Inhabitat recent posted about the Top 5 Silliest Eco Inventions. While I do agree with most of the list, like the PETaPOTTY for Dogs, Solar Powered Bra, the Eco Button for putting your computer to sleep, and the Solar Powered Fan Hat, I disagree that the hybrid SUV is a silly invention. Not everyone needs an SUV, and one could convincingly argue that no one does.
One thing that’s harder to argue against is the need for All Wheel Drive. I recently went through my first Boston winter in a while, and our only car was a Prius. This winter was a particularly bad one, and for the most part we took public transportation when we could. However, public transportation doesn’t go everywhere. For those that have not driven in the snow, two things about the Prius that makes it a very bad choice for driving in the snow are the fact that it’s very light, and it’s got low rolling resistance tires (read: no traction in the snow). To make matters worse, our city parking spot is such that we need to back out, then up a small hill.
Another fun thing about Prius traction control is that when one wheel slips, the other stops without any power to it. There have been complaints about the behavior, and if you read the fine print, disabling traction control can be bad for your powertrain and you can void the warranty. I absolutely recommend the Prius, and it’s been a great car. However, it’s not the best choice if you live in a snowy area. Our living situation will soon be changing, and it will be more practical (notice I didn’t say “need”) to have another car.
With 2WD hybrids failing spectacularly in the snow, and my primary concern being safety on the road, I recently did some comparison shopping to find a green(ish) AWD vehicle. What I found was that the hybrid SUVs got better mileage than the other AWD vehicles available in the US. I would have been happy to drive an Audi A4 Avant TDI, but unfortunately they are not sold in the US. While Audi does sell diesel SUVs in the US, the mileage and reliability are not that impressive. Mercedes and BMW both have diesel AWD vehicles, some having equally good mileage, but my wife will be going back to school soon, and the price was more than we were willing to pay.
Finally, the options were narrowed down to the Ford Escape Hybrid, and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The Escape did get a few more mpg, but we thought the Highlander was nicer. As of a few weeks ago, I am the driver of a hybrid SUV. While it’s not the absolute greenest choice around, it still gets a combined 4 mpg better than the last sedan I owned. Hybrid SUVs may not be the best for the environment, but they are still better than the other suitable alternatives. Green is good, but in a lot of cases practicality takes priority. If you design green products, keep in mind that they still need to be practical, or they will not be successful.
