Removing the hybrid emblem

[hybridbear]

 

The 2013 and 2014 gas Fusion S came with 16-inch steel wheels with wheel covers, and the 2015 gas Fusion S comes with 16-inch "Alloy" wheels.

Oops! Typo! Thanks! I fixed my earlier post.

[darrelld]

 

As I indicated in my opening post I mean no offense nor do I think any less of anyone that likes the hybrid emblems. I simply prefer that my car make as little statement as possible. For the same reasons I requested that my dealer not apply their dealership decal.

 

You zeroed in on my main reason for purchasing a FFH. For me it is mainly an economic issue in addition to the very impressive technology that is incorporated in this car.

 

People buy hybrids for different reasons as this video mentions;

 

[acdii]

Interesting.

 

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1094018_rhode-island-launches-hybrid-electric-license-plates-for-emt-safety?fbfanpage

[Texasota]

Interesting.

 

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1094018_rhode-island-launches-hybrid-electric-license-plates-for-emt-safety?fbfanpage

 

That is interesting. I followed the link to the bill and read it. It sounds like those plates are optional and owners are not required to obtain them.

[Texasota]

 

People buy hybrids for different reasons as this video mentions;

 

You are right and there seems to be a very good cross section represented here on this forum. For some it is strictly an environmental issue, a wallet issue, or fascination with the technology. And for many others, perhaps most, it is some combination of those three.

[acdii]

 

That is interesting. I followed the link to the bill and read it. It sounds like those plates are optional and owners are not required to obtain them.

Looks like for all new EV and Plugins they will be issued, but for existing its an option for a fee to get them. They dont mention plain Hybrids though, only plugins, which puzzles me since the only difference is a larger pack, the volts are still the same.

[lolder]

Upon further reflection about this thread, I think it is a mistake to remove the hybrid emblem. Training for first responders and rescue personnel in dealing with hybrid accidents has been around for some time as there are a lot of hybrids on the road, most of them Prii that are readily identified. Not so with the Fusions. There's always somebody that doesn't get the word. When they're about to cut into a car to get somebody out, they may not see the red cables. The hybrid emblems might not be visible either but that's another opportunity for rescuers to realize that additional precautions might be taken. There's also the plight of the untrained good Samaritan who responds. IMHO, there are no valid arguments for removing the emblem.

[Texasota]

Looks like for all new EV and Plugins they will be issued, but for existing its an option for a fee to get them. They dont mention plain Hybrids though, only plugins, which puzzles me since the only difference is a larger pack, the volts are still the same.

 

In this thread there was an interesting discussion about states finding ways to generate additional tax revenue related to hybrids and electrics which don't use as much gasoline resulting in less tax revenue:

 

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/8296-sc-to-taxpayers-dont-buy-fusion-hybrids/?hl=revenue

 

While this Rhode Island law may be about EMT safety I don't think that is the only thing it is about. Only speculation on my part but I think the bigger motivation here is tax revenue. If it was only about EMT safety, then the plates would cost the same as plates for conventional gas cars (or they would provide a simple low cost decal). I predict this was designed to eventually become a tax revenue generator and you will see this fee increase significantly on a regular basis.

[Texasota]

Upon further reflection about this thread, I think it is a mistake to remove the hybrid emblem. Training for first responders and rescue personnel in dealing with hybrid accidents has been around for some time as there are a lot of hybrids on the road, most of them Prii that are readily identified. Not so with the Fusions. There's always somebody that doesn't get the word. When they're about to cut into a car to get somebody out, they may not see the red cables. The hybrid emblems might not be visible either but that's another opportunity for rescuers to realize that additional precautions might be taken. There's also the plight of the untrained good Samaritan who responds. IMHO, there are no valid arguments for removing the emblem.

 

As I indicated in my opening post I was interest in all thoughts/comments on removing the emblems. That includes comments pro and con and I appreciate your sharing your opinion in the above post. This thread was very useful to me as I was not aware that the Lincoln MKZ came from the factory without hybrid emblems (only the 2.0H emblem). That helped me to make my decision.

