Many hybrid-car owners buy once -- but not again, Polk study says

[bripat9643]

Hybrid cars: Only 35% of hybrid-car owners buy another one, Polk says - latimes.com

While the choice of fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles for sale in the U.S. continues to grow, more buyers than not are deciding against the technology when they go to buy another car.

Only 35% of hybrid vehicle owners chose to purchase a hybrid again when they returned to the market in 2011, according to auto information company R.L. Polk & Co.

 

[merrill]

Corrolla can get very close to Prius... The 5 speed is more fun.

Hybrid cars must be driven according to instruction to obtain maximum benefits.

According to the news price was the larger issue not the technology.

 

[KissMy]

Nat gas or ethanol is the way to go.

 

[Ed Spacer]

True true true.

 

[blackhawk]

The newest hybrid.

 

[waltky]

Pure gas still favored over ethanol...

Ethanol concerns bring customers to more costly 'pure' gas stations
May 16, 2012 – When looking to fill up your tank, would you drive farther to pay more? Randy Hake's customers are doing just that, since he's the only gas station in York County, Pa., selling "pure" ethanol-free fuel.

"I get 20.1 miles to the gallon, in-town driving. I used to get 13," said Sue Cannon who drives 20 miles to Hake's from her home in Hanover, Pa. Studies show straight gasoline gets 2 to 10 percent better gas mileage than fuel made with ethanol, an alcohol produced from corn. It costs about 20 cents more per gallon at the pump, but Cannon says paying more up front is worth it down the road. She started using "pure gas" five weeks ago, after paying $12,000 for repairs on her 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. "I had to change two radiators and two transmissions," said Cannon, who blames the damage on ethanol.

Right now, gasoline sold at more than 95 percent of filling stations in the U.S. contains 10 percent ethanol, a blend known as E-10. Ethanol was first added to gasoline 30 years ago. Bob Dinneen, CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, says it's an American success story, utilizing fuel sources like corn, reducing our dependence on foreign oil and reducing gas prices by $1.09 a gallon in 2011. “Ethanol is an American-made product," Dinneen said. "We are creating jobs here. We are creating economic opportunity here. We are lowering gasoline prices here, as opposed to a pure gasoline that is lining the pockets of regimes in parts of the world that don’t like us very much.” Now, the ethanol debate is heating up.

The ethanol industry petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to add 5 percent more ethanol to fuel, creating a mix known as E-15. The EPA recently approved it for use in cars made since 2001. Proponents say E-15 will save drivers 5 cents more a gallon and is expected to be available as early as this summer. However, a newly released two-year study suggests millions of cars and light trucks being driven today may not be able to handle the new fuel blend. "Ethanol attracts water, and that can result in corrosion in the system," said Rayola Dougher from the American Petroleum Institute. "We're hitting what they're calling a blend wall, where you're required to use ever greater volumes of ethanol in the gas distribution system but it goes beyond what the cars are being designed for. And this is particularly an issue with E-15."

The study, sponsored by the oil industry group and automakers, tested eight engines found in millions of cars currently on U.S. roads. The study found two of the eight malfunctioned and suffered significant damage while fueled by E-15. The U.S. Department of Energy, which tested E-15 on vehicles prior to the EPA's decision, disputes the study, calling it "unreliable and incomplete". The American Petroleum Institute accuses the federal government of the same, and it is suing the EPA to force more research before E-15 becomes available at gas stations this summer. A decision is expected in June. Regardless, Randy Hake says you won't find any corn-based gas products for sale at his filling station. "We need to put it in our stomachs and our animals stomachs, rather than our gas tanks," Hake said.

Read more: Energy in America: Ethanol concerns bring customers to more costly 'pure' gas stations | Fox News

 

[Synthaholic]

Two threads about this - why do wingnuts have a hard-on to see any threat to oil fail?

That behaviour is anti-American.

 

[candycorn]

Two threads about this - why do wingnuts have a hard-on to see any threat to oil fail?

That behaviour is anti-American.

I don't know about "anti-American" but it is anti common sense.

We're running out of natural resources on this planet. We consume them faster than good old Mother Nature can provide them. That's just common sense. So we either stop the consumption or consume renewable resources instead. That, also, is common sense.

Geo-politically, we fought two wars in 20 years over oil although some here would make the foolish argument that their goal was to liberate Kuwait and was some sort of second front on the war on terror. They weren't. So it would make sense to use less of the stuff or to at least try to use less.

I understand skepticism of new technologies. I don't understand the celebratory nature of hoping they fail however.

About 10 years ago, I was living in a city that had a fledgling soccer franchise. The team did decently in the standings but one major high school football team's average home game drew twice what the professional soccer team did routinely. Finally, the soccer team pulled up it's tent stakes and disbanded. The next day, talk radio was celebrating their exit. Letters to the editor in the news papers were of the same flavor of happiness. I didn't get it then and I don't get it now.

The cars nor the soccer team posed any threat to the American way of life, the local economies, the jobs of the citizens, or to anyone's puppies. Celebrating or hoping for their demise is simply put; sick.

While it's perfectly valid to have an opinion about upstart products, services, franchises, and the like, one would hope that these people who ostracize the new or the novel would consider their positions prior to making them known to avoid looking callus if nothing else.

 

[J.E.D]

Well, that does it! Screw hybrid and electric cars! Time to go double time on gas guzzler production. It's not like we have a finite resource of fossil fuels.

 

[Synthaholic]

Two threads about this - why do wingnuts have a hard-on to see any threat to oil fail?

That behaviour is anti-American.

I don't know about "anti-American" but it is anti common sense.

