Clearly the market is there...the Accord hybrid failed, but nearly every other hybrid has seen solid sales. I predict a smaller hybrid from Ford at some point soon...maybe on the new global Focus platform.
Does anyone realize how bad all of these batteries are for the enviroment? No one cares.
So this truck driver, carrying a load of Prius, stops at a rest stop and goes inside to get some speed. As he's paying at the counter, the clerk pulls out a gun and shoots a guy getting out of a Prius. The truck driver screams "What the hell did you do that for?" The clerk responds, "He's a hyper-miler, it's hyper-miler season, you could shoot as many as you want."
Later on, the truck driver is driving down the highway when his trailer comes loose, spilling the "Priuses" all over the highway. Hyper-milers come running up from everywhere, attempting to jump into the priuses, and the trucker starts shooting them. Seconds later a police officer pulls up officer shows up and starts screaming at the trucker to stop shooting.
The trucker says, "Why, it's hyper-miler season, I can shoot as many as I want."
And the police officer says, "Well sure you can, but you're not allowed to bait them."
@leavethegun-takethecannoli: The batteries are almost entirely recyclable, you know. And they're going to be recycled, too--you don't think Toyota requires a dealer to send the old one back when they order a new battery?
@leavethegun-takethecannoli: The production of twice as much sheet metal, four times as much iron, twice as much upholstery... all that stuff that goes into a run-of-the-mill SUV is pretty damaging, too.
Honestly, the effect of battery production on the environment is overblown. No, it's not exactly 'green', but it's offset within a year or two of driving the car anyway.
@A promenading performer: No way. Please consider that it's mined in Canada, manufactured in Ireland, shipped to Japan for assembly, and then the cars are shipped to the U.S. That's the way it was for the Prius battery as a last year.
@leavethegun-takethecannoli: So? All the steel used in a car is mined in China, melted down in gigantic blast furnaces, formed into huge rolls of steel, shipped to America, melted again, formed into sheet metal, then made into body panels for a car. The fact that nickle is mined in Canada, then shipped across the world doesn't make it any worse then any other raw material we use. Aluminum is far worse, just based on the amount of energy it takes to smelt, and its shipped as ore from Australia to the pacific northwest for refining most of the time, before it ever goes out as a finished product.
@leavethegun-takethecannoli: On top of what Tyson said, the nickel in the NiMH battery is the only problematic part as its mining isn't a friendly process. However, the nickel is also almost entirely recycled with each battery, so it's a one-time thing.
And the manufacture of a car only comprises 5-8% of the total environmental impact. That Hummer v. Prius study everyone loves to quote was bunk science; most of a car's impact is from its usage. It doesn't have to be explained why or that the Prius excels here.
@A promenading performer: Exactly. Vehicle usage is the culprit. The amount of oil waste run-off (this just the stuff that drips from your F150 and Prius) in the U.S. amounts to six Valdez spills a year.
The price of gas lowered its consumption in the U.S. by about 5% last year. If the Prius leads to cost savings in such a climate, people may be encouraged to drive more (and faster). Again, back to usage.
@Jo Schmo, Pauljones evil and opposite twin: Not exciting? Do you realize how many bolts of fabric were destroyed during Operation Pattern in the Second Embroidery Wave? Well, a lot.
This helps the environment how exactly? The Yaris already gets really good gas mileage. Sticking a hybrid system in it just increases weight, drastically increases the embodied cost to the earth, and tarnishes what was otherwise a decent, if boring, small car.
@Ash78: Right, there's more to be gained there. With small cars, you can get 2/3 the improvement in efficiency of a hybrid drivetrain through aerodynamic, engine tuning, weight-reduction, and gearing tweaks-- all for minimal cost.
Then again, EVERY vehicle can be made more efficient, without sacrificing anything but in-gear, highway-speed acceleration (god forbid we downshift).
@TV's Paul Y.: In effect, the LACK of aerodynamic improvements to non-hybrids constitutes an intentional effort towards marketing separation. Heaven forbid people suddenly see the hybrid mileage gap shrink. At least with cars like Camry, Civic, and Focus, you can compare apples to apples with gas vs hybrid--or pretty close.
There is a stylistic element to these design compromises, but not much (my daily driver, a 3,300# midsize sedan is only a couple hundredths Cd worse than a Prius)
@joshman misses preview: Because its not actually about gas Mileage. Its always been about catering to peeps who think driving a Hybrid will save the Tasmanian Fruit Bat or bring about world peace. Its about green marketing.
Diesel isn't that dirty. If it is, why no inspections?
Besides, Toyota can't build a diesel (cheaply) so save its Hino ass. Otherwise, a turbo-diesel-electric would be a submarine (you see where this is going?)!
Seriously, Toyota needs to get its head out of Fat Amerikan's asses, and go back to small trucks (HiLux) with smart, turbo-diesel hybrids. Plenty of space under that bed for a tray of batteries.
And for you smug Prius driver's in the left lane, going +70, you are asshats. So much for being green and lean.
