Driving Directions: Getting There Green / Jim Motavalli
It may surprise some readers that I don’t own a hybrid car. After all, I wrote a book on this technology, and have been touting it since at least 1999.
I think the Toyota Prius is the best bargain on the market today, and the public increasingly seems to agree. Before the decade is out, hybrid technology will be commonplace across the spectrum, from tiny compacts to huge SUVs.
(Speaking of the latter, General Motors is debuting the hybrid version of its full-sized Tahoe, with limited availability this fall. Environmentalists are finding it hard to love, even with up to 40 percent better fuel economy on the highway, because it’s just so big. Even with hybrid drive, expect 20 mpg.)
Although I often drive test cars, which can be just about anything, the car my family and I actually bought for our own use is a 2007 Honda Fit. The Fit is still below the radar for many Americans. (“A Honda what?”) But for $13,850 it’s the little car that could. Fuel economy is 33 mpg in town, 38 on the highway, though those numbers are likely to go down somewhat with the Environmental Protection Agency’s new rating system. By California’s stringent standards, it’s a low-emission vehicle (LEV).
Honda’s Fit with daughter Maya. The new car arrives! (Jim Motavalli photo)
The Fit’s rear seat offers amazing amounts of room, and it folds up in four separate ways, including flat to the floor. Even though it’s much smaller than a Civic, I’ve helped people move with it.
The Fit may or may not be for you, but the point is that there’s nothing magical about the word “hybrid.” In the end, it’s about fuel economy and emissions.
I was asked recently by Forbes online if I could recommend any luxury hybrid vehicles, and I was hard-pressed to offer a glowing assessment. The Lexus RX-400h and GS 450h use plenty of fossil fuel, even with hybrid drive. Will the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Amory Lovins be driving the new Cadillac Escalade hybrid, due out in 2009? Unlikely, since Lovins’ concept of the “hypercar” is ultralight, and the Escalade is huge and thirsty no matter what you do to it.
Are green-minded consumers really waiting for a hybrid version of the
Cadillac Escalade?
With automotive green scores, it’s the numbers that count. Take a look, there’s the Fit at number four in the ratings, just above the Ford Escape Hybrid.
Jim Motavalli is the editor of E/The Environmental Magazine and writes regularly on transportation for the New York Times. He lectures on environmental topics and hosts a bi-weekly public affairs radio show on WPKN. His articles have appeared in Popular Mechanics, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Boston Globe, Paste Magazine, Salon, Cars.com, The Guardian, Sierra, Vegetarian Times and many others.
Read more of Driving Directions: Getting There Green:
Plugging in the Future With New Hybrid Cars - July 26
High Hopes for Hydrogen? - August 1
How about a “peak oil” or “national security” tax on new vehicles that get less than 35 mpg? 30% sounds about right to me. If people can afford these huge heavy vehicles they should be able to afford the extra tax.
Comment by Aberforth — August 7, 2007 @ 12:05 pm
The Lexus RX-400h and GS 450h use plenty of fossil fuel, even with hybrid drive
good!
Comment by 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show — August 8, 2007 @ 12:02 am
“With automotive green scores, it’s the numbers that count. Take a look, there’s the Fit at number four in the ratings, just above the Ford Escape Hybrid.” Sorry to burst your bubble, because everyone wants to justify their driving choice. I’ve seen similar articles by Hummer owners. The list you use as a reference is a “selection”. Go to the source, the EPa list of green vehicles, and you’ll find dozens of cars that are better choices than the Fit. That said, your choice is still a responsible one. But please be careful about sources. You might wind up muddying the waters instead of clarifying the Green choices in transportation.
Comment by justusderdv — August 8, 2007 @ 10:01 am
I have been driving a Honda Accord that gets 37mpg highway for 19 years. I will drive it to my grave… well someone will, probably not me.
Comment by Frank Smith — August 8, 2007 @ 11:39 am
Still waiting for you to answer “Why I [you] Don’t Own A Hybrid Car”.
By your logic you should own a Prius or Civic Hybrid. Sure the Fit is a great car, but you attention-grabbing headline never gets resolved.
Was it an after thought?
Ian
Comment by Ian — August 8, 2007 @ 11:54 am
Fuel economy, emissions, and price were the factors he cited in his decision making. Price was clearly the reason he opted for the Fit over the Prius.
Comment by David Dean — August 8, 2007 @ 2:39 pm
I don’t get it. Why compare the Fit to a luxury hybrid? A more honest comparison would be to a Prius.
I’ve owned a Prius for three years and have consistently averaged just under 50 mpg during that time.
It is a very spacious car, comfortable, and a real pleasure to drive.
Comment by Hudson — August 9, 2007 @ 3:48 am
Emissions don’t just come from the fuel used - manufacturing process and environmentally hazardous waste (large lead acid batteries, how do you get rid of those) at the end of the vehicles life that need to be considered. Getting a straight answer is almost impossible at this point, with opposing sides on their high horses shouting over each other.
