Sorry to butt in on your question.

July I came down through the San Joaquin Valley (I-5). The temp was 100+ and the Prius AC never let us down. The climate control was set at 76.

Getting out of the Prius was like walking into a broiler.

Man tried to walk his dog - he had to pick the poor thing up.

Centrider

 

Hah yes... I moved into this apartment in 110 degrees... when the sun was on my skin it felt like it was burning. First time I've felt that sensation.

On the other hand, once I was all moved in, swimming has never felt so good.

 

Soopah, Centrider, thanks for your perspectives on Prius AC. Good to know it can keep up with SoCal's hottest spots.

Soopah, sounds like you'd be the perfect candidate to install windmills (maybe in the front/rear airdams) to cool the car, cool and recharge the batteries. Come to think of it, it wouldn't be that hard to put a few, mini, wind-power generator, the size of a fog light, in the airdams, then wire them in series to charge the hybrid batteries. Sorry to go off in tangent on gas prices discussion.

 

I now own a 2005 Prius. I live in central Texas and the summers become so hot that driving without air conditioning is unthinkable. My gas mileage with the air conditioning running at around 72-degrees interior temp has been running at about 40-41 mpg. I was alarmed at this still-respectable gas mileage. When the temperature in the last couple of days dropped ramatically, I switched the ac off and my mileage jumped to 46-47 mpg, so at least now I know what ac is costing me in mileage. My previous "car" was a fully loaded Jeep Grand Cherokee which, on good days, would get around 16 mpg. I calculated that what I would have paid at around $2.59/gal, I am now paying the equivalent of about $0.93/gal. The price keeps dropping, so does my equivalent cost/gallon. Mock away. I'm the one who's laughing. Besides, guys and gals, remember, there's an election coming up, so the price of gas is falling. After the election, it'll probably rise to its previously absurd cost. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me 10-12 times.... oh forget it. People don't seem to learn from history.

 

I say let them mock us. Lower emissions of most gasses, save for smug I am simply happy to have a car that suits me and lifestyle.

 

Hahaha royal744 I like how you closed that post out.

What is the cost per mile nowadays in a Prius anyway? 48mpg, $2.80/gal, so 2.8/48 = $.06/mi? Not bad. Just thinking in comparison to Tesla's claims of 1 cent/mi (if you charge at night...).

ck90211, why would I add windmills to the car... ?

 

I hardly considered myself bitter. In fact I was thinking the other way around. Friggin American car companies make improvements on their own (didn't need laws to make them do it), and all I see among the "Prilitist" crowd is complaining about it. I am not the one whining.

I own a Prius. I like consistently getting over 50 mpg on every tank. I like that the emissions are significantly lower than other new cars - but I know that the improvement is small when you consider the huge reductions in tailpipe emissions that were achieved over the 20 years before the the Insight hit the market. Every bit helps, but continuously patting myself on the back for buying a Prius only accomplishes giving me a sore shoulder.

I am not bitter. I am a bit embarrased. I have learned a lot about my car by participating in hybrid related forums. But I told my wife just last night that I was quickly growing tired of all the holier than thou attitudethat seems so pervasive here and in other forums.

I am not concerned about an oversized alternator in an Esaclade diluting the "hybrid" name.

I did not buy my car to be part of snotty club.

I didn't buy my Prius because of some personal environmental epiphany. It was just a good choice for me.

I don't want to be driving down the freeway and have people look at me and think, "There goes another one of those hybrid owners that thinks his $h!+ doesn't stink." And why wouldn't they?

Some people here should look at themsleves - What do you think when you see a soccer mom in an SUV? Who posted the picture of the guy in the Toyota Tundra with comments about how he only needed it to look tough? What the hell does anyone in a Prius know about the person in the lane next to him just by looking at his car?

Caution to all: The size of your head is not directly proportional to your intelligence. Don't assume you are better than anyone else just because they drive an SUV.

 

The Far Right has mocked hybrid owners before, and I'm sure they will again. Gasoline was about $1.29/gallon when I bought my HCH, so I've heard it all.

But I am willing to bet that by Thanksgiving gasoline will suddenly be back into the $3-$4 range once the mid-term elections are over.

I don't lose any sleep over a 42v souped-up "hybrid" Escalade. It's going to be so expensive that only the super-elite will be able to afford it, and they're not the kind of people who care about the environment -- at all.

For me, gas prices just didn't affect my decision to by a hybrid. Whether gasoline is $2, $3, or $4/gallon, driving a hybrid means using less of a non-renewable fuel source and handing less money to terrorists via the fuel pump.

 

When the history of cars is written, the Prius will be right up there with the Model T as a vehicle that transformed how people thought about transportation.

Save the environment and save money at the same time. A winning combo.

 

Has anyone seen a hybrid commercial with the vehicle smoking up a dirt road, on top of a cliff, or one with a not so subtle message "you better not mess with me?"

The people throwing the "smug", "bitter", etc. comments at hybrid drivers may need to take a candid look at themselves in the mirror. I like driving around rush hours when there are less drivers on the road with issues like dominance and competition....