Opinion

Hybrid SUVs drive U.S. into hypocrisy

Sean Kittridge
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by Sean Kittridge
Wednesday, February 6, 2008 00:09

Eli Manning, despite his Biblical first name, never appeared to be a man of great destiny. Much to the contrary, he seemed to resemble the incarnation of Charlie Brown: always downtrodden, whiny and rarely doing the right thing with a football.

But fate took a hard right turn on Sunday, and what began as just another notch on the Eli Manning disappointment belt ended in a rare moment of achievement. For once, Lucy didn’t pull the ball away. And as Terry Bradshaw interviewed the younger Manning after the game, diligently working to avoid polysyllabic words, he handed the New York quarterback a tiny bonus for being named the game’s MVP: the keys to a hybrid Cadillac Escalade.

Professional athletes don’t need free cars. Besides, Escalades were made for Akon videos, and Eli Manning is more of a CMT kind of guy. But beyond the hypocrisy of the rich getting richer is the hypocrisy of the hybrid SUV. Nothing is more indicative of America’s inability to adopt serious environmental change than the inflexibility of the auto industry. From what I understand about hybrid vehicles, the idea behind this new Cadillac is not only to provide the same services as the old model, such as the ability to go places and indiscriminately use the OnStar button, but to do so in a much friendlier way to both the environment and the family checkbook. And even without the addition of the hybrid Escalade, I see plenty of vehicles adjusting to my criteria on the road every day. They’re called cars.

There is no negotiating with Mother Nature. While America tries to barter with the environment, the rest of the world is striving for tangible progress. Recently, the Chinese automaker BYD introduced a plug-in hybrid vehicle ready to hit the streets of Shanghai by the end of the year. With a selling price under $8,500 and easy overnight charging, it represents a sizable shift in the right direction. More importantly, BYD claims they have the ability to bring their hybrid to the U.S. by the year 2010. But this isn’t striking fear into the hearts of American automakers; instead, they too are looking at China and seeing a world of opportunity.

Because China is seen as a low-cost market, automakers have tailored to the needs of the average Chinese person by developing technology that is both efficient and affordable. There is no need for a hybrid Cadillac SUV in China because fewer people can afford it, and with 1.3 billion citizens, there isn’t much room to maneuver a bicycle, much less an Escalade.

The idea of America as a gluttonous nation can only be deemed an inaccurate stereotype once we commit to changing our habits.

There was a time when this nation was concerned with its energy use. The energy crisis of the 1970s saw the demise of the muscle car and the advent of the smaller, front-wheel drive vehicle. But in an attempt to restore the American “spirit,” Ronald Reagan disregarded the lessons of the energy crisis and gave the people what they wanted — big cars and smoky skylines. Today, the Charger is back on the road, and they’ll even put a Hemi in your Dodge Caravan if you’re willing to pay for it.

There is a great difference between actually caring about the environment and simply caring more than you did last year. This nation is under the impression that a small amount of change will go a long way, but we couldn’t be more wrong. The SUV will never be as fuel efficient as a mid-sized vehicle. And unless you’re a staunch Catholic or a serial killer, chances are you don’t need all that space. We need to stop patting ourselves on the back for finding an easy fix and let the global community kick us in the pants for copping out. Good grief.  

Sean Kittridge (kittridge@wisc.edu) is a sophomore majoring in journalism.


Feedback
Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 6:31am):

I have to love it, "You don't need all that space"... well Sean, I bet you could get by in a 40 square foot apartment as well, why on Earth do you need such a large place to live? Imagine all the energy you are wasting keeping your abode heated or air conditioned.

But yes, we should all get cars that you have to plug in over night, that would save the world, no more gas!! Oh wait, the energy has to be produced somewhere, and it has to be delivered somewhere... but we are not allowed to build new power plants nor are we allowed to build new power lines. So much for the plug in cars, the enviro nut cases will never allow what is needed to happen.

