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Hybrid Cars - Do the Figures Add Up
by Scott HarkerHybrid cars are the new environmentally aware way to drive. They are very fashionable among the young professional classes at the moment, and a great way of displaying your green credentials to the world.
Although the ecological advantage may be the main factor in your wish to buy a hybrid car, the cost implications are important. It is worth having a look at the main points to see how the costs add up.
Until now, many who might otherwise purchase a hybrid car have been unsure as to the cost benefits of this new breed of automobile. While the environmental advantages have been clear, the cost advantages have been in question, because of the higher sticker price of hybrids.
Enviromentally, the average hybrid car produces between 20-90 percent less emissions than its gas guzzling counterpart. The high range of 90 percent is usually achieved while using the electric motor at low speeds around town. The benefit of to your lungs and general health are hard to quantify, but the value of cleaner air is real. The fuel saving are obvious, mpg's tend to range in the low 30's to 50 plus depending upon the models.
Still there has always been an uncertain cost analysis as to whether buying a hybrid car saved you money in the long run, or added to your motoring costs.
Hybrid cars have maintained a price premium compared to their more conventional counterparts. Mainly this is due to the cost of the extra, and much more complicated, technology involved. This is not just because of the separate electric motor that is needed to power the car when not using gasoline, but to the need for seamlessly integrating the two power sources when switching from one to the other.
Other expensive features in hybrid cars include weight reduction, additional generating capacity to charge up the batteries and a regenerative braking system. This all adds to the higher cost of hybrid cars. The regenerative braking system is an important component of the fuel savings. When the car is braking, instead of the brakes being applied solely to slow the car, the electric motor is engaged, without power, and so runs backwards. The drag from the motor assists the braking motion and at the same time generates electricity for the batteries. This saves power that would otherwise be lost!
These new systems on hybrid cars are expensive to produce and are the main reason why the the price of a hybrid car is above that of a similar, traditionally powered model. Can you recoup these initial higher outlays with the lower running costs? The recent, dramatic rises in fuel costs, a trend that looks set to continue for the foreseeable future, puts the answer closer into the "yes" column.
But does it all ads up? Is the fuel cost saving with hybrid cars enough to offset the original cost outlay? Or is running a hybrid car just an expensive way of helping the environment while leaving you individually poorer?
Part of the answer depends on the sort of driving you do. If you are doing no more than 10,000 miles a year, and intend on keeping your hybrid cars for an average of five years, then it is unlikely that you would accrue enough savings at the fuel pump to offset the original higher cost of owning a hybrid car. However if you are a higher mileage driver covering 25-50,000 miles a year, then the fuel efficiency factor turns it into a whole different ball game. If you regularly cover these sorts of mileages and are not too heavy with the gas, you could rack up substantial savings with a hybrid car. Under these circumstances, the economics make much more sense. And real savings can be made if the car is kept for a longer period of years. Another saving grace for the hybrid car as far as costs go, are the current federal tax breaks now being applied. These tax incentives may push you towards a decision that hybrid car can indeed be a viable, cost effective alternative to conventional motoring.
Although cost is not always the main reason behind the decision to buy a hybrid car, it is still worth taking a little while to consider the cost advantages or otherwise. The cost of motoring is a substantial part of the equation in any household budget and not one that can readily be ignored. If the type of motoring you do fits, then there are considerable advantages to a hybrid vehicle over a traditionally powered car.
The price hikes at the gas pump makes the cost analysis more and more favorable for hybrids. And, just as computers tend to be less expensive every year, the competition towards higher and higher mpg vehicles will also drive down the cost of hybrids.
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