Snubbing Hybrids

Is this wrong? I have a 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 with a 390ci engine. It's a big truck. Regular cab and short bed so it's not HUGE, but still big. I bought it new on the day that the original O.J. Simpson verdict was announced. Yes. 21 years ago. In the last 10 years I have averaged about 100 miles each year. Probably about 10 gallons of gas. Just use it when I need a truck to haul stuff. But over the last 10 years I've gotten comments from hybrid drivers. Sometimes mild and sometimes downright rude. They of course had no idea that my main transportation was small 2.0 liter engined cars, and if I mentioned it, they acted like I was lying about it. So my eventual reply eventually became something like ,"Piss off". I didn't even try to explain that I also rode a Vectrix VX-1. They wouldn't care.

So I bought my leaf just three weeks ago. I've said nothing to any big truck drivers, but I have driven through the local Shell station twice to tell Prius drivers to get a real EV and quit burning gas.

In the spirit of total disclosure, I should mention that I knew both of the drivers and they thought it was hilarious. But I can see a new trend starting... Snubbing and ridiculing hybrid drivers. Yes, I have a new mission in life. Something to live for. Life truly has meaning again.

I'll post later, if I don't get shot. I do live in Texas after all.

(As someone who owns both a Leaf and a Prius (since 2006)...)

retrodog said:

So I bought my leaf just three weeks ago. I've said nothing to any big truck drivers, but I have driven through the local Shell station twice to tell Prius drivers to get a real EV and quit burning gas.

In the spirit of total disclosure, I should mention that I knew both of the drivers and they thought it was hilarious. But I can see a new trend starting... Snubbing and ridiculing hybrid drivers. Yes, I have a new mission in life. Something to live for. Life truly has meaning again.

Click to expand...

Will you do the same to all ICEV drivers? After all, Priuses have about double the gas mileage of the average light vehicle in the US: https://www.epa.gov/fuel-economy/trends-report. (Some example Prius mpg numbers: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=22016&id=26425&id=37163&id=37164.)

My Prius is my "range extender". From my records, it looks like it has moved about 3K miles over the last 2 years.

the people who harassed you about your truck are self-righteous, probably the same type of people who would leave their EV (or Toyota Pious) car in a charging spot but not on charge.

Sadly when I searched for "Prius Driver.." on YouTube's search field, the first suggestion that popped up was "...harasses truck driver." And this one is at the top of the suggestion list (Prius driver's language NSFW):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JPZskYKUvY

Another self-righteous Prius driver, and this one doesn't involve bro-trucks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av5OM8jMX3Q

This thread isn't going to be on my "must follow" list (and I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be a troll), but I do have one observation. For every obnoxious comment by a hybrid driver directed at a truck/SUV driver, I'd expect there to be two to five going the other way, and at least one physical threat going the other way. Prius drivers don't try to smother truck drivers with their clean exhaust, and I'd bet that attempts to run trucks off the road are also relatively rare. I also have to wonder how many of these comments from hybrid drivers are completely unprovoked.

That being said, yes, we should all just get along.

LeftieBiker said:

This thread isn't going to be on my "must follow" list (and I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be a troll), but I do have one observation. For every obnoxious comment by a hybrid driver directed at a truck/SUV driver, I'd expect there to be two to five going the other way, and at least one physical threat going the other way. Prius drivers don't try to smother truck drivers with their clean exhaust, and I'd bet that attempts to run trucks off the road are also relatively rare. I also have to wonder how many of these comments from hybrid drivers are completely unprovoked.

That being said, yes, we should all just get along.

Click to expand...

Troll? I could see that. And you almost had me convinced until I realized I was the OP. Oops.

Retrodog is no troll. LOL.

In fact, I will even add that I've had three big ass trucks pull right up on my bumper at drive thrus. In a way that I've never noticed in my Elantra GT or Impreza. That kind of blows my mind because on two of those occasions I was on my way home from the gun range. People are stupid on both sides of the fence. I'm all about getting along, but some people seem to be intent on making it a real challenge.

I think your suggestion for everybody to get along is right on point, since the alternative is stupid and might get you into a big altercation with someone who was really on your side all along. But my suggestion to snub or harass hybrid drivers was just a result of personal experience and my twisted sense of humor, not trolling.

Yeah, I figured it was something like that. I live in Red Upstate NY, and get fewer attempts at harassment than you'd expect, but I think it's because they don't actually know that my car is electric. It was much worse when I protested the Afghanistan and Iraq invasions, solo, standing on a bridge, for ten years. ;-)

If you buy a particular car, do it for yourself, not to get smiles (or avoid comments) from others. If someone says something rude, that only means that they are rude.

