Green Daily

(Photo by Mike Hussein Cohen, Flickr)

According to the Prius' latest ad campaign, the hybrid supposedly strikes a harmony between man, nature and machine, but if you asked about 100+ residents of Ellington, Connecticut, they might have a different take on iconic fuel-sipper and the people who drive it. In fact, what you hear may well be an angry rant peppered with some f-bombs.

That's because a Prius driver is single-handily responsible for launching an unintentional attack on the town's power grid. I know what you're probably thinking: an overzealous Prius driver somehow blew up the power grid while trying to charge his car with a homemade charger contraption ... Well that's not it at all.

This driver isn't at all what people have in mind when they joking refer it as the Toyota "Pious." Around 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning, a Prius driver from the dark side ran smack into a utility pole, knocking out power to over 100 houses and then fleeing the scene on foot.

Police still haven't found the driver or been able to determine what exactly did happen. I know this goes without saying, but police suspect that alcohol may have been involved, hence the wreck and run scenario.

Not only did the driver cause a blackout that lasted for over 5 hours, they also managed to shut down Route 286 for the morning rush hour. Woohoo! Congratulations, anonymous hit-and-run Prius driver, you've single-handily given the Prius' image a punch in the face.

Fortunately for all the responsible Prius drivers out there, Toyota is currently engaged in some damage control. In honor of the Prius' new seemingly popular ad campaign, Toyota is hauling these giantic 18-foot solar flowers across the country fully equipped with lounge chairs, cell phone and laptop charging stations, and free wi-fi.