The Reality of Greener Transportation « Earth2Tech
Chanaron writes that the growth in hybrids across US car manufacturers, “is based more on customer perception triggered by very clever marketing and communication campaigns than on pure rationale scientific arguments.”
One of my problems with all the new more efficient cars and trucks on the road now is that we haven’t had anything truly revolutionary. The Prius deserves some credit for being the first real success in the industry, but the thing still gets under 50 mpg. If I’m going to drive an automatic-only vehicle that looks as ridiculous as the Prius, it better be getting some really ground-breaking mileage.
That’s a big reason why my technique of using less gas is to walk and take public transportation. Our Mazda 3 gets 23-28 mpg on average, depending on what kind of driving we’re doing. And it’s still fun to drive. We try and make up for the difference in fuel efficiency by only using it when we really have to. My first choice is almost always to take the Metro or bus. And I expect it to stay that way until there’s a real solution to personal transportation, which doesn’t sound like it’s imminent.