Sorry to say this, but cars are almost as efficient as they can be. The only way to increase it is to reduce weight, reduce friction, or improve wind profile. Some small tweaks can be made, but you are never going to be able to design a pickup that does what it is supposed to do (haul or pull a trailer) to double its mileage. It will always require a given amount of energy to do its job. That is called physics (you should take a course in it).

Now am I saying we should not strive to do better, HELL NO! Alternative fuels that will not create another crisis (bye bye ethanol) would be wonderful, people getting off their lazy behinds and walking a short distance rather than driving would be great.

All it takes is a short look at the lifestyle of those in power who are pushing this trash down your throat to see that they do not believe it themselves, but it is all a means of garnerinig political power. Are you a leming or can you see things for what they are?

Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 8:46am):

Duh, athletes don't need free cars. Cadillac, however, needs famous and victorious people to be associated with their products. You're missing the point.

-Love, Madison Avenue

Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 9:00am):

You are the right track, but expound on the mindset behind the wasteful practices after your line "The idea of America as a gluttonous nation can only be deemed an inaccurate stereotype once we commit to changing our habits."

We are pre-programmed to believe a car is a necessity or even a virtue. It simply isn't the case.

Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 9:14am):

Great piece Sean! Let us not forget Ichiro Suziki's expression when he received a GM Tahoe "hybrid" for winning baseball's all star MVP. That guzzler fit him like a 5XL pair of Wrangler jeans..

Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 10:17am):

People who "need" SUV's.. It's because they "have kids" (So their 2 kids won't fit into that 5-seat car...) Or they want to pull that 4-wheeler to the campsite. (Get a trailer, your car can pull it.) Or you need it because it's "safer." (Longer stopping distances, decreased emergency maneuver ability, and when you hit someone, you're more likely to kill them.)

I go camping, I have a Subaru that I use to go on the dirt trails and through the mud in. I have less trouble in the mud than my brother who has a 4x4 truck. Hmm. I hook up my motorcycle hitch-haul to the back of my car, and I bring my motorcycle with me on that, instead of having a trailer, or using a truck. My brother will spend $80 on gas for a camping trip. I spend $25.

When I'm not camping, I drive my Honda Civic, which gets up to 44mpg, but who's counting?

From higher prices for the vehicles, higher insurance to cover that higher purchase price, and higher fuel costs, SUV and truck buyers are getting their payback. However, they don't always see it that way, and instead gripe and moan about gas prices. Maybe their next car will be a mini van instead of an SUV, or maybe even a CUV.

Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 12:08pm):

Even with an "efficient" small car you can't escape one simple truth: 2,000lbs of steel and glass transporting a single, 200lb occupant is inherently *inefficient*. Bragging about getting better milage in a car vs. an SUV is akin to saying you only smoke 1 1/2 packs of cigarettes a day compared to 2.

Oil is an entirely unique source of energy, a store of millions of years of solar power. Our best alternative energy options are best used to power large electrical grids, not small, portable motors that fit under the hood of a car. Oil production may already be starting its inevitable decline and we will soon be incapable of maintaining the current system of everyone transporting themselves and several thousand pounds of steel and glass wherever and whenever they want.

Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 12:21pm):

It's Ronald Reagan's fault. Ha! That's a good one. I'll have to look up that law he signed directing American Consumers to reject the tin can pieces of crap the automakers produced in the early 80's. I read nonsense like this and all I can think of is some spoiled kid who thinks he knows everything getting brownie points from his burnout professors for mindlessly spewing the tired liberal dogma. Wring a bell Sean?

Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 12:28pm):

6:31, your assertion "Sorry to say this, but cars are almost as efficient as they can be" is incorrect.

Cars today are 1) heavier than they have to be and are 2) overpowered. No one needs a sedan with 300-hp.

Also, cars could be made more efficient if we were to follow the lead of Europe and use diesel fuel in more cars. The Mercedes Benz E-class CDI, a large sedan, gets over 30 mpg. An Audi A4 TDI gets 50 mpg, for example.

Jealous? You should be.

Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 2:14pm):

Nothing like lying thru your teeth, I suppose.The idea that BYD would offer a plug-in hybrid for $8,000 is a transparent lie. The cost recently quoted for thrie BYD F6 DM (meaning dual mode - i.e. serial plug-in like the Chevy VOLT)will sell for $6,000 more than the price of the sister (gas only) version, priced at $20,000. So the price of the BYD serial plug-in hybrid will be $26,000, not the $8,000 this confused blogger Kittredge claims. I'm amazed that a supposed college level student would make such a transparent either lie or mistake. There is also the silly notion that, apparently, only US automakers exist. Whatever happened to those Japanese, Korean, Swedish, German, English, etc auto companies. None of them are building a plug-in fleet that even remotely comes close to that being developed by GM - an Opel, A Saturn, a Cadillac, a Chevy Volt a few dual mode hybrids plug-ins thrown in for good measure. Nor will that Chinese BYD hit US shores anytime soon - they are years away from meeting Federal regs - the Chevy VOLT,
Saturn Vue Greeline, and Saturn serial hybrid
will be on sale long before the BYD gets here.And, the BYD has been in development for the past 3 years, almost exactly the same amount of time GM will require for the Volt. So Sean Kittredge, as we can all see, doesn't have the slightest idea of current EV technology. So he probably would be well advised to comment on things he might know something about. Like hamburgers, cheeseburgers, etc. Perhaps ketchup.

Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 2:16pm):

INVESTIGATE AIR CARS!!!

http://www.theaircar.com/

This is the ONE TRUE answer!

Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 2:59pm):

12:28 Again, with this "no one needs" crap, no one needs a lot of things, but they still have them. You do not need a computer, obviously you have one. You don't need cable TV, I bet you have it. You don't need more than 40 square feet to live in (nor the stuff to fill more than that), but I bet you occupy a larger space. You don't need a MP3 player or IPOD, do you have one? Since when is the United States founded on what you need?

Sure, we could reduce the weight on a car and make it just as safe or durable, but I doubt anyone is willing to pay the high price for the specialized material.

Bottom line, it takes a specific amount of energy to move a heavy object in a particular way, this is called physics (you should take a course or two as well). This why you get so much mileage out of a gallon of gas, and far worse mileage out of E85 (about 65-70% of the energy output of petro).

Regarding the diesel (other poster), I love diesel!! Diesel fuel contains more energy per gallon than gasoline!! That explains the better mileage (in conjuction with its self lubricating properties). Problem is, even the best diesels today spew more garbage in the air than a gas engine. It is getting better, but not there yet.

Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 3:18pm):

How can you write an article on hypocrisy without addressing the huge amount of CO2 spewed into the air by the Gulfstream liberals and by the Bali bureaucrats?

Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 4:05pm):

"And unless youre a staunch Catholic or a serial killer, chances are you dont need all that space."

Um....ever heard of *capitalism*? It kinda sorta grants us under its system a *choice* on what we want to buy. If we so desire to waste money on a giant SUV and the low-mileage that it comes with, that's our choice.

Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 5:02pm):

We do need small, plug-in cars so the short people don't waste all the oil. The short people should also live in smaller houses with lower ceilings, to conserve heating energy. We should definitely be breeding smaller people! Maybe small enough to ride little dogs to work! Yeah, thatt's the ticket!

Anonymous (February 11, 2008 @ 2:21pm):

Response to February 6, 2008 @ 4:05pm:

Really? That is seriously the worst attitude someone could have. Talk about selfish! This is a huge contributing factor to the way Americans are viewed around the world. Why is it okay for us to waste the world's resources? Yes, it is clearly your choice to buy a huge gas guzzling vehicle; no one is arguing there. We all can choose to buy or not to buy a car, but the bottom line is that we do not think about the collective good. Doesn't anyone care about the future generations? Just because the earth can sustain human life right now doesn't mean that the same quality of life can be sustained in 50 years. So yes, you can waste money on a giant SUV, but maybe you'd think twice if you thought about someone other than yourself for even a second.

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