Posted on 01/31/2005 8:17:49 PM PST by newgeezer
Nope. Are you?
It's not a matter of being stupid. The fuel economy tests are mandated by law and the testing methodology is published in the Federal Record. They can't decide to apply one test to one type of vehicle and another to another, because the selection of testing methodology is not their perogative. The test was designed to be apples-to-apples, but the auto companies figured out how to defeat the test, and designed the new generation of hybrid cars accordingly.
Congress should mandate a new test for hybrid vehicles that eliminates their artificial advantage, but that is a political football. Can you imagine the hue and cry if Congress introduced a measure that would have the effect of reducing the attractiveness of hybrids, the new darlings of the environmental movement?
Note that in other countries, where this test is not used, hybrid cars are nearly nonexistant. In Europe, where gasoline is $5.00 a gallon, the trend is toward lighter cars that burn efficiently. Only in America is the trend toward heavier, more complicated cars with all this hybrid hoo-hah.
Thus the tag-line...
The Steam Engine was replaced by a hybrid vehicle 60 years ago. Can you guess why Hybrids found a home on the tracks and not the roads?
Do the math on the price of a Toyota Corolla vs Prius. Then calculate the price diffence against the small amount of milage you gain with the Prius.
It would take you 20 years to recoup the difference.
I've owned 4 american cars, the only one that didn't make 250K was a Chevy Chevette (read Isuzu).
I knew there was a reason I like Nissans, smart management not driving up the cost of useful cars with useless projects.
Forget currency float, what happens when the Chinese laborers once again prove themselves to be not good enough to make things with low error tolerance and Toyota winds up with thousands of busted hybrids on their hands? Given the quality of goods coming out of China, and the problems they've had with high tech stuff in the recent past, I have serious doubts they'll pull this one off, unless Toyota's plant is so automated the only personel are janitors.
Because in a locomotive, there are times when you need huge amounts of torque -- pulling a mile long train up a hill for instance. A combustion engine has to be sized to a torque load, and a combustion engine sized to maximum torque is just plain wasted mass, space, and cost most of the time. Fuel economy scales directly with displacement.
With hybrids, you can size the combustion engine to the average, and let batteries plus electric motors handle the peaks. This works splendidly in locomotives because there is a huge difference in the torque needed to pull up a hill and maintain speed on level ground.
Hybrids, aren't needed on the roads because there isn't that much difference between the peak torque and average needed. Small cars have already been sizing engines' peak torque close to the average. The mass of the batteries and motors completely eclipse any combustion engine mass/volume savings. And automobile engines are already very small and relatively efficient.
"...unless Toyota's plant is so automated the only personel are janitors."
Once they're that automated, cheap chinese labor is meaningless.
Whatever rationale they might try to sell, people drive a Prius for the same, simple reason a lot of people drive whatever they drive; they're trying to impress someone. "Look at me, I'm green!"
They're not much different than those whose cars say, "Look at me, covet this!" or, "Look at me, mine's bigger'n yours!" Just a different target audience.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. Freedom of choice is a good thing.
The best reason for driving a prius, imo is the same as the best reason for driving a Dodge Magnum...Torque.
Acceleration is fun, but I'd rather not look gay.
I'd almost forgotten the 'shovette.'
These phonies that lease a new car every two years to "keep up appearances" have no idea how well built american cars always have been. I kept my 65 mustang for nine years of wild post-adolescent indulgence, and replaced the 271 HP engine at about 300,000 miles because it sounded 'loose.' I gave it to one of my neighbors who installed it in a tow truck and ran it for another 100,000 miles.
Chevy's monument to outsourcing, the Chevette, lasted 65K miles. It was literally built to be disposable. Worst $800.00 I've ever spent. Should have blown it all on beer.
He is right, but he is wrong.
In the 2000's we own a Mustang GT and a Toyota. Guess which one has had the maintenance and which has not!
And then there is the "new car syndrome". My jeep had to have four trips to the shop to finally get the electric door locks working and my Mustang had to have three trips to get the clutch to stop squealing.
Not sure what you mean by that. As far as I know, the Chevette (circa 1975-1982) was designed and built in the USA. Are you saying it was rebadged as an Isuzu for export?
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