Toyota billboard counts how much gas is saved

[sciguy_0504]

TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 28, 2005 -- While most of America was fueling up with turkey and fixings over the holiday weekend, a Toyota billboard marked a significant milestone in reducing fuel consumption.

The billboard, located beside the 405 Freeway in El Segundo, Calif., is similar to an odometer and clicks forward every four seconds to estimate the number of gallons of gas saved by Toyota and Lexus hybrid vehicles in the United States since the first Toyota Prius went on sale in 2000. On Friday, November 25, the billboard clicked over to 100,000,000 gallons saved ... and is still counting.

"Every hybrid owner who passes a gas station knows they are using less fuel, but to look at that figure in total is truly impressive," said Toyota Vice President of Marketing Jim Farley. "The purpose of the billboard is to visually capture one of the most significant benefits of driving a vehicle with Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive."

Other environmental benefits of the more than 250,000 Toyota and Lexus hybrids that have logged more than 5 billion miles include:

  *  Avoiding nearly 900,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emitted into the
  atmosphere
  *  Allowing the savings of 4 million barrels of crude oil
  *  Avoiding more than 3 million pounds of smog-forming gases
Currently, there are three hybrid offerings from Toyota and Lexus, all of which are at least 80 percent cleaner for smog-forming emissions than the average vehicle. The Prius is the world's best-selling hybrid while the Highlander Hybrid and RX 400h luxury hybrid SUV are the two best-selling hybrid SUVs. Both SUVs offer V8-like performance with fuel mileage comparable to 4-cylinder cars.

Next year, Lexus will introduce the GS 450h hybrid luxury sedan and Toyota will make a hybrid powertrain available in America's most popular sedan, the Camry.

Worldwide, Toyota has sold more than 500,000 hybrids since 1997 and hopes to increase that number to a million hybrids a year by the early 2010s. To achieve that goal, Toyota plans to halve the cost of hybrid powertrains as early as possible.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2005/11/28/149512.html

[aaaantoine]

What are these savings in comparison to?

[cmattson]

I wonder what measurement Toyota is using for the billboard: EPA figures or real-life? Toyota doesn't hesitate to advertise and use the EPA figures when it can gain by them, but will acknowledge that a consumer probably won't regularly see the figures the EPA obtains.

[BrewSwillis]

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/b...8Q=100&MaxW=500

I can't read the fine print on bottom corner......as I'm sure no normal human can! Edited November 29, 2005 by BrewSwillis

[Polish_Kris]

Has anyone driven a Toyota hybrid yet?

[Sixty8panther]

Has anyone driven a Toyota hybrid yet?

[post="50155"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

It's on my agenda right after I saw off my legs with a steak knife and have a plutonium soaked granola bar.

[Guest carpetbagger]

It's on my agenda right after I saw off my legs with a steak knife and have a plutonium soaked granola bar.

[post="50164"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

do you like pretending to be a dumbass or are you a natural at it?

[Guest Josh]

do you like pretending to be a dumbass or are you a natural at it?

[post="50348"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

He's as good a dumb ass as you are a stupid ass.

Take it for what it's worth, and no offense 68. :P

[regfootball]

It's on my agenda right after I saw off my legs with a steak knife and have a plutonium soaked granola bar.

[post="50164"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

can i have a bite too?

awesome post, man!

[regfootball]

i hope these pompous bastards have the ability to back up these numbers if a lawsuit is filed against them to prove their numbers.

[regfootball]

hope y'all can prove it

"Your mileage will vary"

Edited November 30, 2005 by regfootball

[Sixty8panther]

No offense taken, who else but a dumbass would drive around in a 377 horsepower Camaro with brakes that could be described as "marginal at best"? Ahh sho aint no learn-ed folk like all ya's city guys with yer fancy-schmancy Toy-o-durs. Reg: Al I have to say is if Pinoccio symbolised Toyota the nose would be about as long as the state of Texas is wide. Great post. :P

[siegen]

What bothers me is how the EPA ratings for the Prius went from 52/45 in 2001 - 2003, to 60/51 in 2004, and yet people report only a 1 point increase in average MPG between the two year ranges. That is according to www.fueleconomy.gov. I also checked www.priuschat.com, a Prius owner's club, and it seems like mid 40's is very common, even for people who are going very easy on the throttle. Then there are the mid 50's people and the occasional 60 mpg person, but after reading through some posts, high mileage like that is not very common. To compare, the Insight with manual transmission, which is rated by the EPA between 61/70 and 61/66 (depending on year) MPG, gets in the 60's or higher, regardless of city or freeway, according to www.fueleconomy.gov and about 16 users who have reported their mileage.

