<VV> Hybrid - No Corvair

[burkhard at rochester.rr.com]

Todd-
You are dead on.  The Toyota Pious people are satisfied because they 
have cult-like loyalty to the "idea" that they are saving the world via 
driving the car.  It's clever inclusionary marketing similar to (but 
surprassing!) the original loyalty Saturn enjoyed among its early 
buyers as "a different kind of car company".  Hybrids 
(especially "heavy hybrids", like the Prius) are rather silly because 
you wind up carrying around a lot of complexity and gobs of extra 
weight.  So called "Mild hybrids" (like the VUE & some other CUVs & 
SUVs) aim to capture the lowest hanging fruit (regenerative braking and 
start/stop capability) by implementing a lower-function system on a 
much simpler package.  It's a smart idea and would save more total 
fuel, but gets less press than the Pious because the public doesn't 
hear about Leonardo Dicaprio driving one.

And, as you undoubtedly know, the Prius "real world" fuel economy 
(especially highway) is a WHOLE LOT lower than what they advertise.  
This is the case because hybrid vehicles largely achieve their fuel 
economy advantage over conventional cars through regenerative braking. 
The US Highway Fuel Economy Test (HWFET) cycle has lots of braking and 
hence it makes hybrids look a lot better than conventional cars. But 
when people put them on an interstate and drive all day, though, they 
find the real fuel economy isn't much better than real fuel economy 
achieved with a conventional small car.

Hybrids might make sense for city buses, garbage trucks, and maybe 
taxis -- expensive long-lived heavy vehicles that spend their lives 
accelerating and then decelerating. For the rest of us, they are a 
shortsighted fad for Al Gore eco-technophiles who really don't 
understand the technology they so love.

Yes, diesels are a much saner choice. The VW Polo diesel (unfortunately 
not available in the US yet... sold in Europe) gets better fuel economy 
(70-74 mpg on the Euro cycles), costs about 1/3 less to buythan the 
Prius, and will ultimately be much more reliable in the long run than 
the Prius with its zillions of controllers & electrical connectors, 
gobs of wiring, and very heavy expensive limited life batteries.

Jim "Straight Talk" Burkhard


----- Original Message -----
From: ChiefTAM at aol.com
Date: Wednesday, January 9, 2008 9:45 am
Subject: Re: <VV> Hybrid Saturn SUV - GM Is Listening - No Corvair
To: ronh at owt.com, burkhard at rochester.rr.com, tony.underwood at cox.net
Cc: virtualvairs at corvair.org

> While I might agree, and lots of people seem to like their Prius, 
> I do  
> question the 95% satisfaction with the car.  I have no doubt that 
> 95% of  the 
> owners of this car are satisfied, but I question whether it is 
> satisfaction  
> because the car is so good compared with other vehicles, or 
> whether they are  highly 
> satisfied because they believe they are doing something for the  
> environment. 
> Is that was the case, and most owners were, say,  
> environmentalists, then 
> they might be highly satisfied with a Yugo if it was  meeting 
> their expectations 
> as an environmentally sensitive vehicle.  Is it  the car, or what 
> they 
> perceive the good that they are doing by driving it?   I guess it 
> doesn't matter 
> either way, and I have no problem with the car, but  for me, I too 
> would be 
> buying the VW diesel!  (Do have to say that the Volt  interests me 
> though too.)  
> Just my .02
> 
> Todd in TX