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My gripe with the current hybrids is they're not pushing the technology anywhere near far enough, and they're now being mis-used for marketing reasons. Most of the new hybrids coming out are stupid things like hybrid SUVs that add maybe 10-15%, making terrible gas mileage merely awful. Americans think 40mpg is great mileage, but it's actually not that good. Getting 50mpg doesn't require hybrid technology, just a small engine with good fuel control. An ex-girlfriend had a Renault 5 in 1981 that would get 45mpg... The hybrids, meanwhile, add highly toxic battery technology to the problem, which will require some disposal mechanism in a few years. --- lists@cattatonic.com wrote: > On Sun, April 2, 2006 10:25 pm, Brian wrote: > > please explain to me where these cars are going to make us less dependent > > on foreign supplies, they are not cost effective enough to sway the local > > yokals to abandon less $ more HP rigs... they will just cause more > > environmental issues than fossil fuel every will. > > I honestly don't mean to start a flame war here, I'm just trying to answer > this question, and I hope my answer will be taking in that spirit. > > Brian, the alternative is to sit back and do nothing. People can say no > one will ever buy these things in significant enough numbers to make any > kind of realistic difference, and it could be true. But the point is, by > buying one of these, you are doing your part. Apparently, the "local > yokals" understand this as well, because hybrids are at least selling well > enough that companies are starting to produce them across more model > lines. > > Most people who "do the math" realize that the amount of money they're > paying extra for these hybrids will, in most cases, never offset the lower > amount of gasoline they will use over the lifetime of the car. But still > they buy. Why? They want to do SOMETHING to help. > > I pay a "surcharge" on my electric bill every month so that my local > electric company buys "green tickets" that fund renewable energy. > Accordingly, the electricity my family consumes is 100% generated by wind > energy -- or at least I spend a certain amount of money to make sure that > a certain amount of wind energy makes its way onto the grid, the > equivalent of what my household uses. Does that make a difference? > Probably not. The point is, I am trying to do SOMETHING to reduce my > footprint in the world and clean up after myself, just like my parents > taught me to do. > > I have two "terra-passes" for my automobiles that ensures that whatever > amount of CO2 my car generates over the course of a year is offset by > buying MORE green tickets for electricity, meaning less CO2 will be > generated by power plants. > > Is it enough to cancel the "OZONE ALERT" in NYC for the day? Nope. Not > nearly. > > The point is, I'm doing just one or two small things. > > If everyone did that, you'd see a hell of a difference in the way the > world is today. > > And yes, we would be a helluva lot less dependent on "foreign supplies." > > Why would you possibly criticize anyone for trying to do what small little > things they can do to help the environment or help us reduce our > dependence on foreign oil? > > I just don't get it... I think it's the whole "you can either light a > candle or curse the darkness" thing... > > Just my $.02 > > Aaron > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > List info at http://www.vwtype3.org/list | mailto:gregm@vwtype3.org > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com