We're running out of natural resources on this planet. We consume them faster than good old Mother Nature can provide them. That's just common sense. So we either stop the consumption or consume renewable resources instead. That, also, is common sense.

Geo-politically, we fought two wars in 20 years over oil although some here would make the foolish argument that their goal was to liberate Kuwait and was some sort of second front on the war on terror. They weren't. So it would make sense to use less of the stuff or to at least try to use less.

I understand skepticism of new technologies. I don't understand the celebratory nature of hoping they fail however.

About 10 years ago, I was living in a city that had a fledgling soccer franchise. The team did decently in the standings but one major high school football team's average home game drew twice what the professional soccer team did routinely. Finally, the soccer team pulled up it's tent stakes and disbanded. The next day, talk radio was celebrating their exit. Letters to the editor in the news papers were of the same flavor of happiness. I didn't get it then and I don't get it now.

The cars nor the soccer team posed any threat to the American way of life, the local economies, the jobs of the citizens, or to anyone's puppies. Celebrating or hoping for their demise is simply put; sick.

While it's perfectly valid to have an opinion about upstart products, services, franchises, and the like, one would hope that these people who ostracize the new or the novel would consider their positions prior to making them known to avoid looking callus if nothing else.

Good post, Candycorn. I do think it's anti-American. Soaring gas prices hurt U.S. productivity, reduce consumer buying power, and make every product more expensive. Plus, it puts billions and billions more in the pockets of people who hate this country and share none of our values (except greed).

So when I see these morons here who brag because they are now driving a gas-guzzler, I wonder why they hate this country.

 

[Synthaholic]

Well, that does it! Screw hybrid and electric cars! Time to go double time on gas guzzler production. It's not like we have a finite resource of fossil fuels.

If that kid keeps it up he'll be thin in no time!

 

[NYcarbineer]

Hybrid cars: Only 35% of hybrid-car owners buy another one, Polk says - latimes.com

While the choice of fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles for sale in the U.S. continues to grow, more buyers than not are deciding against the technology when they go to buy another car.

Only 35% of hybrid vehicle owners chose to purchase a hybrid again when they returned to the market in 2011, according to auto information company R.L. Polk & Co.

35% is 1 in 3, that's pretty high.

 

[jack113]

We need to develop a green energy grid before buying electric cars that only put more demand on carbon fuel supplies. puting hybrid cars now is putting the cart before the horse.

 

[skookerasbil]

Two threads about this - why do wingnuts have a hard-on to see any threat to oil fail?

That behaviour is anti-American.

King if Wishful Thinking fAiL.............hybird cars are gay.

And not for nothing s0n...........your thinking is fringe but oh, were un-American!!

 

[uscitizen]

I bought a hybrid, but not another one. I quit driving.

 

[skookerasbil]

Most people who drive a hybrid do so for the purpose of making a statement............not because they love the car. Its the pompous asshole phenomenon, the extreme of which is seen with the jackasses driving those micro-cars. Give the car industry credit for recognizing that there are suckers out there......a few who are obsessed with driving a car that tells the world, "I care more about the environment than you!!". Its not unlike the truck market..........the industry knows that there are men out there who must drive this big ass "I'll drive over you mofu!!" 4X4 small Mack truck. Its marketing. Most people laugh at the thought of driving a hybrid car.

 

[OldManOnFire]

Two threads about this - why do wingnuts have a hard-on to see any threat to oil fail?

That behaviour is anti-American.

I don't know about "anti-American" but it is anti common sense.

We're running out of natural resources on this planet. We consume them faster than good old Mother Nature can provide them. That's just common sense. So we either stop the consumption or consume renewable resources instead. That, also, is common sense.

Geo-politically, we fought two wars in 20 years over oil although some here would make the foolish argument that their goal was to liberate Kuwait and was some sort of second front on the war on terror. They weren't. So it would make sense to use less of the stuff or to at least try to use less.

I understand skepticism of new technologies. I don't understand the celebratory nature of hoping they fail however.

About 10 years ago, I was living in a city that had a fledgling soccer franchise. The team did decently in the standings but one major high school football team's average home game drew twice what the professional soccer team did routinely. Finally, the soccer team pulled up it's tent stakes and disbanded. The next day, talk radio was celebrating their exit. Letters to the editor in the news papers were of the same flavor of happiness. I didn't get it then and I don't get it now.

The cars nor the soccer team posed any threat to the American way of life, the local economies, the jobs of the citizens, or to anyone's puppies. Celebrating or hoping for their demise is simply put; sick.

While it's perfectly valid to have an opinion about upstart products, services, franchises, and the like, one would hope that these people who ostracize the new or the novel would consider their positions prior to making them known to avoid looking callus if nothing else.

Nicely stated CC...

This topic is similar to the topic on government deficit spending and debt; too many idiots believe government has endless amounts of money to spend just as they believe Earth can provide billions of people with all the resources they need forever!

It's personal ignorance and political ignorance coupled with greed and self-serving behavior.

The common-sense aspect to oil/gasoline is that we know today that the US economy cannot handle $4/gallon gasoline well, society begins to have a conniption at $4.50/gallon, and the economy will begin to implode when we reach $5/gallon...we know this! Yet here we are teetering on the brink of something we know then acting like it is a non-problem or non-issue??

We have similar issues with potable water, energy, waste disposal, and as with gasoline/oil, the horrific problems will unfold long before we run out of these resources...

 

[PredFan]

I'm on my 2nd Prius. I like it because i like the many features it has. I like the back-up camera and the solar powered cooling system especially. I also like going 500 miles on 10 gallons of gas.

It isn't about "saving the planet" since i know that the planet isn't in any danger, it's just that i like the car.