Is this why America has more Prii than Europe?

Re: Is this why America has more Pii than Europe?

No, not about Hybrids anyway
The only affordable diesel is a Jetta/Golf after that your into MB/BMW range

I did look at a Jetta wagon but the centre console was to large and cut into the drivers room

So really there is no choice besides a hybrid

 

There may be some truth there, but consider that Japanese cars have sold far better in the US than in Europe for a few decades now. They have also earned a good reputation in the US so it's easier for us to believe that Hybrids from Japan would work.

We also have a dearth of highly fuel efficient vehicles to choose from while you Europeans have many small reasonably priced diesels to choose from.

As someone else said, the only reasonable priced diesel we can get in the US is from VW. Add to that the fact that VW doesn't have stellar reputation in the US and the fact the GM turned a sorry lot of diesel cars loose on the
American public in the 1980s and you have lot of resistance to any diesel passenger car in the US

 

It's funny. I remember being told how the British use flywheels in their busses to recover energy many, many years ago. That counts as being ahead of America in the hybrid business.

 

where do you come up with these intellectual articles that always try to pigeonhole every american? we are not all the same, you should be able to tell that from p/c. why don't you take a trip over here on your next vacation and see how diverse we really are?

 

Europeans seem to be comfortable with their choices of small sized, small engined cars that on the highway at least approach Prius fuel economy and are much less expensive to buy. If I was in Europe I would consider those non-hybrids the rational choice too.

If however I had to buy a larger car then the Prius would be on my shopping list. As for cabbies -- well, I don't know how representative they are of the populations that sire them. I do know that money talks, and grumpy's colleagues are taking note. They just want reassurance that maintenance and repairs will not wipe out the fuel savings. The ultimate avant garde cabbie was Andrew Grant from Vancouver CA. His story is well documented on the web and worth the read.

Grumpy, just a wild guess to explain your poor conversion rate thus far: you are trying to hard. Just gush about the extra income in your pocket, and let them beg a little before you reveal details, let alone allow one of them in your car.

Like this:
Archaic_cabbie: How's that Prius working out for you ?
Prius_cabbie: Not bad at all. I do get nauseated though when I think of all the money I threw away by not converting earlier.
Archaic_cabbie: Oh ? How much
Prius_cabbie: Do your own maths. I have to run.

;-)

 

It's strange diesels have not been brought up and the attitudes on different sides of the pond....Europeans love them, but the EPA has all but outlawed passenger diesels in the US until a couple of a years ago (yet I see diesel doolies in Dallas ALL the time )

European diesel cars are competitive with the Prius in fuel economy, while falling way short in emissions.

 

Meh, come to Alaska... we let anybody in up here and pay them to stay.

 

Maybe I overstate the emissions gap between diesels and hybrids.

I'm not anti-diesel, and can't understand the EPA banning diesel cars while allowing huge diesel pickups for personal use.

 

Yeah, stay 180 days with intent to stay for another 180 and your are eligible for the yearly dividend. Last year was $1200 USD. Oh and a US citizen.

 

From what I understand diesel fuel in Europe has had lots less sulfur in it than American diesel for quite some time; this has led to the "diesels are dirty" perception in the USA.

Can't say why hybrids are more popular, but I do think that's a reason why diesels are less popular here. Also, I just don't see that many diesel fueling stations (although I don't drive that much). Perhaps that has something to do with it.

We also had some ill-conceived attempts at diesel automobiles from GM in the 80s, they were marketed heavily and then found to be lacking durability, being directly based on existing gasoline V8 engine architecture. Diesels have a bad rap here in America, and it takes time and money to change that perception.

 

Sorry, I could not get acess to the link from Grumppy. At home I'll try again.

Still...
Yes, diesel has made quite a "friendship" in Europe for the last 15-20 years...
Less cost at the pump (taxation reasons), but even with more expensive cars, people got along, because at the time for selling those extras would be refundable.

Another reason, IMO, is because of automatic gears. Manual stick is preferred for many people (majority), even in taxi service. Less problems, higher MPG and a "male" addiction to gain control of the car.

Not least, but at last, is to be honest, the more funny thing. The pride.
If anyone buys a car, proudly bragging about (say showing a BMW or Audi for status, examples only), and later on finds the car is a problem bag, with many shop servicing, tend to forget that and keep the car with high running costs, or shift to another premium car, but still saying they miss the old a lot. This behaviour makes very difficult to apply new technologies, because there isn't may confidence in each other words.

 

it's ALASKA.

 

The catch is you have to be a US resident or citizen.

 

The catch ?
Your neighbors might have a Sarah Palin fetish

 

in my search for alternative fuel vehicles, i drove an 85 mercedes 300D from 92 to 2001. great car but noisy, smelly, underpowered and for the most part, diesel cost more than gas here, negating some of the savings. i don't think we have been offered much choice in small, quiet, clean, reasonably powered diesel cars here and gas is too cheap to interest most people in switching.