Quote:
Originally Posted by DGthe3
In the end, current hybrids may end up doing as much harm as good. The best thing for the environment is to not drive personal cars and instead walk, bike, take the bus, and take the train. Since that wont happen, cars like the Volt are the next best alternative. Now that being said, I still want a 400 hp Camaro
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Unfortunately, (fortunately in my opinion, but....) not everyone has the opportunity to utilize the other options you mention. For example, I live just far enough from work that walking/riding a bike isn't really an option. I could probably do it, and the exercise would help, but I would be drenched in sweat when I got to work and sitting in an office all day after sweating isn't a great option. Plus, here in Nebraska, there are certain months out of the year that it is way too cold to be outside walking/riding.
Add to that, there isn't any bus or train service of any kind out here. Not that I live in the boonies or anything, but the bus service doesn't run in the western half of Omaha. It has something to do with the city trying to give the lazy-ass-welfare recipients a chance to get around, so they only put the bus service in that part of town. I don't live or work there, so I don't get to use it (I pay for it, but I don't use it....they use it but don't pay for it....different topic/thread).
So, driving is the only option. Now, if the Volt or that Tesla roadster were available (and in the Tesla's case, by available, I mean that it doesn't cost over $100K), I'd look at that as an option. But I won't drive a Prius or an Insight (I pretty much won't drive a Toyota or a Honda anyway, but....).
So I'm left to drive my good old, American made, (ready to tow a Toyota Race Team Trailer) Silverado. And before anyone starts bashing me for driving a full-size, crew cab, 4-wheel drive pickup to and from work, come live through a winter in Nebraska when we get 3 feet of snow on the ground. You can call in to work saying you won't be in because your econo-crap-box is snowed in. But, if you're going to call, call me at the office. My Silverado got me there with no problems at all. Oh, and I did my nice deeds for the day, because on the way to work, I pulled 3 other people out of snow banks, medians, and ditches that they got stuck in.
Back to the original topic....those full-size hybrid SUV's by GM will start swaying more people to the Hybrid way of thinking. Why? Because they don't look like the typical hybrid, they don't drive like the typical hybrid, they aren't slow and underpowered like the typical hybrid. People are more than willing to buy hybrids. They just aren't willing to sacrifice style, power, and comfort to save a couple mpg. Tahoes that get 30mpg...damn. Yeah, I know about the driving style, but even if the Tahoe only increases to say 22 or 23 mpg....that's far better than the 13 or 14 they get now....and they will fly off the dealer lots. Are hybrids worse for the environment? Maybe, I don't know. But if I can trade in my '03 that gets 13 for an '08 that gets 23...I'm going to do that.