Hybrid car makers enter mainstream

Never in his wildest, tech-driven dreams did Don Wessel think his auto dealership would offer cars that operate on both gasoline and electric power.

Yet, that's what the new millennium brought to the car industry, and Don Wessel Honda now offers two hybrid models: the Insight and the 2003 Civic Hybrid, which arrived in showrooms on Earth Day, April 22.

"It's definitely a step in the right direction." Wessel said of the combo cars. "Everybody that's bought one just loves them."

The future is here

High gasoline prices and rising pollution emissions have turned automakers' initiatives toward production of hybrid vehicles.

The two forerunners of the unique cars are Honda and Toyota. Toyota's Prius was launched in July 2000, just after the Honda Insight.

"There are some other companies coming out with them in the future, but right now Toyota and Honda have them on the ground," Reliable Toyota assistant sales manager Matt Stafford said.

But it took Toyota a little longer to make them accessible at dealerships.

Stafford said that until six months ago they were available via online orders only. Reliable has sold 25 to date, he said.

"I think those numbers will increase now that we've got the cars on the lot," Stafford said.

Sales of the two-seater Honda Insight the most gas-efficient hybrids at 70 miles per gallon have been slow locally.

In two years, 11 Insights have sold at Don Wessel Honda.

Honda sales associate Brian Davis thinks it's due to its small size, a problem solved by the five-passenger, "more usable" Civic Hybrid.

Two Civic Hybrids have been purchased in the first month, one by Springfield resident Donald Eckstein. Eckstein traded in his 2002 Honda Accord for the new Civic Hybrid, looking for better gas mileage because he travels often, averaging 35,000 miles on the road each year.

"I'll probably put more on this one," Eckstein said. But that's OK with him, because on a recent trip to Harrison, Ark., the car averaged 53.9 miles per gallon, he said. In the first month, Eckstein has logged 2,500 miles.

Changing perceptions

Even with the benefits of the hybrid cars, buyers like Eckstein are not the norm, according to Jon Wessel, Honda's general manager.

Wessel said it has been difficult convincing the buying public of the benefits.

"It's hard to change their habits," he said. "They still want that gasoline-powered motor. It's just hard to change the public's taste overnight."

Adding to that is hybrid vehicle pricing, which starts at about $20,000.

"As they produce more and the technology becomes more available it will drive the price down," Wessel added.

Wessel thinks it will take five to 10 years for the two variables to meet.

"We'll sell some, of course, to people that are environmentally conscious but as far as a car that we sell day in and day out as our bread-and-butter car, that's a ways on down the road," he said. "There's no doubt in my mind that it is coming. It's probably going to be a little while."

Efficient features

One obstacle to sales is the preconceived notion that the cars must be plugged in, Wessel said. The new versions do not need to be charged.

"There's still people that think you have to plug it in," he said. "We still have to change that perception as well."

Instead, the new technology allows the battery to charge as the car is decelerating, through its regenerative braking system that emits electrical charges when the car is slowing. A gauge on the Civic Hybrid's dash shows when recharging takes place, and when electric power is used. The primary use of electric power is utilized in acceleration, until the car reaches a set speed. Then it cruises with gasoline power, Davis said.

There is also a bar that displays the car's instant miles per gallon.

Once stopped, the hybrid vehicles turn off power to conserve energy.

Davis said engineers used "everything they had in their bag of tricks" to create a more efficient vehicle.

Tax break

To help get more of these ultra-low emission vehicles on the road, the Internal Revenue Service is offering a one-time tax deduction of up to $2,000 for buyers of hybrid vehicles. According to a release from the IRS, the deduction could be claimed for the previous two years hybrids were available.