Dave Allbright
Resident Rural Redneck
My favorite ride is a 7,000 lb., 4x4, 1-ton van with a V-10 gasoline engine.
Although not economically practical as an everyday driver, for me it is the ultimate utility machine capable of carrying up to seven passengers, their gear or equipment, and tow a trailer large enough to accomodate all of them as well. Or I can pull a flatbed trailer with over 100 bales of hay or straw on it. Or I can put a pile of gravel, stones, or other landscaping material on the trailer weighing up to 6 or 7 thousand pounds (subject to my willingness to unload all that material!).
Not the most efficient when carrying just me to and fro, but far better than owning 3, 4, or 5 different vehicles to accomplish the various tasks I choose to involve myself in form time to time.
While an energy efficient new vehicle may be just the ticket for a committed commuter, I keep thinking of the article I read about total overall "carbon footprint" (God how I hate using those pansy PC words, but it may fit here).
The writer made a sound argument supporting the concept that buying an already produced (used) vehicle that provides decent m.p.g.s could well be the more ecologically sound choice when considering the investment in new and exotic materials required to produce the increasingly efficient "high" m.p.g. vehicles. (Often these do not live up to claimed efficiencies. Older vehicles with a proven track record become the benchmarks of comparison.)
And don't forget that any ride requiring an outlet and a cord is transferring part of its operating cost onto a different billing statement. If that statement is your boss's and not your own, well, maybe you ought to check to make sure the boss is ready to commit to that level of environmentalism!