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**flueftArete** · 12-05-2007, 04:20 PM

Why do you think hybrids are crackpottery?

I recall C&D did a test of some economy cars and the little Toyota (Echo, maybe?) was well into the 40s on the highway.

Mainly because from my understanding:

1. To get that awesome mileage, the driver has to do most of the driving on the highway, in a long enough and open enough area to engage the battery drive. In urban areas, the stop and go nature of the city traffic Consumer Reports had found; the miliage was nearer to normal economy cars of the same class due to the gasoline engine being primary. Also, certain driving habits had to be modified, which is not unexpected, but not for everyone.
So it looks like if you live in the country or drive long stretches, yes, the miliage is there, but not for us City folk.

2. The battery issue, which there is much debate back and forth.
It has been reported that when exhausted, it will essentially result in a 100 pound pile of pollution.
Of course Toyota states that the battery will last the life of the car. (cough) and have a comprehensive recycling program. Judging by the fact that most of North America's E-waste seems to end up in Asia, I'm not very confident in that plan.

My view is that I'm much more looking forward to Hydrogen Fuel Cell cars.

The crackpottery comes from the fact that many Hybrid Car owners here in California can be almost religious in their fervor regarding expounding the virtues of Hybrid ownership, and simply put, the facts don't seem to substantiate all of the claims it puts forth at this time.

12-05-2007, 04:20 PM	#39
flueftArete Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 437 Senior Member	Why do you think hybrids are crackpottery? I recall C&D did a test of some economy cars and the little Toyota (Echo, maybe?) was well into the 40s on the highway. Mainly because from my understanding: 1. To get that awesome mileage, the driver has to do most of the driving on the highway, in a long enough and open enough area to engage the battery drive. In urban areas, the stop and go nature of the city traffic Consumer Reports had found; the miliage was nearer to normal economy cars of the same class due to the gasoline engine being primary. Also, certain driving habits had to be modified, which is not unexpected, but not for everyone. So it looks like if you live in the country or drive long stretches, yes, the miliage is there, but not for us City folk. 2. The battery issue, which there is much debate back and forth. It has been reported that when exhausted, it will essentially result in a 100 pound pile of pollution. Of course Toyota states that the battery will last the life of the car. (cough) and have a comprehensive recycling program. Judging by the fact that most of North America's E-waste seems to end up in Asia, I'm not very confident in that plan. My view is that I'm much more looking forward to Hydrogen Fuel Cell cars. The crackpottery comes from the fact that many Hybrid Car owners here in California can be almost religious in their fervor regarding expounding the virtues of Hybrid ownership, and simply put, the facts don't seem to substantiate all of the claims it puts forth at this time.
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