atlaw4u
05-01-2008, 09:19 AM
“Interest in hybrids is likely linked to economic reasons rather than concern about the environment.” (http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ieosJ660Y6_NUCNcodeIlTDeHRbg)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/4_969_gas_prices.jpgAFP - April 28, 2008
Faced with surging gasoline prices, a growing number of car-crazy Californians are ditching gas-guzzlers for hybrids and avoiding the road in a state known for its traffic jams and scenic routes.
Like many Americans, Jorge Montijo and his wife once had two cars in their Los Angeles garage.
But with gas prices between 3.8 dollars and 4.3 dollars a gallon -- four times the cost a few years ago -- the environmentally-conscious couple recently sold their two vehicles and replaced them with one hybrid car in February.
In addition to fuel costs, the pair had to worry about paying for parking and car insurance.
"Frankly, gas prices are ridiculous. I remember paying a buck for gas not so long ago. It's four times that right now. I don't even know how people with large cars are coping," Montijo, a television and film sound editor, told AFP.
Montijo now uses the metro to go to work while his wife drives to her job as a school teacher. They also use the car in the evenings and weekends, but they have reduce the amount of times they go out to parks, restaurants or concerts.
"We are saving at least a couple hundred dollars a month," he said. "Since we've reduced the impact of gas prices in our regular everyday lives, we aren't holding back from buying other things we'd normally buy."
Melvin Cortez, 34, spends 378 dollars a month in gasoline driving 131 kilometers (82 miles) from his home in Long Beach to his teaching job at a school in La Puente, a Los Angeles suburb.
"My life has been altered further since gas prices are increasing. I now have to work longer hours to make extra money," he said…http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ieosJ660Y6_NUCNcodeIlTDeHRbg
Thank you to msantos for finding this story.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/4_969_gas_prices.jpgAFP - April 28, 2008
Faced with surging gasoline prices, a growing number of car-crazy Californians are ditching gas-guzzlers for hybrids and avoiding the road in a state known for its traffic jams and scenic routes.
Like many Americans, Jorge Montijo and his wife once had two cars in their Los Angeles garage.
But with gas prices between 3.8 dollars and 4.3 dollars a gallon -- four times the cost a few years ago -- the environmentally-conscious couple recently sold their two vehicles and replaced them with one hybrid car in February.
In addition to fuel costs, the pair had to worry about paying for parking and car insurance.
"Frankly, gas prices are ridiculous. I remember paying a buck for gas not so long ago. It's four times that right now. I don't even know how people with large cars are coping," Montijo, a television and film sound editor, told AFP.
Montijo now uses the metro to go to work while his wife drives to her job as a school teacher. They also use the car in the evenings and weekends, but they have reduce the amount of times they go out to parks, restaurants or concerts.
"We are saving at least a couple hundred dollars a month," he said. "Since we've reduced the impact of gas prices in our regular everyday lives, we aren't holding back from buying other things we'd normally buy."
Melvin Cortez, 34, spends 378 dollars a month in gasoline driving 131 kilometers (82 miles) from his home in Long Beach to his teaching job at a school in La Puente, a Los Angeles suburb.
"My life has been altered further since gas prices are increasing. I now have to work longer hours to make extra money," he said…http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ieosJ660Y6_NUCNcodeIlTDeHRbg
Thank you to msantos for finding this story.