With three gas-electric hybrid cars on the market—the Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Insight, and Toyota Prius—more Americans are experiencing the satisfaction of owning a high-technology, fuel-efficient, environment-friendly car. Here are profiles of some of these people. As you will see, they find their vehicles practical and fun to drive.
To learn more about hybrids and other green cars, visit NESEA’s special car website, the Green Car Club: www.greencarclub.org. You can read reviews of the various hybrids, peruse news about green cars, and chat with owners of these vehicles.
A Prius Community
One of the easiest places to see a Toyota Prius is on the streets of Acton, Massachusetts, a suburban community of 20,000 people. The unusually high number of these fuel-efficient, SULEV (super ultra low emission), gasoline-electric hybrid cars is due in large part to the environmentally conscious residents of Acton’s New View co-housing community, where 7 of the 24 families drive Toyota Priuses.
The New View families’ high interest in hybrid cars is not surprising, given their community’s overall desire to minimize environmental impact. When designing their houses and common areas, the 24 families emphasized sustainable development strategies. The Priuses are an extension of their commitment to environmentally friendly living. Some New View residents even take their Priuses on active environmental duty, to electric car rallies and environmental justice meetings.
Prius owners at New View echo each other in their reasons for purchasing: "environmental benefit," "health impact," "lower emissions," "gas mileage." Most had waited years for a practical electric or hybrid sedan that fit their family’s needs. Some used their vehicle purchase to encourage the market for greener cars.
Reasons for buying a Prius may focus on the environment, but reasons for loving one go beyond that. Stephen Lewin-Berlin notes that, "It’s fun to drive, show off, and especially rewarding to sit in stopped traffic with the engine shut off." Regardless of their reasons for buying, New View Prius owners share an overwhelmingly positive consensus about their vehicles. Lee Ketelson sums up the Prius experience, "I would drive one even if it wasn’t such a comfortable and fun car. The fact that it is is an added bonus."
The advantages of having Priuses in such a close community start with initial interest and continue through ownership. The first New View resident to test drive a Prius drove it home to let other community members look it over. He later bought one and began offering test-drives to his neighbors. One family even borrowed a neighbor’s Prius for a trip to Cape Cod, prompting them to later buy one.
The Prius owners are able to communicate with each other about servicing, compare mileage, and discuss their cars more generally. Non-owners at New View are interested in the hybrids as well and enjoy riding with owners and talking about the cars. Judging by high neighborhood interest, the number of Toyota Priuses at New View will likely increase as more families replace existing vehicles.
The Priuses also attract attention outside the neighborhood. "It’s fun to see other Priuses and wave or have conversations with strangers who share excitement about the car," notes Harriett McMahon. The Prius community extends far beyond the New View neighborhood, with at least six others elsewhere in Acton and over 20,000 across the country.
Even the teenagers at New View are interested in the Priuses, with exclamations of "the Prius is COOL!" and the intention of owning a similar car when they are old enough to drive. For the kids in this neighborhood, hybrids aren’t futuristic oddities; they are parked in their neighbors’ driveways and give them rides to school. Thanks to the proliferation of Priuses in the neighborhood, the next generation of car owners is growing up with a progressive sense of what is "normal."
The number of Prius hybrids at New View is a "sign of shared values" above all else. But it also reflects the importance of community interaction and dialogue on environmental issues. Trying an unfamiliar technology is more inviting when your options are discussed, displayed, and celebrated close to home.
A Civic Improvement
David and Linda Anne Burtis of Delmar, New York were among the first people to purchase a Honda Civic Hybrid when the car went on sale this spring. They had owned a 13-year-old Mazda that needed to be replaced and they decided it was worth some extra money to get a car that would be better for the environment. They also liked supporting a company that had made a strong commitment to improved fuel efficiency.
David, who mostly uses the car, carefully monitors his gas mileage with the special display on the instrument panel, and normally gets between 52 and 56 miles per gallon of gas. He can see the impact on fuel efficiency of different weather and driving conditions, and can try strategies, such as following in the wake of a large truck, that maximize gas mileage. It makes driving feel like participating in a science experiment.
Because the Civic Hybrid does not look unusual, people don’t initially realize there’s anything special about it. But when they become aware of what it is, they are curious and enthusiastic. "Friends and relatives are fascinated by it," Linda reports. "They have even asked to borrow the driver’s manual so they could learn more." Many people assume that the car needs to be plugged in to be re-charged but are pleased to learn that this isn’t necessary.
One reason for being an early adopter of a new technology can be to educate others, and David and Linda want to maximize this role. They asked their friends and colleagues for feedback on a vanity license plate that summarized the car’s benefits and decided on "LESS GAS."
The experience of being an early adopter has turned out to be a lot of fun. Linda happily notes that: "We are getting to experience the excitement of people’s interest in the car. It’s almost like wheeling a new baby down the street—people want to stop and ask questions."
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