new fuel-efficient car.

The ecoAUTO Rebate Program initially offers $1,000 for new vehicles with a combined fuel consumption rating of 43.5 mpg or better; or for minivans, sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and light trucks, a fuel efficiency of 34 mpg or better.

Another $500 is offered for each half litre per 100 kilometers improvement in the combined fuel-efficiency rating of the car below those levels, for the maximum total rebate of $2,000.

Broaden Your Horizons

What we are trying to say is do your homework. When it comes to research, whether it is about a car you want to sell or a car you want to buy it is important to utilize more than one source.

This article offers some tips with some official places to start, however there are plenty of places on the web to find good information about your car.

Where to Start Looking

Here are a few places we recommend you begin your search

• Consumer Reports
• Edmunds
• Auto Trader
• Cars.com
• Kelley Blue Book

Happy Reading!

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With a product intrinsically unfriendly to the environment, carmakers are trying hard to convince consumers that their vehicles are indeed “green.”

Green Business is Here To Stay

Over the past few years the automotive industry seems to have made a full commitment to the green movement, pushed – not merely nudged – by factors such as consumer demand, the widespread global warming debate and gas costs.

The same could be said for land developers starting in the 1970s, as urbanites and suburbanites began protesting subdivisions based on ecological principles. At first many homebuilders just worked harder to get the votes needed to approve projects.

Ultimately many bowed to public pressure and chose to work with neighbors and present amenities in the form of open space areas dedicated to recreation or buffer zones, and monetary gifts to communities for public parks and roadways.

In other words, it took a few years, but the development community began “going green” years ago, taking it further with measures such as solar-powered homes, use of water-saving landscaping, and more.

Both industries face the same challenge, with products not easily deemed environmentally healthy.

How Far Will the Industry Go?

The environmental sensitivity of carmakers is evident in numerous media stories today. Increasing sales of hybrids can be seen by merely looking around the roadways, particularly in populated areas commanding commutes.

Stories of technology abound, such as the new BlueTec by Daimler AG, maker of Mercedes-Benz.  The BlueTec systems aim to reduce nitrogen oxide (Nox) emissions in diesel engines, which in turn will reduce pollutant emissions.

Mercedes-Benz making headlines for reducing emissions?  Don’t be surprised.

Officials at performance-focused BMW have set sights on building a green brand perception; and formerly muscle car-addicted General Motors has built a green concept for its Hummer and Saab brands.

A green Hummer?  Looking beyond existing brands, GM is working on its new all-electric Volt, hoping to unveil it in a few years.

It seems any and all avenues are being explored – turning biomass into ethanol for power; hydrogen fuel cells; batteries like those that power computers; solar roof panels to recharge batteries; you name it and automakers are working on it.

The Green Car Market – What’s Next?

The recent North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit is like winter meetings in baseball or pre-draft in other major sports; they offer a sneak peek at what can be expected in the season to come.

The same can be said of automakers at NAIAS. Everyone from Ford to Ferrari unveiled concept cars that indicate how each maker plans to address the green movement.  Or, in the words of many executives, environmental sustainability.

Toyota
Toyota had it’s a-BAT – for Advanced-Breakthrough Aerodynamic Truck – which the company says is smaller than its Tacoma compact pickup, but at first glance looks taller and more menacing. 

Land Rover
Notoriously lumbering Land Rover unveiled its LRX Hybrid concept, motored by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel engine that also can run on biodiesel. 

The LRX would use a lithium-ion battery pack to store energy, and it was produced with lighter materials that the company says will not sacrifice the model’s strength.

Chrysler
Chrysler’s ecoVoyager is a hydrogen fuel cell car that could to up to 40 miles on its lithium-ion battery – and up to 300 miles using the fuel cell.

Ford
Ford touted two different models which are expected around 2010.

The Verve is a concept which features a fuel-efficient four-cylinder engine with direct injection technology.

Explorer America is Ford’s way of retooling its sports utility vehicle. Instead of a big V6 or V8 engine, Explorer American is motored by a two-liter, four-cylinder with the company’s EcoBoost direct injection. 

A turbocharger produces 275 horsepower, not shabby for a vehicle designed mostly to cut emissions and save fuel.

Ferrari
Lastly, Ferrari going green? 

Evidently, even sports car buyers have their eye on clean alternative fuels. 

The F430 would run on E85 ethanol, with a higher octane rating than gas. The bio fuel version of this vehicle presents 10 more horsepower than the gasoline version – plus 5 percent less CO2 emissions.

Keep Demanding

In the end, automakers have to make what sells. If consumers were able to change the housing development market, they can change the auto industry too.

Buying green cars is not only better for the environment, but is also the best way consumers can voice their demand for a greener tomorrow.

The post Selling Cars Today – the Green Trend appeared first on Cash for Cars Selling Tips.

Yet scarcely a week goes by without headlines about a hybrid SUV winning a “green car” award, or even an “extreme hybrid” that soon may get more than 150 miles per gallon.

