Sorry I just get crabby sometimes.

At least it's HSD! We know they can be pushed easier than any other into hypermilage status with the amazing pulse & glide technique, so even if it's not getting amazing FE when driven normally we can train people to drive it abnormally. Besides that, it's also a smaller, lighter and a more aerodynamic vehicle than where the power plant is coming from, so it should get much better FE performance with that huge electric motor launching the car, the ICE won't have to fire up nearly as quickly. It should get better FE than the Accord with similar performance if they do it right.

2001 Prius Photos       2005 Prius Photos
1992 Mitsubishi Delica Diesel-WVO Hybrid Photos

rrrrrr Fracking half full optimist do good-ers. Any fool can see the glass is half empty!

well, thats only if it started full, if it started empty then it is indeed half full

Hidden Views Photography

A recent article stated that performance tops the list of what consumers want. Don't blame the automakers or the politicians - blame the general public's tastes.

I'd like to see the Insight retired and bring back the CRX as a hybrid. Have the "pocket rocket" CRX Si version and the hypermiling CRX HF. Actually, if you adapted the Accord's cylinder deactiation and had a 4/2-cylinder hybrid CRX, it might have a range of performance and economy that would almost span the CRX Si and CRX HF.

I know a couple of friends that are considering a change of location or vehicles because of $2.30 a gallon gas. If it gets to $3 or so, more people will choose economy over performance. That's why I favor the Feds cutting the income tax and making up for the lost revenue with higher gas taxes. That would be the ultimate tax credit for the Prius, HCH, and Insight.

Heard a story of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon being introduced to the diet drink Slim Fast. He liked it so much he had a second one! I look at large hybrid vehicles getting under 25mpg the same way - defeating the purpose. A lot of performance hybrids I tend to see the same way. Yes, it helps hybrid technology and possibly makes hyper-miler vehicles better, but I have some frustration with the general public's desire for size and speed.

61.5mpg lifetime - 82mpg in recent months

Best Run >
www.cleanmpg.com

"fanatic" is what the lazy call the dedicated

This is an interesting discussion, and I think shows the great value and fun of Green Hybrid and similar sites.
I too am disappointed in the trend to use hybrid technology to further power rather than mileage. I am disappointed in giving people the opportunity to call their SUV green merely because it uses some hybrid technology. Hybrid technology does not make a vehicle green, great mileage and ultra low pollution do. Period.
So what do we do as an online community when the Hybrid Hummer comes out? What if it gets, say, a whopping 12 miles per gallon, which would be a 50% improvement over the 8 mpg of the non-hybrid version?
I would say: let's be open minded, invite these hypomilers and continue with a discussion. If we ever have a chance to make our point, it is through a discussion at sites like these.
M

You never know, by people with hybrid hummers coming in here and seeing the great mileage some people are getting, it might open their eyes to a whole new world.

My hydroponics experiment

You ever notice how hard it is to lip read cartoon characters?
"Crazy is what the sane call Delta Flyer"

Let's say Toyota makes a Camry hybrid in two version... one with a V6, and one with a smaller engine, and both have the same electric motor and same battery capacity. Now, if you were to drive both of them exactly the same way (not speeding on the highway, slower accelerations, etc.), what would be the comparison in FE?

It reminds me of the story that when Israeli PM Ariel Sharon was introduced to Slim Fast, he drank two as a single meal. Correction: he drank three Slim Fasts at one meal.

Consider the performance today's of "puny" cars with what was on the road 50 years ago - our standards have changed.

61.5mpg lifetime - 82mpg in recent months

Best Run >
www.cleanmpg.com

"fanatic" is what the lazy call the dedicated

As a new Highlander Hybrid owner, I feel the need to ring in, though I suspect what I have to say will fall on ears already closed.

I think something is being missed here, because this thread (and comments like it elsewhere) seem like criticisms of people who buy the Highlander Hybrid because it's "not green enough."

Well, excuse me, but sometimes we have a need to seat six, two of whom are kids in car seats (no way we squeeze into a Prius). And sometimes we need to haul more stuff than fits in a standard hatchback. What are we supposed to do? I'm sorry, but there's simply no way your beloved Civic is big enough for us. There is no other flavor of hybrid which meets our needs--none of them seat six. If there was no Highlander Hybrid, we would have gotten a conventional Highlander or maybe a minivan, all of which have worse mileage than we should get with the HH (and probably worse emissions, too). But we bit the bullet and spent several thousand dollars more to be more green.

But, for doing this, now we're the bad guys? Excuse me? Vent your anger on people who drive 12mpg full-sized SUVs, not people who have needs who are somewhat different from yours who are doing what they can to at least have lower emissions and get somewhat better mileage than the all-ICE equivalent. "Green" is relative, not absolute--if you were all perfectly green, you wouldn't drive cars at all. Impractical, you say? Sure, but you'd be greener if you did it, and you haven't--so get off your moral high horses. My wife's new Highlander is "green" relative to other options which met our needs. But I guess since we aren't going to get 40mpg, we're "defeating the purpose," right?

When buying a car, people have to weigh a lot of different considerations. Just because mileage is your primary concern, don't look down your noses at other people for whom mileage is one of several concerns. What's worse: "I want a car with the best mileage/emissions I can get if it meets my other needs" or "I don't consider mileage at all in my buying decision"? There is a difference there which perhaps you might consider respecting.

But, if you're determined to make newcomers who are trying to do what they can to be green (given other needs) feel unwelcome, posts like these are a great way to do it. I had hoped this site would be a resource for people like me, but I guess it's only for people with small families who can drive the "right" kind of hybrid.