[regfootball]

What bothers me is how the EPA ratings for the Prius went from 52/45 in 2001 - 2003, to 60/51 in 2004, and yet people report only a 1 point increase in average MPG between the two year ranges. That is according to www.fueleconomy.gov. I also checked www.priuschat.com, a Prius owner's club, and it seems like mid 40's is very common, even for people who are going very easy on the throttle. Then there are the mid 50's people and the occasional 60 mpg person, but after reading through some posts, high mileage like that is not very common.

To compare, the Insight with manual transmission, which is rated by the EPA between 61/70 and 61/66 (depending on year) MPG, gets in the 60's or higher, regardless of city or freeway, according to www.fueleconomy.gov and about 16 users who have reported their mileage.

[post="50390"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

the insight does indeed deliver its advertised mileage.

[Newbiewar]

hrmm... should GM even try to do that with the Hybrid Buses? talk about fuel ecconomy savings...

[mustang84]

hrmm... should GM even try to do that with the Hybrid Buses?

talk about fuel ecconomy savings...

[post="50407"][/post]

GM should shine a spotlight or hang a huge neon sign from the Renaissance Center touting how many gallons its hybrid buses have saved. Or even better, work out a deal with US Bank and advertise from the Library Tower in LA so that Californians will see it from miles around.



If that's too much of a hassle, just put a ticker on the GM website. Edited November 30, 2005 by mustang84

[balthazar]

I saw an insight a few weeks ago driving by on U.S. Rt 1. Both the vanity plate and the banner stretched by strings across the door read "66 MPG". Was probably a lot more relevant when gas was over $3 gal instead of the $1.90-and-falling-daily rate it's at now. Whatever butters his buscuits, I guess.

[Newbiewar]

I saw an insight a few weeks ago driving by on U.S. Rt 1. Both the vanity plate and the banner stretched by strings across the door read "66 MPG".

Was probably a lot more relevant when gas was over $3 gal instead of the $1.90-and-falling-daily rate it's at now. Whatever butters his buscuits, I guess.

[post="50440"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

the problem with the prius is...

The average user who realizes that the vehicle is a better investement then any other car... is probably one who is unlikely able to calculate accual fuel ecconomy...

because if they can see that the vehicle costs a great deal more, and they still think its worth it, when a breaking even point is about 10+ years hopping the battery will last that long...

they might as well post a billboard along the freeway that says Profit $100,000,000,000 and counting... Hybrid Synergy Drive

[Polish_Kris]

Has anyone driven a Toyota hybrid yet?

[post="50155"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

No, I'm just asking, cause I wanna know if anyone has first-hand experience of how the real-world milage is on these things.

[Newbiewar]

No, I'm just asking, cause I wanna know if anyone has first-hand experience of how the real-world milage is on these things.

[post="50484"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

most people i ask say about 45... but i've heard as low as 22

[Nick]

I have personally driven a prius around town before. I was with a toyota saleswoman (my friend's aunt) who knew her crap. She let me drive it and we were getting on average about 46 mpg the entire time and I was pushing it pretty hard (well, as hard as you can push a prius anyways...)

[Flybrian]

Depends how you drive it. No Japanese hybrid will ever return fuel savings in the US as they would in Japan because of the way we drive and our road environment. Add in high-speed cruising, rocket takeoffs from stoplight, and liberal use of a/c and you'll never get what's on the sticker. However, I still say in Insight is the best hybrid. Its clear it was designed to be the most efficient commuter car it can be.