Why don't Yaris owners get advantages like hybrid owners?

[Yawesh]

we should be able to drive on HOV lanes, toll reductions, and such

[rningonfumes]

Because we have cheap cars.

It's really a political incentive for people to help invest into technology that will ultimately help our future. Think of it as the government using another method to sponsor green technology. New tech costs a lot and they have to disspate the cost of the development. Logic tells you that the Yaris is just as efficient as the Prius if driven right, but if no one buys the Prius, Toyota would not have any incentive to keep putting in money for more improvements.

It's a different form of subsidy.

[Yawesh]

Originally Posted by rningonfumes

Because we have cheap cars.

It's really a political incentive for people to help invest into technology that will ultimately help our future. Think of it as the government using another method to sponsor green technology. New tech costs a lot and they have to disspate the cost of the development. Logic tells you that the Yaris is just as efficient as the Prius if driven right, but if no one buys it, Toyota would not have any incentive to keep putting in money for more improvements.

It's a different form of subsidy.

[NJBob]

Hybrids that qualify leave a much smaller ECO footprint than our Yari, yes? That is to say our Yari's foot print is just not quite small enuff to get into that lane.

[rningonfumes]

If the Cannucks can back me up...

The Cannuckian Government used to offer rebates for effiecient cars no matter the powerplant.

[CKaelin]

Originally Posted by NJBob

Hybrids that qualify leave a much smaller ECO footprint than our Yari, yes? That is to say our Yari's foot print is just not quite small enuff to get into that lane.

Not if you consider the Battery Disposal right? Also more technology to recycly in the car. Display screens etc.. Add in someone drives with a heavy foot in a Prius vs a feather foot in a Yaris.

[Altitude]

Originally Posted by CKaelin

Not if you consider the Battery Disposal right? Also more technology to recycly in the car. Display screens etc.. Add in someone drives with a heavy foot in a Prius vs a feather foot in a Yaris.

Batteries from hybrids are recycled.

"Toyota and Honda place decals with a toll-free number on their hybrid battery packs. Toyota offers a $200 bounty to ensure that every battery comes back to the company. In a press release, Toyota states, "Every part of the battery, from the precious metals to the plastic, plates, steel case and the wiring, is recycled." Honda collects the battery and transfers it to a preferred recycler to follow their prescribed process: disassembling and sorting the materials; shredding the plastic material; recovering and processing the metal; and neutralizing the alkaline material before sending it to a landfill."

Of course nothing stops someone from discarding their batteries without doing this, but I somehow doubt that someone who owns a hybrid would be so careless. Nevermind the fact that they will have to take it to a dealer to have the battery packs replaced and the dealer should be following the recycle procedures.

[thebarber]

hybrids like prius and diesels like the smart car got $2000 back from the government from 06-08

small engine, high economy cars (yaris, fit (in 08 only), corolla w/5spd) got $1000

some other cars got it too like the escape hybrids and camry hybrids...i think they were $1000 too

not a bad deal....put that $1000 into RRSP's though, lol (like 401k for USA-ers)

funny thing though, in 07 honda offered 1000 off their fits to compete w/ the government rebate since on paper the fit was a bit too heavy and a bit to gas guzzling to be on the eco-list. honda must of busted some heads or changed some on-paper #'s cus the fit was on the list for 08

if you look at it....the fit was actually a better deal in 07 because you got the 1000 off the price of the car so you werent paying interest on the extra grand youre borrowing....but i digress...

[Altitude]

Originally Posted by PK198105

What the companies fail to mention is the cost of replacing such batteries here are some articles about this:
http://alternativefuels.about.com/od...hybridfaq3.htm

http://www.hybridcars.com/economics/hidden-costs.html

If you buy a Prius for let's say 25000$ , after the 4 years of owning it there is a big chance you will need to replace the batteries which can go up to 8000$. I don't really see any incentive of buying a car that will cost me more than what I originally paid.

The cost of adopting new technology is always high so it's not for everyone and would seem foolish to most. Just like adding $6k worth of mods to an $11k car would seem like folly to most, but many here wouldn't (and haven't) even batted an eye at that thought.

To each his own of course. It wasn't my intention to debate the justifications for hybrid vehicles. I was just trying to clear up the misconception that hybrid batteries just simply get dumped into a landfill to pollute the planet. That's nothing but commercial propaganda.

[Kal-El]

Originally Posted by NJBob

Hybrids that qualify leave a much smaller ECO footprint than our Yari, yes? That is to say our Yari's foot print is just not quite small enuff to get into that lane.

