Rant: the big lie

How many of you noticed the idiots who drive Priuses? (Or any hybrid?) I call them idiots for several reasons but a few jump right to mind. Number one, they buy a car that's supposed to be so fuel efficient but they don't know how to drive for efficiency. Jackrabbit starts, quick stops, weaving in and out of traffic, flying down the highway at 20-25mph, sometimes 30mph over the speed limit. Then they cry that their econobox doesn't get the EPA estimated fuel mileage.
First of all, dumba**, it's a hybrid. A hybrid is designed to get it's best mileage in-town driving when the batteries are operating and the dynamic braking system recharges the batteries. When you stomp the pedal at the greenlight and race in traffic you're kicking in the gas engine, bringing your economy down, this is true for any car. Notice the hyper-milers? They don't do this. A steady speed also increases mileage, so weaving in and out of traffic, stomping the gas to go around that car, hitting the brake to keep from rearending the one ahead of you hurts economy. Learn to drive, for pete's sake!
How many times have you been on the highway and had one blow by you? I'm guilty of 75mph in the 65mph speed zones. It's a speed I can live with. I can't tell you how many times I've had a hybrid blow by me going a lot faster. What do they think, since it supposed to get 40-50mpg highway it doesn't matter what speed they go, it'll automatically get that mileage? Modern PCMs are programmed for efficiency at within 10mph of the speed limit. Case in point: I went to TN to help my parents move back to NY. The trip down I was doing 85mph with the cruise set. I know mileage was going to suck, but I had a deadline to make. The wife's V6 Hyundai got 22mpg. On the trip home, with Pop leading the train of four vehicles and me tailing, I got 32mpg because Pop kept us at around 68-70mph. Gradual stopping getting off the highway, getting to highway speed on the ramps so that all I would have to do is just adjust my speed to enter into traffic.
Hybrid owners are idiots because they fall for the big lie of hybrids. I'm sure all of you have seen the new TV spots for the Prius, where the earth is celebrating. What a load of hogwash! How many of you have run across hybrid owners who have an environmental holier-than-thou attitude because they're making "an environmentally friendly choice of cars?" Know how to shut 'em up? Just point out to 'em that the environmental footprint of a hybrid is larger before it even begins than your musclecar ever will be. Where does the nickle and lead for the batteries come from? Huge strip mines in Canada, great big holes in the ground, usually powered by diesel and other fossil fuels are used to dig those great big holes. Once the raw material is dug up then it's all put in a great big diesel powered turbine boat and shipped to China for processing, and we all know how environmentally friendly the Chinese are. Once the processing and batteries are assembled it's all put another great big boat and shipped to Japan for assembly, where the final car is put on another great big boat to be shipped here to the States where the cars are put on trucks to be shipped out to dealerships where some idiot will fall for a sales pitch. And we won't even talk about battery disposal if the car gets wrecked or once it goes to the salvage yard.
Top Gear on BBC America took a Prius and a BMW and put 'em on a road course and did 55mph. End result? In order for the Prius to maintain 55 on a typical road course, which would be a good model of winding, hilly American roads they had to push the Prius. It got 22mpg. The BMW, trailing the Prius around the course didn't even sweat and got 25mpg. And looked better doing it.