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What do people think about about the Plural for Prius:
Latin: Prii
Greek: Priora
'Merican: Priuses

There's little debate about the collective noun for a group of the things. It's called a "smug." As in: "A see a smug of Priuses waiting at the Über pickup location."

Diesel is over $6/gallon here in California — more than the so-called "high" octane gasoline (91 octane). I'm thinking this will be putting a squeeze on commercial ground transportation. I assume marine diesel and home heating oil is similarly high, too.

SunnyvaleCA says

I always thought it was bizarre to have a big battery for 35 miles of all-electric driving on a car that already got 50+ MPG. If gas were back at $2/gallon each diligent nightly charge is saving you a maximum of $1.40.

99% of my driving is less than a 35 miles a day total so I can run for months on a single tank of gas. When I have to take a trip and switch to hybrid mode, I'm still pulling 55+mpg.

I used to hate prius's, but ever since getting one, I have about it all the time. It's a brilliant car that's actually kinda fun to drive.

SunnyvaleCA says

Diesel is over $6/gallon here in California — more than the so-called "high" octane gasoline (91 octane). I'm thinking this will be putting a squeeze on commercial ground transportation. I assume marine diesel and home heating oil is similarly high, too.

Jet fuel too.

SunnyvaleCA says

There's little debate about the collective noun for a group of the things. It's called a "smug." As in: "A see a smug of Priuses waiting at the Über pickup location."

Agreed.

SunnyvaleCA says

I always thought it was bizarre to have a big battery for 35 miles of all-electric driving on a car that already got 50+ MPG.

I got my driver license during the Iranian Revolution. I remember reading at the time, the disruptions led to about 5% reduction in global supply of crude oil, causing three hour queues to get gasoline in San Jose, and a tripling of prices (because all pricing of everything is in the margins). My parents let me drive their car when they didn't need it, - they even paid for the gasoline. But in return, I had to buy their gas (with their money). In the three hour queues. Lots of people on edge in those lines.

So, when I finally got some marginal buying power as an adult in the 1990's I was interested in getting an alternative to a gasoline powered car, in case something like that were to happen again. Because of this little detail that I needed reliable transportation to my job. Especially since working night shift then carpooling and public transit were not options. I explored an EV. At the time, it was hobbyists who made their own EVs. (I think the GM EV1 was already off the market and besides too expensive). I attended a couple of meetings of the Silicon Valley Electric Vehicle Association to learn about this concept. What I learned was, this concept was not a practical solution for me. Those hobbyist EVs were for tinkerers who were obsessed with their hobby. Suitable for hobbyist tinkerers but not suitable for a paranoid commuter who wanted reliable transportation. This how I became fascinated by the early Prius when it was available in California in year 2000. Not a gasoline-free solution, but a step in that direction. When the Prius caught on in a big way a few years later, with a new design that was not as butt-ugly as the yr-2000 design, then Bay Area Hipster-Smugsters me-tooism smugged all over the Bay Area in their Priuses. And they became so Smug about their carpool lane stickers.

In recent years I got the plug in version. Not as a fashion statement or status symbol (Tesla replaced Prius for that), but as a somewhat practical alternative for gasoline, because of my paranoia. It is not a perfect solution. A pure EV is more efficient, and as pointed out by Sunnyvale, hauling around a heavy battery for 55 mpg is ridiculous. Maybe even being paranoid about something that happened in 1978 is ridiculous too. Whatever. Sticks and stones.

joshuatrio says

I used to hate prius's, but ever since getting one, I have about it all the time. It's a brilliant car that's actually kinda fun to drive.

My wife bought one new in 2005.

What a great car! Good (not great) acceleration and handling, awesome brakes, and very good gas mileage. It was also comfortable to sit in. Other than maintenance, it never went to the shop. In 200,000 miles we never did anything but change the oil. At 230,000 the catalytic converter went out (damn you CARB for making us pay double for parts just for your sticker) and the battery started to fail. $3,000+ repair bill. I put it on craigslist for $3,000 and had cash in hand a couple hours later.

Onvacation says

At 230,000...the battery started to fail

Interesting, 230,000 miles; how many years?

