Bob

There is also some interest in the publicus on tips to improve mileage. I have typed up a sheet of basic sugestions for better mileage, not hyper mileing just ways to improve basic mileage that apply to any car. I find alot of people feel that its better to let their car idle to warm up before the move. This kind of stuff. Maybe you could also include some of this in you talks.

 

I would be happy if we can convince the average American that he doesn't need to plug it in every night.

(Never mind the fact that I do in the winter -- I CHOOSE to do it; it is not required.)

It is amazing that I still hear that old song at least once a week.

 

But I do plug mine in every night ---- to the block heater! Had some one come by and asked me if I had a plug in hybrid

 

No doubt there are alot of misconceptions out there about Hybrid technology. Maybe it's because alot of people only know where to put the gas when the gauge tells them the tank is almost empty.............and not much else!! Probably time they got out the owners manual and found out where to add the oil too!! That would be a good starting point.

 

I didn't purchase my hybrid because I'm a tree hugging nut--I actually did it because the transmission on my old ford explorer was going to crap and I had to justify getting a newer car. MPG was that justification--right now, my FEH gets almost double the mpg of my explorer (31 vice 17). I save nearly a carpayment a month in gas-that was the payoff.

I've reduced/reused/recycled for much of my life, but since I've purchased my hybrid, I've also become more aware of the green choices I make. My cargo area is littered with reusable grocery bags, I'm looking at bamboo/cork floors for my home remodel instead of wood, and I'm more focused on how much I actually recycle/reuse.

I say all of that to say that I've never encountered any predjudice as a result of owning/driving my hybrid. In fact, I think I've become an ambassador for hybrids-I'm amazed by the amount of people who are mislead/unread about the hybrid solution. I've gotten used to the "no-you don't have to plug it in." "yes-its as fast as the regular escape"...

 

I'd go along with that line of thinking. I didn't buy mine specifically with a view to being 'green', although that played a small part. I was much more interesting in saving money on gas.

I do find however that owning and driving a hybrid does tend to make me think more about the environment, and I do tend to do more and more small things to help - such as using reusable grocery bags, and being more conscious of what items go into recycling vs. garbage.

So, does owning a hybrid make me a 'green nut'? No.
Does it have an influence on my being more environmentally conscious? Yes.

 

Ashen had purchased the 2003 HCH to compensate for his aggressive driving style and to reduce the likelihood of getting speeding tickets. At that time, his job required him to drive out of state on business frequently, so the fuel savings played a part as well.

 

I will add that it seems to me that the majority of hybrid owners have something to prove also.

Sadly, in some cases, it's just a different way of beating the jones' that a hybrid owner is seeking.

Another reason my escape is debadged is that I have nothing to prove by owning a hybrid, nor do I care who agrees, disagrees or what they think about my reason for owning one.

I know how much I am saving in fuel costs. Even though it does make me feel good to know my $$ are going towards my American manufactured FEH instead of towards foreign oil or a foreign manufacturer, I don't need anyone to pat me on the back for it.


08FEH

 

Hi,

We have a difference of opinion about this:
It is the response to a cacophony of hybrid attacks that reached an apex with the "CNW Marketing" 'Dust-to-dust' report. Time has proved them wrong, yet in December 2007 the European version of 'Dust-to-Dust" came out and has been picked up but at least three 'echo chambers' and one is "Wired."

If my neighbor decides to drive something else, it is no sweat off of my brow. But if or when they or my co-workers come by and repeat some hybrid nonsense from a discredited skeptic, my tolerance is at an end. Live and let live means me too.

That works for me. There is no requirement for hybrid owners to be of one mind . . . Thank God! It isn't as if we all have to meet once a month to figure out the hybrid point of view. No, we are more diverse than that and thankfully so.

The target are those who spread bullsh*t about hybrids. The skeptics who through semantics and skewed writing go out of their way to draw disdain on hybrid owners as a group and hybrids in specific. Hybrids aren't for everyone and certainly there are wide range of requirements to support a healthy vehicle market for a wide range of vehicles. But to single out hybrids and their owners for attack and disdain, well that isn't "the Jones," it is dealing with bullies and abusive ones at that.

Bob Wilson