On Friday, Ann and I took a pretty darn cool trip into (with any luck) not-too-distant future. Before telling you briefly how, I want to be sure you realize that this is not necessarily a commercial for a specific brand of car, but a reflection on our experience with the technology.
In my August 14 posting, I laid out some suggestions on how one might reduce the amount of gasoline used in any given week, as well as, some steps my family and I were taking. Three days ago, my wife and I went and took a look at a Toyota Prius automobile. Our family will soon be in need of a new automobile, and are trying to purchase the most affordable auto with the least environmental impact. The cost of gasoline, although a minor consideration, but our intent all along has been to investigate an electric or hybrid vehicle.
Without getting too deeply into the advertising literature, the car was pretty impressive, and certainly looked the part of "Car of the Future." A techno-geek's dream, it comes equipped with an in-dash LCD which visually takes the driver (and passenger) through the vehicle's gas/battery conversion process using graphics depicting energy pathways.
Ann test drove the vehicle (I was a passenger)and handled very smoothly. According to the salesperson, the Prius was designed and developed to completely maximize the energy utilized. This included using many structural adaptations, like specially formed roof and side panels to diminsh drag, thereby reducing the energy needed to move.
Not much more needs to be said as apparently many of us (you?) are buying the suddenly; extremely in-demand vehicle... my two cents? Definitely check it out, and even more importantly, begin to question (with your dollars, if possible) why the U.S. government and the industry over which it has influence (and the other way around) to mandate a more timely move to an alternative energy source. After 20 minutes in this hybrid it makes one wonder question what the wait is...
No comments:
Post a Comment