In the economic downturn, hybrid cars have crossed the bridge from being a fad to becoming mainstream family vehicles, writes Jagdeep Worah

As the world seeks to move away from hydrocarbon fuels, 'hybrid cars' has become a buzzword. But what exactly are these, and how far are they viable for the average user?

With governments becoming increasingly aware that hydrocarbon-driven transport is unsustainable, the focus is firmly on hybrid or 'green' cars. The current economic crunch has only helped deepen the focus on fuel-saving and environmentally safer forms of transport, and hybrid cars have crossed the bridge from being a fad to a mainstream family vehicle.

Lately, several countries have announced incentives for the manufacture and use of 'plug-in' cars, which can be recharged from virtually any electric outlet. In the UK, for example, motorists will be offered subsidies of up to £5,000 if they buy electric or plug-in hybrid cars. Australia and Japan, as well as several states in the US, are offering comparable incentives.

At the same time, earlier subsidies for today's standard hybrid cars - which typically run on regular fuel, combined with a self-recharging battery - are being phased out. The currently popular hybrids like the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight won't qualify for the new incentives. This is because studies show that a plug-in vehicle is less polluting than a hybrid even if it is recharged from a coal-burning power source.

The trouble with today's plug-in or fully electric cars is that they have a very short range, and recharging them fully could take seven hours or more. The infrastructure needed is also lacking - plug points are difficult to find while driving on highways. Officials in the US and UK have admitted that eligible cars are not likely to hit the road for at least another couple of years.

However, plug-in scooters are rapidly becoming popular, as they are lightweight, easy to use, and require a shorter recharge time. In India, for example, plug-in scooters showed a remarkable 36 per cent year-on-year growth, albeit on a small base. (See: Electric vehicle maker Ultra Motor to double production in India)

What's the difference?
Today's mass-produced hybrid electric vehicles combine conventional propulsion with a rechargeable energy storage system to achieve better fuel economy than a conventional vehicle. They prolong the battery charge through regenerative braking or a built-in electrical generator, to either recharge the battery or directly feed power to an electric motor that drives the vehicle.

Many HEVs also reduce idle emissions by shutting down the generator on idle and restarting it when needed. An HEV's engine is smaller than that of a petroleum fuel vehicle and may be run at various speeds, providing greater fuel efficiency.

There is a limited variety of electric vehicles on the market, which range in price from about £8,000 to more than £80,000 for high-performance models. Sales have been held back by a number of factors: these vehicles commonly have a limited range of 40-50 miles, take several hours to charge, and have only two seats.

Toyota, Honda remain on top
While several countries have earmarked funds to create plug-in infrastructure, in the meantime the green car market is ruled by vehicles that manage to get the maximum mileage out of standard fuel with the assistance of a battery.

Currently, traditional manufacturing leader Japan produces the best and most popular hybrid models. The undoubted global market leader in the green car segment is Toyota's Prius, but Honda is snapping close at its heels with its Insight model.

Since its global launch in 2001 till early this year, the Prius has sold 1.2 million units, with the bulk of its sales in the US. However, in spite of boasting a fuel efficiency of 50 miles per gallon, or over 20 km per litre, for its 2009 model, the Prius has not proved immune to the recession - in the first quarter of the year, US sales dipped 43 per cent to 24,277 units.

Still the Prius, which runs on petrol and a self-charging nickel-metal battery, has a loyal following. Its owners have long had a reputation for trying to eke the maximum distance out of every drop of petrol, trading tips on the web. The 2009 version has a 1.8 litre engine, and boasts a better mileage than ever.

But Honda may have already caught up. For April, its new Insight hybrid outsold the Prius in both companies' home ground of Japan. (See: Honda's Insight hybrid tops Japan's April car sales )

The Insight bears a striking resemblance to the Prius, the current sales and image champion of the hybrid sector. But with a recently-announced price tag of under $20,000, Insight has poised itself to break into new markets to tap buyers who so far simply couldn't afford to go 'green'.

"This is meant to be a car for youthful drivers, who have taken environmental priorities to heart but have been unable to afford current hybrid vehicles on the market," Jerry Chenkin, executive vice-president of Honda Canada, said recently.

Referring to the rush for hybrid vehicles in step with rising fuel prices, and the consequential slowing of sales when fuel prices dropped, Chenkin added that at its retail price, the Insight "will be immune to buying considerations based on the cost of fuel".

Honda has sweetened the youth appeal of the Insight with a menu of interactive entertainment systems, including a USB audio interface. "And it is fun to drive - which can't be said for the Prius," according to Chenkin.

