Crossovers and hybrids may never live up to their hype

Reading the entire article, we see a mind changing and awakening. Soon he will be one of us.

 

At the end of this article written by John McCormick were these words:
"John McCormick is a columnist for Autos Insider."

My immediate reaction to the article was a "correction" of these words to
"John McCormick is a sycophant for GM."

 

I found the article to be a joke. Putting the Silverado on the same pedistal as Honda and Toyota isn't even laughable.

This is what I sent to him, as his email is at the bottom of the article:

Dear Mr. McCormick:


I just read your article in the Detroit Insider website. It is telling that you take an insult to the term hybrid, namely the Chevy Silverado, and try to put that joke of a "hypebrid" system on the same platter as the Toyota Prius. First of all, regardless of GM's attempts to market their "system" as such, it is NOT a hybrid vehicle. It is a 42 volt flywheel mounted alternator that doubles as a starter. What GM actually built, was nothing more than an engine start/stop system for shutting down at a traffic light. Their "hybrid" system plays absolutely zero role in assisting the engine in moving the truck. This is a system that Volkswagen used with some of their old diesel cars back in the 80's, albeit theirs were simply using the existing 12 volt starter. Your resulting fuel economy figures are right in line with any other "normal" 12 volt electrical system equipped truck will do with normal driving. I'm personally able to get as much as 16 mpg out of my friends Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 truck. I would love nothing more than to see GM prove their system is a hybrid system, to a truth in advertising panel.

Irregardless, to say that hybrids will not measure up to their hype is rediculous. While grossly outdated EPA testing scenarios create artificially high numbers in comparison to todays real world driving patterns, hybrids like the Honda Insight, Honda Civic, and Toyota Prius have proven to have significant improvements over "conventionally" powered vehicles of similar size, weight, and power.

I have over 38,000 miles on my 2003 Toyota Prius, which I purchased brand new in November 2003. This car has outperformed the EPA numbers, with nothing more than obeying local speed limits, and paying attention to traffic flow. I drive approximately 100 miles every day, in a primarily highway commute. The car's computer has calcualted a lifetime average of 50.5 mpg, in an environment where according to the EPA, I should be managing closer to 45.

I would highly recommend that you take the time to give a REAL hybrid vehicle a test, driving it in a conservative manner BTW, before you villify the effort. Hybrid cars are a step forward in reducing our dependancy on foreign oil. However, they do not have the capability of altering the laws of physics. If you drive aggressively, their mileage will fall, just like any other vehicle due to the simple fact that it takes more energy to move a vehicle faster.

Cordially,

Bryan Foust

 

Tell that one to one of my co-workers who drives a VW TDI. We both commute nearly the same distance , through the same traffic conditions and he's only getting around 40MPG (I'm averaging 50MPG). That's with a car who's combined passenger and cargo space is 12 cubic feet smaller than my Prius.

And let's not mention the fact that his TDI releases 20 times the Nitrogen Oxides, 8 times the Particulate Matter, nearly 3 times the Non-Methane Organic gasses and around 9 times the Smog Forming Pollutants than the Prius does. :roll:

 

Thanks Tony, but I lied. The first word that came to me was actually stooge. But stooge implies that the person was tricked and I didn't think McCormick was tricked into minimizing the Prius and maximizing GM. That's when sycophant came to me.

And in that vein, as Danny said, it really makes you wonder about the integrity of people like McCormick.

 

I added my two cents to Mr. McCormick with this letter to his email:

Dear Mr. McCormick,

How much are they paying to write this garbage. I hope the dinners and other bones that GM threw you were worth your integrity.

Your lack of knowledge, especially about hybrids is truly astounding. The joke that GM calls a hybrid, is hybrid in hype only. The only items powered by GM's alleged hybrid are items which used to be powered by the very large and circuitous belt attached to the front of their enormous gas guzzling V-8 engine. As a matter of fact all this alleged hybrid gains is 1 MPG over the non-hybrid version of the same vehicle.

I don't know what engineering school you attended; to know that the new joint venture between GM and Daimler-Chrysler will produce a better hybrid than is currently on the market. I reviewed their preliminary drawings located on GM's website. Anyone with common sense will realize that with more gears and couplings, that their system will never be as efficient as the fairly simple and elegant Toyota Synergy system, with its single set of planetary gears and a CVT transmission connecting the gas and electric propulsion systems.

Please try studying your subject prior to writing about it and if your are going to be a cheer leader please make sure that you actually get your information correct.

