Goodbye gas guzzlers, hello hybrids
Photo Illustrations: Jeff Brandsted
Tired of high gas prices? Get in line for the environmentally friendly alternative.
By Ashley Marriott,
Jayplay writer
"My car gets 50 miles to the gallon." Not a phrase you're used to hearing? With the growing popularity of the hybrid car by celebrities and city workers alike, this phrase may be making its way into every day conversation.
Hybrids, which run on two or more sources of power, combine efforts of a smaller gas tank, periodic engine shut off at stoplights and aerodynamics to lower gas fumes emitted into the air. Take a look and see how the cars are performing:
The Student Perspective
When Cooper Wood, Topeka junior, needed a new car two years ago, he decided to go with the Toyota hybrid, the Prius. He says his aunt already had one and it just made sense to go with an eco-friendly vehicle. "I've always been a green kind of kid. My mom said with this car I don't need a bumper sticker to prove it," he says.
A hybrid car can cost $4,000 more than a regular sedan ($20,000 for a Toyota Camry), which may be a burden on students, but Wood says he received a one-time $2,000 tax break. He bought his car as a program vehicle, a car that has already been leased by a dealer, which also decreased the price.
Another cost saver is obviously the one in gas. According to hybridcars.com, hybrids save the owner $300 in gas per year. In Wood's case, he saves approximately $240 per year, filling his 12-gallon tank once a month for about $20.
Even though all of this money saving sounds tempting, Greg Seaman, writer for earthy.com, says the biggest turn-off for students from the
hybrid is the limited choice in car models. He says the available features aren't compatible with student life." In general, the cars are not designed for moving lots of furniture, as students often require," Seaman says.
The City Perspective
Drive around town and you may notice that Lawrence is starting to go hybrid. Steve Stewart, garage manager for the city of Lawrence, says the city purchased one Prius in 2001 and another two last year to replace its older cars.
Stewart says the cars, which are driven by two environmental inspectors and one city hall employee, get about 40 miles to the gallon. "They cost more to buy, but in the first four years, they will pay for the difference," he says.
Stewart says because the city replaces cars as they are needed, it is not planning to purchase any more hybrid cars in the near future. But when the time comes, he says the city will be happy to buy more.
— Ashley Marriott can be reached at amarriott@kansan.com.
ABOVE: Cooper Wood, Topeka junior, takes his hybrid car out for a spin. RIGHT: Wood's Toyota Prius, which has a hybrid electric-gasoline engine, gets 50 miles to the gallon.
Buv Me?
So are you now ready to run down to your local car dealership and sign on the dotted line? Not so fast. Because of the hybrid's ever-growing popularity, there's a six-month waiting list to buy one of these environmentally friendly vehicles. However, this could change as other car manufacturers quickly jump on the hybrid bandwagon.
The only hybrids that are currently on the market are the Prius, the Honda Civic and the Honda Insight, but the first American-made hybrid is scheduled to hit the market this summer. Ford is releasing the Escape, the first hybrid SUV, and it will get 30 miles to the gallon. According to hybridcars.com, General Motors and Dodge are both expected to release hybrid pick-up trucks and Lexus is also coming out with an SUV later this year. The site says that Chevrolet, Mercedes and Saturn are also developing its own models.
Ashley Marriott
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Jayplay 5.13.04