Uninformed People

You have to decide if correcting his misinformation is worth the time. My general rule of thumb:

1. Co-worker - I take them out to lunch and let them drive the car back. I do this because if I don't, there will be a long litany of silly claims. Knowing I have the facts and data and am willing to discuss and share the technology solves the problem. Of course I may have a little advantage in hybrid technology background.
2. Vendors - it depends upon whether or not I like them and plan to do more business with them in the future. I try to come by when they can go out and hop in the car and even drive it around the parking lot.
3. Strangers - it depends upon whether they have big bre... eye brows ... yea, and a cute as... attitude. Yes, it has to do with first impressions.
4. nut cases and members of other political parties - I encourage their ignorance (after all, there is only a 10-13 day inventory of Prius and we don't need to increase the demand ... besides, they might save enough money to start contributing to their political parties.)

Value your time and that means choosing your forums and issues.

Bob Wilson

 

I think most people in general are scared of change. They see the hybrids as something that will be a flash in the pan. So then they develop preconceived notions about dead batteries, low on power, and electrocutions. Good lord, Toyota and other manufacturers wouldnt have sold one of em if this are the complete truth. Remember the Pinto? Well, Ford really took it in the shorts on those cars, but they were proven to be deadly (IF IF the car was hit in the rear, and at a certain speed, and at a certain angle of attack). Same thing with Chevrolet trucks and the fuel tanks. People hear this on the news, or from a friend, and decide that the vehicles are terrible. Im sure a prius, or a hummer would be a death trap in SOME instances. I too have had coworkers poke fun at the car, but once i let them drive it at lunch, their eyes get big and the usual comes out...."wow, is this thing really getting 50 mpg??"
In another 10 years, when hybrids are more common, it wont be as it is now. Expecially if gas ramps back up to $4 a gallon. No one has said anything about the all electic tesla, and there is a prime reason. First , its 100K bucks, and second there are none on the road in any quantity.
I have a great pal that has worked on my Altima thoughout the past 4 years. Ex-nissan mech, opened his own business. Well he wont touch the prius. I have told him that he has the perfect opportunity to use my car as a learning curve. But he is scared of it same as what you have said in past threads. If he would realize that even changing the oil is simple, he could be making coin instead of passing on paying jobs.

 

When people ask me about the battery, I often say the prius takes 4 AAA batteries and I replace them weekly! HAHAHAHA!!!! Bob is right, you are going to get tons of ignorant people. People forget that a Prius will run for about 1/5 of its life with the engine off. That means that a car that has 100,000 miles, more than likely has about 80,000 miles as far as conventional vehicles go. Plus I also inform them that unlike cell phones and other such devices, the Prius has a battery management system that ensures reliability. Last point is that Toyota has been building them since 1997, and no significant failures yet. Plus its warranties for 8 years or 100,000 miles. If any other car can match that guarantee or confidence in their battery I have yet to see it.

People are going to believe whatever they want to believe. I let people drive my 2002 and they are stunned at its performance. They think its slow and lazy, but they are often shocked at the immense torque of the electric motor and our cars exceptional quietness. I ususally let that do all the explaining for me! HAHAHA!

 

Part of this attitude comes from an almost inherent need to believe that others will pay for gaining an unfair advantage; kind of a karma issue. For example, if a woman gets breast implants, common belief suggests that she risks serious medical problems even though medical science tells us otherwise. Something deep inside of us tells us that she is cheating, and therefor should pay.

The same is true for the Prius. It's a great car with fabulous mileage, so somehow we should pay for this. Battery failure is the answer. People don't want facts, they want fairness, otherwise it underscores their bad choice in not buying a Prius.

