$7 per gallon before a hybrid is worth it

http://www.smartplanet.com/technolog...reak-even/205/

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While there are plenty of environmental (and political) reasons to buy a hybrid car, money isn’t one of them — at least for now.

According to a study from Cargurus.com, gas prices would have to reach about $7 in order for some hybrids to break even in terms of expense as compared to their non-hybrid cousins.

The website analyzed 43 hybrids from 2003 to 2010 and found that on average most hybrids cost 17 percent — about $6,400 — more than their gasoline-powered counterparts.

That said, with gas prices increasing the way they are currently, investing in a Toyota Camry Hybrid or a Ford Escape Hybrid would actually be the most cost-efficient thing to do in the long run.

The Toyota Camry Hybrid would need gas to rise to about $4 a gallon — which it’s already at in some parts of the country — to break even. The Ford Escape Hybrid showed a break even point of $2.50 per gallon.

Currently the Camry hybrid costs about $3,300 more than the non-hybrid version, while the Ford Escape Hybrid is $3,500 more than the conventional model.

On the other hand, gas would have to cost $15 per gallon for the cost of a Cadillac Escalade Hybrid to break even.

Curiously, the Prius was not included in this study because it doesn’t have a gas-powered equivalent.

While cost is something that always comes up when there is a discussion about hybrids and electric vehicles, it is important to note that at a time of increased political and environmental uncertainty, fuel-efficient cars have plenty of advantages over their gasoline-powered counterparts, beyond just price. They produce less emissions (for the same distance traveled) and they help cut our dependence on foreign oil (eventually allowing us to become energy-independent as a country).

As U.S. president Barack Obama said at a press conference last week, “We’ve got to make our economy more energy-efficient and energy-independent over the long run.”

Update: The total cost of ownership for the hybrid and non-hybrid models was compared for each vehicle to determine the total cost of ownership premium for hybrids. This total cost of ownership included the initial purchase price, lost value in terms of depreciation and total gas costs over the time period analyzed.

Via Detroit Free Press

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*waits for the pro-republican spin*

What about it Darrin? Do you have a personal take on the article?

So one hybrid is already "worth it" and another is a few cents away from being "worth it."

Thanks, Darrin, for running away from this so quickly.

I wish the article said what kind of timeframe got assumed for the analysis, or at least gave a years to break even point using today's gas prices. Without that it's hard to know how much value to put in these numbers.

Agreed. Plus things like costs of the vehicles/batteries are not necessarily constant either...

The numbers just do not add up the way they have them presented unless a person only keeps a car for a short time.

For example, it says the Camry hybrid costs $3300 more and then claims gas would have to be $4 per gallon to break even. That means that over the life of the car, the person would only be buying about 825 fewer gallons of gas. I buy about 50 gallons per month, or 600 gallons per year. My use would be say 2/3 of this with a hybrid- or 400 gallons per year. Saving on 200 gallons per year at $4 per gallon, I break even at just past the 4 year mark. I keep cars much longer than that.

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Originally Posted by ploto

The numbers just do not add up the way they have them presented unless a person only keeps a car for a short time.

For example, it says the Camry hybrid costs $3300 more and then claims gas would have to be $4 per gallon to break even. That means that over the life of the car, the person would only be buying about 825 fewer gallons of gas. I buy about 50 gallons per month, or 600 gallons per year. My use would be say 2/3 of this with a hybrid- or 400 gallons per year. Saving on 200 gallons per year at $4 per gallon, I break even at just past the 4 year mark. I keep cars much longer than that.

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It might also be factoring the cost of electricity required to charge the vehicles (when plugged in)...

i.e. Lower operating gasoline budget but higher electric bill...

Maybe it's just me, but why would consumers worry about the "average" price of a hybrid?

If you have 30 hybrid models and 28 of them are $70,000 or more, but the remaining 2 are competitively priced, do you really care about those other models or their influence on the mean price? You still have two viable options for hybrids that don't cost appreciably more than their ICE-only counterparts.

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Originally Posted by ploto

The numbers just do not add up the way they have them presented unless a person only keeps a car for a short time.

For example, it says the Camry hybrid costs $3300 more and then claims gas would have to be $4 per gallon to break even. That means that over the life of the car, the person would only be buying about 825 fewer gallons of gas. I buy about 50 gallons per month, or 600 gallons per year. My use would be say 2/3 of this with a hybrid- or 400 gallons per year. Saving on 200 gallons per year at $4 per gallon, I break even at just past the 4 year mark. I keep cars much longer than that.

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The lithium batteries may not last that long, $5K to replace, totally wiping out even best-case savings. Early adopter Prius buyers have already been whacked.

And try to sell a 3-year-old hybrid with dead battery replacement looming in less that 3 years.

4-cyl diesel gets better mileage and longer range than hybrids. Check out drivers' reports on VW Jetta diesel for the last several years.

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Originally Posted by LnGrrrR

What about it Darrin? Do you have a personal take on the article?

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I think hybrid vehicles are one of the few technologies where an inferior product actually costs more.

Did you even read this before you posted it?

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Originally Posted by boutons_deux

4-cyl diesel gets better mileage and longer range than hybrids. Check out drivers' reports on VW Jetta diesel for the last several years.

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Hybrids are for fools, clean diesel is the future. Hopefully our govt will pull it's head out of it's ass and make it happen sooner rather than later.

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Originally Posted by SnakeBoy

Hybrids are for fools, clean diesel is the future. Hopefully our govt will pull it's head out of it's ass and make it happen sooner rather than later.

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Purely electric cars are the future.

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Originally Posted by MannyIsGod

Purely electric cars are the future.

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Yeah that's what I keep hearing for the last 30 years. What kind of purely electric car do you recommend I go out and buy?

We're a lot closer today than we were 30 years ago. 30 years ago we didn't have a Volt or all of these hybrids. 30 years ago we didn't have the technology we have today and 30 years ago we didn't have the oil situation we have today and we certainly didn't have 4 dollar gasoline 30 years ago.

10-15 years from now will almost certainly see purely electric cars on the market - especially with improvements in solar cells.

"Hopefully our govt will pull it's head out of it's ass"

huh? don't you hate govt? expect nothing good from it?

The govt tax policy to encourage a switch to diesel is a high tax on gasoline, so diesel is cheaper per gallon (as well as getting better mileage).

Of course, the Europeans and Japs are way ahead of the UCA on diesel tech, because those countries' govts encouraged by tax policy switching to diesel a long time ago, and the car companies research came up with small, quiet, efficient, clean burning diesel.

The UCA does what's best for corps (don't switch to diesel, keep using/wasting lots of oil for increasingly expensive(windfall profitable), dead-end gasoline) rather than what's best for the country (reduce oil imports by reducing fuel usage).

Shit. I'm going to have to trade in my diesel before the VRWC finds out I have one.

MB is marked man. The VRWC knows where you live.

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Originally Posted by boutons_deux

The lithium batteries may not last that long, $5K to replace, totally wiping out even best-case savings.

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The article claimed they based their calculations on the cost of the vehicle, the price of gas, and depreciation, so that is how I calculated my numbers without knowing depreciation comparisons.

I really liked the South Park Prius episode ….

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Originally Posted by Phenomanul

It might also be factoring the cost of electricity required to charge the vehicles (when plugged in)...

i.e. Lower operating gasoline budget but higher electric bill...

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This article is about Hybrids, not Plug in EVs

i think the purpose is to cut back on oil.

forgot to blue that.