[Quietcars] Westwood, NJ police keeping city clean and safe.

[Robert Wilson]

Hi Michael,

One of the ironies about hybrids has been the frequency that 15,000 miles per year had been used in the automotive press to show hybrids "don't pay for themselves." Yet this is an annual average for USA vehicles and the pay-off interval is very sensitive to the number of miles per year.

In my case, about 20,000 miles per year which means the payoff interval is much shorter. Fleet use in taxi, delivery or other high mileage applications considerably shortens the pay-off interval but this seldom receives even a mention. In contrast, someone driving less than 15,000 miles, say half that number, can own just about anything.

BTW, I saw gas at $2.38/gallon last week, nearly $.30/gallon cheaper. But we're also noticing since May a dip in hybrid sales. Yet at the same time, we're seen a rapidly growing number of hybrid and electric car announcements. So at the sametime the demand is softening there are plans for more makes and models. 

Certainly these are interesting times.

Bob Wilson

> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:08:00 -0400
> From: mrtownsend at optonline.net
> To: quietcars at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [Quietcars] Westwood, NJ police keeping city clean and safe.
> 
> Not necessarily related to the blind and hybrid vehicle, but it's becoming
> more and more evident that cities are going green and trying to safe money.
> Here's one city in NJ who's doing its part.
> 
> Mike T
> 
> Westwood Police
> Are Driving Green
> Robert Hoffmann
> By Robert Hoffmann
> Westwood Borough Administrator
> Chief of Police Frank Regino standing by hybrid police vehicle.
> According to Westwood Chief of Police Frank Regino, "The decision to try the
> hybrid was and is an easy one."
> You've seen the headlines: Hybrids work! Hybrids save money! Hybrids save
> fuel and Hybrids reduce pollution! But you wonder, do they really?
> . . .