The Hybrid Blog » Prius

Six Door Toyota Prius Limo

Leroy Brown — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 19:34:41 +0000

Want to buy a hybrid but need room for yourself and nine of your closes friends? Apparently you’re not the only one. The owner of the amazing vehicle to your left hacked up a Toyota Prius, added a middle seating area, and then put it all together. The result? A 10 seat hybrid limo, that reportedly still gets 50 MPG. How it accomplishes that with the weight gain, I’ll never know. Either way, kudos to this guy’s ingenuity.

Via Diesel Station.

Prius goes 104 MPH

Leroy Brown — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 21:58:39 +0000

Steve Wozniak, yes, the co-founder of Apple, has joined Al Gore III in the Prius Hall of Shame. See, both these folks have been caught going over 100 MPH in their Prius – something many folks didn’t even know was possible. Steve was doing 104, which nearly beat out Gore III’s 105 MPH run. As we all know, speed is the enemy of fuel economy, and going 100+ MPH pretty much defeats the purpose of owning a hybrid in the first place.

The judge did end up whacking Mr. Wozniak with a $700 fine, which is approximately the equivalent of fining me eleven cents. Oh well, at least he wasn’t going 100 in his Hummer. Oh yea, he owns a Hummer too – quite the combo, indeed.

Perhaps I should start a Hybrid Hall of Shame….

Via LLN.

2009 Prius may be on track

Leroy Brown — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:58:34 +0000

The rumors that the 2009 Prius was going to be delayed ( or at least that it wouldn’t use lithium ion batteries ) may not be true at all. Car and Driver received word from a Toyota Vice President that says nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Toyota even went so far as to say that they’re “bemused” by the rumors. At this point, Toyota says, they’re focusing on overall vehicle safety and reliability. Once they’re confident that they can warranty the batteries for 150,000 miles, then the new Prius will go forward.

Unfortunately, there was no definite “Yes the 2009 Prius will be on time, and will have lithium ion batteries”. Granted, Toyota doesn’t want to burn the current Prius sales by officially announcing a vastly superior 2009 model. But it sure would be nice to get some solid info once in awhile, rather than just whispers and rumors.

Honda Civic Hybrid vs Toyota Prius

Leroy Brown — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 01:28:56 +0000

The two most popular ( and most efficient ) hybrids available today are the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid. While the Prius is rated for a bit better gas mileage, real world testing shows that the two vehicles are very, very close. The Prius generally gets a bit better gas mileage in the city due to it’s superior all-electric mode, while the Civic Hybrid tends to get the nod on the highway.

For a lot of folks, choosing between these two models doesn’t come down to gas mileage though – it comes down to looks. The Prius announces in a loud way that it’s a hybrid, and it’s owner bleeds green. The Civic Hybrid is simply a regular Civic to the average passerby – only the pizza-dish wheels and small hybrid badge on the rear give away it’s green nature.

For me, I’m definitely choosing the Civic Hybrid. I think it looks great ( I like the regular Civic a lot ), and I can’t stand the hatchback look of the Prius. It isn’t for everyone, and it’s not at all for me, even considering the extra space that it has.

I’ll be writing up full, detailed pages on both of these popular hybrids in the near future, so stay tuned to The Hybrid Blog.