US Policy undermines hybrids

I'm getting tired of saying the same thing over and over whenever I see a news article on hybrids.

iht.com written by David Leonhardt

First, hybrids have the most overblown mileage ratings in the auto industry. In the U.S. government's road tests, which are conducted in a world without much traffic or any air conditioning, the Prius gets 55 miles to the gallon, or 23 kilometers to the liter. (The Corolla gets 29 miles to the gallon.)

Consumer Reports says the Prius really goes 44 miles on a gallon of gasoline. When I used one last week - and there is no denying that it's a great car to drive - I got 45 in New York City and on local highways.

They always mention how the EPA rating on hybrid cars are overblown. Why not mention that EPA ratings are overblown on ALL cars? Why say I only got 45 mpg, even though it's rated for 55, but not mention that in the author's car, he was promised 33 by the EPA, but only gets 26?

And then they always mention this:

You can guess what this means for hybrids. Each one becomes a free pass for its manufacturer to sell a few extra gas guzzlers.

This statement implies hybrid buyers are bad because others drive gas guzzlers. No mention of how the hybrid cars don't pollute as much? Or how about how car manufacturers are not reaching this goal for average gas consumption and are simply paying the fines each year. If someone buys a hybrid, it doesn't mean that someone else is free to buy a large car. American consumers are buying the large cars, irregardless of what someone else is doing.