I've done nice things for people and been treated like trash. I've also dumped on people and been treated too nicely. I do nice things for people because I want to, not because I want something from them. Because of that, their comments don't bother me. If someone treats me nicer than I deserve, yes, I'll smile. But I don't expect it.

Bob

Oh, another thing that kind of played into this was the history of EVs. Back when the EV1 was cancelled and they made the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car?" , there was a lot of discussion about the hybrids. But the purists despised and ridiculed the hybrid in interviews, since it was still burning gas to supply all the generated power, regardless of efficiency. I think a lot of that was to do with the fact that they felt it was intended to pacify them and get them to be quiet. Now that so many EVs are available, they don't complain about the hybrids like they used to.

Hybrids were often pitched as "the electric car you never have to plug-in!" A few gullible people believed that, as if plugging in at home was some crazy nuisance vs having to stop at gas stations.

cwerdna said:

(As someone who owns both a Leaf and a Prius (since 2006)...)
Will you do the same to all ICEV drivers? After all, Priuses have about double the gas mileage of the average light vehicle in the US:

Click to expand...

OK, we'll only snub them half as often. :lol:

Oh, but for the record, I too also own a Prius, actually since 2005, still own the 2006, and to this day I have never posted on Priuschat (or the old Prius Online for that matter) that I am thinking of selling the Prius to get a LEAF. Now that I'm thinking of it, I haven't even mentioned my "new pool" over there either.

Now, back in the early days there were some great stories about "snubbing hybrids" which the Prius was the only one. The one I remember first was the guy who got one, then awhile later started seeing the flowers in his flower bed stomped down and pulled up. It happened several times. He finally caught the neighbor lady doing it, she hated the Prius.

retrodog said:

In fact, I will even add that I've had three big ass trucks pull right up on my bumper at drive thrus. In a way that I've never noticed in my Elantra GT or Impreza. That kind of blows my mind because on two of those occasions I was on my way home from the gun range. People are stupid on both sides of the fence. I'm all about getting along, but some people seem to be intent on making it a real challenge.

I think your suggestion for everybody to get along is right on point, since the alternative is stupid and might get you into a big altercation with someone who was really on your side all along. But my suggestion to snub or harass hybrid drivers was just a result of personal experience and my twisted sense of humor, not trolling.

Click to expand...

+1 to "All getting along" of course, but to the trucks comment above: I've also had that happen. I try to give the benefit of the doubt since the back window is small and the car isn't too long past the back seats and *maybe* it's an optical illusion... But, yeah. Happens quite a bit.

sub3marathonman said:

cwerdna said:

(As someone who owns both a Leaf and a Prius (since 2006)...)
Will you do the same to all ICEV drivers? After all, Priuses have about double the gas mileage of the average light vehicle in the US:

Click to expand...

OK, we'll only snub them half as often. :lol:

Oh, but for the record, I too also own a Prius, actually since 2005, still own the 2006, and to this day I have never posted on Priuschat (or the old Prius Online for that matter) that I am thinking of selling the Prius to get a LEAF. Now that I'm thinking of it, I haven't even mentioned my "new pool" over there either.

Now, back in the early days there were some great stories about "snubbing hybrids" which the Prius was the only one. The one I remember first was the guy who got one, then awhile later started seeing the flowers in his flower bed stomped down and pulled up. It happened several times. He finally caught the neighbor lady doing it, she hated the Prius.

Click to expand...

What about the Honda Insight? I thought that was released about the same time.

One of my friends has the first Prius generation. It looks sort of like a Camry. I think that normal sedan design only lasted one or two years, then they make it the funky aerodynamic shape that we've gotten so used to.

Edit to add: Oh, looks like a two year advantage to the Prius. 97 vs. 99. Well I know it was pretty close. Dang, the Prius is now 20 years old? Wow, didn't realize that.

One of my friends has the first Prius generation. It looks sort of like a Camry.

Click to expand...

It's essentially a modified Echo sedan, IIRC. Much smaller than a Camry from that era. It virtually screams "I'm nothing special. Look at something else!"

Edited to correct model name. I was thinking "Echo" but wrote "Tercel."

