With my environment hat on I've been given a Honda Civic Hybrid to test drive, which has been an interesting experience so far. It's the first time I've ever driven a brand new car, and it's also the first time I've ever driven an automatic, so it's a bit hard not to be distracted by all of that.
But as regards the 'hybrid' bit, the idea is that it has both a petrol engine and a battery, so that when it is more economical (eg in stop-start urban settings) to do so it automatically switches over to the battery. I had (perhaps rather naively) imagined that you had to plug it in at night, but it turn out that the battery charges up as you go along, so you don't really notice it. It also does clever things like automatically cutting out the engine if you are idling, again without you really noticing.
I've heard some people say that if you look at the whole lifecycle of the product, including manufacture, likely limited operating life, and disposal, then it may not be quite as green as it seems, but it certainly scores well on the 'gee whizz' front!
3 comments:
Hi Steve. I've had a Toyota Prius since the new year. It's true that they're not as green as they're painted (well, mines painted blue but...). Nevertheless, if we don't buy them the technology won't be improved. I started out getting mid forties, which was hugely disappointing, but I'm now in the low to mid 50's per gallon. I think, the engine being under less pressure, it takes longer to run in. Best of luck with yours.
The environmental cost of production is far greater as less of them are made. If the Prius and hybrid cars became the norm, then the whole lifecycyle will produce a lot less carbon than say a Ford Focus.
I've had to hand the car back today. The readout suggests it has averaged 40mph since it was new, but maybe this reflects the predominantly urban/stop-start roads it has been used on. I did dabble with the cruise control, but you can't do much 'cruising' on South Gloucestershire's roads!
Post a Comment