Will the Real Environmentalist Please Stand Up?
I rarely speed. It’s not that I’m particularly law abiding or that I’m intentionally conserving fossil fuels. It’s partially that I know the extra 10 mph won’t make much of a difference in my drive time. But, mostly, it’s that as a freelance writer, I am constantly broke. So, I can’t afford a moving violation (or even a parking ticket for that matter). Now, because I do drive the speed limit, I am keenly aware of all the super agressive driving around me. At times, I’m even the victim of that agression. So, I wasn’t surprised when a guy came whipping up behind me in the slow lane on Soldier’s Field Road, made an aggressive move to get around me, shot me a dirty look and then sped far ahead. However, I was a little surprised and particularly amused that the guy was driving a Toyota Prius.
It would seem to me that the main reason people buy hybrid cars is for the better gas mileage. The reasons people want better gas mileage is to reduce their “carbon footprint” and cut costs. Many of my composting, recycling, solar panel owning, MASSPIRG volunteering friends drive them. Anyway, it got me thinking about whether an aggressive hybrid driver is more damaging to the environment than a non-aggressive driver of a regular car–thus my amusement.
VS 
Ford Focus Toyota Prius
After researching a little bit, I was delighted to find this Edmunds article discussing fuel efficiency. According to their test results, non-aggressive drivers save 31% on milieage on average; non-speeders save an additional 12%. So, the Prius guy that slammed on his brakes, whipped around me and then stepped on the gas again potentially burns over 40% more fuel while only saving about 20% due to the environment friendliness of his car. Thus, the guy may still burn 20% more fuel than a guy with a regular old Ford Focus or something.
The author of the article even mentions hybrids in discussing the results:
Our tests showed that the most significant way to save gas is: you. And we’re talking massive fuel economy gains. Think you need a hybrid? Chances are you’ve got hybrid-style mileage in your gas pedal foot.
Attention Mr. Fancypants Prius driver: Greenpeace wants their membership card back!
November 21st, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Kind of a strawman approach there. If you’re an aggressive driver, you’re not going to buy a Prius or Insight - there’s just not enough oomph there. In fact, if you try to accelerate fast enough to make the tires squeal, the engine might shut off on you - to protect the regenerative motors on the front wheels.
If anything, the Prius and its ilk actually get you to reduce your aggressive tendencies through reinforcing techniques on the dashboard - you get instant and longterm feedback on your milage, and after not all that long behind the wheel, you find yourself doing whatever you can to increase that number, which means less aggressive starting and the like and, eventually, finding your way to Web sites that show you how to “hypermile”.
Funny you should mention the Focus. I really liked my 2001 Focus, but bought a Prius a couple years ago because I was tired of having to bring the car into the shop ever four months or so for the latest damn thing to break (the final straw was when I was charged $90 to replace an engine sensor that was under a secret recall). Also, the milage sucked (and no, I wasn’t particularly aggressive behind the wheel to begin with).
November 22nd, 2009 at 9:07 am
yeah, Adam. You know my writing by now. I am no journalist. i take my liberties.
I just thought that it was funny that I pissed off a prius driver because i was driving the speed limit in the slow lane and really did wonder if his aggressive driving causes him to get the same gas mileage as with a conventional car. and sure, muscle car buying people that love to drive hard won’t buy a prius. Still, I’m not sure you can argue that prius drivers speed less or are any less aggressive than say corolla drivers–also a car with no oomph.
I’ve pretty much only owned sentras and corollas, and one friend comment more than once that driving with me was like “Mr. Toadies Wild Ride”. After my last car went, I inherited a gas-guzzler, so I do anything I can to save.
December 1st, 2009 at 10:32 am
Dave, my kindred spirit, my muse and my soul brother from another mother. Thank you for shedding light on the scourge that is the Boston Prius driver. This is going to be bigger than the Boston Chargers scam you uncovered. Prius drivers are the WORST kind on the road. They drive with a sense of entitlement that puts your traditional Mercedes driver to shame. I’d say 7 out of every 10 Prius owners I see in this area act like active members of the Society of Douchecraft. They must be stopped. Do I sense a Facebook page David? Hmmmm Hmmmmm?
September 9th, 2010 at 2:21 am
i like hybrid cars because they are more energy efficient compared to petrol engines’”~