dug this gem up while searching for the NEW gem - GreenHybrid

jahwerx · #1 (**permalink**) 05-06-2005, 06:12 PM

http://www.cei.org/gencon/019,04024.cfm

Quote:

Hybrid-electric cars are the flavor of the moment for environmental campaigners. Activists like Arianna Huffington, Larry David and Leonardo DiCaprio urge us all to "break the chain" and drive them. Al Gore, meanwhile, used the previews last week of the scientifically implausible disaster film The Day After Tomorrow to commend them, saying, "I think the new fuel-efficient vehicles represent ethical choices." Yet there are a few problems with this dream of a hybrid tomorrow. Surveys show that people are highly resistant to them; their owners are starting to realize that they aren't quite as fuel-efficient as advertised; and when it comes to their expense, a new study suggests that lack of access to affordable cars hurts minority employment.

If you click the author's name and you'll discover he's a CEI "expert". He looks more like a stuffed sausage.

EricGo · #2 (**permalink**) 05-06-2005, 06:44 PM

Where there is money, there are pimps.

You stumbled upon a hack-job for the right-wing/libertarian agenda.

Jason · #3 (**permalink**) 05-06-2005, 07:37 PM

Perhaps I'll add him to the list of people I will be contacting with GreenHybrid's latest press release: http://www.greenhybrid.com/press/

There are too many misunderstandings about fuel economy. Even journalists like him who think they're taking into consideration the EPA test's shortcomings fail to recognize the shortcomings of tests like Consumer Reports'. Neither the latter nor the former take data from real hybrid owners! How is that reliable?

Before people point fingers, they need to be objective, and that starts with recognizing their own ignorance on the subject at hand.

lakedude · #4 (**permalink**) 05-06-2005, 07:58 PM

Oh man they struck a nerve on that one. I'm sick to death of folks who insist that they can't work cause they don't have a car, and they don't have a car cause they don't work. When I couldn't afford a car I drove a bike to work and before I could aford a bike I delivered papers on foot so I could afford a bike. Who says a car, TV, VCR, cell phone and $100 sneakers are entitlements? They are luxury items. There once was a day only doctors had mobile phones and it wasn't that long ago that there was no such thing as a car. Walk to work, my gosh that is crazy talk! I guess it depends on how bad you really want to work.

PS sorry about the ranting.

jahwerx · #5 (**permalink**) 05-06-2005, 08:22 PM

Jason, thanks for adding the quote, I was too busy typing the other post in, but didn't want to forget to post this nugget! (although it was published a year ago)

Jason · #6 (**permalink**) 05-06-2005, 08:23 PM

ah. I didn't notice it was such an old article. I'm sure the author wouldn't say the same thing today.

iboomalot · #7 (**permalink**) 05-06-2005, 08:25 PM

Jason let me first off congraduate you on a very nice database but I would guess even 48 mpg for a prius II is a tad high vs the national wide avg.

reason being this yr alone 100,000 prius II will be made and only a handfull 154 are in the data base.

Many of those 154 people hypermile due to education from this forum but how many of those 100,000 new Prius II sold this yr will be hypermiled??? How many will be drove like a normal car??

Does that make a Prius II bad because it gets 40 to 48 mpg instead of 50-60mpg??? Heck no, a 4 passenger midsize car getting 40+ even 50+ mpg is great.

IMO if Gore wants to save the planet and get the USA off petro we should start using Biodiesel that can be used in the current pumps and tanks with current delv methods. Nothing like farm grown products vs drilled products.

oops got off topic sorry.

Extra cost is a factor but the current hybrids aren't designed for the lower scaled cars. I don't see a honda DX hybrid being sold and I would venture people would buy alot of those. Honda HCH (dx) for 16,000 would sell very fast and Honda would sell alot of them.

Jason · #8 (**permalink**) 05-06-2005, 08:30 PM

This is a good topic for another thread, but let me just mention that the newest database feature provides additional data about the distribution of the cars. While I haven't yet calculated error, the difference between the current median (47.6) and the mean (47.9) means there is very little skew. The median is reisistant to outliers, as well, so even if there were hypermilers getting 1000 MPG, it would barely change the figure.