The SUV has increased hipness in recent years in terms of exterior looks, and safety ratings, and even gas mileage is improving.

So why all the exaggerations about its demise?

People Are Still Talking About SUVs

“The SUV craze was a bubble and now it is bursting,” automotive economist George Hoffer told The Boston Globe recently. “It’s an irrational vehicle. It’ll never come back.”

Coming back insinuates something left in the first place. A look around on any roadway likely will indicate otherwise. 

Drive by a dealership, and people are staring at sticker prices in SUV windows.

They always will attract families, with dads who don’t want a station wagon, and moms avoiding the dreaded minivan. Right?

Is America Really Going Green?

April 2008 sales figures for SUVs disagree, certainly there are indications that gas prices are changing consumer patterns.

Add other factors, such as criticism of things including safety and pollution, and a growing “greening” of America, it’s certainly reasonable that some people predict the end of the SUV’s run of popularity.

Maybe it’s just a question of when. When will we see the return of roadways filled with only cars?  Come to think of it, wouldn’t it make driving easier due to improved lines of sight?

The Perfect Suburban Vehicle

As the automotive industry adapts to the changed marketplace, SUVs have become more streamlined and aerodynamic. It’s hard to imagine being attracted today to the old Jeep and Land Rover models.

So perhaps it’s just a matter of how future SUVs will look and perform. We know growth of the suburbs helped spur the great SUV sales, with soccer moms galore rolling them off the lot. 

Suburbs are expected to continue to grow, and with them a growing marketplace for the perfect suburban vehicle.

What’s Coming Next?

Of course it’s impossible to predict the future, but let’s examine two recent examples of how the SUV might reinvent itself.

Tahoe Hybrid

Image from Wikio
When the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid SUV was named the 2008 Green Car of the Year at the Los Angeles Auto Show, many people scratched their head. A gas-guzzling SUV as the greenest car?

The 2008 Tahoe Hybrid gets 21 to 22 miles per gallon in fuel efficiency on a vehicle with a V8 that carrys a full-size SUV of about 5,000 pounds.

Ultimately Chevrolet was honored for applying technology that delivered a 30-percent gas mileage improvement in the Tahoe, as well as the ability to use the new technology in other cars.

Extreme Hybrid SUV

Image from Auto Nager
This year, AFS Trinity Power Corp. has touted its XH-150s, an “Extreme Hybrid” SUV that the company claims will get more than 150 miles per gallon, and move 0 to 60 mph in less than 7 seconds. 

The figures were for a medium-sized family SUV.

This hybrid focuses more on use of electricity, unlike the typical hybrid today that most often relies on gas. 

The intent, according to the company, is to license the technology to automakers to use the XH drive train in their SUVs, and other vehicles.

The Jury is Out

There’s no certainty that a 30-percent gas mileage improvement, or even 150 miles per gallon, will save the SUV. 

However both cases above illustrate that the SUV is important enough to tinker with to keep it in the adoring eyes of the buying public.

Just as rock n’ roll doesn’t sound like it did in 1956, the SUV of tomorrow won’t look and act like the original military vehicles that spawned them. 

Yet Rock n’ roll remains.  Will the SUV?

The post Long Live the SUV? appeared first on Cash for Cars Selling Tips.

Everyone is doing their part to preserve the environment, even the auto industry. Although they are dragging their feet for the cause, it seems like they are slowly realizing that they are going to have to take strides to clean up the planet and offer consumers alternative options to the gas burning engine.

Known for their larger cars and trucks Chrysler has some work to do, however if they can perfect the hybrid truck or SUV they will have a corner of the market as yet unconquered.

The Envi Division

Not only is Chrysler taking steps to give consumers more choices, they are straying from the heard and attempting to build alternative fuel vehicles from the ground up.

Unlike many of their competitors who are simply adding hybrid parts to existing models, the Envi division is committed to actually coming up with new and improved ways of building new and improved vehicles.

Hybrid models

The first two models that Chrysler plans to announce as hybrid options are actually modified versions of existing vehicles, the Chrysler Aspen and the Dodge Durango SUV, both due in 2008.

The actual Envi division models built from scratch are in the works right now and hopefully we will be seeing them in a few years.

This is a great step forward for our planet and for our future, it is important that we continue to strive for alternative fuel sources and we applaud Chrysler for such forward thinking.

Check out our article on Chrysler’s new logo here.

The post Chrylser is going green with a hybrid division appeared first on Cash for Cars Selling Tips.

There are already quite a few options to choose from and enough of them have been produced for them to have emerged onto the used market as well.

You’d be surprised to find out just how many different types of hybrid vehicles there are on the market today.

Compact & Sedan Hybrids

Honda leads the way in this category with three existing models offered as a hybrid

The Civic and Accord are popular in the American market anyway and the favorably reviewed hybrid options have been well received.

Toyota ranks a close second offering both the popular Camry as a hybrid to compliment the best selling hybrid car on the market, the groundbreaking Prius.

The Camry is one of the best selling sedans in the world, and Toyota took its reputation for clean reliability and gave it fantastic gas mileage, what’s not to like?

