- Why our driving behaviour has to change by
- Families & Lifestyle | 3:38 p.m. | Thu 18 Oct 2007
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If the future for hybrid cars is to be bright, our driving behaviour, and society’s attitude to the car in general, must change dramatically.
One way in which car manufacturers could help to initiate this shift is by alerting drivers more effectively to the environmental impact of their journeys. They could, for example, draw inspiration from the The Owl (formerly known as Electrisave), a pocket-sized meter that alerts people to the total amount of energy being used by their appliances at home. The Electrisave has proven very effective at persuading users to reduce their energy consumption – in some cases by 25% – simply through greater awareness of wastage.
It is easy to imagine how similar, user-friendly indicators of power consumption, associated emissions and price could help drivers to understand the impact of each journey they make, and to modify their driving accordingly. That extra trip to the corner shop each day could produce pangs of guilt once you see what it’s costing you and the environment.
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Hybrid systems are more often than not placed in powerful cars or SUV's, with an average fuel consumption of about 12 liters/100 km.
Although they are less polluting in city traffic, they have no use there. And although their engines are more silent in city traffic, there tires are just as noisy on the cobblestones of old European cities. That might even be for the best: people crossing the streets on foot are less at risk if they can hear the cars coming.
Widespread hybrid traffic might reduce pollution in urban areas, outside of the city that would not be the case: the classic engine takes over completely. As far as I'm concerned, hybrid cars are not (yet) a solution, but merely a toy for big boys and girls and, often enough, a socially acceptable excuse to drive a overpowered vehicle that has no use on the roads frequented by it's driver.
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