simple + green

Superbowl MVPs have it good. And this topic has been pretty hot. Here is a little more on the hybrid Cadillac Escalade that Superbowl MVP New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning has selected as his prize from Cadillac:

The hybrid version of the iconic luxury truck will also feature regenerative braking, all-electric launch and drive capability and cylinder deactivation technology on the internal combustion engine that will help the 2007 Cadillac Escalade to achieve a 25 percent gain in fuel economy.

It means that on a highway the SUV will run around 30 miles on a gallon of gasoline.

I have to admit that I’m not a fan of the original Escalade. Not to mention any huge SUV. Seeing solo drivers in these big gas-guzzlers is just about the height of waste. Watching them lumber down the road - usually driven by someone holding a Starbucks cup - is quite a sight.

However, I will applaud Cadillac for taking something that represented true ostentatious consumption and trying to make it fuel efficient.

Do single people, with no real use for a 4-6 passenger plus storage vehicle really need one of these, hybrid or not? No. Do families of 3 plus and a dog qualify? You’re getting warmer!

However, I look at the Hybrid Cadillac Escalade development in the same way we look at all positive Green steps: making hybrid auto technology cool is very cool.

Just ask Eli Manning.