Hi Jason:
___When a 2000 5-speed Insight (that is all that were available way back when) runs out of fuel while you are still moving, the pack does in fact propel the vehicle without the ICE until it is depleted. This is the double secret stealth mode
I am not kidding either!
___AZwildbill2, have you looked at the Hybrid comparison pages? Jason did a nice job with the side by sides on any number of attributes and it makes a great cross reference for those interested in one or the other (Prius vs. HCH that is).
___As for which Hybrid, I am one of the few Hybrid dissenters amongst the group so take my comments for what they’re worth. Just make sure a Hybrid is for you. If cost is a factor, really do your homework as there is any number of less costly non-Hybrid vehicles. If environmental attributes are your target, do some more homework as there are many more std. ICE based automobiles as clean or cleaner then many Hybrids. If fuel economy is your goal, learn some of the tips and tricks here and apply them into your current automobile first to see if you can deal with the change. You wouldn’t believe what monster sized automobiles can give you when driven to their absolute maximums in terms of fuel economy. The same can be said of a Hybrid (even more so) when driven to its extremes … You also may not be happy with a hybrid if you drive it like you stole it or you are driving multiple short trips instead of one with a distance of lets say > 10 miles. Your fuel economy will show on the negative side even greater then when in a std. ICE based automobile … Let me give you an example: Let’s say your Hybrid of choice is supposed to receive 50 mpg but it only gave you 33 mpg over a 6 mile trip to the store. This will probably tick you off. The reason it will tick you off is because there is a gauge on the dash that showed that you only received 33 mpg. In most regular automobiles that should receive 25 mpg but actually only received 16.5 mpg to the store will not bother you because 1. You don’t have a gauge staring back telling you that you only received 16.5 mpg and 2. Even though both the Hybrid and Regular automobile lost 33% of their EPA estimates, the 50 to 33 is going to make you think you lost more even though on a percentage basis, both automobiles lost the same amount. At this point, just consider that you received 33 mpg to the store instead of an even lousier 16.5 mpg! If it’s simply the “cool factor” of owning a hybrid, you cannot go wrong in any way shape or form.
___Finally, a Hybrid will more then likely change the way you drive. As described above, every time you put your foot to the accelerator, a little bar graph is telling you either how smart you were over a given distance or time or how stupid that last 2 blocks of driving actually was. As for me, it tells me I am stupid all the time so I tend to beat it into submission no matter what it is trying to say
___Good Luck with whichever new automobile you choose.
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___
Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
