Comments on: Taking your Prius to the Trailhead? http://www.wildsnow.com/371/taking-your-prius-to-the-trailhead/ Backcountry Skiing Weblog Blog, FAQs, more, links and info about randonnee, telemark and backcountry ski mountaineering. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:30:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: YoWoof http://www.wildsnow.com/371/taking-your-prius-to-the-trailhead/comment-page-1/#comment-23044 YoWoof Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:08:09 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=371#comment-23044 When will we see a hybrid truck? How about a mini van? :ninja: The prius drive train works, and has many of features desireable in a work vehicle like low end torque plus economy (read low over head). It also has a built in inverter to provide AC power (lots of it) on demand! The prius has been around in Japan for well over 10 years. I found in some of my research articles describing on of the first prototypes in a Japanese auto show; sure nuff, it was a van with a built in AC power outlet! I'm not a genius, but someone is making some bad marketing decisions in Tokyo... :ninja: When will we see a hybrid truck? How about a mini van?

:ninja: The prius drive train works, and has many of features desireable in a work vehicle like low end torque plus economy (read low over head). It also has a built in inverter to provide AC power (lots of it) on demand!

The prius has been around in Japan for well over 10 years. I found in some of my research articles describing on of the first prototypes in a Japanese auto show; sure nuff, it was a van with a built in AC power outlet!

I’m not a genius, but someone is making some bad marketing decisions in Tokyo… :ninja:

]]> By: Lou http://www.wildsnow.com/371/taking-your-prius-to-the-trailhead/comment-page-1/#comment-4516 Lou Mon, 16 Oct 2006 13:49:44 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=371#comment-4516 Stephen, thanks for the comment. Indeed, we see a lot of single drivers in their Prius on the highway, and when two of us are in our Toyota truck going skiing we're getting the same mpg/person as the Prius with one person, as the Prius doesn't get that great of an MPG on the highway since it has to haul a couple hundred pounds of batteries around, while our truck is getting at least a steady 21 mpg x 2 = 42 mpg/person (my wife commutes by herself in the Toyota, so I'm speaking somewhat rhetorically here). More, the Prius batteries and technology only help mileage when you're in stop and go traffic. On the highway, it's just another small somewhat light car with a small engine and a big load of batteries. Also, you may not be getting as good gas mileage in the Prius as you think. Check out this and associated blogs: <a href="http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,63413,00.html" rel="nofollow">Wired.com</a> Don't get me wrong, I think hybrid automotive technology is cool and has a future, but the Prius is not the end all be all of the green lifestyle, especially if you drive rough terrain. Driving less and driving smarter (more people in the truck, less speed, etc.) are equally as important, and perhaps more so. For example, I needed a truck that was good for trailheads and could tow my Jeep. I got a Chevy Silverado with the 350 V8. Sure, it only gets around 20 MPG in real world highway driving, but I can go for a whole week without driving the thing since I work at home and live in the middle of a small town just blocks from services such as post office, library and coffee shops, and thus my overall mileage for a year is so low my gas mileage doesn't really matter. As for the Toyota, if all we used it for was my wife's commute then we'd probably have her driving something smaller with better MPG, but it's a multi-purpose vehicle and we're willing to pay some extra gas money every year so we have that nice truck for recreation. Stephen, thanks for the comment. Indeed, we see a lot of single drivers in their Prius on the highway, and when two of us are in our Toyota truck going skiing we’re getting the same mpg/person as the Prius with one person, as the Prius doesn’t get that great of an MPG on the highway since it has to haul a couple hundred pounds of batteries around, while our truck is getting at least a steady 21 mpg x 2 = 42 mpg/person (my wife commutes by herself in the Toyota, so I’m speaking somewhat rhetorically here). More, the Prius batteries and technology only help mileage when you’re in stop and go traffic. On the highway, it’s just another small somewhat light car with a small engine and a big load of batteries. Also, you may not be getting as good gas mileage in the Prius as you think. Check out this and associated blogs:

Wired.com

Don’t get me wrong, I think hybrid automotive technology is cool and has a future, but the Prius is not the end all be all of the green lifestyle, especially if you drive rough terrain. Driving less and driving smarter (more people in the truck, less speed, etc.) are equally as important, and perhaps more so.

