Small Satisfactions re Hybrids

Sure, buses are fine for many commuters, especially if they can use express buses that drop passengers at their work locations. A guy in my office took one from Stafford/Quantico for years and it dropped him off a block away from work - and picked him up there in the afternoons. He liked it. He's now retired and is golfing, fishing, and hunting in SC.

In my case, it's just not time-efficient to endure the 50-70 min bus trip to work on a multi-stop Metro bus route with a required transfer to another bus at the Pentagon. My better time-use alternative is that I can pick up my carpool (or slugs) and breeze non-stop to my work location in 20-25 mins total. The bus option can take even more than 50-70 minutes in the afternoons.

Like most people, I want to minimize commuting time; and I often need my car during the day at work to get to appointments all over the NoVa area.

NoSUV, if public transportation works for you, and you can absorb the extra commute time into your daily schedule, get on the bus or Metro rail. It just doesn't work for me and for many others.

I've read your promotion of hybrid cars, and that's admirable. When I replace the old Grand Marq I'll check to see if any manufacturer is offering a hybrid sedan that has enough room and trunk space at an affordable price. I don't really want a hybrid or any other kind of SUV.

And if I do buy a hybrid, I still plan to use the HOVs with the carpool and/or slugs to save us all some commute time. That's just a nice thing to do for my neighbors. Why be selfish and drive alone when one has a couple of extra seats to share with friends and working stiffs just trying to get to/from their jobs in a time-efficient manner?

[^] Let's just move more people in fewer cars. [^] [:)]

scottt- what you post is blatantly false. Hybrid do not get better mileage in stop and go than highway speeds, and the EPA is making the adjustment to the estimates (the EPA estimate used emissions as a criteria in the formula, which badly skewed the data). Test drive one, and you will see for yourself.

Hybrids, do, however, get better mileage that conventional vehicles in the same class, regardless of use on highway or stop and go.

I find it interesting that your vehicle gets better mileage at 70 mph than 40 mph. Every scientic journal seems to point the other way.

scottt - best if you test drive a hybrid and observe for yourself. I suspect that you will find that the method of propulsion is identical over the long run for the two scenarios you list.

Sponge - why don't you do scottt a favor and do the test drive? What's the worst that could happen?

Perhaps you would find out what hybrid really means, and why it is far easier to show someone than trying to explain batteries vs. gas usage. Doubters should try one to see the shift during all speeds from one to the other - or both being used at the same time - to make the wheels go around.

I "broke even" the day I bought the hybrid - because helping the envirionment was important to me and well worth the extra cost. I bought it while living near Albany, NY, so no express lane breaks.

Your rental sounds abnormal. My hybrid gas engine engages after about 10 min of battery only operation in very slow traffic, but it does completely shut off frequently. At highway speeds, the gas engine does shut off when either at constant speed (zero accelleration) or when coasting downhill. Of course, you can lead foot your way so the gas engine always runs an also ruin your mileage...