Technically, the Yaris has the smallest ECO footprint (of cars available in the USDM) outside of the Prius, Civic Hybrid, and Smart Fortwo. All the other hybrids are SUV's and larger sedans that don't match the overall FE of the Yaris plus they use more materials to build, ect. For 2010 however, the new Insight can be added to the 3 cars I mentioned.

It is aggravating to see something like an Escalade Hybrid that still gets only 1/2 the efficiency of a Yaris get special "green" incentives that we don't get.

[thebarber]

so really what you're saying is that of any 4cyl, non-hybrid car, the yaris is the least polluting....

cool.

[SailDesign]

Originally Posted by thebarber

so really what you're saying is that of any 4cyl, non-hybrid car, the yaris is the least polluting....

cool.

Maybe. I haven't checked into it yet, but my 2007 is listed as a ULEV (Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle) while the kid's new GTI is listed as a Near-Zero Emissions Vehicle. He claims that makes his better, but it still eats gas....

[Canuck]

It's ease of enforcement.

The hybrids usually have a plate/stickers saying so.

The Cdn. gov. got into hot water from Hyundai over the eco-rebate because the Accent failed to qualify by a percentage of MPG.

For 'road' types of advantages, unless your licence plate identifies your vehicule as qualifying, you can't expect cops to know if you're driving a '01 or '09 Yaris, and if the MPG for that year entitles you to be in that lane.

[Kal-El]

Originally Posted by Canuck

It's ease of enforcement.

The hybrids usually have a plate/stickers saying so.

The Cdn. gov. got into hot water from Hyundai over the eco-rebate because the Accent failed to qualify by a percentage of MPG.

For 'road' types of advantages, unless your licence plate identifies your vehicule as qualifying, you can't expect cops to know if you're driving a '01 or '09 Yaris, and if the MPG for that year entitles you to be in that lane.

Yeah, it does ease the enforcement part of it. It SHOULD however be completely based on MPG regardless of it being a "hybrid". Maybe a special plate earned if you achieve a certain MPG?

The Chevy Tahoe Hybrid gets 20 mpg (city/highway the same).

People automatically relate "hybrid" to high efficiency. Guess what? A Corvette gets better mileage! A Yaris gets twice that but we don't get anything to show for it.

[ztrack157]

It's all politics and nothing else. I did a econ assignment in college two years back comparing the yaris, prius, smart, and other hybrids. Yaris and Smart were well in front. You would literally have to keep a prius for 15 years to try to balance out the cost by then new batteries would be needed at a cost of nearly $6k. The only reason why people say they buy a prius is number 1 they feel that they are making a statement. Emissions levels compared between a prius and yaris are nearly identical otherwise. The newer prius can go like 35 miles at 55mph without using a drop of gas. However the cost will be going up and the iQ is going to be the mpg king of the next generation.

[firemachine69]

Originally Posted by PK198105

The Canadian government used to offer so-called Eco-Rebates, and it was only certain car makes and only specific engines (i.e anything below 2L and it had to fall under specific MPG numbers). If i recall correctly all hybrids got this eco-rebate (Ford Escape hybrid, Civic hybrid and the small displacement vehicles). Although the accent wasn't on the list if i recall. Also the amount of the rebate was according to either hybrid Up to 2000$ and small displacement engines up to 1000$. The Yaris was in the 1000$ category.

The Accent got cut off because the in-town mileage, as calculated by our canadian side, was something ludicrous like 9.7L/100km... And that was with the five-speed, to boot... You may as well drive a minivan!


Around here, HOV lanes are for vehicles with more than 1 occupant, end of discussion.

[supmet]

Originally Posted by rningonfumes

Because we have cheap cars.

It's really a political incentive for people to help invest into technology that will ultimately help our future. Think of it as the government using another method to sponsor green technology. New tech costs a lot and they have to disspate the cost of the development. Logic tells you that the Yaris is just as efficient as the Prius if driven right, but if no one buys the Prius, Toyota would not have any incentive to keep putting in money for more improvements.

It's a different form of subsidy.

This is true, but I agree with the OP.

If I had a remote control to drive a second yaris, I could drive two cars in the carpool lane and still leave less pollutants in the air per person than a fully loaded suburban. If I can't drive in HOV lanes alone, then suburbans should have to have at least 15 people to qualify.

[hop]

The Cdn federal gov gave $2000 for hybrids even the chevy Tahoe hybrid got $2000 and the mini cooper. $1000 for yaris,corrola, civic, fit.


In British Columbia all the vehicles the got the federal credit got a $1000 pst tax credit when I bought the yaris the pst tax was like $967 so i got that off.

The pst credit is still going but only on the toyota yaris now.