For example, I needed a truck that was good for trailheads and could tow my Jeep. I got a Chevy Silverado with the 350 V8. Sure, it only gets around 20 MPG in real world highway driving, but I can go for a whole week without driving the thing since I work at home and live in the middle of a small town just blocks from services such as post office, library and coffee shops, and thus my overall mileage for a year is so low my gas mileage doesn’t really matter.

As for the Toyota, if all we used it for was my wife’s commute then we’d probably have her driving something smaller with better MPG, but it’s a multi-purpose vehicle and we’re willing to pay some extra gas money every year so we have that nice truck for recreation.

]]> By: Stephen Witte http://www.wildsnow.com/371/taking-your-prius-to-the-trailhead/comment-page-1/#comment-4515 Stephen Witte Mon, 16 Oct 2006 12:57:08 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=371#comment-4515 Good question about the Prius vs 4x4 SUV/Truck at the trailhead. Our family has both, a new 2006 Prius and a '97 F350 Crew Cab with a 460 V8 engine. We cover both ends of the gas mileage spectrum, ~47 MPG for the Prius, and about 8-9 MPG for the truck with a camper on it. Even without the camper, the truck gets about 10 MPG. We're just now debating about which to take up to Lake Tahoe this winter for a week of fun in the snow. Most likely, it will be the truck. Why? No need to mess with chains. No need to buy a new roof rack for several hundred $ for the prius. Also, not sure how good it is for the prius to be a bit overloaded, with stuff hanging outside and all. Truck, on the other hand, will never ever in any way shape or form be overloaded. We may even take two families in the one vehicle. This only gets us to about half the per person MPG, (equivalent to two vehicles getting 20 mpg each.) Good question about the Prius vs 4×4 SUV/Truck at the trailhead. Our family has both, a new 2006 Prius and a ’97 F350 Crew Cab with a 460 V8 engine. We cover both ends of the gas mileage spectrum, ~47 MPG for the Prius, and about 8-9 MPG for the truck with a camper on it. Even without the camper, the truck gets about 10 MPG. We’re just now debating about which to take up to Lake Tahoe this winter for a week of fun in the snow. Most likely, it will be the truck. Why? No need to mess with chains. No need to buy a new roof rack for several hundred $ for the prius. Also, not sure how good it is for the prius to be a bit overloaded, with stuff hanging outside and all. Truck, on the other hand, will never ever in any way shape or form be overloaded. We may even take two families in the one vehicle. This only gets us to about half the per person MPG, (equivalent to two vehicles getting 20 mpg each.)

]]> By: Lou http://www.wildsnow.com/371/taking-your-prius-to-the-trailhead/comment-page-1/#comment-4218 Lou Tue, 15 Aug 2006 12:23:53 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=371#comment-4218 Yeah, sort of like using backcountry ski gear at the ski resort (grin). Yeah, sort of like using backcountry ski gear at the ski resort (grin).

]]> By: George Privon http://www.wildsnow.com/371/taking-your-prius-to-the-trailhead/comment-page-1/#comment-4214 George Privon Mon, 14 Aug 2006 20:28:27 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=371#comment-4214 Good article Lou. I see lots of Hummers out here in Honolulu. It's actually quite comical - H2's with low profile tires and high end rims and so big they can't even fit in the parking stalls. I always want to ask the owner "please tell me why you bought that thing" or "how does it feel to fill it up with high test" And while we're at it, what's up with the Porsche turbo Cayennes on this small paved over rock in the middle of the Pacific. You just gotta laugh.. Good article Lou. I see lots of Hummers out here in Honolulu. It’s actually quite comical – H2′s with low profile tires and high end rims and so big they can’t even fit in the parking stalls. I always want to ask the owner “please tell me why you bought that thing” or “how does it feel to fill it up with high test” And while we’re at it, what’s up with the Porsche turbo Cayennes on this small paved over rock in the middle of the Pacific. You just gotta laugh..

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