Some perspective on "saving the planet" with a hybrid or plug-in

[kostby]

So global warming IS a thing.

Causes don't really matter if future generations face certain extinction because we didn't do enough during our lifespan, right?

 

I hope that by living greener in a more energy-efficient home, using more efficient lighting and appliances, recycling, buying a more fuel-efficient vehicle, and modifying my driving habits a little bit, I will be doing my tiny part to help right the :airquote: SHIP "Save the Humans Inhabiting the Planet". Because saving the planet so just algae survives isn't nearly as high on my priority list.

 

In early August, GM/Chevy announced that the next generation (2016) Chevy Volt will debut at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit January 12-25 2015.

http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2014/Aug/0807-volt.html

 

The press release had several interesting factoids:

• Volt sales were up 13 percent in July (2014) and more than 65,000 have been sold since it was introduced – making it the best-selling plug-in passenger car in the U.S. market.
• Volt owners are driving more than 63 percent of their overall miles in electric vehicle mode, collectively logging more than 500 million gas-free miles since the Volt’s retail debut in 2010. That has saved more than 25 million gallons of gasoline.

That's fantastic! 

Chevy Volt drivers are leading the way to saving the planet!

What a relief! 

I feel so much better about saving the planet now. I'm also very glad my friend at church bought a Volt, so I didn't have to…  ;)

 

Until facts get in the way...

 

On the average DAY, 368.51 million gallons of gasoline are used in the United States.

http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=23&t=10

 

So four years of production, 65,000 Chevy Volts sold, driving half-a-billion gas-free miles, have saved about 7% of the gasoline consumed in the United States, in one day.

 

But wait, hybrids comprise over 3% of all vehicles in the US now.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1083671_hybrid-vehicle-sales-grew-40-percent-last-year-study-finds

 

So we have to add in all the rest of the hundreds of thousands of hybrid and plug-in vehicles produced over the last 15 years, and those billions of miles traveled, and assume for a moment, that we've collectively achieved 100%.

 

100% = one day of US consumption

No way, that's way too low, it's gotta be MUCH higher than that. 

 

So if I'm off by a factor of 10:

1,000% = ten days of US consumption saved over 15 years

That's still really low, it's gotta be MUCH higher than that. 

 

So if I'm still off by a factor of 10:

10,000% = 100 days of US consumption saved over 15 years

Are you sure? It's gotta be MUCH higher than that.

 

So if I'm still off by a factor of 10 (highly unlikely, I think, given that we're only talking about 3% of all vehicles, not 30%)

100,000% = 1,000 days of US consumption saved over 15 years

 

STILL less than 3 years of US gasoline consumption saved over the past 15 years.

 

And then there's the rest of the world…

[fotomoto]

This is why raising the overall FE of trucks is SO important.   :rtfm:

[hybridbear]

I think the "bystander effect" is one problem. People think, "I don't need to use less gas, someone else will."

[TopherTheME]

"So global warming IS a thing."

Thank you!

 

I'm a huge advocate of higher taxes on fuel. Think if there was a federal tax of $1 for a gallon of gasoline. Not only would it encourage the buying of hybrids and EVs but would also make people drive less. You would always have the crazy conservatives that would mortgage their house to put gas in their V8 trucks but I choose to believe that the rest of Americans are smarter. I mean HEVs have been available for well over a decade now, and they only make up 3% of cars on the road?

Edited September 3, 2014 by TopherTheME

[Adrian_L]

"So global warming IS a thing."

Thank you!

 

I'm a huge advocate of higher taxes on fuel. Think if there was a federal tax of $1 for a gallon of gasoline. Not only would it encourage the buying of hybrids and EVs but would also make people drive less. You would always have the crazy conservatives that would mortgage their house to put gas in their V8 trucks but I choose to believe that the rest of Americans are smarter. I mean HEVs have been available for well over a decade now, and they only make up 3% of cars on the road?

 

Move to Canada, amigo!  We're paying $1.40/litre right now (about $5.50 per u.s. gallon) and I see plenty of huge SUVs and pick up trucks around.  And plenty of single-occupant vehicles. 

 

When gas prices jump up, there's always some journalist sticking a microphone in people's faces at the gas pump.  "Will you drive less?"  People drive the same way they did when it was a dollar a litre.

[ptjones]

I bought my CMAX for the great gas mileage, not global warming which is now called climate change. We are fooling ourselves if we think we are making a significant difference in green house gases when a Hybrid starts out using a lot of extra energy to make the Hybrid System. And then there is the extra cost so it is going to take quiet a few thousands of miles to get to break even point. Having said that you aren't going to be able to take my CMAX from my death grip on it. Just saying. LOL I like my 64+mpg  and over 900 miles tanks, Thank You Very Much FORD. :) :yahoo: 

 

Paul

[Wnuk]

+1 to ptjones

 

I bought my CMAX for saving cash at the fuel pump, not for the environmental impact it may have.

 

At 5786 miles and a lifetime average of 47.7 MPG (48.4 by CMAX accounting) the cash I save makes me feel very GREEN!

[RockwallRick]

Same for me, I hate spending my money on gasoline!!! :rockon:

[MomsHugs]

Changing social behavior is the key to reduced gas consumption. Higher gas prices did little if anything to reduce demand for larger pickup trucks & SUVs, which most owners drive aggressively, using their vehicles as surrogates for dominating behavior... men & women alike. Driving a 2-ton double-axle dump truck for a construction company in mid-70's taught me a lot about people's driving habits. So did listening to a CB radio on the Interstate with 18-wheeler drivers having to deal with the idiots driving 4-wheelers who cut in front of them. There is no excuse for such stupidity in our country, but there you have it.

 

Living "green" means more than just buying a hybrid/electric car. Mathematically, I was able to achieve 75 MPG in my Olds Intrigue the old-fashioned way -- fewer errands/shopping, etc. = fewer miles = less gas usage = higher MPG. Same with recycling plastic containers & other packaging .. which is energy intensive & can be avoided for the most part.

 

Our country is on a collision course for energy & water, both of which will be the underlying cause of civil war... not race or creed. People will be forced to change their habits then. Sometimes I have renewed hope it will be avoided by the younger generations changing their priorities in time, but seriously doubt it. Every major war was caused by ignoring the laws of economics for too long. Sorry to be so pessimistic, but have studied human behavior for a very long time.