Hybrid Mania At An All-Time High

I bought a 2007 Toyota Prius hybrid in the fall of 2006, believing I was a pioneer in the transition to more fuel efficient cars. I put almost 100,000 miles on that car in less than three years and overall it was a pretty good automobile. It was comfortable and efficient, although my real-world fuel economy was quite a bit less than advertised on the window sticker.

I did have some fun with my Prius, though. I bought a pair of chrome exhaust extensions and mounted them under the rear bumper to simulate dual exhaust pipes. Then I got a chromeemblem and pasted it on the rear hatch. I got some very odd looks from other Prius owners, who were obviously wondering why their sales representatives didn’t tell them about the turbo and dual exhaust package. Doing stuff like that amuses me.

So, what’s going on in the world of automobiles? It seems clear that there is a tremendous amount of fear of electric cars, a fear that has been cynically exploited by car companies, the fossil fuel industry, and dealer associations. All the clamor about the downside of electric cars seems to have made lots of people unwilling to take the plunge and drive an EV.

Mitsubishi already offers a plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander, but now as part of a new corporate campaign called Momentum 2030, it says new powertrains and new vehicles are headed to its US dealers. In particular, it hints that a ruggedized van-like version of itsmay be in the works, and will feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Readers will immediately notice the concept bears a more than passing resemblance to the vehicles said to be coming from Canoo.

Source: Car News Wire (carnewswire.net)

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