I did notice when driving my Smart Electric Drive that big trucks couldn't stand to be behind me in traffic: some of them doing downright stupid things to get in front of me.
Now that I drive a Leaf I don't get the same attention, because the Leaf, while funny looking, doesn't really stand out.

retrodog said:

sub3marathonman said:

cwerdna said:

(As someone who owns both a Leaf and a Prius (since 2006)...)
Will you do the same to all ICEV drivers? After all, Priuses have about double the gas mileage of the average light vehicle in the US:

Click to expand...

Now, back in the early days there were some great stories about "snubbing hybrids" which the Prius was the only one. The one I remember first was the guy who got one, then awhile later started seeing the flowers in his flower bed stomped down and pulled up. It happened several times. He finally caught the neighbor lady doing it, she hated the Prius.

Click to expand...

What about the Honda Insight? I thought that was released about the same time.

One of my friends has the first Prius generation. It looks sort of like a Camry. I think that normal sedan design only lasted one or two years, then they make it the funky aerodynamic shape that we've gotten so used to.

Edit to add: Oh, looks like a two year advantage to the Prius. 97 vs. 99. Well I know it was pretty close. Dang, the Prius is now 20 years old? Wow, didn't realize that.

Click to expand...

To be clear, the first gen Prius the US ever got was the NHW11, which looks like a Toyota Echo. It began shipping in the US in Aug 2000 per http://john1701a.com/prius/prius-history.htm (Classic there). Many pics at http://john1701a.com/map/map04.htm.

I actually knew two folks with them when that was the only generation. I drove one guy's NHW11 a few years ago, which was a first for me. Prior to that, my first test drive was in an 04 (NHW20) Prius.

Japan got the JDM-only NHW10 which looks very similar to the NHW11 except that it was again Japanese only, had D-cells in the pack and had buttons underneath the color LCD instead of a touch screen. Here's an ad for one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW0VAa9j3XI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TybAQSjicY4 is a terrible video showing someone using the buttons. Per the above URL, the NHW10 went on sale in Dec 1997.

Both of the above are generally referred to as Gen 1 Prius, even though I'd say Gen 0 and Gen 1 or Gen 1 and 1.1 or 1.5 would probably be more accurate.

AFAIK, the Honda Insight was the first hybrid for the US market but not the world's first mass-market hybrid car.

Also, the Toyota Coaster hybrid bus pre-dated the Prius per http://corporatenews.pressroom.toyota.com/releases/worldwide+toyota+hybrid+sales+top+6+million.htm. AFAIK, that was a serial hybrid vs. the series/parallel design of Priuses.

There's at least one NHW11 at my work.

The generation that switched over to the iconic hatchback design was the NHW20 that spanned model years 04 to 09 (Iconic at the 1st URL). We then had Gen 3 (2010 to 2015) which was ZVW30 and now Gen 4.

retrodog said:

sub3marathonman said:

Now, back in the early days there were some great stories about "snubbing hybrids" which the Prius was the only one.

Click to expand...

What about the Honda Insight? I thought that was released about the same time.

Click to expand...

Oh, you had to mention the Honda Insight! And yes, you're correct, they were out there too.

I saw a Honda Insight, parked in the very farthest corner of the dealership lot, as if they were ashamed it was even there. It was a great car, and as a barely used car it was a spectacular deal. However, it was a stick shift, so my mom couldn't drive it, and Consumer Reports said it was a terrible car so she wouldn't drive it even it was an automatic. Somewhat like Ralph Nader killed the air-cooled Corvair, but that's another story. At the time my Honda Rebel 250 was still going strong at 100 mpg, so I had no need for the Insight and passed on it.

My 2000 Honda Insight looks about 3 years old, has 160,000 miles, and still gets 60 mpg regularly. And I love the stick shift.

I've had far more of the opposite.

People lecturing me about how foolish it is to own a hybrid and ev .

I've been called lots of names by pickup truckers or jeepers for having a volt.

rmay635703 said:

I've had far more of the opposite.

People lecturing me about how foolish it is to own a hybrid and ev .

I've been called lots of names by pickup truckers or jeepers for having a volt.

Click to expand...

I was driving my 21 year old (1996) Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 around last night, getting it ready for inspection. Got it listed on Ebay and wanted it drive-legal for whoever ended up buying it. So the Subaru was moved up in front of it and the truck was sitting side-by-side with the leaf. They are not even distantly related in appearance or anything else. One of my neighbors came walking over, while I was installing new windshield wipers on the truck and said, "You are a very confused man, aren't you?"

That's when I realized that I need to take a photo of the two sitting together. Kind of reminds me of the scene in Full Metal Jacket when they were talking about the whole "Born to kill" and peace sign conflict.