[Quietcars] Interesting report from motorweek on hybrid sales and first responders dealing with hybrid crashes.

[Robert Wilson]

Hi Michael,

Thanks for the report. I seldom follow Motor Week as much as AutoLine Daily that has more content in podcasts that I listen to while commuting to work.
> Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2011 08:07:44 -0500
> From: mrtownsend at optonline.net
> To: quietcars at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [Quietcars] Interesting report from motorweek on hybrid sales and first responders dealing with hybrid crashes.
> 
> Thought that this might interest some of you beyond our normal chatter.
> AutoWorld
> First Responders
> First responders train to deal with the new challenges presented by hybrids,
> electrics and fuel cell vehicles.
> AutoWorld
> <http://www.motorweek.org/features/green_motoring/first_responders> 
Toyota has already announced over one million hybrids sold in North America over a year ago. Add to that the Honda and Ford hybrids and the one million hybrids has long since past. My own analysis of the Prius fleet that included a 3% fleet loss per year from accidents and other losses left off in 2007 with an estimated 405,000 Prius in service. We've had nearly five years to more than double that number and this does not include the other Toyota, Honda, and Ford hybrids. The Prius still represents about two thirds of all hybrid sales.  Perhaps the Motor Week author meant 1 million hybrids sold per year by 2015 but I remain skeptical since there appears to be a 3% glass ceiling on hybrid and electric car sales. For example, November hybrid sales were 26,000 out of a total 992,000 vehicle sales. This 3% annual sales limit has been the case since 2008 and hybrid sales have yet to show evidence of a significant change. 
. . . 
> Murphy's Law states, "As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your
> boss will
> ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

Or my customers . . . who are ultimately my bosses. <grins>
I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas!
On a personal note, I spent "Black Friday" the day after Thanksgiving bringing a small, two-place, Volkswagon powered airplane 600 miles from Canton Ohio. This airplane became available the first week of October so over the Columbus Day holiday, I inspected it, and after having my eyes checked the next day, bought it. 
It will take at least a year of careful, meticulous and well documented rework to get the plane flying again. But then we'll have a 140 mph plane that burns 4 gallons per hour, a little over 30 MPG. According to the performance charts that came with the plane, at 110-120 mph, it gets nearly 50 MPG . . . much like our Prius. So I have gotten the present I've most wanted for nearly 20 years. It is a homebuilt, Viking Aircraft, Dragonfly.
BTW, I towed the airplane on a modified pontoon boat trailer behind my wife's 1.8L Prius and got 38 MPG at 52-53 mph through a cold rain. At one point, I was sitting in puddles as we loaded, tied, and prepared the plane for transportation. There was some small road-rash but nothing beyond what might be expected.
Bob Wilson