EPA, hybrid efficiency, and the "gas scare"

Yesterday I read a Honda Accord hybrid thread that discussed EPA gas mileage numbers and real world numbers.

EPA numbers are a poor estimate - the point has been beaten into the ground.

The real point is that hybrid technology is diverse, and it is only going to get more diverse. The Accord hybrid is a performance hybrid optimized for highway driving. Think of it as a turbo-charged V6 Accord, except its turbo chargers increase fuel efficiency and significantly reduce pollution, in addition to providing quicker acceleration.

Nonetheless, if your goal is pure fuel efficiency, this hybrid vehicle is not for you. If you live an urban lifestyle, with lots of stop-and-go traffic, the Accord hybrid is not going to be especially fuel efficient.

The Ford Escape hybrid and Toyota Prius hybrid, on the other hand, are most fuel efficient in these conditions because they are able to function using mostly electric power generated just by driving the Prius or Escape hybrid - free, regenerative energy.

Toyota's next hybrids are going to diversify hybrid technology even further. Currently, the Escape hybrid SUV utilizes a 4 cylinder engine in its hybrid powertrain. Both the Lexus RX400h and the Highlander hybrid will utilize 6 cylinder engines. Thus, as with the Accord, both new Toyota hybrids will also be performance hybrids.

Still, both new Toyota hybrids, unlike the Accord hybrid, offer significant fuel saving tools. In urban driving both the RX400h and the Highlander hybrid can function on mostly electric power, just as the Prius. On the highway, both new hybrid SUVs can still achieve significant improvements in fuel efficiency, but assistance from the driver is required. Here the Accord hybrid probably has an advantage.

Does it all really matter? Is gas really that expensive?

That was the point in the article, "Gas price scare is just that" by John McCormick of the DetroitNews. AAA recently reported that the average consumer is spending just under $1300 per year on gasoline. Mr. McCormick states, "That's a round of drinks at the bar, a cheap bottle of wine in a restaurant or your co-pay at the doctor's office. Sounds like a deal to me."

Maybe in Detroit people only pay $1300 per year, or $25 per week, as Mr. McCormick states, but averages are always confusing. My friend has a long Southern California commute, like many Californians, and it used to cost him $35.00 per day to go to work and back. Recently, however, he bought a small Toyota and cut his gas bill in half. Still, half is almost $90.00 per week, not including weekends.

That is pretty scary to my friend and many others.

Hybrid cars can help people like my friend, and as gas prices and commute times increase, as predicted by many experts, they'll help much more.

More important, the thing missed by hybrid-haters - especially the Big 3 - hybrids create a covenant between buyer and seller that stands for making the world a better place. That's a pretty strong customer relationship. While a hybrid purchase might only be a step, it is a significant step for many consumers.

Detroit missed this opportunity.

Instead of spending 100's of millions to market gas guzzlers, Detroit could have said, "Make America stronger, buy American-made fuel efficient technology. Help fight the War on Terror and foreign oil-dependency."

The sell isn't that hard is it?