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Originally Posted by environmental wakko
I'm afraid I may have rushed into my descision as to which hybrid to buy. I purchased a 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid mainly because I was concerned with MPG, and after doing some research here on Green Hybrid, saw that the average real MPG between the HCH and Prius were nearly identical.
However, I did not notice the Smog Index until after purchasing the vehicle. The smog index of the 05 HCH is 0.9 on a scale from 0 to 3, 0 being the least polluting. I (along with many other HCH owners, apparently) was surprised to see my ULEV 05 HCH has a higher smog index value that the average new car, 0.8.
At the time of purchase, I was strongly considering waiting for the 06 HCH, or getting a Prius, but was convinced to opt for the 05 HCH instead on account of price and availablility in my area.
But now, after seeing that both the Prius and the 06 HCH have SULEV ratings or better, I'm feeling very sketchy about my decision.
Can anyone explain how an 'efficient' hybrid can be more polluting than your average car with a standard ICE engine?
Anyone else having the same concerns?
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I guess you're not in one of the PZEV/SULEVII/BIN2 states or you picked up one of the few ULEV/BIN9 rated HCHs sold in a PZEV state. In California (and some of the northeast states) many HCHs are rated partial zero emissions. To accomplish this, the PZEV HCHs do not have lean burn capability and have a different catalytic converter/emissions system than the ULEV/BIN9 HCHs. Another perk for PZEV HCHs, other than reduced emissions, is a 10 year/150,000 mile warranty on most of the IMA/emissions components, unavailable on ULEV/BIN9 HCHs. Look on the bright side: you're still consuming less fuel, voting with your dollars to further hybrid technology, and that's definitely a start.
See this thread for more . . .
http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/t...lean+burn+PZEV