Anybody living in the southeastern United States may have heard a couple of radio DJ's named Walton and Johnson.
Driving to work this morning, they led the discussion into hybrid cars (it went downhill quick) and took a few calls. It wasn't good radio by a stretch, I just hope that everyone considers it as entertainment, not the facts.

My response to them in an e-mail:

Walton & Johnson:

Driving to work this morning, listening to 98.1 in Baton Rouge, and I heard a bunch of nonsense concerning hybrid cars. Not your normal nonsense, hybrid nonsense.

What’s the deal? Why didn’t you guys check the facts instead of spreading misinformation?

By now you have figured out I’m a hybrid owner. Sure.

You guys stated that the extra cost wasn’t worth it; take 3-5 years to break even. How did you come to that conclusion? Seems like you would have to know how many miles are driven, cost of fuel, the true mpg attained, little facts like that. Maybe buyers aren’t looking for an immediate payback, maybe it’s what they want for environmental reasons. Or they are geeks that like the technology. Or maybe we all have to start somewhere, to get away from foreign oil dependence. It may not be the best answer, but it’s a start.

A caller states that 2-3 years down the road the batteries will fail, and then it would be 10 grand to replace it and that nobody tells the buyer about this cost. My Insight has an 8 year/80,000 mile warranty on all the hybrid components, including the battery pack. This is about standard from all the manufacturers.

Another caller – the fire/rescue guy, says he uses the “jaws of life” and worries about the high voltage wiring that is “hidden” and that nobody wants to tell them where it’s located. Yes, he should be concerned, a definite electrical hazard is present. But come on, the high voltage cables on all hybrids are clearly visible, sheathed in a bright orange wrapping. Big danger labels are all over the battery pack. Honda will send copies of the wiring schematics to emergency units for training, they just have to ask.

If you want to see true information from real hybrid owners, go to https://www.greenhybrid.com. Lots of good information from a group of friendly people.


Don Church
Baton Rouge, LA
dchurch55@yahoo.com



Probably wasted my time writing, but I feel better about it.

Regards,

 

Most of what passes for "Talk Radio" these days is crap. "Moron call-in" radio is more like it. Do we expect the hosts of these shows to actually know *anything* about the subjects that they choose as a topic on a particular day? I certainly wouldn't expect that they know much beyond some what they read in some newspaper or magazine article they'd read the previous day. They see a "hot button issue" with which they can maximize the debate factor for their show, and they push the button.

Of course, by experience, we should be aware that these call-in shows are more often than not a sham to grab ratings... and what better way to grab ratings than to let a bunch of misinformation be spread by individuals who are not culpable for their misinformed statements and outright lies?

I might suggest we fight fire with fire, but c'mon... the audience, if they can't think for themselves, is asking to be burned by whoever comes along with the brightest punk that glows in thier favorite color.

 

Is Walton and Johnson meant to be a serious morning show, or is it supposed to be funny? If it is meant to be funny, I don't take those shows literally. Bob & Tom coast to coast is broadcast by one of our local stations out here and you know when you are listening to it that they are all there for humor. Not a serious show at all, although only limited call-in opportunities for the audience anyway.

In all honesty, the number of hybrids on the roads and continued interest by the public will eventually kill these comments and end the media hybrid bashing.

 

Sounds like typical media - when you don't know the facts, fill in the blanks with whatever you think and pass it off as actual information. I'm sure those guys didn't ask a single hybrid owner about their experience. They probably just watch Saturn commercials, listen to the jokes on TV and radio, and fill in the rest. Hybrids are not being marketed very well. The #1 queston I get - "do you have to plug it in?". 4-5 years in the market, thousands on the road, and still I get that question all the time.

I'm sure the next report will be on if you drive down a long hill the batteries will over-recharge and blow up. :-)

 

Better be careful Tim, we don't want them stumbeling upon this thread in the middle of the night in a drunken bender and mis-read this. Reporters tend to believe anything they read or hear out of context.

 

HA! There's a lot of truth to that unfortunately. I can see the article, "Hybrid owners report that over-recharging the batteries cause explosions. In related news, running the air conditioner with the windows shut causes the interior to over-pressurize and will blow-out the windows...".

 

That is a riot!

I was at a class reunion this weekend was was talking to a spouse of a class memeber. He had been working for Horizon Air, part of Alaska Air, prior to 9/11 when they lost that jet coming up from Mexico, I think it was along the California coast.

Talk about a guy who absolutely hates the media. He was a counter agent and was continually bombarded with inappropriate questions and generally surly and rude reporters on that day until airport security came by to take them away. Some of the comments that were yelled at him were inflammatory and insinuating

If the media wants to be respected then they need to respect the people that they interact with.

 

Speaking of the media being liars. One of our members here was interviewd by a reporter. When the article came out this reporter twisted and took things out of context to the point the user felt violated. The user then felt so bad he didn't want to come to this forum and to this date stays away.

Anything for a story I guess.

 

Anyone else noticing a marked increase in reports like this?

<put your tinfoil hats on>

Maybe there is someone behind this increase in hybrid bashing. A US auto company / Oil company whisper campaign?

 

I suspect this as well.