to the editor: I agree with the driver who says he gets discouraged when his hybrid's gasoline engine starts (“Hybrid vehicle sales rise as automakers recalibrate their electrification strategies” December 29). Oh really. If your child had asthma, would you want him to stand next to that exhaust pipe?
Gasoline is the problem. And the problem with this article is that it presents hybrids as a positive step that will “move the needle” in the transition to all-electric vehicles. Sure, maybe two decades ago! But no, the move toward hybrids is a gigantic step backwards, thanks to President Trump and the fossil fuel industry that reportedly spent hundreds of millions of dollars to help his campaign.
Electric vehicles have been available to mainstream buyers. since at least 2011. Today they have a average range of around 250-300 miles and they cost about the same as gas-guzzling cars, but they're much cheaper to fuel and maintain—they don't require oil changes, smog checks, or other traditional tune-ups.
We must race to reduce climate-warming emissions, not turn back. And companies like Toyota, blurring the lines with terms like “electrification” when they still refer to cars with exhaust outlets, it should be a shame. That's deadly obfuscation.
Zan Dubin, Santa Monica
This writer is a former Los Angeles Times employee and co-founder of National Drive Electric Month.
