tarabell
07-30-2006, 10:53 PM
With one tank full (10.5 gallons), I could go 600 to 700 miles. (http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_4105309)
Ramón Renteria - El Paso Times - July 28, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/HONDA_INSIGHT1.jpg
2006 Honda Insight - 61/66 city/highway
Albert Wong smiles while the rest of us grimace at the gas pump.
Wong averages 65.5 miles per gallon in his sporty, aerodynamically designed gas-electric hybrid Honda Insight.
"With one tank full (10.5 gallons), I could go 600 to 700 miles between fill-ups," said Wong, an associate professor of art at the University of Texas at El Paso. "For me, it's a lifestyle choice. Saving money on gas is the least of my concerns."
El Paso auto dealers say the continued escalating price of gasoline has accelerated the demand for hybrid cars -- vehicles that rely on a small gas engine combined with an electric motor that assists the engine when accelerating. Batteries that recharge automatically as you drive power the electric motor.
Dan Sperling, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California at Davis, suggests that consumer demand for hybrid car technology is still merely a small puddle in the new-car market, even after gasoline has exceeded $3 a gallon at some El Paso gas stations and across the nation.
"High gasoline prices are not having that much of an effect on fuel purchase behavior," Sperling said. "Car companies are still bringing out new hybrids fairly slow."
Hybrid car sales account for about one and a half percent of the new car market nationally, according to various studies.
Wong bought his two-seat hybrid coupe in 2002 when gasoline was so inexpensive that hardly anyone worried about stretching their fuel dollar. The car cost roughly $17,000.
"I decided to do the right thing," Wong said.
Wong also rides a bicycle and sometimes drives a scooter to work. He bought the hybrid car, not necessarily to save money on gas, but because he prefers to drive a car less polluting to the environment.
Some dealers suggest that you might have to pay 10 to 20 percent more for a hybrid, compared to a regular car. Wong said hybrid car owners pay $2,000 to $3,000 more but recover part of that in a one-time federal tax rebate.
For Wong, the biggest drawback to having a small hybrid is that you simply can't overload it with too much stuff.
"It's a very smart design and maintenance is just like on any other car," he said. "You could go 100 miles an hour on the freeway if you wanted."
Climbing the seven-mile stretch of Trans Mountain Road is a challenge for the car's 3-cylinder engine. But climbing is not a problem for larger models like the popular 4-cylinder, five-seat Toyota Prius, auto dealers say.
The Prius, the nation's best- selling hybrid, costs around $21,000.
Rick Peet, general manager of Dick Poe Toyota, said the dealership used to sell 15 Prius hybrids a year. He expects to sell 80 to 100 this year.
"We can't keep up with the demand," Peet said. "There's very limited availability. Rarely is there any hybrid on the lots for sale."
Toyota also sells more recently introduced hybrid models like the Camry and Highlander SUV.
Peet once noticed that only well-educated consumers were most likely to buy a hybrid. Now, the dealership gets inquiries by the hour from all kinds of people.
"A lot of people are buying hybrids solely because of the gas mileage," Peet said. "It doesn't take too many gas-pump visits to know that you have to do something different."
Peet's wife drives a Toyota Highlander hybrid with four-speed transmission and enough space for seven people.
"It's not rocket science. A hybrid is a more efficient, more environmentally friendly car," Peet said. "They perform extremely well. The hybrid is not slower and does not require more maintenance."
Lynn McPhatter, sales manager at Rudolph Honda, pointed out that consumers have to pre-buy and special order hybrids because most dealers do not have them in stock.
He, too, has detected more interest in hybrids lately because of escalating gasoline prices.
"There is a pretty big demand," McPhatter said. "The customer wants the hybrid for fuel efficiency as well as the tax advantage. You get a tax break ranging from $1,300 to $2,600."
Pamela Stover, a public schoolteacher and part-time instructor in the UTEP art department, bought a hybrid car identical to Wong's.
"I just liked the idea of that kind of technology," Stover said. "Why drive a car that gives you 15 miles to the gallon when you can drive a car that gives you 60 miles to the gallon?"
Stover averages 59 miles per gallon driving around El Paso. The hybrid coupe averaged more than 70 miles per gallon on a recent trip to Santa Fe.
"I love my car," Stover said. "This car looks cool, very distinctive."
Stover and Wong bought their hybrids in Arizona because most El Paso dealers did not have test models on their lots four years ago. She describes the Honda Insight as a great commuting car.
"The car teaches you how to be a more conservative driver," Stover said. "You have to drive conservatively to get the best performance."
No one has kept track of how many hybrids have been sold in El Paso. Stover has seen a handful like hers and a few other models like Honda Civics around El Paso.
The national J.D. Power Consumer Center estimates more than 400,000 hybrid vehicles will be sold in the U.S. by 2007.
Stover has discovered that most people still are not very knowledgeable about hybrid car technology and how it works.