Price wars
Japan, the home country of both the market leaders, is a key battlefield, especially since the government announced new tax and cash incentives for hybrid cars. Toyota has reportedly set a sales target of 40,000 units in Japan and 400,000 worldwide in 2010 for the third-generation Prius, which is expected to hit showrooms in mid-May. It has listed mileage in Japan of 38 km per litre, against the 30 km/l that the Insight claims.

While by all accounts Toyota is trying to match Honda in pricing, the Prius is expected to remain more expensive than the Insight, because it is bigger and can go a longer distance on battery power. Prius has an engine capacity of 1800 cc, against Insight's 1300 cc.

'Clarity' on the scene
Honda's newest product, however, could push both these models into the past. This is the remarkable FCX Clarity, which won the World Green Car of the Year award at the New York Car Show in March.

Claimed as the world's first zero-emission car, the Clarity uses a chemical reaction combining hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity to power the engine. The exhaust is water. Honda's patented fuel cell stack technology uses gravity to remove the water and actually makes the system even more efficient.

The result is a power plant that is three times as efficient as a conventional gas-powered car, twice as efficient as a hybrid, but still small enough to allow comfortable cabin space. The car itself is a sleek, four-door sedan with futuristic styling both inside and out, and tracking headlamps to improve driver visibility.

The car also has a high-tech instrument panel that not only gives the normal readout, but a glowing ball in the centre of the speedometer turns from blue when the car is being driven efficiently for optimum mileage to orange when the driver is using more power than necessary.

Its most notable advantage over the current lot of hybrid and electric vehicles is that it can go as far as 250 miles before it needs refuelling.

However, the Clarity is currently available only to a few select contracted buyers in California, the only US state with a hydrogen-refuelling infrastructure worth the name. Mass production is not expected till 2018.

Green cars rule
Owners of the Toyota Prius have begun a slow but steady move towards converting their cars into plug-in vehicles. A few hundred Prius owners around America are believed to have taken the plunge, and six Prius dealerships in the US now convert standard Priuses into plug-ins using commercially produced lithium-ion batteries.

The conversion process is fairly simple, and is used for other hybrid models as well. The battery has a range of 35 to 40 miles, and takes about five hours to recharge completely. However, the cost of the conversion is prohibitive, amounting to about half the cost of the entire car.

With this in mind - along with moves into plug-ins from Chevrolet and Chyrsler as well as tax incentives from the Obama administration for hybrid vehicle owners - Toyota moved up the date for its roll-out of the first 500 purpose-built plug-in Priuses to later this year.

The ailing US auto majors are likely to die the sooner if they don't heed the trends. For example, Mihir Worah, managing director of the Pacific Investment Co LLC (Pimco), says he uses a Toyota Lexus 400h, a hybrid SUV. According to him, the car actually gives better mileage in stop-and-start city conditions than on highways, as braking helps recharge the battery.

Citroen takes the lead in UK
With the UK also offering incentives for manufacturers and owners of plug-in cars, the country's first four-seater all-electric 'production' car was launched in London in April. The Citroën C1 ev'ie, developed and marketed by the newly-formed Electric Car Corporation, is claimed to have a range of up to 70 miles and a top speed of 60mph.

Costing £16,850 - almost three times the cost of the cheapest "'ordinary" C1 - the ev'ie can be fully recharged in up to seven hours from a domestic 13-amp socket. Its makers say that a full charge will cost about 90 pence.

The British-owned firm says that around 500 C1 ev'ies will be produced over the next 12 months, rising to between 2,000 and 4,000 units in 2010, depending on demand and government support.

The electric Citroën beats the rival Mitsubishi MiEV to the market by about six months. The compact four-seater electric Japanese car is expected to go on sale here in the autumn, costing about £20,000. Only 50 will be available in the UK in the first year.

Maruti hopes to lead India
In India, where fuel economy gets more importance than power or performance, gas-run vehicles are popular and have been made mandatory for public transport in cities like Mumbai. However these vehicles are converted versions of the standard models.

Maruti Suzuki, India's largest car seller, has thus announced plans to design hybrid cars. The new vehicles may hit the road in the coming three to five years. It is working on both electric cars and compressed natural gas versions. The  hybrid and CNG technologies will be provided in three or four Indian models. The company is currently offering LPG variants of the Maruti 800 and Wagon R.

Shinzo Nakanishi, managing director Maruti Suzuki, says the new technology is meant specially for India. The company's Japanese research and development unit would keep Indian mileage and price parametres in mind while working on the project.

With fast depleting natural resources and the rising awareness on the dangers of wastage, hybrid cars  hold a positive future. It only remains for the governments to pitch in with the required infrastructure and incentives.