hybrids

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Sure, you can save a ton of money on gas by purchasing an electric car or plug-in hybrid, but that's a bit of a lifestyle makeover. If you want to pare back the outrageous cost of fuel and still have gas pump convenience, we've got the Top 5 technologies to look for in showrooms now.

The Paris auto show just wrapped up as we published this episode, so we take a look at the cars -- and one non-car -- that … Read more

Dozen of new PCs are launching alongside Windows 8. Some are inventive new designs with sliding keyboards and removable screens, others are simple retreads of existing products, occasionally augmented by a new touch screen.

Here you'll find links to all the major new Windows 8 hardware being released this holiday season, sorted by brand. Many of these systems are available to preorder now, and most will ship when Windows 8 launches on October 26 (a handful have yet to even be announced, so we'll add those to this list when they are).

We've … Read more

An IDC analyst doesn't like what he's seeing so far from PC makers and their pricing for Windows 8 products.

Lenovo and Acer this week began disclosing pricing for tablets and convertibles that range between $499 (Acer) and $1,099 (Lenovo). Bob O'Donnell, program vice president of clients and displays at IDC, doesn't think this kind of traditional PC pricing bodes well for the sales of newfangled hybrid devices.

"The problem is these things are priced way too high. Look at the history of tablet products priced above the iPad. Not pretty," he said … Read more

"There's that pesky speed of light." That cautionary remark was offered by Lee Ziliak of Verizon Data Services, speaking on a panel at the 451 Group's Hosting and Cloud Transformation Summit last week. The context was that hybrid cloud environments may logically appear as something homogeneous, but application architectures need to take the underlying physical reality into account.

Latency, the time it takes to move data from one location to another, often gets overlooked in performance discussions. There's long been a general bias toward emphasizing the amount of data rather than the time it takes … Read more

Starting October 26, laptop shoppers will be inundated with a flood of new PCs designed around Microsoft's new operating system. In fact, I've counted about 50 new laptops, tablets, hybrids, convertibles, and all-in-ones on my back-of-the-envelope list already.

A handful of these have already been announced, a healthy chunk will be announced early in October, and the rest will simply go on sale on October 26, alongside Windows 8.

Having seen a good number of these upcoming systems in person already, I can safely outline three big trendlines that will drive laptop and related device sales through the Windows 8 launch season and into 2013. If you're looking to buy a laptop anytime soon, keep these in mind as you dig through the dozens of upcoming new choices. … Read more

Ahead of the 2013 Fusion's on sale date, Ford hosted events in five cities around the country, giving journalists an up-close look at the new car. In San Francisco, Ford had the new Fusion Hybrid and the Fusion 1.6-liter EcoBoost on hand, along with Chief Technical Officer Paul Mascarenas to explain some of the new technologies in the model.

Fuel efficiency The Fusion Hybrid earned an EPA rating of 47 mpg city and 47 mpg highway, making it the most fuel-efficient midsize sedan, according to Ford. This car uses a 1.4 kilowatt lithium-ion battery and electric motor … Read more

Hybrid drive systems in modern cars store what would otherwise be wasted kinetic energy from braking, making it available to supplement the work of the gasoline engine. These hybrid cars get much better fuel economy than their gasoline-only equivalents, and, due to regenerative braking, reduce brake pad wear. Although the Prius is the hybrid poster car, many other types of hybrid cars exist today, meeting the American buyers' variety of needs.

Here are five of the latest hybrids hitting the market. … Read more

Honda can boast just as much hybrid history as Toyota, yet Honda's hybrid cars have not met with the same level of success. Where the Prius can drive under pure electric power at low speeds, especially useful when creeping along in traffic, Honda's hybrid system was not as robust, its motor merely giving extra boost to assist the engine.

For a time, Honda offered an Accord Hybrid with this system, but it only lasted three years. Now, Honda is ready to bring a Accord Plug-in Hybrid and Accord Hybrid back, with an entirely new hybrid drive system.

The … Read more

According to a report at GMInsidenews.com, GM will cease production of the Two-Mode hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra, and GMC Yukon. The company has decided to axe upcoming generations of these hybrid trucks due to low demand and out-of-control costs.

GMInsidenews.com suggests the move is unusual so close to the vehicles' 2014 launch. However, modest fuel economy gains over the non-hybrid versions likely contribute to slow sales. Overall fuel economy in most applications is between 20 mpg city and 23 mpg highway.

There is still hope for the next-generation Cadillac Escalade hybrid, which … Read more