The Prius speaks for itself, not only does it get some of the best gas mileage of any hybrid vehicle on the road today; but it is the grandpappy of hybrid technology.

Lexus is also showing interest in the hybrid market and they offer what hybridcars.com calls the ‘Hermes of Hybrids’, the Lexus GS. Utilizing the same technology as Formula 1 cars to achieve a cleaner ride with some muscle to it.

While this hybrid does not get the fantastic mileage some of its cousins get; if it’s quick acceleration and love of speed are factored in it’s a guilt free stomp on the gas pedal.

Popular SUV & Minivan Hybrids

Again Toyota is high on the list where hybrid technology is concerned, offering a well liked SUV as a hybrid. As with all of their hybrids, Toyota’s Highlander is a great hybrid vehicle, it’s powerful enough, efficient enough and affordable enough to be one of the best SUV hybrids on the market today.

Toyota’s upscale Lexus name offered its AWD Lexus RX as a hybrid in 2005 and by the time they hit American soil they had some 12,000 already spoken for.

This mid sized SUV was an instant hit, combining the plush opulence that the Lexus name has come to stand for with the advanced technology of Toyota standards.

Although any vehicle designed to get maximum performance and utilize hybrid technology won’t ever get the best gas mileage of others in its category. It does allow drivers who appreciate a quick ride the ability to do it without as many harmful effects on the environment.

Ford also offers a mid sized SUV, the Escape as a hybrid and it boosts the title of the first American made hybrid.

While it may be the first, its popularity has fizzled partly because Japanese technology is a force to be reckoned with.

This SUV does have the ability to stay in all electric mode for longer stretches of time than any of its cousins, and that includes the Toyota Prius. Not to mention it still offers some of the best gas mileage for any SUV hybrid.

The Hybrid Truck

GM is the first to venture into full sized truck hybrid territory. Their goal was to keep the trucks competitively priced so that the cleaner option was affordable.

The Silverado and the Sierra are offered as hybrids and the cost is projected to be only $1500 more than their gas guzzling brothers, a pittance when you consider how much their advanced flywheel alternator hybrid system will save you at the pump.

There you have a good cross section of how hybrid technology is working its way into our mainstream. Lets hope these companies perservere and continue to bring us new cleaner options.

The post How to choose a hybrid vehicle appeared first on Cash for Cars Selling Tips.

Those who purchase environmentally friendly cars get more than just tax breaks, they get a break during rush hour traffic as well.

The DMV issues these hybrid stickers for vehicles that meet their specified emissions standards.

They are not issued to the driver, but the vehicle itself, hybrid stickers are non-transferrable and stay with the car for it’s life.

The sticker plan

It seems that part of the reason the DMV decided to allow hybrid vehicles into the HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes is because studies were showing the lanes operating at two thirds of projected capacity.

Essentially they were not relieving as much tension on busy freeways as intended. The idea behind the stickers was probably more to encourage hybrid sales than help the environment, and it worked.

The hybrid market was stimulated just as much by those who faced long daily commutes as the environmentally friendly types. Prices became inflated because of the HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lane benefit.

Toyota had a hard time manufacturing enough Prius hybrids to keep up with the California market.

How do you get a sticker for your hybrid?

You don’t. The DMV has already assigned the 85,000 stickers they made allowances for. It makes sense that anyone on the California market for a hybrid is probably more concerned with commute times than easing pollution.

A fact that has proven to be one of the driving forces behind the California hybrid market. 85,000 isn’t very many hybrid stickers considering how many people are of driving age in Southern California.

The select few that acted fast are not only sitting pretty during rush hour, but will also be able to sell their hybrid for more when the time comes to unload it.

Hybrid stickers and resale value

Because of the cap on sticker assignment, the new hybrid market has slowed considerably.

The drive to reduce pollution will always be important to some.

Unfortunately without freeway travel benefits it stands to reason that many will not pay the inflated prices for hybrid technology. Fewer people will rationalize the extra four or five grand when they have to sit in traffic with the rest of us.

The used hybrid market however will noticed a marked upswing. Hybrids sporting HOV-lane stickers will be worth more than gold to those who endure a big commute to make a big income.

The demand for freeway traffic relief had a huge affect on the hybrid market as a whole, imagine what it will do with only 85,000 of the hybrid stickers in circulation.

Used sticker wearing hybrids will fetch a price higher than asking prices for brand new hybrid vehicles. In fact, it will be interesting to see how Los Angeles in particular haggles and auctions the prized stickers, not to mention where they end up. We’ll be sure to keep an eye on that.

Sticker owners better sell fast though

In true bureaucratic form, the DMV put an expiration date on the hybrid stickers it had issued. The stickers expire on Jan 1 of 2008, unless the ‘program is extended’.

Whether or not they extend the program remains to be seen, the DMV is as unpredictable as it is controlling. With a possible end in sight, and its drawing ever near will affect the used hybrid market. Soon those prized stickers could end up only being worth the time it takes to get them and their adhesive off your bumper.

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