Tom

 

i drive an EV daily so i get it on both ends. i stopped volunteering information a few years ago because i got tired of the "my honda gets 40 mpg" BS.

nothing i could tell them to convince them they were lucky to get 30 MPG.

the biggest reason are very few people have the integrity to admit they have made AND STILL ARE MAKING a poor decision.

its one thing to not buy something because you cannot afford it, but others have paid nearly as much or more for what they drive and justify it on the current gas prices (which btw are still nearly 40% higher than they were 5 years ago. only the cost of health care has risen faster over the same time period)

but i do run into people frequently who have a genuine interest in changing. most are open, already somewhat informed and looking to clear up the MASSIVE mis-information they have read from multiple sources

 

I absolutely agree with everyone on the forum! Isnt it odd, that even though we are across the globe, we are thinking the same ??

LOL - oh yes! The coworker with the 45 mpg 1993 honda civic... I love that one....and when i ask the simplest question.... How many gallons to fill up? and how far can you go? They cant remember.

I think most people assume they are getting well over what is posted on the EPA stickers. Especially at 80mph down the hiway.

Keep the posts coming....interesting read!

I suppose it human nature....

 

I used to get 43 mpg in my Honda Civic, but it was a tiny, tiny Honda CRX. Hitting a June Bug with that thing would have been fatal. Not for the June Bug, but for the driver.

Tom

 

Ditto. I have to admit it was a fun little car though.

 

My boss drives a Toyota Land Cruiser.
He is angry at me because I drive a Prius.
He believes because I drive Prius I will push politically to force everyone to drive a Prius or other hybrid.
A recent survey in Australia showed that 72% of drivers believe 4x4s should be banned from city streets, that is a lot more than there are Prius on the road.
I have had the Prius versus Hummer crap thrown at me, the hybrid premium crap, the short battery life crap, the high cost of maintenance crap, the high fuel consumption on the highway crap, and the emergency workers wont go near them in a crash crap. All that proves is some people are full of crap.

I do have 1 work mate who has a 1990 Holden Barina 2 door with a 1.3 litre engine. He has never knocked my Prius to my face but I have heard from others he gets 60mpg from it. I don't doubt this but that is imperial gallons, at < 60mph on the freeway in light traffic tailgating a truck. I get about 70mpg across town in quiet comfort with climate control, 6 peaker CD radio, 4 doors, airbags, crumple zones, ANCAP safety ratings etc. And I know my emissions are lower not that anyone cares about that.

 

i drove a chevy sprint that got 40+ mpg... it had something like a 3 cylinder Yamaha motorcycle engine in it, acceleration above 50 mph is rated in days, and it was very petite. weighed around 1400 lbs if i recall correctly

 

Dave,

Acceleration above 50 mph rated in days....LOL that killed me. I wish i had the MPG figures for my x wifes chevette, but to be honest, i tried to forget it like a 1970's disco movie....

 

I had a rebadged Chevette, an '81 Pontiac T1000 4-speed stick, and if I pushed it could get same day service 0-60.

 

I loved my old Fiat 850 coupe.
Best thing about it was the fuel filler was under the engine cover, over the exhaust headers!
That got great fuel consumption but it weighed in at around 150 pounds after heavy rain.

OK I exaggerate a little.

 

I loved my 88 CRX Si even after 20 years, and then it died at 396,000+ miles. Going up to Alpena and back (212 miles) I could get 42 mpg and that was half the trip at 55 mph and half at 70 mph. Was rear ended hard once when it was only a year old and it was repaired and never had a problem after that.

 

Sigh. Yes, I miss my CRX. What a fun little car.

Tom

 

I never got the chance to drive a CRX. I always liked the look of em. Wasnt it the HF model that advertised like 50 or 55 mpg?
Man its a shame they are mostly gone now. I havent even seen one on the road for years.

Speaking of that....seen any cars lately that you never, ever see?

I had an Opel Gt pull up next to me in traffic last week...I havent seen one of those in prob 15 years or more (running or not)

I did see a really small, and i mean tiny small honda a few weeks back, man it was a cracker box. I cannot remember what it said on the badge. Car was yellow. Very very small, and quite old from the looks of it. Maybe 12 or 13 inch wheels. Factory. Was restored and looked pretty neat as i passed him on the hiway.