xcel
10-16-2006, 08:03 PM
I can drive downtown and run my errands and not use a drop of gas. (http://sun.yumasun.com/artman/publish/articles/story_27281.php)
Jeffrey Gautreaux - Yuma Sun - Oct 15, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/FEH.jpg
FEH making a splash in Yuma, AZ.
Hybrid cars are purchased only by young people and hard-core environmentalists, right?
Well, not according to local dealers or Ivan Rowe, a 77-year-old former winter visitor now living year-round in Wellton.
In May, Rowe and his wife, Muriel, bought a Ford Escape hybrid sport utility vehicle because they wanted better fuel economy and to help the environment.
"I can drive downtown and run my errands and not use a drop of gas," Rowe said. "I do it all on electric."
Hybrid vehicles, which have both a gasoline engine and electric motor, generally get more miles per gallon than conventional cars and release fewer harmful emissions. Local dealers say that there is demand for hybrids in Yuma.
However, this popularity and limited production has made them difficult to find here.
Country Club Motors fleet manager Wes McDowell says he sells every hybrid Honda Civic and Accord that he receives, but that may only be one or two per month. Each one is either presold from a waiting list or destined for a very brief stay on the lot.
"It's just one of those things where they're a pain to get right now because they're moving so quickly," McDowell said.
Anyone who drives in Yuma for any length of time can expect to see a hybrid here or there - especially with current gas prices. Country Club has sold 33 hybrids in the past six months, and Alexander Ford has sold 12 Ford Escape hybrid sport utility vehicles in the same period.
Repeated messages left with Alexander Toyota, which sells the Toyota Prius, were not returned. The Prius is the best-selling hybrid in the U.S. Toyota also sells a hybrid Camry.
Daniel Blanco, sales consultant at Alexander Ford, said that he normally only has one or two Ford Escape hybrids in stock. This is an improvement over when they came out and there was a waiting list just to test-drive one.
Rowe said one drive was all it took for him to know he wanted an Escape. He had been thinking about getting a hybrid but was sold by how it felt to be behind the wheel. "When I drove it, I wanted it."
The sale to the Rowes is representative of hybrid buyers in Yuma - you never can tell who will be interested.
"It's everybody," McDowell said. "When the snowbirds are here, they pick them up. We've sold them to middle-age, 20- or 30-somethings, everybody's buying them up."
The Rowes have been getting between 35 and 37 mpg with their hybrid. In August, they took a 3,100-mile trip to New Hampshire and paid less than $200 for gas — despite gas prices over $3 per gallon.
When asked if they had any complaints with the vehicle, the Rowes said no. But that doesn't mean that everyone is as happy after making the switch.
One of the complaints that McDowell hears is that buyers don't actually get the gas mileage listed on the window sticker. He said driving habits, weather, maintenance and many other factors can affect efficiency. He said people need to accelerate and decelerate smoothly, drive the speed limit or below and have car's oil changed regularly in order for the vehicle to operate at its best.
The Environmental Protection Agency, which creates the efficiency ratings, says that the figures reflect typical drivers, but personal experiences may vary. The EPA is in the process of revising its testing methods to create the ratings.
People who buy hybrids can take advantage of a tax break, from $250 to $3,150, offered to spur their use as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
But to get the tax break, you need to actually buy one. People who go to a dealer here and can't find a hybrid can get on a waiting list. McDowell said he executes a five-state search to locate them for customers.
Yuma isn't alone. McDowell said Phoenix and San Diego are in the same situation, and a salesman for Bell Honda in Phoenix said they had hybrids on the lot Friday, but there are times when they don't have any.
Tom Williams, general sales manager at Fisher Chevrolet, said the dealership has never sold or even received a Chevrolet Silverado hybrid. Williams said he will keep trying to get hybrids and hopes to get on board next year with the Tahoe and Equinox.
"I would love to order one and have one, but I've never had an allocation for one," he said.
The city of Yuma owns nine hybrids - four Priuses and five Escapes - that are used for city business.
McDowell hopes Honda manufactures more hybrids in the future so he won't need to put people on waiting lists.
