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Have you hugged your Hummer Today?

From Reason.org

Quote:

"What's particularly interesting is that individual consumers are defying all expectations and turning their backs on hybrids at a time when gas prices are soaring. (The average U.S. retail price of gas spiked to a record high of $3.01 last September following hurricane Katrina, and just last week it hit its second highest price ever at nearly $3.00.) Nor is the reason all that mysterious. Spinella's customer satisfaction surveys show that 62 percent of hybrid owners are dissatisfied with the fuel-economy performance of their cars given what they have paid for them.

This means that when gas prices go up, these people don't rush out to buy more hybrids. "They buy a Chevy Aveo," says Spinella. "It delivers the same fuel economy as a Prius, but at half the price."

snip...

But despite all these drawbacks, hybrids are at least better for the environment than say….. a Hummer, right? Nope.

Spinella spent two years on the most comprehensive study to date – dubbed "Dust to Dust" -- collecting data on the energy necessary to plan, build, sell, drive and dispose of a car from the initial conception to scrappage. He even included in the study such minutia as plant-to-dealer fuel costs of each vehicle, employee driving distances, and electricity usage per pound of material. All this data was then boiled down to an "energy cost per mile" figure for each car.

Comparing this data, the study concludes that overall hybrids cost more in terms of overall energy consumed than comparable non-hybrid vehicles. But even more surprising, smaller hybrids' energy costs are greater than many large, non-hybrid SUVs.

My reaction? Bwhahahahahah! So go read the whole thing...

Posted @ July 20, 2006 11:38 AM | Current Affairs

Comments

I was told that hybrids' batteries had to be replaced in five years at a cost of $5000.

Posted by: ic at July 20, 2006 01:40 PM

And there is like a suprise in here?

If it's GREEN it means MORE $$$ outta yer pocket!

Now track where the $$$ are flowing to.

Posted by: TC at July 21, 2006 01:57 AM

If you want to hear some of the commentary from both sides, there is a no-doubt idiot documentary called "Who killed the electric car?" IMDB has some forums associated with it.

While much of the commentary is hearsay and supposition, it would be a decent starting point for real facts about the whole notion.]

Yes, I've contributed there.

Posted by: Grepa at July 23, 2006 10:54 PM