Comments on: the best they can do

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 18:55:14 +0000

Seriously! I thought of you (Deb) immediately when I first saw this “hybrid” truck. Trucks would actually be good candidates for hybridization, because they’re generally overpowered for city driving in order to have power available when hauling. A hybrid drivetrain would allow the gas-powered engine to produce less power in general by providing peak power from the electrical system. I think that’s called “integrated motor assist”:http://repositories.cdlib.org/ucei/devtech/EDT001/, but I Am Not An Automotive Engineer.

If they really wanted to get radical, they could design a V-8 which acts like a 4-cylinder engine in city driving conditions. I think that’s how Honda can provide a “V-6″ Accord Hybrid which gets the mileage of a 3-cylinder motor… because it’s running on 3 cylinders most of the time. Again, IANAAE, but the folks at GM claim to be.

By: deb

deb — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 18:38:35 +0000

Yeah, I saw that green washing BS at a trade show a few months ago. When I saw “hybrid” I thought great! A hybrid truck — finally! As I would actually be in the market for one of those . . . When I asked about the gas mileage, I was told 17 city and 18 highway or something horrendous. I must have looked disgusted as he said, well it’s a heavy truck you need a big engine to move it around, not like those little hybrids (that is bs as a Prius is somewhere around 3,000 lbs I believe). But then he was really quick to point out the plug in the back — so you can use the car as an on-site generator. Useful, occasionally, but not very “green.”

~d whos waiting, waiting for a *true* hybrid truck!

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 19:00:35 +0000

Indeed. I’m picturing our Governator shouting, “It’s naht ah tumah!”

I forgot to mention that the ad was on top of a gas pump. They’re almost certainly implying that the “10% better” mileage is a major feature.

By: Deana

Deana — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 18:19:33 +0000

“Hybrid tumor”! Hee hee…

By: karen

karen — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 16:06:06 +0000

Ooo. And the stupid thing is that people will buy such a truck and say, “Oh, see, I’m environmentally conscious, because it’s a Hybrid.” When it isn’t! It’s a conventional vehicle with a hybrid tumor! They really could do so much more.

By: Deana

Deana — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 04:18:14 +0000

Yeek. That’s so not worth it. One of my anthro colleagues just got kind of a deal on a Prius that was used as the test drive car on the Toyota lot. Green With. Envy.