1,000,000 Priuses
The Toyota Prius sales boom shows no signs of slowing down, as the company just sold its one-millionth Prius, reports Treehugger. Toyota expects to sell one million a year by 2010, another testament to the driving public's concerns about fuel efficiency and climate change.One thing Gateway opponents continually ignore is that cars are becoming more and more efficient every year.
posted by Jordan Bateman @ 7:45 AM
4 Comments:
Of course, hybrids like the Prius achieve there greatest efficiency improvements when driving at slow speeds and idling (city driving). At highway speeds the efficiency gains are not that significant (and no where near the reduction targets that Premier Campbell has set).
Gateway proponents have argued that highway expansion will reduce congestion (even though there is no evidence to support this) and thus reduce pollution.
But as hybrids become more popular the amount of pollution produced by idling will be reduced. And we will achieve greater efficiency gains by encouraging people to drive slower (not at highway speeds).
So doesn't the increase in hybrid usage render mute one of the chief arguments of Gateway proponents?
So you agree the twinned Port Mann will alleviate congestion!
No, please read my comment carefully.
I have not seen any evidence that twinning the Port Mann bridge will reduce congestion for for more than a very short period of time.
I was simply pointing out that the inconsistency of the arguments regarding hybrids and congestion.
("there" should have been "their" in the first sentance of my first comment)
I have been thinking more about the idea that fuel efficient vehicles will help mitigate highway expansion.
Only about 1% of vehicles currently sold in Canada are hybrids. The best estimates I have seen predict that the Gateway project will increase automotive emissions by 31%. Hybrids under best conditions can reduce emissions by half. So if, 1% of the increase is from vehicles that reduce emission by half that means that the increase will be 30.85% instead of 31%.
How will a 30.85% increase instead of 31% help us meet Premier Campbell's target of a 33% reduction?
How do we explain to parents of an asthmatic child that their asthma attacks will be 30.85% worse instead of 31% worse?
Hybrid vehicles are a small part of the solution, but if we really care about people in our region we need better solutions.
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