"I'm hoping they see what happened last year, how we needed more hybrids. I hope we're allocated a lot more this year."
Jeffrey Gautreaux - Yuma Sun - Oct 15, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/FEH.jpg
FEH making a splash in Yuma, AZ.
Hybrid cars are purchased only by young people and hard-core environmentalists, right?
Well, not according to local dealers or Ivan Rowe, a 77-year-old former winter visitor now living year-round in Wellton.
In May, Rowe and his wife, Muriel, bought a Ford Escape hybrid sport utility vehicle because they wanted better fuel economy and to help the environment.
"I can drive downtown and run my errands and not use a drop of gas," Rowe said. "I do it all on electric."
Hybrid vehicles, which have both a gasoline engine and electric motor, generally get more miles per gallon than conventional cars and release fewer harmful emissions. Local dealers say that there is demand for hybrids in Yuma.
However, this popularity and limited production has made them difficult to find here.
Country Club Motors fleet manager Wes McDowell says he sells every hybrid Honda Civic and Accord that he receives, but that may only be one or two per month. Each one is either presold from a waiting list or destined for a very brief stay on the lot.
"It's just one of those things where they're a pain to get right now because they're moving so quickly," McDowell said.
Anyone who drives in Yuma for any length of time can expect to see a hybrid here or there - especially with current gas prices. Country Club has sold 33 hybrids in the past six months, and Alexander Ford has sold 12 Ford Escape hybrid sport utility vehicles in the same period.
Repeated messages left with Alexander Toyota, which sells the Toyota Prius, were not returned. The Prius is the best-selling hybrid in the U.S. Toyota also sells a hybrid Camry.
Daniel Blanco, sales consultant at Alexander Ford, said that he normally only has one or two Ford Escape hybrids in stock. This is an improvement over when they came out and there was a waiting list just to test-drive one.
Rowe said one drive was all it took for him to know he wanted an Escape. He had been thinking about getting a hybrid but was sold by how it felt to be behind the wheel. "When I drove it, I wanted it."
The sale to the Rowes is representative of hybrid buyers in Yuma - you never can tell who will be interested.
"It's everybody," McDowell said. "When the snowbirds are here, they pick them up. We've sold them to middle-age, 20- or 30-somethings, everybody's buying them up."
The Rowes have been getting between 35 and 37 mpg with their hybrid. In August, they took a 3,100-mile trip to New Hampshire and paid less than $200 for gas — despite gas prices over $3 per gallon.
When asked if they had any complaints with the vehicle, the Rowes said no. But that doesn't mean that everyone is as happy after making the switch.
One of the complaints that McDowell hears is that buyers don't actually get the gas mileage listed on the window sticker. He said driving habits, weather, maintenance and many other factors can affect efficiency. He said people need to accelerate and decelerate smoothly, drive the speed limit or below and have car's oil changed regularly in order for the vehicle to operate at its best.
The Environmental Protection Agency, which creates the efficiency ratings, says that the figures reflect typical drivers, but personal experiences may vary. The EPA is in the process of revising its testing methods to create the ratings.
People who buy hybrids can take advantage of a tax break, from $250 to $3,150, offered to spur their use as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
But to get the tax break, you need to actually buy one. People who go to a dealer here and can't find a hybrid can get on a waiting list. McDowell said he executes a five-state search to locate them for customers.
Yuma isn't alone. McDowell said Phoenix and San Diego are in the same situation, and a salesman for Bell Honda in Phoenix said they had hybrids on the lot Friday, but there are times when they don't have any.
Tom Williams, general sales manager at Fisher Chevrolet, said the dealership has never sold or even received a Chevrolet Silverado hybrid. Williams said he will keep trying to get hybrids and hopes to get on board next year with the Tahoe and Equinox.
"I would love to order one and have one, but I've never had an allocation for one," he said.
The city of Yuma owns nine hybrids - four Priuses and five Escapes - that are used for city business.
McDowell hopes Honda manufactures more hybrids in the future so he won't need to put people on waiting lists.
"I'm hoping they see what happened last year, how we needed more hybrids. I hope we're allocated a lot more this year."