[BoomerGer]

Speaking of Hummers being burned on the street, when I had my Honda Element back in 2003, I removed the "Element" on the back next to the lift gate and replaced it with "Mini Hummer", since it looked like a miniature Hummer. I know, this has nothing to do with Fords, but it does have something to do with removing the emblems. So there........

[Iwejun]

I took my side emblems off, my neighbors call me Mr. Monochromatic. I was "killing" my vehicles long before it became popular, if I could I would have wished for the upper grill and fog lights not to have the cheesy chrome on them.

[raadsel]

 

I'm really tired of people saying the Prius is "ugly". The Prius is designed to have the lowest drag co-efficient, Cd, of a production car and they hit the bulls-eye. Look at all the other cars. They are all slowly approaching the aerodynamic shape Prius has had for 5 years with the Gen III alone. At highway speeds, air drag is half the load.

 

Actually, this doesn't really seem to be true. The 2001 model Prius had a CoD of 0.29 -- which was similar to many other cars at the time including the Suburu SVX, Audi 80, Lexus LS 400, Mazda Millenia, most sports cars, etc. Even the current Fusion has a CoD better than the original Prius, without the weird shape. The fact is, Toyota didn't need the weird shape for aerodynamics, instead it was largely done to make it stand out. Toyota (and many of the buyers) wanted a car that people would instantly recognize as a hybrid; particularly as it was the first mass produced full hybrid sold.

[GrySql]

I have an old friend who has purchased 5 new Prius cars in the last 12 years, all white color and all unexceptional except for their mileage.

Actually, he has two 2015's right now, white and identical.

I had him sit in my '13 FFH (Tri-White) yesterday and showed him the accessory features, power heated seats, Nav, Sync voice commands, etc.

I had to laugh, he is 6'3" with a long torso and has a hard time fitting in his car as his head nearly hits the roof. After I adjusted the power seat in the FFH, it fit him great.

 

After that we walked around it, looked in the trunk and under the hood.

His comment was, 'wow, this is like a real car. I hate driving in my Prius but I don't like to shop cars so I've never seen a car like this before.'

To buy his new 2015's he called the local Dealer and had them deliver them, gave them a check.

He does like the 50mpg's his cars get and his wife has always been vocal about the design showing that she is 'green', plus she feels that they are simple to drive.

She was happy to hear my car was a 'hybrid', I was accepted. :wub:

[lolder]

 

Actually, this doesn't really seem to be true. The 2001 model Prius had a CoD of 0.29 -- which was similar to many other cars at the time including the Suburu SVX, Audi 80, Lexus LS 400, Mazda Millenia, most sports cars, etc. Even the current Fusion has a CoD better than the original Prius, without the weird shape. The fact is, Toyota didn't need the weird shape for aerodynamics, instead it was largely done to make it stand out. Toyota (and many of the buyers) wanted a car that people would instantly recognize as a hybrid; particularly as it was the first mass produced full hybrid sold.

Actually the 2000-03 Prii did not have the familiar Prius shape. The 03 to 09 did and their Cd was .26. The 2010-12 FFHs were .33, terrible ! The 2010+ Prius is .25 and the 2013+ FFHs are only .275. The only current models with lower drag than the Prius are two Mercedes models and a Tesla.

 

Everybody else is still trying to catch up.

Edited May 23, 2015 by lolder

[raadsel]

Actually the 2000-03 Prii did not have the familiar Prius shape. The 03 to 09 did and their Cd was .26. The 2010-12 FFHs were .33, terrible ! The 2010+ Prius is .25 and the 2013+ FFHs are only .275. The only current models with lower drag than the Prius are two Mercedes models and a Tesla.

 

Everybody else is still trying to catch up.

 

It is worth noting that the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid has the same CoD as the Prius, though in more of a conventional sedan shape, and the 2016 version is 0.24 CoD. It will be interesting to see what the 2016 Prius looks like.