Las Vegas Sun

November 30, 2009

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Letter: Hybrid cars help environment

Monday, April 26, 2004 | 8:52 a.m.

Your April 18 editorial headlined "Fight smog by spurring hybrid sales" was right on the mark.

I purchased a Toyota Prius 13 months ago -- just a month before purchasing a new home in Las Vegas. My wife and I made a number of trips between California and Las Vegas while our home was being built. We traveled more than 20,000 miles and averaged 42.5 miles a gallon. This includes both stop-and-go urban traffic and long-distance travel.

I've sacrificed nothing in handling, comfort and ease of driving my four-door hybrid and it sure beats the 14 miles a gallon my 1997 SUV was getting. It is true that my gasoline consumption is not as good as advertised, but then I use my air conditioner a lot and never drive on a test track.

If the government would start offering real incentives to hybrid car purchasers, we could begin to make some progress toward cleaner air and fuel economy.

DONALD E. SMALLWOOD

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