Hybrid Cars: Truth or Fiction?

I have been a major booster of the "hybrid" engines which run both the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid. For the uninitiated, hybrid engines are half gasoline powered and half electric. The internal combustion engine runs as needed to accellerate and charge the battery in the electic engine. The battery is further charged by recapturing power from the brakes and other parts of the car. Then, the electric motor is used whenever possible. This design is intended to greatly increase fuel efficiency, and early reviews have been so positive that I have been calling for the U.S. government to consider buying the patent and offering it to all american car companies. However, now Wired Magazine has published an article which questions the miles-per-gallon claims for the various hybrid cars based on the experience of Pete Blackshaw.

But after a few months of commuting to his job in Cincinnati, Blackshaw's hybrid euphoria vanished as his car's odometer revealed that the gas mileage he was hoping for was only a pipe dream. Honda's Civic Hybrid is rated by the EPA to get 47 miles per gallon in the city, and 48 mpg on the highway. After nearly 1,000 miles of mostly city driving, Blackshaw was getting 31.4 mp

The article goes on to say that at least some of the fault lies with the EPA, whose flawed tests are where the original numbers came from. It also makes it clear that Mr. Blackshaw does not appear to be an isolated case. The most interesting response thus far? That more cars should come with mile-per-gallon guages so that there can be a fair comparison between hybrids and conventional vehicles after all.



In the meantime, color me disillusioned.