New research revealed at the launch of Honda’s Civic Hybrid car in the U.K. shows that British drivers are in blissful ignorance when it comes to understanding greener motoring. More than half (51%) of British motorists were not even aware of hybrid cars. Of the drivers who said they knew of hybrids, more than 40% didn’t know that it was a car that uses both petrol and electric power. Incorrect responses ranged from the intelligent guess (”a car that uses a combination of fuels”) to the bizarre (”two cars welded together” or “a car made by more than one manufacturer”). The research also asked people to name a type of alternative fuel vehicle and a huge 82% failed to mention the petrol-electric hybrid car. The Leftlane Perspective: How would folks here in North America respond to this survey? We’re afraid to ask…
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03/28, 11:16 AM
posted by:
Shut Up
I don’t blame them why would you want to drive Hybrids when you have Diesels available.
03/28, 11:16 AM
posted by:
Anonymous
Wankers don’t know what Football is either… However, Fulham over Chelsea last week was a helluva good game.
jim
03/28, 11:23 AM
posted by:
Shut Up
Also a equivalent question for North Americans would be what they thought about diesels. Most likely a similar or more percentage would be ignorant about modern diesel.
03/28, 11:29 AM
posted by:
Chris G
I don’t know, I see a fair amount of VW TDIs and old Benz Turbodiesels on the road. But I guess it is the case that most Americans are oblivious to diesel. It’s also more expensive in the U.S., when in Europe I think it costs less than petrol, as they say.
03/28, 11:30 AM
posted by:
Scott
A honda civic si-hybrid shown in the picture?
The reason they don’t know or care much about hybrids is that hybrids aren’t actually economical yet, we (Americans) just think that they are. Look at the milage of european cars, both gas and diesel, they’re hardly anymore thirsty than a prius hybrid. Not to mention the fact that their economical cars cost a third of what a new prius costs. You do the math, hybrids might make sense someday, but right now, it’s hard to say they actually save you money, since you sacrifice all your performance already (Yes some like the Accord V6h and GS450h are exceptions)
03/28, 12:58 PM
posted by:
FU2
I agree with that but by exemple: I’m european ( a portuguese one) and I do know what hybrid is.
03/28, 1:09 PM
posted by:
Trevor Carpenter
“New research revealed at the launch of Honda’s Civic Hybrid car in the U.K. shows that British drivers are in blissful ignorance…”
IGNORANCE! Ha! The Brits and other Europeans are not ingnorant of “…greener motoring…”, they’re living greener motoring. Their prices for petrol and diesel have forced them to care about getting great mileage and strong power out of their motorvehicles.
It’s us Americans who are ingorant. The hybrid hype is a load of crap, just an appeasment to our self-righteous social elite. Hybrids don’t help the economy any more than American football is accepted in the rest of the world. (Candadian indoor exluded.)
We’ll really see change when the highest spending automotive market decides to join the rest of the world’s automotive economy.
I’m a right-wing, pro-capitalism, anti-socialist, anti-liberal who loves the possibility of helping the environment by using biodiesel in diesel trucks and cars, even with the global warming myth fueling the poorly educated, ignorant masses.
03/28, 2:13 PM
posted by:
jtower
“The research also asked people to name a type of alternative fuel vehicle and a huge 82% failed to mention the petrol-electric hybrid car.”
i would hope they’d fail to mention it, a petrol-electric hybrid does not use alternative fuel, it uses petrol. unless you actually plug it in to charge the batts, but i’m not aware of any that work in such a fashion (at least here in the US). otherwise it draws 100% of its motive power from petrol just like any other vehicle.
03/28, 2:13 PM
posted by:
Icheb
“But I guess it is the case that most Americans are oblivious to diesel. It’s also more expensive in the U.S., when in Europe I think it costs less than petrol, as they say.”
That’s because diesel gets a tax break by several governments because they think it’s greener or something, which it isn’t. So it is expected that this tax break will disappear some time in the future and diesel will cost more or equal to petrol.
Btw, in Switzerland petrol costs less than diesel fuel.
03/28, 2:44 PM
posted by:
Greg
I love when people get so worked up that they need to state their polititcal affiliations and positions.
Trevor, Hybrids arent about helping the economy, they’re about reducing the consumption of petrolium. This is about saving something that mankind has only one shot at getting right: OUR HOME…EARTH. Dollars and cents wont mean anything when the earth is a flooded, toxic wasteland. If you really cared about the environment, you would put down your political agenda and work with liberals and other people alike to solve this problem. We’re all humans and we all live on earth, regardless of our moral and social ideals.
back on topic, I think makers of hybrid cars should be educating the masses about the benefits of their technologies…well, at least more of an effort. I live in smoggy so-cal, and I RARELY hear or see any literature, radio commercials, TV spots, or even bilboards with anything but “it saves you money on gas!”
03/28, 2:51 PM
posted by:
dan
^oh really? does it cost 76% the cost of diesel or less? (assuming 30% better mileage of diesel over gas) I hate it when people compare the two. It’s like the notion of the significant difference in mpg between gas and diesel immediately escapes them every time diesel see-saws beyond the cost of gas
03/28, 2:55 PM
posted by:
junkie
Oh yes, Americans are so stoopid. We’re so ignorant. We don’t know anything.
There are few US diesels because they can’t meet emission requirements due to high-levels of sulpher in US diesel fuel.
Low-sulphur diesel is mandated to come online later this year, though it may be delayed.
Many automakers have US deisels ready to go once the low-sulphur fuel is available.
03/28, 4:32 PM
posted by:
James
I am British and drive a V8 Mustang (go figure!)
Yes, Diesels are the way to go, We have had “ultra low sulphur” diesel for 3 years now, and emmissions are lower than the equivilent petrol cars. But there is a myth going on here….. diesel is actually more expensive that petrol by about 3 pence a litre.
03/28, 5:06 PM
posted by:
Icheb
“But there is a myth going on here”
Myth? Right. It depends on how your government taxes petrol and diesel. So if it’s more expensive for you, that doesn’t mean it’s more expensive for everyone.
03/28, 5:43 PM
posted by:
Scott
OK. Lets just make a Gas-Diesel-Electric “Tri-brid” and all go home happy!
03/28, 5:50 PM
posted by:
e30e
51% of american’s don’t use turn signals…..are we more dumb then?
03/29, 3:05 AM
posted by:
maximum
nice car!
05/20, 8:39 PM
posted by:
Rich
The English shoulden’t be concerned with hybrids when they allready have super-economic diesel cars like the BMW 118D. Style, economy, and the thing isn’t sluggish. Knowing BMW, the emmisions are probably clean enough to pass in a state as anal as California. Sure Diesel may cost a little more than mid-grade gasoline, but when you consider the fact that those extra few cents will get you a hell of a lot further on a gallon (52 miles to be percise) it doesn’t matter too much.