There is an excellent article in The Roanoke (VA) Times today about the Prius, hybrids and plug-in hybrids.

The first Toyota Prius turns 10 this year. Wow, eh?

It was back in the Clinton years: grunge bands, slackers, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." Good times.

And so very long ago.

It's hard to get a grip on the fact that an entire decade has passed since that first year Prius came out. I remember driving one -- dubiously -- and wondering who the heck would want one of these things (besides Ed Begley Jr.). At the time, gas was still cheaper than bottled water. The SUV craze was at full burn. Ford was riding high on the success of the massively grandiose Lincoln Navigator, which enabled the brand to out-sell Cadillac for the first time in memory.

We were feeling strong.

Surely, this awkward-looking, clumsy-feeling little drone would end up in the same dustbin of history as GM's EV1 electric car. People snickered.

What a difference $3 a gallon makes.



Dave Roper