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Volume CXXXIII, Number 10 |
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Did you know?: There are hybrids among us!
KEISHA PAYSON
CONTRIBUTOR
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| Eileen Johnson shows off her hybrid car to Christine Bevacqua '04. Johnson's Honda Civic runs on 51 miles per gallon. (Courtesy of The Bowdoin Sun) |
As you're walking around campus take some time to look at parked cars. Do you notice anything different? A type of car that you might not have seen before? Sustainable Bowdoin would like to highlight Bowdon faculty and staff who are driving cars that use the new hybrid gas/electric vehicles.
What is a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)?
Unlike purely electric vehicles, hybrids use regular gas as their energy source so there is no need to plug them in. HEVs combine an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. Unlike regular cars, HEVs use the electric motor to store energy that is normally wasted when a vehicle is coasting or stopped. This saved energy is then used to power the vehicle up hills. The result of this technology is a car that is more fuel-efficient and emits up to 90 percent less smog-forming emissions than conventional internal combustion engines. There are currently three models of HEVs on the market: Toyota Prius, Honda Insight & Honda Civic Hybrid.
HEVs at Bowdoin?
That's right! Currently there are three known hybrids on campus. Professors David and June Vail drive a Toyota Prius which gets up to 55 mpg on long trips and in the high 30's when doing in-town driving during cold weather (HEV mpg goes down in colder weather). June Vail said one of the best things about her car is that "it is very quiet and calming to drive." Environmental studies program manager Eileen Johnson sports a Honda Civic Hybrid, which runs at an average of 51 mpg. Her favorite thing about being a hybrid owner is being able to look at the monitor on her dashboard that continuously provides her with gas mileage information. As a professed data geek, Johnson said, "I love watching the mpg display when it reads 55 mpg!"
Professors Genie and Nat Wheelwright drive the Honda Insight, which gets up to 70 mpg in the summer and averages about 66 mpg over the course of the year. Genie, an Insight driver for over 18,000 miles, says that the car not only runs just like a regular car, but is also "fun to drive, peppy, and attractive."
"I could not think of a reason why someone wouldn't want to buy a hybrid, there is no downside, and it feels so good to use so little gas," she said.
When Johnson bought her hybrid she did some serious calculations on what the cost savings would be. She found that over the life of the car she will save roughly $2000 in gas-and also received a sales tax break from the State of Maine. She was even able to claim the car as a tax deduction on her federal taxes. Over the lifetime of the car, she figures her hybrid Civic will cost her about the same as a gas powered Civic.
One potential obstacle for people interested in purchasing a hybrid vehicle is the up-front cost of the vehicle. The base prices for the Prius, Civic Hybrid, and Insight are all about $19,500.
Those on a lower budget might consider the Toyota Echo or the gas- powered Honda Civic. The Toyota Echo, with a base price of $10,245, can get up to 46 mpg on the highway according to Consumer Reports (CR). CR also gives it the "excellent" rating for predicted reliability.
The gas-powered Honda Civic has a base price of $12,810, an "excellent" CR rating for reliability, and can get up to 45 mpg during highway driving.
Want something bigger?
Some professions and lifestyles require a larger vehicle than the typical sedan style car, so if you are in need of a fuel-efficient truck or SUV, you are in luck. By mid-2004, hybrid models will be offered with the Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras. The GM pickup hybrids are 10 percent more fuel-efficient. Ford's Escape SUV, due in the late summer of 2004, is expected to bring a 16 percent improvement in highway mileage and get nearly double the city gas mileage over the gasonline-powered version.
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