Hybrids proving to be fast, fun option to energy, environment crisis
Friday, February 16, 2007
By J.B. Smith
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Jennifer Robbins thought she might want a hybrid gasoline-electric vehicle, but she was skeptical about the fun factor.
Sure, she wanted to cut her gasoline bill and help save the environment. But she also wanted a car with creature comforts for her real estate clients and a little thrill for herself.
Her doubts melted away last December at the local Honda dealership, when she got behind the wheel of a pearl-graphite Accord hybrid with leather seats and stepped on the gas.
“I’m 40-something but I still have something of a wild streak,” Robbins said. “I’m telling you, this baby gets up and goes. It’s really fast. It’s a fun car.”
Hybrids aren’t just for tree huggers any more. Seven years after hybrid cars hit the Waco market, dealers say they sell as many as they can get their hands on. They say many customers are like Robbins, concerned about the environment but also about aesthetics and value.
New federal income tax credits, technological improvements and high gas prices have combined to close price differences between conventional and hybrid vehicles. And legislation filed Thursday by state Sen. Kip Averitt, R-McGregor, would offer $1,000 credits to low-income people in polluted areas who replace their high-polluting cars with hybrids.
story continued
By J.B. Smith
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Jennifer Robbins thought she might want a hybrid gasoline-electric vehicle, but she was skeptical about the fun factor.
Sure, she wanted to cut her gasoline bill and help save the environment. But she also wanted a car with creature comforts for her real estate clients and a little thrill for herself.
Her doubts melted away last December at the local Honda dealership, when she got behind the wheel of a pearl-graphite Accord hybrid with leather seats and stepped on the gas.
“I’m 40-something but I still have something of a wild streak,” Robbins said. “I’m telling you, this baby gets up and goes. It’s really fast. It’s a fun car.”
Hybrids aren’t just for tree huggers any more. Seven years after hybrid cars hit the Waco market, dealers say they sell as many as they can get their hands on. They say many customers are like Robbins, concerned about the environment but also about aesthetics and value.
New federal income tax credits, technological improvements and high gas prices have combined to close price differences between conventional and hybrid vehicles. And legislation filed Thursday by state Sen. Kip Averitt, R-McGregor, would offer $1,000 credits to low-income people in polluted areas who replace their high-polluting cars with hybrids.
story continued
posted by anthony m, at Friday, February 16, 2007
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