Letters to the Editor
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Bushwacker's mpg numbers.
I completely agree with what Bushwacker00 said about the mpg estimates used in this article. They're cherry-picked from two different EPA calculations (i.e using the 60 mpg for the Prius and the 37 mpg for the Fit)!
For the 2007 models, from fueleconomy.gov, and using the updated EPA estimates:
Prius (CVT automatic): 48/45 (avg. from drivers: 47)
Fit (automatic): 27/35 (avg. from drivers: 31.6)
Civic Hybrid: 40/45(avg. from drivers: 42.7)
Versa (automatic): 28/35 (avg. from drivers: 24.4)
So using RELEVANT numbers, what, um, was the point of your article again?
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The Prius would be a great car at $15,000.
The problem is, they cost $22,000. When I think about this, I realize it just doesn't make sense for an individual to invest that kind of cash on what is still a highly experimental technology. Those who buy Priuses now are still early adopters, and like those who bought the first generation Walkman or VCR (gee, I'm old) a generation ago, they took a big hit in the pocketbook for something that will either sell for half what they paid in a few years, or be hopelessly obsolete.
For the price of a Prius, you can almost get two reasonably-priced small cars that get a solid 35 MPG. I love my Scion. It reminds me of Dad's old Beetle, which was a blast to drive.
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I suspect hybrids are more than just PR
Hybrids run on, well, "hybrid" gasoline/battery technology. Batteries powerful enough to run a car were hard to come by a few years ago, and even the most powerful battery run cars only traveled a relatively short distance and weren't very powerful. Technological advancement rarely happens quickly, or cheaply. The hybrid craze is funding research into vehicles that have more efficient batteries, so that the cars can get better mileage and, eventually, run entirely on the battery.
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pretty slight
Why bother posting this lame little ditty? No mention, even, of the argument that a Prius exacts an environmental penalty in the mining of its battery and additional resources needed to create other components. Short girl test-drove some compact cars. Newsflash!
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Prius Bashers
Bashing Prius owners as green freak fools seems to be much in favor. As a very satisfied Prius owner let me say the following.
-I consistently get on the average over 50mpg for average suburban driving. It will be higher in the summer and lower in the winter and somewhat less driving at speeds greater than 65mph. These factors affect ordinary cars in the same manner.
- The Toyota synergy drive hybrid system is uniquely an engineering masterpiece. It combines state of the art mechanical engineering, inverter, computer and battery technology which no one can match. I believe it is the only true hybrid technolgy in that the elctric motor and gasoline engine can run in tandem.
- The 5 door hatchback is right sized for one or two people, very utilitarian.
-At $3 gallon the average driver will save $1500 year as opposed to an average mileage car, a good payback
- Emissions aside, the most critical threat to our national security is our dependence on imported oil. We are spending trillions in the middle east as a result. Maybe some billions for Priuses are a better deal. I believe my driving a Prius does more to support our troops than wearing a flag on my lapel.
- I agree the ultimate answer to this all is plug in vehicles, but we are years away in the meantime Prius type technology is the best bet.
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Seriously, though, if this is gonna be a real, regular feature
It's going to need real, regular editing. You know, telling the writer to go back and try again, as opposed to accepting it like the bleh blog entry it so resembles. The amateurish mistakes, the lack of substance--this is not a promising start for something you've promised we'll see again.
I'm a writer. I'm not saying my stuff is Pulitzer-ready--but I've also taught writing, and I can tell when something was rushed and not thought out. Or even thought about. I hope Ms. Clarren can do better, and I REALLY hope Salon can.
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Plug-Ins
Environmentally friendly "plug-in", natural gas, or hydrogen cars are essentially currently fantasies with a long list of environmentally disastrous consequences, so long as the electrical energy or the hydrogen production process they need is produced at power plants fired by fossil fuels, especially coal.
I think you're missing the point, here. Since electrical generation plants cannot be shut down overnight, they operate more or less near idle overnight. Since there is no utility storage system for this electricity, it goes wasted.
Plug-In Electric Hybrid and electric vehicles store what would have been wasted electrical generation overnight and use it for the commute.
I agree that burning fossil fuels is bad. But we should at least try to use in a more efficient manner all the energy that we do generate.
I'm hopeful that it's just a bridge to the hydrogen economy.
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Check the facts
The Prius has higher emissions than an Accord? This seems highly unlikely, give that the Prius is a hybrid 4 cylinder car and the Accord is a 6 cylinder non-hybrid.
In California, low emission cars are given access to HOV lanes. The State has given this status to the Prius, not the Accord.
Sounds like the author is writing what she wants to say without checking her facts.
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The Prius was never the best or most fuel-efficient choice
It's funny to see the other letter-writers claiming that the Prius was "the best choice at the time".
Modern diesel vehicles are much, much more fuel efficient than the Prius or any of the other hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles on the market in the US today. They are also very clean - not the diesel vehicles of yesteryear.
Consumers should push for silly, outdated restrictions to be lifted in a number of states that restrict sales of new diesel vehicles to consumers - makes absolutely no sense as you can purchase a used diesel vehicle just fine.
Also, all major auto manufacturers offer diesel versions of their standard gasoline vehicles in Europe -if the restrictions were lifted they would surely bring these models to the US as well.
Finally, a diesel-electric hybrid would be even more fuel-efficient.
And if all that fails, small, cheap gasoline vehicles like the Toyota Yaris, the Honda Fit and the Nissan Versa are surprisingly roomy, CHEAP and very fuel efficient. As a Yaris owner I can attest to that. The Prius is just a new-age yuppie status symbol - totally meaningless and not very fuel-efficient anyway.