Green Tip #76: Don't Drive a Prius

Ugh... It almost hurts me to have to write this entry. But there comes a time when some things need to be said and some statements that have previously been made need to be reversed. I'm not saying that I was wrong before. Circumstances change and I couldn't call myself environmentally responsible if I let my pride stand in the way of doing what's best for nature. And so while I've never exactly posted a Green Tip that expressly endorsed driving a Prius, the tone I've taken and my endorsement of fuel efficient cars means that I've taken a fairly pro-Prius stand.

Anyway, it is with a heavy heart that I tell you Green Tip #76: Don't Drive a Prius. I know. It hurts just to read it. Who would've ever thought that I, who would recommend taking out the light bulb in the fridge because it creates too much heat, would tell you not to drive a car that has solar panels powering the air conditioning. But recent events have made driving a Prius just too much of an environmental risk.

In case you haven't heard, Toyota recently recalled a whole bunch of cars because the gas pedals have been sticking. In the pressed down position. As in, you'll soon be going 100 or more miles per hour on your 25 miles per hours residential street. And while I understand that the loss of human life is certainly something to be concerned about, I think we all have to consider what sort of environmental damage this gas pedal thing is causing.

Based on my exhaustive research into the Prius based largely on me glancing at the Wikipedia page, I was able to figure out that the third generation Prius gets around 50 miles to the gallon. That's amazingly good! But when they come up with those numbers, they're basing it off driving at normal speeds, not 100 mph speeds. Based on my slightly more in depth research, it looks like the Prius's gas mileage drops to below 20 once you get over 100 mph. And while that's still twice as good as a certain car that's now made in China that I'm not talking about anymore, that's pretty bad in the grand scheme of things.

So next time you're thinking about hopping in that Prius of yours, think twice about pushing down that gas pedal. Don't forget that you can actually get places from coasting and idling. So until that gas pedal thing gets fixed, I'd recommend parking on a steep hill to get you going.