Continuing a thought from earlier, I wanted to link this article, which sees how we stereotype people based on their hoops…from a different, um, orientation.
It is funny how the Outback is associated with lesbians. But, in my mind, at least, it is also associated with NPR yuppies. Folks of reasonable means who feel the Outback somehow gives them granola cred. (When in reality, the little AWD hatchback on roids guzzles more gas most cars its size. I really have a problem with unnecessary all-wheel drive for people in Philly and its suburbs. The roads around here are littered with these people. I don’t know why, but it bothers me.)
It is incredibly silly, yet otherwise sane people say horrible things about folks who drive any form of SUV. Likewise, they’ll think wonderful things about people who drive SUVs emblazoned with Terrapass stickers. It is all about status, especially those who think that simply buying Terrapass carbon offsets for their SUV absolves them of their guilt. I categorize them with smug Prius owners, but for different reasons, since they are all deluding themselves in some way.
If you are truly concerned with your environmental impact (and you still need to buy a car), what makes you think that carbon offsets make up for the 6mpg Land Rover? It’s like having a diet Coke with your whopper. Have salad instead.
Still, at the risk of coming out of the closet (read that article, really), I’d be all over the electric Mini Coop. Of course, it is horribly impractical for the price ($50k), but if there were nuke plants to support the extra electricity use, I’d jump all over it. The Tesla Whitestar is supposed to be in the $40k range, which sounds reasonable for an electric family sedan. Plus, there’s the Babylon 5 connection</nerd>.
As for now, if you drive an electric car you’re just centralizing your carbon output.
Just some random thoughts
but let’s think about marketing for a second. it’s true that ecologically Prius owners aren’t doing that much yet. seriously, little cars in Europe can damn near get better gas mileage without being part-battery. but there are two important points there:
1. automakers can and have made more fuel efficient cars. the reason we don’t have them is because Big Oil can make a heck of a deal when they want to. bcs our fuel supply costs us less, our cars must therefore guzzle more. in Europe, their fuel costs way more, so Big Oil doesn’t have to work so hard on the automakers there to get their money’s worth. I know this is all a bit conspiracy theory, but since when aren’t back-scratching and political lobbying key profit-building tools?
2. if we can make gas-powered vehicles as efficient as (or even more efficient than) the ones across the pond, why can’t we make really useful, worthwhile alternative fuel cars? answer: we can, we just don’t. we suck. bio-diesel, electric, all sorts of good options exist (isn’t there a movie entitled, “Who killed the electric car?”), but the car industry is run by powerful bullies and there is only one way to change their minds: money.
so thank a Prius owner for starting to show the industry that there is a demand in this nation worth capitalizing on. let them pay more than what is affordable for their cars for a while until the demand rises enough that the suppliers overdo it to compete, and we end up with affordable, better for the environment vehicles. in their way, Prius owners are doing the environment a whole lot of good, if only by creating a market opportunity.
by the way, how’s your SUV? 😉
1.) I’m not prone to conspiratorial thinking. But, I can appreciate your cynicism while I say it is still simply a matter of economics. We live in a bigger place, not the filled in build of Europe, where you can’t get a normal-sized car down a city street, let alone an SUV. SUVs project the allure of power, safety and luxury, even the crap ones. That said, their fuel costs more because of taxes, which don’t go to the oil companies, so I’m not quite sure I follow you. It still has the effect of lowering consumption, but I’m not sure of the oil conspiracy connection. If a car manufacturer can build a fuel efficient car that doesn’t cost twice as much as a regular car or look like monkey ass, then the people might buy it. As for now, Prius sales dropped last year as gas prices fell. Prices are going up again, but we’ll see.
So, the automotive companies could be more progressive, but the history of car manufacturing is littered with the corpses of “innovative” cars. There has to be less risk to the car owners. And that’s the one place where the Prius has really succeeded.
Europe also has better public transit. While you can point to the death of the red trolley in L.A. as an example of evil business people (car manufacturers bought it to kill it), places like Phill are just overburdened with inefficiency. New York has its subways. DC does too, (marvelous ones, infact), but a ridership that far exceeds capacity.
2.) I’m a big fan of the electric car. However, the GM electric from that movie simply sucked. It had to die. Teslamotors has a real electric: 200 mile range, can charge in 6 hours. Still, if you’re concerned about the environment, rather than just oil consumption, electric cars won’t help much while we’re still burning coal. We need nukes, dammit. And solar space power satellites. Diesel still pollutes. Bio-diesel isn’t scalable. And ethanol is a parlor trick, not a fuel source.
3.) As for thanking the Prius owners, to hell with them and their status symbols. 🙂 They’re getting only slightly better mileage than Corolla owners at twice the price. Hybrids are improving, but it is still more marketing than performance. I’m all for electrics, but it is absurd to think you’re making a substantial dent with a hybrid. Hybrids burn less gas — not no gas — but only a bit less and it really depends on your driving style. We’d save more energy (and CO2) if we all mandated compact flourescent bulbs.
Are early adopters driving the market for hybrids? Probably. Or it might just be gas prices.
in their way, Prius owners are doing the environment a whole lot of good, if only by creating a market opportunity.
Not if that market is built on a false premise. The Prius takes more resources to build than the average SUV. Its batteries are toxic. And the gas savings are good, but don’t represent a quantum leap of any sort.
4.) Oh it is but a wee Saturn vue. I wanted a station wagon, but they don’t make those anymore. How’s the mileage in your truck? 😛
Besides, I take the train.
5.) This is all why I mentioned the X Prize earlier 100mpg cars are doable.
6.) This was a long reply. But it is my blog.
7.) I love you Monika. 🙂
lol. I love you, too, Greg – a lot.
that GM electric car may have sucked, but it wasn’t just that car that got killed, so much as the concept was deeply wounded, the market opportunity prematurely kicked in the teeth. it’s not over yet, but it will be much more of an uphill battle for wholly electric cars to come back from that.
I daresay that Europe, gas prices, oil company control, and all that jazz is far more complicated than chalking up the price difference and the difference in better cars to higher taxes. removing those taxes doesn’t level Europe’s fuel prices with ours. and it’s true that Big Oil doesn’t have as much influence there, nor does Big Auto becuase of the public transportation, but you can bet that deals (plenty detrimental to the environment) are struck, and obscene profits are still made. but bringing it home, you should check out the documentary about Philly’s change from the trolley system to buses, and how GM basically paid someone off to make it happen. the film’s producers (I hear, mind you) make an interesting case for how much better our transportation system could have been if we hadn’t bought into bus deal.
my truck, actually, gets great gas mileage for a truck, or I wouldn’t own it. my motorcycle gets amazing gas mileage, and yes, love, we do both take the train. I just enjoy teasing you.
I guess I’m of the theory that every market opportunity is false until someone successfully takes advantage of it. in my opinion, Prius owners are opening the door and inviting the automakers to take advantage of it. I expect they will.
lastly, most of the Prius owners I know did not buy it for status; they’re very earnest about wanting a hybrid and trying to be good to the environment, and they are willing to sacrifice money they could have spent elsewhere to try to do that. perhaps you know too many suburb-dwelling yuppies. ;)~
(and no, I don’t think of you a suburb-dwelling yuppie. I think you’re a suburb-dwelling geek that I love a whole bunch. and miss… dude, when are we hanging out?)