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Another Stab At Sorting Hybrid Hype From Reality
Attila Dimedici writes "Eric Peters makes the case that hybrids have been over-hyped. His argument is that in order to sell people on hybrid cars, automakers have emphasized the energy efficiency of hybrids in ideal conditions and failed to tell people that in most ordinary driving conditions they will not come close to meeting the numbers given. He refers to a recent case where an individual has chosen to forego membership in a class action law suit and has instead chosen to go to small claims court. He suggests that there is a significant chance that she will win there and that this will open up all of the manufacturers of hybrid vehicles to similar lawsuits.
The article was on a rather partisan website, so I am curious what factors he has chosen to overemphasize to make his case. (Or what factors he has chosen to ignore to the same end.) I know that Slashdot has a large contingent of hybrid and EV supporters who are well educated on the subject (as well as a large contingent of those who are not so well educated)."
you know, I'm glad that your opinion of how a car should be driven is "driving it properly".
I'd also like to point out, that punching the gas at every stop light and doing all the "improper" things, my 200 hp, turbocharged GTI still averages about 31 mpg.
Hybrids, suck. Anyone who knows cars in the slightest knows hybrids suck. Hell, the batteries have traveled some 30,000 miles before the car gets assembled.
If you want to do fuels savings, shop around, learn something, and buy a tdi. No environmentally horrendous battery packs, and gets better gas mileage to boot. Hell, if the GP is right and gets mid 40s in his smug-mobile, I could probably get near that if I drove my car "properly".