"We still get a lot of looks on the highway," she said. "And I still have people ask me: 'Well, how long do you plug it in?' "
Ramón Renteria - El Paso Times - July 28, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/HONDA_INSIGHT1.jpg
2006 Honda Insight - 61/66 city/highway
Albert Wong smiles while the rest of us grimace at the gas pump.
Wong averages 65.5 miles per gallon in his sporty, aerodynamically designed gas-electric hybrid Honda Insight.
"With one tank full (10.5 gallons), I could go 600 to 700 miles between fill-ups," said Wong, an associate professor of art at the University of Texas at El Paso. "For me, it's a lifestyle choice. Saving money on gas is the least of my concerns."
El Paso auto dealers say the continued escalating price of gasoline has accelerated the demand for hybrid cars -- vehicles that rely on a small gas engine combined with an electric motor that assists the engine when accelerating. Batteries that recharge automatically as you drive power the electric motor.
Dan Sperling, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California at Davis, suggests that consumer demand for hybrid car technology is still merely a small puddle in the new-car market, even after gasoline has exceeded $3 a gallon at some El Paso gas stations and across the nation.
"High gasoline prices are not having that much of an effect on fuel purchase behavior," Sperling said. "Car companies are still bringing out new hybrids fairly slow."
Hybrid car sales account for about one and a half percent of the new car market nationally, according to various studies.
Wong bought his two-seat hybrid coupe in 2002 when gasoline was so inexpensive that hardly anyone worried about stretching their fuel dollar. The car cost roughly $17,000.
"I decided to do the right thing," Wong said.
Wong also rides a bicycle and sometimes drives a scooter to work. He bought the hybrid car, not necessarily to save money on gas, but because he prefers to drive a car less polluting to the environment.
Some dealers suggest that you might have to pay 10 to 20 percent more for a hybrid, compared to a regular car. Wong said hybrid car owners pay $2,000 to $3,000 more but recover part of that in a one-time federal tax rebate.
For Wong, the biggest drawback to having a small hybrid is that you simply can't overload it with too much stuff.
"It's a very smart design and maintenance is just like on any other car," he said. "You could go 100 miles an hour on the freeway if you wanted."
Climbing the seven-mile stretch of Trans Mountain Road is a challenge for the car's 3-cylinder engine. But climbing is not a problem for larger models like the popular 4-cylinder, five-seat Toyota Prius, auto dealers say.
The Prius, the nation's best- selling hybrid, costs around $21,000.
Rick Peet, general manager of Dick Poe Toyota, said the dealership used to sell 15 Prius hybrids a year. He expects to sell 80 to 100 this year.
"We can't keep up with the demand," Peet said. "There's very limited availability. Rarely is there any hybrid on the lots for sale."
Toyota also sells more recently introduced hybrid models like the Camry and Highlander SUV.
Peet once noticed that only well-educated consumers were most likely to buy a hybrid. Now, the dealership gets inquiries by the hour from all kinds of people.
"A lot of people are buying hybrids solely because of the gas mileage," Peet said. "It doesn't take too many gas-pump visits to know that you have to do something different."
Peet's wife drives a Toyota Highlander hybrid with four-speed transmission and enough space for seven people.
"It's not rocket science. A hybrid is a more efficient, more environmentally friendly car," Peet said. "They perform extremely well. The hybrid is not slower and does not require more maintenance."
Lynn McPhatter, sales manager at Rudolph Honda, pointed out that consumers have to pre-buy and special order hybrids because most dealers do not have them in stock.
He, too, has detected more interest in hybrids lately because of escalating gasoline prices.
"There is a pretty big demand," McPhatter said. "The customer wants the hybrid for fuel efficiency as well as the tax advantage. You get a tax break ranging from $1,300 to $2,600."
Pamela Stover, a public schoolteacher and part-time instructor in the UTEP art department, bought a hybrid car identical to Wong's.
"I just liked the idea of that kind of technology," Stover said. "Why drive a car that gives you 15 miles to the gallon when you can drive a car that gives you 60 miles to the gallon?"
Stover averages 59 miles per gallon driving around El Paso. The hybrid coupe averaged more than 70 miles per gallon on a recent trip to Santa Fe.
"I love my car," Stover said. "This car looks cool, very distinctive."
Stover and Wong bought their hybrids in Arizona because most El Paso dealers did not have test models on their lots four years ago. She describes the Honda Insight as a great commuting car.
"The car teaches you how to be a more conservative driver," Stover said. "You have to drive conservatively to get the best performance."
No one has kept track of how many hybrids have been sold in El Paso. Stover has seen a handful like hers and a few other models like Honda Civics around El Paso.
The national J.D. Power Consumer Center estimates more than 400,000 hybrid vehicles will be sold in the U.S. by 2007.
Stover has discovered that most people still are not very knowledgeable about hybrid car technology and how it works.
"We still get a lot of looks on the highway," she said. "And I still have people ask me: 'Well, how long do you plug it in?' "