Matthew Hunter wrote: > On Mon, Mar 21, 2005 at 07:21:21PM -0800, Frank Mayhar <frank at exit.com> wrote: > > If you are a city-dweller, I highly recommend the hybrids. It impresses > > me a lot when city mileage is much greater than highway mileage. Were I > > to buy a new car at the moment, that's what I would get. I _like_ the idea > > of 50mpg or better. > Unfortunately, those aren't sound facts either. Getting 50mpg > from a hybrid means, essentially, that you are running on battery > power rather than engine power. The EPA tests are short enough > that the car can run on battery power *for the entire test*. But > the batteries must be recharged at some point by operation of the > engine. This is true, but I was referring to experiences. Not scientific (and, obviously, your mileage _may_ vary ;-/) but I have heard of people getting up to 60mpg in the city, in heavy stop-and-go traffic. Much to my surprise. The reason: Regenerative braking. While my car turns velocity into heat to slow down, hybrids turn it back into electricity. This is why their city mileage is better than their highway mileage. And in general hybrids are more fuel-efficient than standard models, to my knowledge. As usual, of course, one should always do one's homework before buying a car. -- Frank Mayhar frank at exit.com http://www.exit.com/ Exit Consulting http://www.gpsclock.com/ http://www.exit.com/blog/frank/