Re: Prius?
<rant>
Because so many people get all wet in the pants about the prius, as if they are saving the fucking planet. They are far worse for the environment to produce than most cars, due to their complexity; they are not well built, causing multiple deaths [http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/01/18/toyota-settles-first-hundreds-wrongful-death-suits-involving-unintended/] and at least one massive recall [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26148711]; and they are not even fuel economical when you get out of a thirty zone.
OK, so battery powered cars are not yet ready for mainstream use, by quite a long way, but if you have an electrically driven car with a relatively small battery (mostly for accelerating and kinetic energy recovery) kept topped up by an efficient internal combustion engine (running at an RPM that is not directly tied to the speed of the car) you have the best of both worlds: maximum torque at 0 RMP, no clutch, regenerative breaking and the power density of petrol/diesel.
The Prius marketing is all about its green credentials, and they are mostly bullshit. Every time I see a Prius, I assume the driver is more concerned about looking like they care about the environment than actually caring about the environment. Or they are an idiot. Or both.
</rant>
Biting the hand that feeds IT
