Question 9

Question 9

In my last post I researched a rather interesting topic in my opinion. The topic was "are hybrids really better for the environment", and my first article produced evidence that hybrids are actually not as good for the environment as the media makes them look. This was interesting to me because I don't know very much about hybrids, but the evidence produced was based on facts and made allot of sense to make me believe that hybrids are more of a gimmick and a fad than effective at preserving the environment in the long run. "But just because a car has so-called hybrid technology doesn't mean it's doing more to help the environment or to reduce the country's dependence on imported oil any more than a nonhybrid car. The truth is, it depends on the hybrid and the nonhybrid cars you are comparing, as well as on how you use the vehicles. There are good hybrids and bad ones. Toyota Prius, is lauded for squeezing 40 or more miles out of a gallon of gas, and it really can. But only when it's being driven around town, where its electric motor does its best and most active work. On a cross-country excursion in a Prius, the staff of Automobile Magazine discovered mileage plummeted on the Interstate. In fact, the car's computer, which controls the engine and the motor, allowing them to run together or separately, was programmed to direct the Prius to spend most of its highway time running on gasoline because at higher speeds the batteries quickly get exhausted. Indeed, the gasoline engine worked so hard that we calculated we might have used less fuel on our journey if we had been driving Toyota's conventionally powered, similarly sized Corolla — which costs thousands less. For the owner who does the majority of her driving on the highway, the Prius's potential for fuel economy will never be realized and its price premium never recovered" (Jamie Lincoln Kitman). The quote above was from a car tester affiliated with the New York Times. I liked this article because it avoided the controversy I have seen on many other sites about the cost of the oieces of the hybrid when shipping it over sees and where the raw materials come from. This article highlighted that drivers of hybrids will benefit from driving within cities instead of long cross country trips. Knowing the little bit I do about hybrids now, I would say this sounds very accurate and is very good advice for anyone looking into buying a hybrid.

Sources in order of appearance:

Kitman, Jamie. "Life in the Green Lane." The New York Times. The New York Times, 16 Apr. 2006. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com>.