Buying a Hybrid?

[kusozcom]

Okay, okay, so everyone now has a reason to buy a hybrid car, right?

If you’re a fan of Al Gore, you’ll do it because your neighborhood will drown if you don’t. We won’t EVEN discuss what worries Ted Turner fans.

If you’re an Al Gore hater, you’ll buy a hybrid because Al Gore Jr. proved it could go 100 mph and you can make Al Jr. jokes every day. http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1753857.php

If you’re a big business hater, you’ll do it because you can’t stand Exxon making 40 billion dollars per year and getting a tax cut at the same time.

If you’re a fiscal conservative, you’ll buy a hybrid because the free market now makes it worth it.

If you are internationally conscious, you’ll get a hybrid because you don’t want to make international psychos and loonies rich; Hugo Chavez, Iran.

Last week a few of my KBSF helpers called car dealerships in New England to learn the facts about hybrids (imagine that, asking a salesman for “facts”). But they also checked out some websites for information about hybrids.

You will get better gas mileage with a hybrid than with a regular car, but hybrid owners say you will not get much better mileage. The way a hybrid works is a gasoline engine charges an electrical system. Hybrids are better than electric cars because you don’t have to plug in every 70 – 200 miles, a major problem if you are on a long road trip.

So what about the news reports that show a hybrid that plugs into the electrical outlet in your garage? None of my friends could locate anyone who sold such a thing. One salesman tried to convince one of my friends that you really don’t have to plug-in because the car constantly recharges itself, such as when you are coasting downhill. But you have to drive uphill to be able to drive downhill and you have to drive on flatland in between hills. But hey, that was a salesman!

Some research on the web revealed a different set of facts. Most owners were okay with their hybrids but not happy with the extra gas mileage. They didn’t save enough money on the better gas mileage in order to make up for the extra cost of a hybrid.

But isn’t the idea that you plug in your car during the week in order to get back and fourth to work then have the gas engine available for longer trips? Or if you have a long commute, you get the first 70 miles on electric power before the gas engine starts? You will save money because the cost of electricity with a plug-in hybrid is equal to about $1.00 per gallon when you are running on electric. But that still doesn’t work for the Al Gore lovers because instead of burning gas in your engine, coal or other fossil fuels are burned at a power plant, not to mention nuclear, in order to generate power for your car.

To make a long story short, the only manufacturer that makes a plug-in hybrid (or a conversion) is Toyota. So be real careful when you go to buy your new car. Make sure you get a plug-in hybrid or one that can be converted. Then play the best trick you can to serve YOUR interests. Get a small roof mounted wind turbine or solar array or both that will charge a few batteries that you can plug your car into when you get home. You’ll always have your regular electric grid for back up in case there are cloudy days with no wind. But most importantly you won’t drown, you can still drive fast while making jokes about Al Jr., you won’t contribute to Exxon’s profits, you will save money in the long run and you won’t contribute to psycho or loony world leaders.

CHECKMATE!

http://home.earthlink.net/~ponderthemaunder/id32.html