Here is another hybrid related article about a car I reported on earlier.Car A gets a fuel efficiency of 46 miles per gallon. Car B gets about 50 miles per gallon. Car A is called the Toyota Prius and is hailed by environmentalists as a step towards solving global warming. Car B, a new car called the Tata Nano unveiled by an Indian company, is reviled by environmentalists as disastrous for global warming. The New York Times devotes an entire editorial condemning the Tata Nano. Columnist and author Tom Friedman calls for the Tata Nano to be "taxed like crazy." The reason for this extreme criticism? The Tata Nano is cheap - very cheap. It is a revolutionary new car design that will cost only about $2,500 and will bring car ownership within reach of millions of new people in the developing world.

The Little Car that Environmentalists Love to Hate

Labels: hybrid, money saving tip, tata nano

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Hybrids have their purpose, but that purpose is directed for a fairly targeted group. At the end of 2007, there where only 351,000 hybrid cars on the road. That means that hybrids have not met the average consumer's needs in the one of the areas of affordable or desirable. The fact is that hybrids are not ready for prime time.

More time is needed for the technology to catch up. Take for instance, a standard commuting car, for this purpose I will use a Toyota Yaris. It consistently gets around 32-35mpg every week (year round). Let us say it will be driven approximately 17,000 miles per year. At 31mpg, that means there will be 548 gallons of gas used. Worst case scenario at $4/gal you will be spending $2,192 per year in fuel.

If we were to drive a Toyota Prius, there are some things to consider. I commute about 30 miles every day on the highway. There is plenty of stop and go traffic and some high speed. I also live in Kansas where the weather can vary from very hot in the summer, to ice cold in the winter with blowing/drifting snow. This varied environment causes havoc with hybrids because they end up utilizing the gas engine more than they might normally. Try starting a car on a very cold morning, that slow turnover is from the effect of the cold on the battery.

So, how much do I save on the Prius driving 17,000 miles per year? We will use the combined mpg from the fueleconomy.gov of 46 MPG. 370 gallons @ $4 = $1,480 (savings of $712 over the standard commuter). It would take you over the life of the car just to payback the difference between a gas only car and a hybrid vehicle. The average life of a car is right around eight years and the pay back on gas alone between the Yaris and Prius would be close to 11.5 years or 196,000 miles. For car prices, I used a 2008 Prius at $21,100 and a 2008 Yaris at $12,950.

Even the most ardent hybrid supporters would recognize that someone who drives a Prius and someone who drives a 15 passenger van have entirely different needs in their vehicle. A Prius will not cut it when you have a family of 11 (or more). Besides, try towing a trailer with your Prius and that picture gets even more hilarious.

Ultimately, rather than worrying about what someone else is driving, it makes sense to figure out when or if a hybrid makes sense for your situation. If you can justify the cost increase for a hybrid, buy it. However, if you are just buying it for an overall fuel savings, you are going to realize that economics is not your strong suit.

Labels: hybrid, money saving tip

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