mmhmm... I had this guy give me a confused look and kept looking backwards as he was walking as the car shut off at the crosswalk. I continued moving in stealth. hehe
Of course, if you drive more, just because the car is more efficient, you cancel out the benefit of that efficiency. When my Prius was new I drove a bit for fun, beyond what I really needed to. A real environmentalist would not do that. However, once the novelty wore off I learned to enjoy the fact that, even though my short commute means low mpg, it also means less total gas burned and less total emissions. It's natural for cat owners to drive Prius, and Prius drivers to like cats. The two have so much in common: Cats are efficient: they sleep when there's nothing important to do. And they are clean. There's no car cleaner than the Prius, and there's no animal cleaner than a cat. And cats are sleek and aerodynamic. There's no wasted motion in a cat. A young adult house cat can jump to the top of the refrigerator in one leap, and use almost no energy doing it. It's true that a cat runs his motor when he's idling. In that respect a cat is superior to a Prius: the car has to shut off its motor at an idle, whereas the cat can run his motor without wasting energy. But in the end, a cat with his motor running is as calming as a Prius with its motor off. I believe I was the first on PriusChat to have a cat avatar. I don't think I've ever started a fad before. Nice.
In the Wal Mart parking lot last week, I passed this guy walking towards the door in stealth. I got a kick out of watching his head turn all the way around as I passed him. The car doesn't get much attention in the land of pickups and SUV's, so when I do catch the undivided attention of a passer by, it makes it all the more fun. :mrgreen:
I was getting tired of all the mechanical problems with the 'made in the USA' cars. This is my first Japanese and I really enjoy it. I feel good about environmental care, economy and technology. Makes the trip fun.