Back in January 2003, Ava and I became the proud owners of an aqua colored Toyota Prius. Prius is a latin word meaning "prior to" and embodies the concept of this vehicle as one that "goes before" all others. Now, on November 11, 2003 we took delivery on our new 2004 Prius!
As a runner and therefore someone who spends a lot of time trying to breathe larger than average quantities of air in Los Angeles I have long had a special interest in the future of the environment. To that end we have always tried to minimize the impact we have on our surroundings in order to make it a better place to live and to run, and to be able to pass on a viable world to our daughter. Automobiles are one of my pet dislikes, so it is amazing to hear me be enthusiastic about a metal monster. Honestly, while I take mass transit and the train whenever I can, Los Angeles is not a workable city without a car, so it seems that I have to own one, although my new Lashout scooter and now my RANS Stratus recumbent bike are reducing my dependence on my auto (see the sidebar on the right).
The Prius is one of a few new hybrid automobiles (gasoline and electric power in one vehicle) that have recently gone into mass production. To be quite straightforward-- I LOVE THE CAR. I was sure there would be some big downside to the car, but so far I have found NONE other than the useless cup holder in the 2003 which won't safely hold anything.
While the domestic car makers say they can't build fuel efficient cars without going bankrupt (oh, wait, I forgot! They already ARE bankrupt!), Toyota seems to be doing just fine on its march to being the number one automaker in the world. In our 2003 Prius I routinely get 52-54 mpg around town and on the highway with the A/C on, about 45-46 mpg. Just as important as the mpg (which means much less greenhouse gas produced) the Prius meet strict CARB standards for Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle and ATPZE standards (see below). It produces almost 90% less smog than the standard new LEV auto which means cleaner air!The 2004 is even cleaner (see below)! No matter how "clean" the engine is, every gallon of gas burned adds 5 pounds of pure carbon (or 15 pounds of CO2) to the atmosphere, which increases global warming, so the Prius' excellent fuel economy translates directly into lower greenhouse gases.
Of course, saving oil also helps lower our balance of trade deficit. Imported oil (at $50-60 per barrel) is about one third of our balance of trade deficit. 65% of all energy consumed in the US is in the transportation sector and half of that is passenger cars and light trucks. So big reductions in fuel use will therefore reduce the balance of trade deficit as well as our dependence on imported oil which, given the current situation in the Middle East, is a dependence with tremendous costs and risks in terms of dollars, lives and politics. At current consumption rates, every $1 increase in a barrel of crude sends $7 BILLION of U.S. money overseas, creating a huge drain on the U.S. economy. Right now, the increase in oil price from $26 to $60 costs the US economy an extra $248 billion per year in additional trade deficit handing about half of that money to nations who wish us ill. We spend more than $200,000 per minute -- $13 million per hour -- on foreign oil,
and more than $25 billion a year on Persian Gulf imports alone It's been likened to an additional tax on the consumer. And as a consequence we are further tied to foreign investment to reinvest those dollars sent overseas. Without those dollars being reinvested in the US (stocks, real estate, bonds, etc) most economists agree that a global depression would result as the US economy collapsed and inflation soared. The message: reduce consumption - oil prices fall and the trade deficit falls, not to mention funding for terrorism.
U.S. auto energy efficiency hit a 22 year low in 2007. Raising fuel economy standards to 40 mpg would save 2 million barrels of oil per day, more than we currently import from Saudi Arabia. Raise that number to 55 mpg and daily savings amount to twice our current Persian Gulf imports! And guess what! The new 2004 Prius EPA ratings are in, and with MORE POWER and ACCELERATION the fuel economy has improved to 61 mpg around town and 51 mpg on the highway (combined of 55 mpg) and it produces even LOWER emissions (30% lower emissions than the 2003 Prius!). Sounds like the magic numbers to me! And, the 2004 is larger and classed as a midsize car! The wheelbase is the same as a Toyota Avalon, it rides, accelerates, handles and brakes better than the '03 and has as much interior room as a Camry! And to add icing to the cake, the 2004 Prius is the first vehicle to qualify as an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle in California! That means it produces 90% less smog than the average LEV vehicle and 88% less than a SULEV, passes the zero evaporative fuel emissions standard and has passed a 150,000 mile emissions durability test and is backed with an extended 150,000 mile warranty on the power train and hybrid components!
When most people hear "hybrid" they think that you are running around in a roller skate that you have to plug in. The car generates its own electricity as you drive it, charging the hybrid battery as you brake, as you coast, or if need be, by running the gas engine. The car cruises comfortably at 70 mph and will do over 90 if you want to go that fast. If you are used to a Civic/Camry class of car, you won't miss a thing in the Prius other than the gas bills, the noise (in electric mode it is SILENT - we call it "stealth mode" - and even the gas engine is very quiet), and the smog. "Warp stealth" is even cooler - when the car manages to run on electric only above 40 mph. Stretches of the 101, 405 and the 210, for example, have sufficiently long down grades that a light touch on the "gas" pedal can achieve warp stealth - tooling along totally noiseless at 60+ mph with NO fuel being consumed.
I could go on for hours, but there are already MANY Prius web sites that avid owners have set up and you will find some of those links below. The wealth of information is impressive. You will find great technical discussions about the Prius as well as information about service, modifications and more. There's also a great Prius discussion group on Yahoo.
And, to help offset the extra dollars the hybrids currently command, the new "energy" bill just passed, while doing little to conserve, does offer purchasers of certain hybrids, including the Prius, some signficant tax savings for the first 60,000 purchasers after Jan. 1,2006.
Check the Prius out! If you have ANY questions, please drop by or call me at the store. I will be DELIGHTED to talk to you about our Prii (plural?). If you have to drive like most of us do, consider the Prius.
Charlie
And as we approach the end of the oil era, a few things to think about:
As doubts about the vastness of the Saudi and other Middle East and world petroleum reserves keep surfacing,(Royal Dutch Shell and British Petroleum are among those reporting significant reductions to reserve estimates) a Saudi saying seems to have more impact than it used to: "My father rode a camel. I drive a car. My son flies an airplane. His son will ride a camel."
"We've embarked on the beginning of the last days of the age of oil." Mike Bowlin, Chairman and CEO, ARCO (1999)
Quotes taken from The Party's Over by Rcihard Heinberg.
We need a complete rethink of what we expect in life. The creature comforts and options we know have been energy "subsidized" by Mother Nature's fossil fuel bounty, and the subsidies are about to end. Prices for energy will steadily climb as competition for remaining fossil fuel sources increases, and at some point, regardless of the price, energy constraints will dramatically alter our fossil fuel dependent society.
No significant energy source on the horizon is apt to replace oil, especially in our transportation sector. Even a world wide switch to Prii will not save us from the eventual end of the petroleum era. Even the most optimistic forecasts predict oil production will peak no later than 2035. More conservative estimates say between now and 2015. Alternate forms of energy and transport need to be developed NOW in order to avoid financial and societal chaos as oil winds down. That will require pressure on our legislators from all of us since this is NOT an easy subject to discuss or even admit to.
We as individuals must also rethink our lifestyle. Our lifestyle CANNOT be taken as "non-negotiable" . To do so condemns us and coming generations to a grim future with virtually none of the options we now enjoy in our day to day lives. We would all rather trundle down the road doing exactly what we have been doing. Continuing this pattern will simply make the pain from the certain end of oil that much greater. I can't suggest strongly enough that you READ The Party's Over by Richard Heinberg, especially if you have children who will grow up in a world with a LOT less oil.
