Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank Lee
Why muck it up with hybrid? The whole idea is that lightness, simplicity, and a pretty much right-sized engine do practically as well as hybrid without all the complexity and expense.
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Right on. Imagine how cheaply a really simple and efficient motor could be built with current technologies. The hybrid thing sometimes looks to me as if we are being sold little test vehicles, being recruited as test pilots who pay rather than get paid. A friend with a five or six year old Prius has just woken up to the $5,000 battery replacement costs coming at her soon. She's not happy. Meanwhile I'm getting 50mpg at 55/60 on the freeway in a 1998 Civic I have driven for a decade. Still, the first gen Insight was a gorgeous little car in terms of shape. I wish we could have cars completely tailored, on a website or something. But yay for 3 cyl Fords.