Chesney Evert
Unless you’ve found an inflation-free rock to live under, chances are you’ve noticed that a gallon of gas now costs more than the average Starbucks coffee. Rising fuel prices are challenging commuters, minimum-wage employees, and families across the Bay Area, but one group is emerging relatively unscathed — teenage Prius drivers.
Each generation has its high school “it” car, the one that would pull into the senior parking lot accompanied by a chorus of “oohs” and “aahs.”
The Prius has never been that vehicle.
Even so, a rising number of high schoolers (and their parents) are happily ditching style for economy. After spending this summer with 15 driving-age teens, a glance in the parking lot left me surprised: At least one-third of the cars were Priuses.
The more I made a conscious effort to observe cars around me, the more the abundance of Priuses became clear. They were at skate parks, 7-Elevens, Whole Foods and high schools. I did not expect such a conscious shift in the affluent Silicon Valley, where many young people have a surplus of wealth at their fingertips.
There was a time when self-deprecating Prius quips were pique humor; I remember seeing bumper stickers in many a Trader Joe’s parking lot that read “cool Prius! said nobody.” It’s almost as if these people felt the need to address that they didn’t drive a fancy vehicle (like many of their peers). Lined up next to Range Rovers, BMWs and the ubiquitous Teslas, it’s hard to compete.
Maybe society has collectively decided that Priuses are “lame,” but who’s laughing at the frugal hybrid now? At the cost of 47 cents per mile, it’s saving many a pretty penny.
I feel it’s necessary to assuage any fears of partiality — no, I am not a Toyota employee. I don’t even have my license yet. However, I’ve spent many hours in the passenger seat of a Prius and, as a result, I feel qualified to draw conclusions about their popularity amongst teenagers in our community.
First of all, there is an obvious financial benefit to a hybrid vehicle. One of my friends lives in San Carlos and works at a local theater company. She frequently drives between San Carlos, Belmont and Redwood City and spends less than $30 on gas each week.
Reduced gas intake also has a positive environmental impact, lowering atmospheric carbon dioxide levels on a small scale. The Environmental Protection Agency cites that 37% of CO2 emissions come from transportation that relies on natural gas. While an electric vehicle seems like the panacea for this issue, the truth is that mining for the metals in car batteries (namely cobalt and lithium) has its slew of environmental and humanitarian concerns. Cars like the Prius are the middle ground — they don’t rely solely on natural gas or mined substances but rather utilize both in moderation.
Today’s teenagers are more climate aware than ever; we all watched Greta Thunberg take on America’s gas-guzzling companies. It seems that many of us possess a shared understanding that we need this planet to see us through adulthood and beyond. Driving a hybrid is one way to move toward carbon neutrality, and what better hybrid than the humble Prius? Everyone loves an underdog story.
I could be grasping at nothing. Maybe the Prius is not a symbol of environmental ingenuity or today’s teens rejecting materialistic influences; perhaps millennials are simply leaving a lot of Priuses on the used car market. Even so, I am hopeful that the increasing population of young Prius drivers in San Mateo County will translate to a greater environmental and economic consciousness.
Chesney Evert is a senior at Carlmont High School in Belmont. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.
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(6) comments
Its very interesting that many of those few teens who have the means to buy a car are going that route, considering if they can buy a Prius they could afford to pay a lot for gas. A man at the gas station was complaining to me about high gas prices (and blaming it for some unknown reason on Biden)--I noted that he was driving a brand new expensive truck that probably gets 12 miles to the gallon. Yes, I think young people can and will help us navigate the environmental disaster that my generation has caused.
Sorry Westy - that gas price increase (and blaming it for some unknown reason on Biden) is known by most not living under a rock to be caused by Biden's Green Policies.
There is no basis in fact for your belief. Here's an alternate analysis, mostly courtesy of ABC news: When the pandemic first hit the U.S. in March 2020, demand for gasoline plummeted as Americans sheltered at home. The typical driver cut their driving in half. That sharp decline in demand caused gas prices to plunge to an average of $1.94 per gallon in April 2020. OPEC and oil-producing nations such as Russia cut production, slashing it by an unprecedented 10 million barrels. To put that in perspective, that represents 10% of the global supply. Against that backdrop of steadily rising prices, Russia's war in Ukraine has caused a rapid 20%-plus spike in oil and gas prices in mere weeks. Experts say the U.S. is producing more oil now than it was it was in 2020. Oil and gas drilling has increased under Biden, but companies in the U.S. are constrained by tight supplies of rigs, trucks and labor that they need to supply more oil.
Emphasis on shifting away from fossil fuels and toward electric vehicles may add uncertainty for oil and gas producers, which could give them a disincentive to boost production. That is minor compared to the other factors. When adjusted for inflation, today's fuel prices are still below their peak in 2008.
Westy - I have to admit, your reply is impressive. Not sure whether all of your sources are reliable but you have done your home work.
Nothing new here, your students' grandparents drove Volkswagens for the same reason. History just repeats itself.
Gasoline is especially high in California due to a special formulation that is unique to this state. It has nothing to do with Biden. Sidenote: the Toyota Prius has 2 catalytic converters making the Prius a two-for-one prize for catalytic converter malefactor's. The Prius is a popular vehicle and will remain popular notwithstanding California gasoline prices.
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