On Hummers, Part II
I’m not really happy with how that last post turned out, but I’m not quite sure why. Let me add a few things.
It is interesting how uncritically that the report stating that Hummers are more energy-efficient than Priuses has been accepted, especially on some more conservative-oriented websites. Looks pretty clear that people are just reading the summary, or someone else’s post about the report, instead of actually reading the report itself.
If you actually read the report (available at http://www.cnwmr.com), there’s really not much there to give you confidence that it’s correct. It doesn't take more than a look at the format of the report to tell that it’s not something put out by some crack research team. The layout and organization is fairly primitive, and makes it clear that this is the job of some dude with a website. Not saying that means anything in the report is wrong, but if you are appraising the report with an open mind to see whether you can trust it … your suspicions should be tripped immediately. And that’s before you get to the ridiculous conclusion of a Prius consuming $384,000 worth of energy in its lifespan.
Let me pluck a few more statistics from the report. The main headline of the report, as mentioned before, is that the Hummer H3 is more energy-efficient than the Prius if you look at the energy consumed during the total lifespan of the vehicle. What’s interesting is that the report also shows that the H3 is more efficient than a non-hybrid Honda Civic. The relevant numbers are:
H3: energy costs are $421,000 over a 207,000 mile span.
Honda Civic: costs are $431,000 over a 178,000 mile span.
I can see in theory that a hybrid might have extra upfront costs, and the report takes pains to explain this, but the mass-produced, lower-end Civic is also more expensive? Oh, and let me give the numbers for the Toyota Corolla:
Toyota Corolla: energy costs are $130,000 over a 169,000 mile span.
So the Civic burns up three times as much energy as a Corolla, when all things are considered … really?
My overall point here is that even if you don’t think the report is dead wrong as I do, even a cursory scan of it should raise enough questions in your mind so as to make it highly dubious. I would certainly want further confirmation before going out on a limb and telling everyone it was the gospel truth, but maybe that’s just me.
Well, I should stop being naïve. People are uncritical when they hear what they want to believe. That’s not news. But why is this something that people want to believe? Are they pro-Hummer, or anti-Prius, or both? Why would you want to believe that a hybrid doesn’t deliver what it says it does?
My take, from surfing around, is that there are still segments of conservatives that are still fighting the small-versus-large car wars of thirty years ago. The rest of the country has moved on – some people buy small cars, some not, but for most of us it’s never considered a political statement. But apparently some people still feel the need to ridicule small cars and hope for their failure. Weird. Guys – wake up; that war ended twenty years ago, and the small cars won. They won because they were inexpensive, reliable, and efficient. Let’s move on.
On a side note, I get the feeling that some of these people are rooting for the Prius to fail because they perceive Prius owners to be insufferable elitist, tree-hugging, SUV-hating jerks. My personal experience here is that I know three Prius owners, and none of them fit that description in the least.
Me, I hope hybrids take off because greater fuel efficiency will be better for our society and our country. Why would anyone want them to fail? How would that help the U.S.?
Coming up: how I really feel about Hummers and their owners.
It is interesting how uncritically that the report stating that Hummers are more energy-efficient than Priuses has been accepted, especially on some more conservative-oriented websites. Looks pretty clear that people are just reading the summary, or someone else’s post about the report, instead of actually reading the report itself.
If you actually read the report (available at http://www.cnwmr.com), there’s really not much there to give you confidence that it’s correct. It doesn't take more than a look at the format of the report to tell that it’s not something put out by some crack research team. The layout and organization is fairly primitive, and makes it clear that this is the job of some dude with a website. Not saying that means anything in the report is wrong, but if you are appraising the report with an open mind to see whether you can trust it … your suspicions should be tripped immediately. And that’s before you get to the ridiculous conclusion of a Prius consuming $384,000 worth of energy in its lifespan.
Let me pluck a few more statistics from the report. The main headline of the report, as mentioned before, is that the Hummer H3 is more energy-efficient than the Prius if you look at the energy consumed during the total lifespan of the vehicle. What’s interesting is that the report also shows that the H3 is more efficient than a non-hybrid Honda Civic. The relevant numbers are:
H3: energy costs are $421,000 over a 207,000 mile span.
Honda Civic: costs are $431,000 over a 178,000 mile span.
I can see in theory that a hybrid might have extra upfront costs, and the report takes pains to explain this, but the mass-produced, lower-end Civic is also more expensive? Oh, and let me give the numbers for the Toyota Corolla:
Toyota Corolla: energy costs are $130,000 over a 169,000 mile span.
So the Civic burns up three times as much energy as a Corolla, when all things are considered … really?
My overall point here is that even if you don’t think the report is dead wrong as I do, even a cursory scan of it should raise enough questions in your mind so as to make it highly dubious. I would certainly want further confirmation before going out on a limb and telling everyone it was the gospel truth, but maybe that’s just me.
Well, I should stop being naïve. People are uncritical when they hear what they want to believe. That’s not news. But why is this something that people want to believe? Are they pro-Hummer, or anti-Prius, or both? Why would you want to believe that a hybrid doesn’t deliver what it says it does?
My take, from surfing around, is that there are still segments of conservatives that are still fighting the small-versus-large car wars of thirty years ago. The rest of the country has moved on – some people buy small cars, some not, but for most of us it’s never considered a political statement. But apparently some people still feel the need to ridicule small cars and hope for their failure. Weird. Guys – wake up; that war ended twenty years ago, and the small cars won. They won because they were inexpensive, reliable, and efficient. Let’s move on.
On a side note, I get the feeling that some of these people are rooting for the Prius to fail because they perceive Prius owners to be insufferable elitist, tree-hugging, SUV-hating jerks. My personal experience here is that I know three Prius owners, and none of them fit that description in the least.
Me, I hope hybrids take off because greater fuel efficiency will be better for our society and our country. Why would anyone want them to fail? How would that help the U.S.?
Coming up: how I really feel about Hummers and their owners.
posted by Jim at
9:22 PM
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