Prius owners talk alot. We talk alot about how much we love our cars. Our great gas mileage. Our cute little egg shape. Our Continuously Variable Transmissions. Our neat little display pannel. I love that I can sneak up on my father and BusinessPartner’s dog because the car is so quiet.
But when the stuff really hits the fan and the gas hits $4.00 a gallon, are we really – REALLY – doing any good? Don’t get me wrong, I love getting 46 MPG consistantly. I smile everytime I drive by gas stations and don’t need to stop. I still snicker on the rare occation that I do stop to laugh at the BIG SUV’s and the fact that they are there when I pull in to the station, and they are sill sitting there pumping their fortunes away 5 minutes later when I have filled up, hit my MPG reset button and sliently cruised off.
BUT, am I making the right statement? Yes, I believe in all things green. I was ushered out of line at the Emmisions Test just this week, and told to go inside to get my stamp and I could be on my way. No testing needed (you can’t test a car that won’t idle and doesn’t produce enough emmisions to register!). Is a Hybrid enough?
I hate gas. I hate the politics of it and I hate where we have to get it from. I hate that when I used to own my Mini-SUV, I was bleeding money to pay for the gas just to get me to and from work each week. If I still owned that car today (rough quick calculations), I’d be spending nearly 11% of my salary on gasoline. I really feel for all non-Prius owners and how this expense must be cutting into their bottom line. (::::insert snicker here!!::::: ) I want to make a statement that tells the world just how much I hate everything surrounding the whole gasoline issue.
I think I’ve found my new car.
Being a Prius owner means you can look beyond the outter shell of the car (I really didn’t care for the egg shape at first) to see all the good that’s on the inside. I strive to see the good inside everything, despite what it looks like externally.
Being a Prius Owner means that you are an early adapter; you want to see change in the world and you want to leave the earth a better place for your child. Being a Prius Owner is much more than just owning any other car. It’s a club and yes, we wave at each other.
So put aside your idea of what a car *should* look like. Think about what a car needs to do and go from there. It’s just like usability; human/earth centered car design. Yes, it looks different and it HAS to look different to do what it does.
Are you prepared? Are you sitting down? Deep Breath…
Here’s the car I’ll be driving next.
A fully refundable $500 holds my spot in line. I really want to get in line.
All the same features as a Prius, only a more aerodynamic body – 230 MPG. Newsweek lists Aptera as one of the ‘10 Fixes for the Planet’. It costs a little more than my Prius: The approximate price for the all electric version is $26,900 and the plug-in hybrid $29,900.
All Electric: This Aptera is powered exclusively with batteries and will get you around town to the tune of approximately 120 miles depending on your driving conditions. At night you simply plug the Aptera into any standard 110 volt outlet and in just a few hours you will have a fully charged vehicle that will take you another 120 miles. The approximate cost of this option with all the features listed above will be $26,900.
Plug-in Series Hybrid: This Aptera is also powered by an electric drive train but it is assisted by a fuel efficient gasoline powered generator which stretches your range significantly. In typical driving you may achieve over 300 miles per gallon and you will have range far beyond any passenger vehicle available today. The approximate cost of this option with all the features listed above will be $29,900.
So I’m thinking about it. I could drive to work 46 days before going to get gas. Never again if I go electric. I’m going to run my wonderful little almost paid for, 55,000 miles and counting Prius into the ground, but I think in the meantime, I’ll keep a close eye on this one. By 2012 current owners will have road tested it sufficiently enough for my standards.
It’s time to make a point and stand up for what I believe in. And yes, I hope the gas prices keep increasing – heck, I’d be happy if it hits $8 a gallon. At least then more people might wake up.
L
Inspired by: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2008/06/05/washburn.230.mpg.car.kfmb
