Larger hybrid brings gas-electric models closer to mainstream

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Posted 11:27AM on Sunday, April 28, 2002

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine - Tom and Fiorella Williams put in an order for a new Honda Civic Hybrid sight unseen, without so much as a test drive. They like the car, which runs on both gasoline and electricity, because it guzzles less gas and spews less pollution than conventional cars that run solely on gas. But they wouldn't have bought it if it didn't handle and look like the Civic they previously owned. The Honda Civic Hybrid, which hit dealerships this month, is the first established mainstream vehicle to be equipped with a combination gasoline-electric power system. Some think it has the makings to be the first hybrid that will appeal to large numbers of Americans. The Williamses were willing to pay an extra $2,500 or so for the car because they are concerned about the environment. They also wanted better gas mileage -- and 600 miles to a tankful isn't too shabby. "We fell in love with the car when it was introduced last fall," Tom Williams said. "We got the second one the dealer sold." Americans have been hearing about electric cars for years, and the image is etched into our brains: small oddball cars with clunky battery packs that need to be plugged in every few hundred miles. The first electric cars manufactured for the masses, however, turned out to be gas-electric hybrids, and they are a far cry from the stereotype. Honda launched its two-seat Insight model in December 1999, and the four-door Toyota Prius went to market a few months later. But they were smallish cars and Americans have bought only 35,000 or so of those models -- making them rare sights on the road. That doesn't mean Americans don't like the idea. A survey by J.D. Power and Associates, a market research firm based in Agoura Hills, Calif., found that 60 percent of 5,200 new-car buyers said they would consider buying a hybrid. If, that is, the technology were available in the car they already drive, said Thad Malesh, director of J.D. Power's alternative power technologies. The Civic Hybrid may be the car that provides a breakthrough in hybrid car manufacturing, he said. It's larger than the initial offerings from Honda and Toyota, and the Civic is already the nation's best-selling compact car, with more than 330,000 sold last year. The Hybrid looks nearly identical to a regular Civic except that the grill, front bumper and rear lights are slightly different, the wheels are aluminum alloy, and the antenna is on the roof instead of in the rear window. Inside, a 63-pound battery is positioned behind the rear seat, and a gauge on the dashboard tells drivers when the battery is charging or assisting the gas engine. And because the battery recharges automatically, you can forget about having to plug it in. The Hybrid is essentially a Honda EX, minus the moonroof, with both a gas engine and an electric motor under the hood. Honda says it has the same safety ratings as the standard Civic. It gets 46 to 51 miles per gallon (depending on highway or city driving, and on the transmission type: automatic or five-speed manual), goes from 0 to 60 mph in 12 seconds and carries a price tag of about $20,000. The conventional EX gets 31 to 38 mpg, goes 0-60 in 10 seconds and costs roughly $2,500 less. John Watts, spokesman for American Honda Motor Corp. in New York, said some states offer tax incentives that somewhat offset the higher price. He said Virginia lets drivers of hybrid cars ride solo in car pool lanes. The Civic Hybrid came to market in early April, and several dealers have backlogs. Maine Mall Motors in South Portland, where the Williamses bought their Civic Hybrid, has sold five so far; three haven't even been delivered yet. Other dealers nationwide are reporting strong interest, and Honda is projecting sales of 2,000 per month, Watts said. Malesh thinks those numbers are conservative. J.D. Power, in fact, is projecting that Americans will be buying half a million gas-electric hybrids a year from all manufacturers in four or five years. That would account for 3 percent of overall sales. Malesh also expects there to be as many as 20 different hybrid vehicle models on the road by 2007. Ford Motor Co., for instance, has announced plans to introduce a hybrid from of its SUV, the Escape, next year that gets 40 mph. "This is the wave of the future," Malesh said. "Virtually all the industry is going to go this way."