Cordially,

Ian Flamm
Maplewood, NJ 07040

 

John McCormick wrote:

"The only condition in which a gasoline-electric hybrid will return better mileage than one of today's most advanced gasoline engines, let alone a diesel, is in city driving, when regenerative braking plays a significant role."

Just a short comment.....

Michigan to Florida and back to Michigan --- Actual Mileage ... 47 MPG.

 

Good grief, are you ever correct, this is the same words from a media interview over these same topics given some months ago by the general mgr of General Motors.

Green? My motivations for buying a Prius were all green. Greenbacks, the kind of stuff that has the pictures of Ben Franklin. My truck gets 14.1 to 14.3 MPG, and I drive it to conserve as much as I can. I am saving 160 a month on fuel costs and I am driving a car that is a Millineum design, not some warmed over 80's car design, but one in which the unneeded weight has been pared off for higher economy. A car with more headroom than the Lexus 430. A car with the Lexus integrated nav system. This is the most techologically advanced car in the world in its high end form, and it is FUN to drive, saves me tons of money.

The payment for this car after the fuel savings is 250 a month. And for that I have more than I expected and features like Homelink, Bluetooth, an incredible cargo capacity if I need that.

This guy just does not know what he is talking about. My neighbor has a diesel rabbit, a great saver in energy 20 plus years ago. The safety technology in it, seats, everything is light years behind my car.

THIS GUY IS FULL OF IT BECAUSE THE MARKET BUYS ALL AVALIABLE INVENTORY IN SHORT ORDER FOR THE PRIUS.

This guy really is some shill for GM, unwitting or knowing.

 

How ignorant can someone be? Even on interstate driving, there are periods of where there is considerable energy recapture. This guy apparently does not know that interstate driving means ups and downs, acceleration and some braking.

This guy is stupifying ignorant for a automotive writer.

 

I found it odd how the hybrid comments started with words like "gullibility" & "nonsensical", then later lead to "mystifying" and ended with "seem to believe in". They all support the "hype" in the title of the article itself. But when you reach the apparent conclusion, the writer contradicts himself by calling the very thing he criticized earlier (having two engines) with the word "innovative".

He simply could not make up his mind. Perhaps it was his blatant disregard for not identifying different types of hybrids, making them seem all to be of equal emissions & efficiency... which is clearly a bad thing to do. All hybrids are far from being created equally.

 

His most manipulative quote was this, "With a normal diet of city and highway driving, a hybrid will actually consume more fuel than a diesel powertrain. Add the fact that a hybrid costs several thousand dollars more than a conventional vehicle...". Mixing the efficiency of diesel and the price of gasoline is just plain deceptive.

Instead, he should have stuck to one or the other. But pointing out that it costs an extra $1,200 for a diesel system plus around $600 to clean up emissions to the EPA required level for 2007 models, the price difference alone make a good case for a "full" hybrid. Then when you point out that an automatic-transmission Jetta diesel gets notably lower MPG than a Prius in mixed driving, you have a really strong case. So you don't even have to go as far as mentioning that HSD in a Corolla or Camry will cost less than in a Prius (no goodies like a Multi-Display, a digital-speedometer, or a fob).

Hybrids that utilize a system like HSD are much more competitive with diesel than he cares to admit. I wonder how long denial like that will persist. Hmm?

Of course, that attitude comes from an "only one" society, where multiple technologies coexisting is apparently something that can never be allowed. Well I've got news for him. Hybrids will flourish. Whether or not they become a "standard" is meaningless, since each automaker will have a unique twist on how the engine/motor/battery technology is actually implemented. Regardless, hybrids in general will become dominant... making the non-hybrid systems rather antiquated.

So there!

 

The author does raise an interesting point about "righteousness." It kind of reminds me how some meat eaters feel threatened or uncomfortable by vegetarians.

For me, buying a Prius was not about mpg or saving the environment or feeling righteous. I've been driving Corollas for the past 15 years so I figure I'm ahead in that department. I was pretty close to buying a Subaru or Saab turbo but a funny thing happened along the way. I noticed all the driving incentives on the turbo (with the turbo lag) was to really step on the gas pedal to get your money's worth on the turbo option. The Prius, on the other hand, had all these in-your-face incentives (large display screen) to drive safe and efficiently in a fun sort of way - like a game. Plus the whole gadget/geek factor really pushed me towards a Prius. I guess it's all personal and if it's just about mpg or dollars, I probably would have bought another Corolla stick shift.

-Lee