Want to re-post a thoughtful comment by Vanessa on the Hybrids follow-up post. Also wanted to point out that there was a Toyota Prius Superbowl Ad.
Vanessa's comment:
I agree with what Bill and JP said about hybrid vehicles taking a long time to integrate into the American culture. But, I also think that this is normal for any kind of big change occurring in a developed culture. People resist change-- unless it is to lose weight or make money. As more of the "open" people become aware of their environmental impacts and take measures such as purchasing hybrid vehicles, others will begin to see it as "normal" and the masses will evenutally follow.
My sister just got a Toyota Prius and the car is awesome. Straight-up, it's a cool car to drive. The technologies in the car are very advanced. The GPS, climate, audio, etc are all controlled by a touch screen- which you expect form cars these days- but the car also starts by pressing a button, gets good acceleration, and the car gets a whopping 60 miles a gallon!!!
My mom currently drives a Lexus RX and is on the waitlist for the Hybrid version that will be released at the end of this year. Now this is a good idea. It looks exactly the same as the regular Lexus RX but you get so many more miles. This is the way that hybrids will become part of regular society-- as more car manufacturing companies produce the same luxury vehicles but as hybrids. This way people won't feel like they are compensating looks, or class for the environment.
The Environmental Defense is a fantastic organization with a technological innovation branch that partners with large corporations to find ways to reduce their impact on the environment. No money is exchanged in the partnership!!! One of the coolest partnerships is with FedEx, where the ED and FedEx created a hybrid delivery truck that is now being used to deliver FedEx packages in NYC and other states. Now, every time a new FedEx truck is ordered, it is a hybrid truck, therefore eventually all FedEx trucks will be hybrid. These trucks last A LOT longer and will save FedEx A LOT of money in the long run. This integration sets an example for all delievery companies. The link for the project is below incase anyone is interested in finding out more.
http://www.environmentaldefense.org/partnership_project.cfm?projectID=3
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