Are some journalists
ignorant, liars, or just plain biased?
How many articles have you read about hybrid
cars, such as the Toyota
Prius, and how they don't achieve EPA estimates?
For the record, the Prius CAN meet EPA estimates. If you
are on the highway you have to drive 55 mph, without air
conditioning, without excessive wind, and on flat roads,
etc.
However, in city driving,
the Prius can achieve 60 mpg, even with the AC on if you
are in extreme stop-and-go traffic, but that isn't the
point.
The real point is the gross inaccuracy of EPA estimates on
ALL vehicles. According to some studies, the average
CONVENTIONAL vehicle - not hybrid - falls short of its EPA
fuel efficiency ratings by as much as 35%!
According to a recent
Consumer Report's study, in city driving 9 out of 10
vehicles fall short of their EPA estimates by as much as
50 percent.
In fact, according to the Detroit
News, the latest effort to fix the EPA fuel efficiency
ratings wasn't prevented by Toyota to protect its hybrids,
rather it was blocked by Detroit.
HMMM, I wonder what Detroit has to hide? Are Detroit's gas guzzlers even far more gas guzzling than the EPA rates them? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For example a number of Dodges achieve a whopping 8 mpg in the city. Chrysler's 300C, estimated to achieve 17 mpg, actually achieves just 10 mpg. The worst culprit, the Jeep Liberty Diesel, estimated at 22 mpg in the city, actually achieves only 11 mpg, 50 percent less than estimated.
Of course, not all hybrids are perfect either. CR notes that the Honda Civic hybrid only achieved 24 mpg in the city - missing its EPA estimated city fuel economy by 46 percent.
Nonetheless,
hybrids still fill the top 3 most fuel efficient vehicles
slot - not bad considering only a handful of hybrids are
available. And the Civic hybrid's 24 mpg in the city is
still better than almost every single conventional vehicle
on the road today.
Simply stated, hybrids are not all the same. The Honda
Accord hybrid and the Civic hybrid are built upon the
same hybrid technology, but not the same hybrid technology
as the Toyota
Prius hybrid. Toyota hybrids, such as the Prius or Highlander
hybrid, can actually function on electric power only
at low speeds. This means that in city driving, where
congestion creates stop-and-go traffic, Toyota hybrids can
use much less gasoline, as can the Ford
Escape hybrid.
Honda hybrids do not benefit from this gain. The second
generation Civic hybrid, due out in October; however, will
offer this capability, but its electronic component will
still not equal that of Toyota hybrids.
Thus, all hybrids are not created equal and viewing
hybrids as one class is as inaccurate and misleading as
utilizing EPA fuel economy data. While the Civic hybrid
only achieves 26 mpg in the city according to CR, the
Prius achieves 45 mpg. The Ford Focus, for a conventional
comparison, only achieves 17 mpg.
At today's gas prices, driving 15,000 miles per year, the
Civic hybrid would save you $1500.00 in gas versus the
Focus, the Prius would save $4500.00 per year in gas
savings versus the Focus. Of course, not everyone drives
in these conditions all the time, but for those that live
in large cities, the cost-benefit of hybrids like the
Prius is pretty dramatic.
Additionally, if you HAVE to drive an SUV and you drive
mostly in the city, driving a Highlander hybrid or Escape
hybrid will probably save close to $700 - $1000 per year.
For many hybrid drivers, gasoline savings in the real
world ARE enough to cover the cost of hybrid components,
plus you are helping to clean the environment - can you
really put a cost on that?
Ultimately, hybrids are not all the same. Currently, the
Prius is best in class - at least until the second
generation Civic hybrid. Still, it isn't the fuel economy
of hybrids that should be in focus, rather is should be
the incredible fuel inefficiency of conventional vehicles.
So, the next time you read a journalist start to discuss the shortcomings of hybrids by noting that they don't achieve EPA estimates, realize you are dealing with either an ignorant journalist, or a biased media whore.
