Hybrid cars are a complicated waste.

Many people these days have been brain washed into thinking hybrid cars are wonderful and get good mileage.

IMO if they would look at the Chevy 3 cyl Geo that was built in the late 90s, they would be better off. My son commutes about 80 miles every day. He averages right at 50 mpg. And that is without expensive electronics, and poluting batteries. The Geo's engine just has throttle body injection. A new car with a 3 cyl engine with direct injection should get even better mileage. People that need to commute dont need complication, they need a small simple car with a small engine. Batteries and electric motors are heavy and actually cut down on mileage.

Bottom line-------------hybrid cars are a waste and mostly hype.

 

You should spring and get your kid a bigger, better car. He's whipping down the highway at 70 mph with nothing but plastic surrounding him for protection. That thing is a death trap

 

I am on my second Prius. Love it.

 

I think I see your problem. You're looking at the results. Stop it. You need to look at the good intentions, because that's all that matters. As long as the intentions were good, it doesn't matter if it actually works or not.

 

Hybrid cars are part of the transitional phase, batteries are not there yet to make them viable for everyone imo

but car makers are getting practice and once batteries catch up, electric cars will be huge

.

 

People who buy into the alleged environmental advantages of hybrids have been fooled, as are those who buy into the cost savings due to fuel economy. The reality is, they are environmentally a wash at best, and you never recoup the premium you pay for the technology in fuel savings.

That having been said, there ARE valid and compelling reasons to buy a hybrid over a similar conventional vehicle:

1) Reduced fossil fuel use means less dependence upon foreign oil. In todays world environment, this is a really compelling reason to buy a hybrid (or some other ~50mpg vehicle)
2) You like the car; its features and amenities.
3) You get preferred parking at Earth Day events.
4) You gain status amongst your like minded peers.

Your point is well taken, though. The main reasons people who own hybrids give for choosing a hybrid; fuel economy and environmental reasons, are all marketing hype.

 

It's funny....the Right actively seeks to spend MORE money....

when it comes to giving their own to Big Oil companies?!?!?!?

 

I disagree. The main reason people buy hybrids is to impress others.

[video=youtube_share;gXZeq9eXAys]http://youtu.be/gXZeq9eXAys[/video]

 

The 90s Geo (and I think you have that mistaken, it was late 1980s) is a deathtrap compared to today's cars. I love my son too much to let him drive something that fragile. It's also a lot smaller than the hybrids you're comparing it to.

That said, I do agree that hybrid small cars are just hype, and you'd be better off getting a modern gas powered car, just not the 20 yr old Geo Metro deathtrap.

 

Yes.

Today's cars are so much safer than the 90's.

Absolutely.

 

Actually it's the Democrats who support big oil by rejecting the only alternative energy source to oil; nuclear energy. Think about that before you answer.

 

Death rates in automobile accidents are at near record lows per million miles driven.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_U.S._by_year

In 1921, the death rate in cars was 24 per million miles driven. In the 1950s, the death rate was in the 6-7 per million miles driven. In the 1970s, it was in the 3-4 range. In the 90s, it was down to 1.5-1.9. In the 2010s, it's down to the 1.1 range (i.e. 1/5 of when the big sturdy cars were on the road). The modern crumpling car with seatbelts and airbags saves lives.

 

Then don't buy one.

Are you trying to deny the freedom of others to buy one if they want?

 

You can't just cherrypick one particular example out of two different very broad categories, compare only them, and then extrapolate that result to generalize the properties of the entire categories.

I'm sure there's some hybrids that are a waste, just as I'm sure there are some that do get decent fuel mileage.

But if you want to talk about wasteful cars, hybrids are nothing considered to these giant SUV's.

 

Try going to the posh suburbs... I think you'll find all these yuppies in each and every house who have to outdo the neighbors and one-up on the Jones's down the block with an even bigger, heavier and less gas-efficient SUV
.. You get like over half of all cars being SUV's, almost all of them filled with mostly airspace.

What's their main motivation?

 

How does that refute what I said?

Oh....it doesn't.

 

I never claimed to refute anything you said or suggested anything you said was wrong.

What I'm saying is, you're hardly barking up the big tree.

 

compared to a ICE an electric engine is as simple as it gets...more power,better performance ridiculously cheap fuel...

 

I disagree battery range is there for daily commuters and short runs, tesla drivers report 200-300 mile range depending on how the car is driven driven, I may drive more than 300 miles only once every 3 years...99.9% of my driving is in the city I could easily drive a Tesla every day, if they made a pickup...mrs wyly's daily commute is 10 miles round trip, she would never have to buy fuel again, just plug it in for a half hour every two weeks...

 

i'm waiting for the audi diesel hybrid, the mother company volkswagon has developed a diesel/electric that gets 256 miles per gallon, if they transfer the technology to real world cars you can call me a trend following hype-ster but I'm getting one and laugh at everyone in their gas guzzlers when I pass them at the pumps..

 

Did I just make a post alluding to hybrid owners thinking they're superior and showing off?

I think I did.

 

if I'm driving a vehicle that gets 256 miles to the gallon and slow witted stubborn dinosaurs are still clinging to their 15 mile per gallon SUVs then it's confirmed I am smarter/superior, alluding to it isn't required...

 

The US imports lots of oil; http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbblpd_a.htm

Even oil produced in the USA might be sold outside the USA...just depends on the markets.

Looks like 1/3rd of imported oil comes from Canada...we'd better be nice to Canada.

 

that is why I said "batteries are not there yet to make them viable for everyone imo"

that means they are viable for some, I personally do not want to replace the batteries as often as the current batch requires as they are basically laptop batteries

.

 

I don't care what you think. You're neither smarter, nor superior. Thinking you are only alludes to a pathetic fascination with self deception.