I hope that one day we can drive the car of our personal preference, that performs better, is economical and generates zero emissions, so we can look back on the transition from fossil fuels and say “how could me have been so short sighted!”
Cheers
Luke
Comment by Luke — August 14, 2007 @ 12:47 am
I just recently purchased a Honda Civic Hybrid and get 38 to 40mpg on a regular basis in city environments. We all need to remember that by driving a Hybrid, its not the fix-all solution. Its a start and it takes numbers to make a difference with less emissions in the air and how much we consume. If you want to be out of touch with the Green movement, just join Congress. Congress is pushing a combined bill (H.R.6) through to make the auto industry get 35mpg on all vehicles by, get this, 2020. Now that’s out of touch with the Green movement. I’m happy with my HYBRID!
Comment by Dwane — August 15, 2007 @ 9:50 am
Mr. Motavalli, you dealt the hybrid vehicle industry - and by extension, the environment - a huge blow. The public is just now starting to understand and embrace hybrid technologies, and it is frankly irresponsible for you to give public conscience another loophole to maintain the status quo of the current automobile market, and thus continue the enormous quantity of pollution and fossil fuel use that has been the norm.
I understand that you feel that the Fit gets better gas mileage than a hybrid SUV; however, when discussing gas mileage, please compare apples to apples! People who are looking to buy an SUV could easily interpret your comments to indicate that it’s not worth it to spend the extra money to buy a hybrid SUV. If someone is in the market for a subcompact like the Fit, why not encourage them to go the extra mile and buy a Prius?
Despite what has been said about, for instance, the Prius getting “only” 40-something mpg, we get at least 50mpg on every tank of gas with our Prius, even with a predominance of highway driving.
You are in a position of tremendous power when it comes to influencing public opinion on hybrid technology. Please don’t give the doubters and nay-sayers another feather in their caps by encouraging the public to shrug off the idea of hybrid vehicles, taking your advice that traditional cars are “just as good” as the new technology.
Thank you for your attention and consideration.
Jane Wilkerson
Comment by Jane Wilkerson — August 17, 2007 @ 2:37 pm
I stated up front in the piece that I’m the author of a book on the subject and a huge supporter and early adopter of hybrids, the Prius in particular. But just as harmful as what you describe is the idea that ANY hybrid is an environmental vehicle.
Frankly, huge SUVs don’t get all that greener when they’re hybridized. I spend enormous amounts of time trying to convince people they don’t need SUVs. Period. There’s really no excuse for buying one, when a more fuel-efficient minivan does all the same things better. Studies show that SUVs are NOT safer for their passengers because of rollover risk, and they perform worse on ice than cars do–ask any police officer in a cold state. I’d rather head consumers off at the pass when they “are looking to buy an SUV,” as you put it.
And keep in mind that the Fit costs $10,000 less than the Prius, so it is really appealing to a different market. The good news is that Honda is soon to come out with a Fit-sized, affordable hybrid that should be an excellent addition to the fleet. Again, I am NOT anti-hybrid by any means. But the bottom line is the fuel economy and emissions numbers.
Jim Motavalli
Comment by Jim Motavalli — August 17, 2007 @ 2:41 pm
Even though you can save $10,000 on the sticker price of a Fit over a Prius, that isn’t the whole story. The Prius total cost of ownership over 5 years is still less than the Fit. See intellichoice.com where the total cost of the Prius over 5 years is listed as 22,239 compared to the Fit at 22,931.
So in the long term, which I’m much more concerned about, the Prius is cheaper. Plus I get to feel good about helping the hybrid car industry, and when I’m stopped at the lights I know I have zero emissions and sound.
I don’t currently own a Prius, I’m looking for a second family car because the one we have is spending too much time in the shop.
Regards,
Paul
Comment by Paul Andrew — August 18, 2007 @ 11:06 pm
While you may think a 30% tax is fair for people who drive cars that get less than 35mpg that is too extreme. What about big people who can’t cram themselves into a tiny car and what about those of us who have to drive vans because we are in wheelchairs and need the room for a wheelchair lift? Small cars are not practical for everyone.
Comment by Cheryl Keller — August 20, 2007 @ 1:53 pm
Driving a hybrid car makes a big lifestyle statement, but is really helping to save the planet?
Prius politics is mostly about showing off, not curbing greenhouse-gas emissions. Politicians pander to “green” constituents who want to feel good about themselves. Grandiose goals are declared. But measures to achieve them are deferred—or don’t exist.
Deep reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases might someday occur if both plug-in hybrid vehicles and underground storage of carbon
dioxide from coal-fired power plants become commercially viable. Meanwhile, Prius politics is a delusional exercise in public relations that, while not helping the environment, might hurt the economy.
Comment by ev rider — August 21, 2007 @ 2:36 pm