Sunday, January 13, 2008

The Towel has been Thrown In: A New Car

OK, so I finally gave up on my old Camry. It has served me well through almost eight years, but it was time to move on. Thank you Camry!

The new car is a friendly little used hybrid Prius that I bought from a person in Virginia. Vis:

So far I am quite happy with it. The previous owner took very good care of the car. When a friend got in the car he exclaimed, "Dude! Are you sure this is not new?"

It's a very geeky car. It's all about saving energy. When the car comes to a rest at a stoplight, the engine turns completely off, which is a bit disconcerting. When starting up again, the electric motor and battery can get you going, but the internal combustion engine starts (silently!) if you want to accelerate quickly or go over about 30 MPH. The "brakes" are actually regenerative brakes that use the electric motor as a generator to save your kinetic energy in the battery.

My favorite geeky part is the Star Trek-type visual displays in the on-board computer:

How do I re-route the ODN conduit?

5 comments:

Mr Squid said...

The Prius certainly has the geek-chic look and feel nailed. One day, when I have some disposable income again, I will probably buy one (or one of whatever Priuses have morphed into by then).

Zootenany Hoodlum said...

yay, new car! well done!

Craig Markwardt said...

Thanks! I'm happy with it.

Zootenany Hoodlum said...

My brother has a prius. He loves it. I haven't seen it yet, but he will be here on the second of february (yay!) and I will be able to see it then. He has just moved to WA, btw, so next time you go visit your sibling tell me and maybe I can go visit my sibling and we can compare prius's.

or have lunch!

Anonymous said...

Your choice to buy a used hybrid makes all the difference. For all others contemplating a new hybrid, do the math. Although buying a hybrid is good for the environment compared to most cars on the road today, the incremental benefit saved in gas and greenhouse gas emissions is not worth the added cost you pay when buying a new hybrid. There are plenty of conventional cars on the road in the same size class that provide nearly the same gas milage. Buy one of those conventional vehicles and save thousands of dollars on the cost of a hybrid and put it towards a solar array for your house. 8>)