Cars/Gas/Hybrids

This article got me riled up for 3 reasons:

1. “It is a fundamental change,” Mr. Spinella said. “People are willing to buy small cars because they are more sophisticated." "They aren’t econoboxes, they’re just smaller cars,” Mr. Shapiro added.

Thank you! This is something I've been waiting for Americans to realize for years: Small cars can still be nice. Europe has plenty of luxury cars that are the size of a Civic. But here in America, we think that if you want a sunroof and leather you better buy some Buick landbarge. I'm glad people are coming around.

2. Pierre Tremblay, 67, of Howell, Mich., bought a Toyota Prius this month because driving his Dodge Ram pickup 40 miles round-trip to work was costing so much. So far the Prius is getting 55 miles per gallon, compared with 13 for the truck.

I'm sorry, you were driving 40 miles a day in a pickup truck that gets 13 mpg? You, sir, deserve to be smacked, but are pardoned for seeing the error of your ways. I have a problem with the whole "giant gas-guzzler as primary transportation" concept- there's actually a guy in my building who commutes to work in a Hummer. Not an H3, not an H2, a full-on Canyonero Hummer. Why would you do that? The true tragedy is that I'm sure if gas prices were to come down, Pierre would go right back to driving his eco-nightmare because "it's more comfortable" or some such nonsense.

3. Americans have spent $20 billion more on gasoline so far this year compared with 2006, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office. That works out to about $146 a person, a fraction of what a new car costs.“From a dollars-and-cents point of view, it doesn’t make sense,” said Jesse Toprak, director of industry analysis for Edmunds.com, a Web site that offers car-buying advice. “There’s no way you’re going to drive it enough to justify the purchase, so it’s more of a psychological decision.”

No, it's an environmental decision. This is what boils my blood about the whole hybrid car debate: when people say "It doesn't make sense. You're never going to save money by driving a hybrid." For the last time morons: it's not about saving money!

[Up on the soapbox]
It's about conservation. It is not okay to waste gas because you can afford it! This is the American me-first mentality at it's worst. The world has a finite amount of fossil fuels, and we have to make them last as long as we can. I think it's everyone's responsibility to reduce their energy usage, which will decrease pollution and our dependence on foreign oil. People need to look at the big picture, and not cop-out and go with the whole "Der-te-der, this is America I can drive what I want" excuse. Plus, hybrid cars aren't even like electric cars that just let the power company make the pollution- they get their electricity by reclaiming kinetic energy that would otherwise just be burned off as heat in the brakes. It's free electricity and reduced fuel usage and you don't have to do a thing to get it! Who wouldn't want that?"
[Off the soapbox]

Okay, that's all.