Hybrid Myths
BusinessWeek has a piece on The Top Ten Hybrid Myths. The timing of this is good because of U.S. President Bush's State of the Union where he described the U.S.'s need for oil as "an addiction." He said:
Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. Here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world.
The best way to break this addiction is through technology. Since 2001, we have spent nearly 10 billion dollars to develop cleaner, cheaper, more reliable alternative energy sources – and we are on the threshold of incredible advances.
And, in the car world, with regards to hybrids, America's Fallen quite a bit behind. There's still only a few hybrid cars to buy and they come from two manufacturers: Honda and Toyota.
I certainly don't think hybrids are perfect for every situation, but I do think they are an important step in reducing the amount of oil we all use everyday. I really hope we see more hybrids available soon. Do you own a hybrid now? What do you think of it?
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2 Responses to “Hybrid Myths”
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I own a 2005 Prius and it is the best car I’ve ever had (out of 38 cars owned – yeah, I know, that’s a lot!)
Yes, I did put my money where my mouth was, and actually got a hybrid! I was cheered to see the President speak about alternative energy, even though the speech and sentiment from our government powers-that-be is “only” about what, 33 years late?!
We should never have allowed ourselves to get into the position of importing 60% of our fuel needs to function as a society, and even worse, as mentioned, the sources of this energy (oil) are lunatic regimes bent on the destruction of western civilization (I don’t have to be as political or polite as Mr. President).
Do yourselves, and the rest of us a favor, and at least give a Prius, a Civic IMA, a Camry hybrid, even an Accord IMA a try and put them on your short-lists for consideration.
Be prepared to do something unusual (as I did) and be prepared to wait months, not weeks, to get delivery, too.
It’s worth it though.
The Prius is far larger inside than you might think, very flexible (I carried a snow blower home from a store then took it to my parents as a gift for my dad, the guy at the store never thought it would go in….. you should have seen his face when it did).
Minivans? SUV’s? Pickups? I don’t need any stinkin’ those, I do fine with my Prius!
I own an 04 Prius with 60K miles on it. It has only been to the dealer for reprogramming of the software. This is the best car I have ever owned. It averages around 40mpg in the winter and 44 in the summer. My driving is 70% Highway and 30% city. The brakes are only 25% worn and major service is at 120K. For me it is the perfect car. I only wish it were slightly larger. I am sure the new Camry will offer more space. You cannot go wrong with this car!!!AMerica needs hybrids to reduce our dependence on foreigh oil.