Anyone think your Vibe is an electric car?

[kgenthe]

I'm starting to find this trend disturbing. It seems that when ever someone new rides in my car... and I show them the A/C outlet... the next thing out of there mouth is "is this an electric car?"So far, the misconception seems to be among women, in their low twenties (not implying anything, please no one take offense). Just curious if anyone else has experienced this situation.

[Kari]

As a woman in my "low twenties"...no one has ever said that to me. But lots of people think it's cool. And liked how I used it last December -- Christmas lights!

[ColonelPanic]

Right after I got my Vibe, had a kid at the Sonic drive-in that brought me my food question me about it. "Is that one of those, uhhh, you know half gas half electric things?" "Oh, you mean a hybrid? No, but I wish!" I replied. A few months later, a neighbor asked me the same thing. And there have been a few others that have asked me the same thing somewhere in my travels.I certainly don't mind people mistaking my car for something eco-friendly, since I'm into that kind of thing. It's no Prius, but runs clean and gets great mileage nonetheless.

[kgenthe]

Didn't mean to imply anything Kari, please don't take any offense!One time I used the outlet for a crock-pot when I brought chili to work (pot-luck).

[ColonelPanic]

Come to think of it, you don't hear much about the almighty inverter being used for food... At least not that I've heard. That's cool! I plugged in a soldering iron into mine yesterday.

[AKLGT]

i plug my laptop into mine (and phil's when i'm there visiting) so i can burn copies of pics onto CD for everyone. have to put it on 115v, but works great!i've not ever had anyone ask me if it was an electric or hybrid car that i can recall. they just ask, "what is that thing?"

[Kari]

Quote, originally posted by kgenthe »Didn't mean to imply anything Kari, please don't take any offense!Oh, nope, no offense taken here...I just thought the wording was funny. It would be nice if the Vibe *was* a hybrid.

[wmassdino]

I had the same thing happen to me too!! the guy at the corner store thought my vibe was hybrid.

[ToolGuy]

Too funny! No never happened to me... Electric cars plug in from the outside anyway and use heavy guage cable.

[kgenthe]

I would also imagine eletric cars wouldn't have an outlet, they would plug INTO an outlet

[zionzr2]

MOST cars are electric started by a 12 Volt battery and run by an alternator. that delivers an electrical spark to the cylinders so when asked "is that an electric..." you can truthfully say "YES, it runs on electricity"I guess cars have been "hybrids" for a long long time. They require both to work.

[AKLGT]

Quote, originally posted by zionzr2 »MOST cars are electric started by a 12 Volt battery and run by an alternator. that delivers an electrical spark to the cylinders so when asked "is that an electric..." you can truthfully say "YES, it runs on electricity"ha ha ha! that's true! so technically you can say it is electric!

[tjac003]

Quote, originally posted by kgenthe »I would also imagine eletric cars wouldn't have an outlet, they would plug INTO an outlet So, if the Vibe were electric with a cable, it could be plugged into itself? =p

[AKLGT]

well i have a plug to plug in my vibe in the winter (block heater). wonder if i could plug that into itself? lol.i've not used it yet, but have a feeling this winter's gonna be a doozy!

[pmh013]

If you leave your block heater cord hanging out and go south (i.e. California or anywhere else that is warm) you will get asked if you car is electric. It's happened. Then you try to explain to them why you need a block heater ... forget it.

[AKLGT]

Quote, originally posted by pmh013 »If you leave your block heater cord hanging out and go south (i.e. California or anywhere else that is warm) you will get asked if you car is electric. It's happened. Then you try to explain to them why you need a block heater ... forget it.i take it you have experience with this? lol.same kinda thing happened to me a few years back when i was in VA. i wanted to get all weather winter wipers that are fully enclosed and have one big wiper blade. they are made for snow and ice. people just stared at me like i was crazy! you want a what? i ain't ever seen no wiper blade like that! speaking of which... it's time to replace mine for the winter again!

[debi5475]

Oohhh, Kari, Now I know where my extra christmas lights are gonna be this year. Do you think the police will stop me?

[Big_Red]

no.

[Shane1V]

The Vibe "wall" plug does not allow you to just plug anything into it? the equipment has to be able to use other than household level current?

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by Shane1V »The Vibe "wall" plug does not allow you to just plug anything into it? the equipment has to be able to use other than household level current?No. Per the manual, it accepts traditional 2 prong household appliances that use LESS THAN 100W. No hair dryers. No power tools. Nothing high-draw. And do not use an adapter to convert a 3 prong plug to a 2 prong plug to use in the Vibe. It's extremely unsafe.