[bwilson4web]

The Chicago Auto Show had this list of hybrids on display:

http://www.chicagoautoshow.com/vehic...y/hybrids.aspx

• BMW 7 Series
• BMW X5
• Buick LaCrosse
• Cadillac Escalade
• Chevrolet Silverado
• Chevrolet Tahoe
• Ford Escape
• Ford Fusion
• GMC Sierra
• GMC Yukon
• Honda Civic Hybrid
• Honda CR-Z
• Honda Insight
• Hyundai Sonata
• Kia Optima
• Lexus CT 200h
• Lexus GS
• Lexus HS 250h
• Lexus LS
• Lexus RX
• Lincoln MKZ
• Mercedes-Benz M-Class
• Mercedes-Benz S-Class
• Nissan Altima
• Porsche Cayenne
• Toyota 2012 Prius V
• Toyota Camry
• Toyota Highlander
• Toyota Prius
• Toyota Prius c
• Volkswagen Touareg

Now some of them are just 'concepts' or announced but not yet sold hybrids. Still, it is a good start. Then I read about "E-assist" used in the Buick:

http://www.buick.com/content/dam/Bui...al_eAssist.pdf

Regenerative braking, which provides up to 15 kW of electricity to charge the battery
Providing up to 11 kW (15 hp) of electric power assistance during acceleration
Automatic engine shut-off when the vehicle is stopped
Aggressive fuel cut-off during deceleration down to zero vehicle speed, enabled by the torque smoothing provided by the induction motor-generator unit
Intelligent charge/discharge of the high-voltage battery.

This sure sounds like the old belt-assisted hybrids of old with a little more capacity. For example, they include an electric pump in the transmission so the automatic transmission is ready to run when the engine starts. This is the same order of magnitude power the Honda hybrids use. But I've never been a fan of belt-assisted hybrids since they don't really have the electrical energy needed to power the car.

Ok, Prius or Prii, this ends what has often been more amusing than real:

http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/t...of-192558.aspx

TORRANCE, Calif., February 20, 2011 –Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), USA, Inc. today announced that the general public has selected ‘Prii’ as the preferred plural term for Prius.

The Prius Goes Plural voting campaign was launched on January 10 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and challenged the public to help the automaker determine the plural nomenclature of Prius. The campaign coincided with the world premiere of the Toyota Prius family of vehicles. With 25 percent of the votes, Prii becomes the word not only endorsed by the public who chose it, but also as the term recognized by Toyota. As such, Dictionary.com has updated its entry for the word ‘Prius’ to reflect this.

Toyota unveiled the winning word at the Chicago Auto Show this morning. Jay Schwartz, head of content for Dictionary.com, was on hand to inform the public that, as the plural of Prius has now been determined, the term ‘Prii’ will be reflected in Dictionary.com.
. . .

Bob Wilson