No-gas use keep hybrids slicker in city

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Question: When mileage is reported on a hybrid, the "city" is typically shown as higher than "highway." Is the battery system verified at the same percentage of charge before and after testing? It seems optimistic that "city" could be higher. Isn't the highest efficiency obtained when holding a steady speed, albeit the right steady speed? Steady speed sounds more like "highway" than "city."

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Answer: Toyota spokesman John Hanson says cars spend more time in battery mode at low speeds than in gas mode at higher speeds in EPA mileage testing, which is done on a dynamometer not on actual roads. The low-speed runs simulate start-and-stop driving similar to what you do in the city. And when idling, such as at a red light, hybrids typically shut off the gas engine so no fuel is consumed. This is what makes the mileage better in the city.

Q: I own a 2008 Toyota Prius. The seats are hard, but so what (Chicago Tribune, Aug. 3)? It gets 50 m.p.g. If the government allows drilling in the Alaska wilderness, we will get less than three years' supply at the rate we are now using oil. What will we do the fourth year? Without some serious changes in the ways we use energy, you and everyone else in this great country will be going to the voting booth one of these days to choose a ruler who was born in Russia, China or India _ if we are still allowed to vote.

A: Bet you sleep with the lights on _ on a hard mattress. Prius seats are hard but they don't have to be. Would you like your Prius less if you got 50 m.p.g. and had softer seats? The next generation is coming next year and some changes are needed to make it a better car other than simply high mileage. By the way, for your doom and gloom scenario to materialize, Congress must change the law requiring the president to be at least 35, have lived in the United States at least 14 years, and be a natural born citizen of the U.S. and not Russia, China or India.

Q: I read your column and understand that many of your readers are concerned about hybrid cars. A company in San Diego is just about ready with its Evoasis charging station for plug-ins that's fast, safe and coming to a town near you soon.

A: Since the Toyota plug-in hybrid coming out in 2009 is for fleet testing, and the Chevy Volt isn't due until late 2010, there probably isn't any great hurry to have a charging station available in a town near us soon, especially since the battery pack in either will plug into your own home electrical sockets.

Q: I'm considering a new BMW X-3 and understand that a major redo is set for 2010. True? My local dealer is clueless.

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A: Dealers concentrate on selling what they have in stock, not on what is coming in a few years, so don't blame the dealer. BMW says the next generation X-3 will be produced at its Spartanburg, S.C., plant that now builds the X-5 and X-6, and that will happen in a couple years. That's all BMW would say, because it too focuses on what it has to sell now, not what's coming in two years.

Q: There's so much to fuel conservation: slower speeds, voluntary and police-enforced; carpooling; 10-hour, four-day work weeks; more people working at home at least one day a week; moving closer to work; taking vacations closer to home; and teleconferencing. No single action will solve the problem, but a blend of approaches can make a difference.

A: Just as no one source of vehicle power is going to be the answer, either. It's going to take a mix of gas, gas or diesel hybrids, electric, diesel, hydrogen and probably one or two energy sources still to be developed to improve mileage and reduce dependence on gasoline.

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(Write to Jim Mateja, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., 4th Floor, Chicago IL 60611, or send e-mail to transportation@tribune.com. Due to the volume of letters, only those in which the reader includes full name and hometown can be read.)

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