I brake only for Prius drivers...and usually I am in front of you :P
I was one of the first people to ever get to drive an MR2 in N. VA, and it was an absolute blast. Redline shifts, cheese wedge styling, completely tossable chassis with plastic-wrap road cling, shit yeah it was a fantastic little car. And in spite of me bombing it like it owed me money, it got over 30mpg.
Now Toyota wants to go all dementor on its soul and leave us with...what, exactly? How can you possible combine Prius and MR2 and come away with anything that isn't a steaming pile of cross purposes? I smell disaster on the wind...and it's cheating its way into the HOV lane!
03/25/09
03/25/09
03/25/09
* Imagination Movers reference will only make sense if you have a toddler and the Disney channel
03/25/09
A hybrid? I could care less.
03/25/09
"Hybrid" as a descriptive term is rapidly becoming as exciting as "FWD."
03/25/09
03/25/09
Does anyone realize how bad all of these batteries are for the enviroment? No one cares.
So this truck driver, carrying a load of Prius, stops at a rest stop and goes inside to get some speed. As he's paying at the counter, the clerk pulls out a gun and shoots a guy getting out of a Prius. The truck driver screams "What the hell did you do that for?" The clerk responds, "He's a hyper-miler, it's hyper-miler season, you could shoot as many as you want."
Later on, the truck driver is driving down the highway when his trailer comes loose, spilling the "Priuses" all over the highway. Hyper-milers come running up from everywhere, attempting to jump into the priuses, and the trucker starts shooting them. Seconds later a police officer pulls up officer shows up and starts screaming at the trucker to stop shooting.
The trucker says, "Why, it's hyper-miler season, I can shoot as many as I want."
And the police officer says, "Well sure you can, but you're not allowed to bait them."
03/25/09
03/25/09
03/25/09
03/25/09
03/25/09
Is there any reason to assume the battery cleanliness will improve faster than fossil fuel tech, decreasing it's output?
03/25/09
Honestly, the effect of battery production on the environment is overblown. No, it's not exactly 'green', but it's offset within a year or two of driving the car anyway.
03/25/09
03/25/09
03/25/09
And the manufacture of a car only comprises 5-8% of the total environmental impact. That Hummer v. Prius study everyone loves to quote was bunk science; most of a car's impact is from its usage. It doesn't have to be explained why or that the Prius excels here.
03/25/09
Anyway, forget this crap, what did you think of the joke?
03/25/09
03/25/09
The price of gas lowered its consumption in the U.S. by about 5% last year. If the Prius leads to cost savings in such a climate, people may be encouraged to drive more (and faster). Again, back to usage.
03/25/09
I guess a pirate with the ubiquitous wooden peg leg would be a kind of a hybrid. See? Synergy works!
03/25/09
Great, I was already on thin ice after talk like a pirate day.
03/25/09
03/25/09
03/25/09
03/25/09
03/25/09
Plastic Surgeon to Release Hybrid Leg Technology, Take on Hybrid Segway.
03/25/09
03/25/09
I hate to say it, but hybridizing large SUVs makes a lot more sense. Assuming, of course, that the buyer actually needs a vehicle of that size.
03/25/09
Then again, EVERY vehicle can be made more efficient, without sacrificing anything but in-gear, highway-speed acceleration (god forbid we downshift).
03/25/09
There is a stylistic element to these design compromises, but not much (my daily driver, a 3,300# midsize sedan is only a couple hundredths Cd worse than a Prius)
03/25/09
If 100 miles burns 5 gallons of gasoline in a Suburban, but only 2.5 gallons in a hybrid version, you've saved 2.5 gallons of gasoline.
That same 100 miles using 1.25 gallons in a hybrid econobox instead of 2.5 gallons in a conventionally powered version only saves 1.25 gallons.
Doubling mileage of a higher mileage vehicle shows greater numeric gains, but has less benefit in fuel savings.
03/25/09
Ford always screws me with that alliteration!
03/25/09
03/25/09
03/20/09
Besides, Toyota can't build a diesel (cheaply) so save its Hino ass. Otherwise, a turbo-diesel-electric would be a submarine (you see where this is going?)!
Seriously, Toyota needs to get its head out of Fat Amerikan's asses, and go back to small trucks (HiLux) with smart, turbo-diesel hybrids. Plenty of space under that bed for a tray of batteries.
And for you smug Prius driver's in the left lane, going +70, you are asshats. So much for being green and lean.
I brake only for Prius drivers...and usually I am in front of you :P
03/19/09
I was one of the first people to ever get to drive an MR2 in N. VA, and it was an absolute blast. Redline shifts, cheese wedge styling, completely tossable chassis with plastic-wrap road cling, shit yeah it was a fantastic little car. And in spite of me bombing it like it owed me money, it got over 30mpg.
Now Toyota wants to go all dementor on its soul and leave us with...what, exactly? How can you possible combine Prius and MR2 and come away with anything that isn't a steaming pile of cross purposes? I smell disaster on the wind...and it's cheating its way into the HOV lane!
03/19/09
I think if I buy a AW11 MR-2 as I plant to, I will take off all the Toyota badges and leave only the MR-2 eagle logo:

Plus, it looks a lot more menacing than this abstract design:
03/19/09