HeadSet says

SunnyvaleCA says

Diesel is over $6/gallon here in California — more than the so-called "high" octane gasoline (91 octane). I'm thinking this will be putting a squeeze on commercial ground transportation. I assume marine diesel and home heating oil is similarly high, too.

Jet fuel too.

This will cause a crisis for the airlines. Because, like restaurant (also in crisis) meals, air travel is a discretionary luxury that we can do fine without. The airlines don't have the pricing power to pass along their higher cost for the scale of marketplace they sized their industry for.

There are a few, like the guy in Chicago area who attacks me, calls me out, calls me names, thinks he's inside my mind that I cannot stand the fact he likes to fly (untrue, my observations are not all about him), who are wealthy enough to pay whatever the new cost will be to operate the flights. There are a few. But just a few. Not enough of them to sustain the scale of the industry.

1. inflation, totally expected from so much free money from the government, and mortgage and rent forgiveness.
2. gasoline prices rising since Biden started fucking with pipelines and etc.
3. oil and gas prices further rising because of Putin.
4. further inflation from #3.

Congress, Fauci, Biden deserve blame for 1&2, Putin for 3&4.

B.A.C.A.H. says

Interesting, 230,000 miles; how many years?

14

Onvacation says

B.A.C.A.H. says

Interesting, 230,000 miles; how many years?

14

Wow! 14 years and 230,000 miles. That's a superb value.

Gasoline prices may already be solving our truck, RV, and boat shortages.

Patrick says

Interestingly, the complainers are Ford Mach-E and Bolt owners, and 70% of them didn’t have a level 2 charger at home while Biden said F and GM are the leaders in EV’s. Uh huh….

https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-car-owners-switching-gas-charging-a-hassle-study-2021-4?source=patrick.net

AmericanKulak says

B.A.C.A.H. says

Cannot afford it? What's so wrong with carpooling ("ride sharing"?). I traveled once to a place where folks of modest means who were lucky enough to have a car would pick up strangers along the way in exchange for some small amount of money to defray their fuel cost. I even got a couple such rides myself.

In these days of suburbs, where it's not unusual for a couple to work in two completely different directions, or neighbors for that matter, carpooling is less of an answer.

The entirety of the US is built around suburbs and commuting.

What would really be great leadership is "If you are not physically required to be present, companies MUST let you work at home or themselves be ineligible for any tax breaks on gas/travel expenses."

This would also help with traffic. My work thankfully has moved to remote for most workers permanently. (It saves them on expensive commercial office space… and allows them to easily ask us to work after hours without complaint … I gladly will be “on call” during the week occasionally for the perk of being able to read a bedtime story to my kid and then come downstairs and finish up some work.

Eman says

Patrick says

Interestingly, the complainers are Ford Mach-E and Bolt owners, and 70% of them didn’t have a level 2 charger at home while Biden said F and GM are the leaders in EV’s. Uh huh….

https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-car-owners-switching-gas-charging-a-hassle-study-2021-4?source=patrick.net

Only someone without a garage would find charging inconvenient. Those people are probably complaining.

Patrick says

To be fair Biden hasn’t done much to cause inflation. If he had passed that Build Back Better bill than maybe. He hasn’t really done anything other than continue Trumps economic policy on forbearing student loans. Even extra kid money stopped this year.

Not defending him because I feel he should have pushed everything through with all his might and executive power. Should have forgiven as much loan money as he could under executive order… probably $10k for every borrower. But he’s really done nothing he promised. And is gonna get crushed for it in the midterms. Although I do see loans being deferred again until after midterms. He can blame Putin easily for that one. When it’s really to not piss of student debt voters.

BoomAndBustCycle says

Eman says

Patrick says

Interestingly, the complainers are Ford Mach-E and Bolt owners, and 70% of them didn’t have a level 2 charger at home while Biden said F and GM are the leaders in EV’s. Uh huh….

https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-car-owners-switching-gas-charging-a-hassle-study-2021-4?source=patrick.net

Only someone without a garage would find charging inconvenient. Those people are probably complaining.

