Saving Money On Gas Is Not A Good Reason To Pay Extra For Hybrids
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 any 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 could probably run on its battery power a lot of the time. Running on batteries = no pollution and no burning of gasoline. 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 and lower their prices. 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.
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- From The Good Human Archives – May.
- EarthTalk: On Electric Or Plug-In Cars Getting Charged From Polluting Plants.
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When I was forced to get a different car last year when gas was tickling $4/gal, I went with a hybrid for these reasons you mention aside from fuel cost. Many cars out there get good gas mileage (not great, good), but the fact that hybrids spew NO emissions when they are in electric mode was a driving lol force. I get up to 35 mpg and so does a small Toyota or a Dodge Caliber (daughter has one), but mine runs on electric with no emissions probably 50% of the time. If I spent more time in town, that would be less. But, agreed, it’s not always about mpg and saving money.
I agree with you on this. If we always based our decisions on price and cost savings, we would never make a well-informed decision. I recently bought a Dyson vacuum that costs 2 to 3 times as much money as other top-end vacuums, and it was the best money we every spent to keep our house clean and eliminate dog hair in our home.
Hybrids has more value than just fuel efficiency, and if more consumers buy them, then demand goes up and prices naturally fall.