The Real Reasons Not To Worry About The Extra Expense Of Your Hybrid Car
Why? Because it is not all about money. It seems that every day I read somewhere or see on television the complaint of “Well, I won’t buy a hybrid because it would take me years and years to make back the extra expense over a regular gas engine”. Though saving money on gasoline should be a major consideration when deciding on buying a hybrid car, it is NOT the only thing you should be thinking of. But unfortunately too many people see it this way. What else should they be thinking of when making this decision?
For starters, hybrid cars pollute a lot less than conventional gasoline engines. Since most people’s driving is done locally and at speeds lower than 40 miles per hour, your hybrid would probably run on its battery power most of the time. Running on batteries = no pollution. So for a person serious about being green, this should be a major consideration. Even if I never made back the extra expense on the hybrid, just the fact that I am polluting less would make the cost worthwhile.
Secondly, the more people that buy hybrid cars, the more manufacturers will build them. Don’t think for a second that Toyota and Honda do not know this. That is why they are expanding their hybrid line to get even more buyers in to their showrooms before other manufacturers have a chance to catch up. Brand loyalty is big in the car business, and if Honda and Toyota can create it with lots of new customers, it is good for their bottom line. But even more important than that, the more manufacturers that build hybrids, the better the technology will be. Everyone will be spending money to have the next big breakthrough in hybrid technology, and this can only lead to more fuel efficiency and less pollution in the future.
So the next time someone says “It would take years to make back that extra expense in my gasoline savings” you have a reply. It is not all about saving money on gas; in fact, I would almost bet that should be the last reason that a person should buy a hybrid car. Less pollution and better technologies for the future should be the main reason. And the fact that we use less gasoline is just an added bonus at this time. Gas engines are still the majority of the market and they are not going away anytime soon. By investing in hybrid technologies, you are helping to push us all towards a cleaner future.
technorati tags:buying, hybrid, money, savings, long term
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5 Comments, Comment or Ping
Elbo
Running on batteries = no pollution.
Well that’s not completely true. It took energy to put power in the batteries, which produced pollution. Your house may run on electricity, but the coal/gas/nuclear facility that made the electricity produced pollution. Plus batteries have to be disposed of eventually, and they are extremely toxic to the environment. It’s a step in the right direction. But there are a lot of hidden environmental costs in the hybrid.
Feb 10th, 2007
David
Well, there is no pollution from the CAR when it runs on batteries. Sure, it takes energy to make the battery, but a car running on batteries uses way less energy than a car running on gas. Plus, it is non-polluting once it is in the car.
The fact is that power that comes out of a gas/coal/etc plant is way more “environmentally friendly” than the power that your gas engine emits.
As for the recycling of batteries, yes it is something they need to work on. But the original Priuses still have not needed new batteries, and think of all the gas they saved.
Thanks for the comment!
Feb 10th, 2007
mem
Directed through by fivecentnickel.
One of the real difficulties I’ve had with the hybrids is that over their entire life cycle they’re actually less energy efficient than many SUVs because of what’s required to actually make one. (See this page for a source.)
While they reduce your personal carbon footprint, they increase the industrial one.
It’s difficult to be really green, I think, without embracing complementary technologies (e.g., solar power for the house that powers your electric car and puts electricity back into the grid on good days). Unfortunately, the investment in those kind of technologies is out of the reach of most consumers, and the cost-to-benefit ratio in terms of dollars is pretty absurd.
Feb 11th, 2007
David
Mem - They are not less energy efficient, the study you are quoting from is incorrect and partially funded by Exxon and American car manufacturers. If you want links, then check out:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/ind.....Foundation
http://www.exxonsecrets.org/ht.....id=63#src5
Also, Toyota has been involved with recycling their batteries for quite some time now:
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2.....r-a-prius/
As for your cost to benefit sentence, that was my main point of the article. It is not about the extra cost, it is about clearing the air and advancing technology. If a person buys a hybrid just for the reduction in gas costs, they are doing it for the wrong reason.
Also, you might want to look into your source:
http://www.charitynavigator.or.....d/7481.htm
http://www.mediatransparency.o.....ientID=286
Feb 11th, 2007
Elbo
The EPA has just made the Fuel economy more realistic for all cars across the board for 2008. It has knocked the fuel efficiency of hybrids down by a 1/3. That puts a lot of hybrid models to have lower or equal fuel economy to some of the better fuel sippers out there. It generally stands that the more fuel you burn per mile, the higher the enviro cost.
Hybrids right now are a developing technology that just isn’t there yet. Right now it’s all about they psychological feel good. The economic and environmental costs just aren’t justified yet. But you early adopters may be somewhat misguided, you actually are benefiting us long term, as you are helping the R&D for more efficient future models. Once the real breakthroughs come, you will see the nations car fleet run to swap out for a hybrid type of vehicle.
The production of batteries is a extremely toxic process, and ultimately those batteries are not going to last forever, they will need to be recycled hopefully in an optimum manner.
Feb 14th, 2007