Well, I didn’t see Tesla owners complained in the article. Also, F and GM have no supercharging infrastructure for long road trips like Tesla. Elon thought things through while F and GM CEOs are nothing more than overrated W2 employees, who are there to collect their Golden parachutes while not adding much value to the company. Sad!

BoomAndBustCycle says

Patrick says

To be fair Biden hasn’t done much to cause inflation. If he had passed that Build Back Better bill than maybe. He hasn’t really done anything other than continue Trumps economic policy on forbearing student loans. Even extra kid money stopped this year.

Not defending him because I feel he should have pushed everything through with all his might and executive power. Should have forgiven as much loan money as he could under executive order… probably $10k for every borrower. But he’s really done nothing he promised. And is gonna get crushed for it in the midterms. Although I do see loans being deferred again until after midterms. He can blame Putin easily for that one. When it’s really to not piss of student debt voters.

Being the captain of the ship, you get the credits and the blames regardless if it’s your fault or not. That’s just the way it is. Shutting down the Keystone XL Pipeline definitely didn’t help the situation.

The solution was natural gas instead of gasoline for cars.

The stuff works well although gasoline gives more power.

I tried to convince my father to buy one, but no dice.
Honda sold Civics that ran on it.

I predict gasoline to reach $8/gallon in the near future.

I wonder what Buttpirate will say?

clambo says

I predict gasoline to reach $8/gallon in the near future.

It will be interesting to see what they do with their 3-digit signs when gas goes over $10/gallon.

Maybe they will start selling it by the liter.

Patrick says

It will be interesting to see what they do with their 3-digit signs when gas goes over $10/gallon.

Maybe they will start selling it by the liter.

They will probably tape a big plastic "1" to the left of the price, maybe covering the dollar sign

It will be a great opportunity to hang "I did that" bidet signs.

clambo says

I predict gasoline to reach $8/gallon in the near future.

I wonder what Buttpirate will say?

Democrats will insist that $8/gallon gas is fine, because that is what they pay in Europe.

B.A.C.A.H. says

There are a few, like the guy in Chicago area who attacks me, calls me out, calls me names, thinks he's inside my mind that I cannot stand the fact he likes to fly

I presume you're talking about me? I don't believe I've ever called you a name. I have and will continue to say that flying is not a luxury. It's not. It's a necessity.

You have great thoughts here, so please don't presume I dislike you. We just disagree on flying. On most my flights it's not people jet setting to luxury. They're working. Visiting family. Maybe going to the funeral for their mom or something in a tube with no leg room. Mine is mostly leisure admittedly. I live life once. I want to explore, show my kids the world and cool places. Flight allows for that.

Also you guys on the West Coast don't have to fly often because you already have beautiful weather. There's no point. So I can see where you think it's frivolous. Saturday here in March was 25º for a high. It's dark. Sometimes you need an outlet to escape for mental health and well being. I probably wouldn't fly if I lived in CA. That said, I'm not going to piss away more income taxes, property values and other various things to move to CA. Honestly as an outsider, living in CA (politics aside) is a luxury most can't afford. It's more ridiculous than flying 5-7 times a year.

socal2 says

I got a Model Y dual motor. Ordered it back in August and it arrived in January. The thing is a spaceship! The speed, acceleration, torque, regenerative breaking (especially the regen breaking!), infotainment/audio system, autopilot (didn't get FSD). Can't imagine the acceleration in the Performance model let alone the Plaid, it is already crazy fast for a mid-range model.

All American car made by a company with a non-woke CEO like Musk.

@socal2
are there things you dont like on the model Y? I am debating if I should go with the model 3 or the Y.
I watched a review video and they complained about the collision avoidance assist. Does your Y sometimes brake for no apparent reason because the cams get confused?

Patrick says

https://notthebee.com/article/buckle-up-biden-expected-to-announce-ban-on-all-russian-oil-today-sending-gas-prices-skyrocketing-even-higher?source=patrick.net

If we only buy 2-3% Russian oil… it shouldn’t affect our prices. But it’s gone through the roof. I paid 95 yesterday to fill up. Used to be 43 average with Trump. We getting fucked here with Biden

https://youtu.be/yoDJJJj1Mzo?source=patrick.net