March 2006 Archives

I have to admit that seeing a Prius plastered with bumper stickers at Sonnewald Natural Foods makes me smile more than General Motors’ upbeat news of the first quarter.

Consumer Report’s annual car issue is out. It isn’t a surprise that Toyota and Honda can make a reliable car, but a hybrid is their most reliable model? Check on our home grown hybrid (ok, some stuff in it is licensed by Toyota), the Ford Escape. Ford’s Escape Hybrid appears to be the most reliable model under the blue oval.

I am reminded of my nights back in the dorm at Gettysburg College trying to sleep. College security had this Oldsmobile Station wagon with a big V-8 diesel. This evil wrath of the night is branded into my brain; it was light blue with fake wood on the sides. Every couple of hours, the thing would rumble by, stop, blow a cloud of black smoke, and rattle and bang its way out of sight.

A reader responded to my last post on mileage: “Personally, I like to accelerate briskly up to speed and then let up on the juice just enough to kick the engine off (the "pulse and glide" technique). This technique works for full-hybrid cars like the Prius that can run on electricity alone, but may not apply to other hybrids that require the engine to run when the wheels are turning.�

Toyota uses an ingenious geared, power split device to input power from the gas and electric engine into the CVT (continuously variable transmission). It's durable, has no slipping parts, like a Positraction Clutch Pack on a 57 Chevy, and should last the life of the car.

This is usually the first question people ask me. Others include: Do you plug it in? Is it slow? Does it short out when you drive through puddles?

The answer to the first question isn’t so simple.