Reflections on dust-up
Hi,
The recent dust-up over Nara Schoenberg's article got me thinking and wondering about the subject of driving style versus hybrid technology. Now folks who do stuff tend to have strong opinions and to some extent, there was a clash of personalities . . . it happens. So a day later, I printed and reviewed the thread to try and understand how it happened and what might have solved the problem. That part remains unanswered beyond a clash of personalities. But I gained insight.
Hybrids attract folks who are inclined towards efficient driving. Before, these drivers were spread across the different makes and models, there was nothing to concentrate them in one area. So it is only natural that when recruiting folks to drive hypermiler style to go fishing here and in other hybrid forums.
Once upon a time, 'hypermiler' meant exceeding the old EPA numbers, an admirable goal easily met by good maintenance and driving EPA style. With the dumb-downed EPA numbers, even that low threshold has all but disappeared. Absent these threshold, the hypermiler goal posts moved and that, sad to say, is lamentable.
Come September, I'll drop the "hypermiler" star from my signature. Come September and the lower EPA ratings, it will have no meaning other than a negative connotation to identify those who don't get one. But I'll keep the CleanMPG pointer in the Prius FAQ for those inclined to that style of driving. No need to stand in the way of their natural inclination.
Over time, we've had to deal with hybrid skeptics who came with ignorance and FUD. In that area, we've probably turned a corner. I'm now expecting a new group of skeptics.
Bob Wilson
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