Do Hybrids cars actually makes a big difference in saving gas per gallon?

Answer 1

It makes a difference but they are miniscule...Hybrids are still in their infancy. More of a diversion than a solution however. If we were considering overall "wow"'s per mile, the gasoline alternatives are better.

Answer 2

Gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles are touted as a way to help the environment. But when you start to look at the economics of hybrids, they do not make so much sense.

Doing a financial exercise with Toyota's Prius, the market-dominating and iconic hybrid, makes this clear.

Driving a Prius for five years and 125,000 miles (rather than one of the 20-some nonhybrid small cars on the market) will reduce our national crude-oil trade debt by $3,000 during the five-year period.

That sounds good until you discover that importing the Japan-built Prius will immediately add $13,000 to our national trade debt. And then our federal government, in its infinite wisdom, will give an average $1,700 tax credit to buyers of the Prius.

Finally, studies indicate the owner (or series of owners) may never break even with a Prius hybrid due to its higher initial price (compared with comparable vehicles), costlier insurance, license, maintenance and battery replacement. Others indicate the owner (or series of owners) can show a small savings of up to $1,000.

The result is blackhole economics. Our federal government, daily falling deeper in debt, must borrow from a domestic or overseas source, possibly Japan, the $1,700 to pay the Prius buyer for the tax credit. Americans add $13,000 in trade debt for importing the vehicle to save $3,000 in oil trade debt over five years. And at best, the Prius owner may generate a small savings.

The bottom line is, Americans lose big economically, but don't gain much environmentally.

There is a better idea. America could encourage the sales of partial zero-emission vehicles, which are 90 percent cleaner than a normal new vehicle and generate near-zero evaporative emissions. And they get decent fuel economy. For example, a Ford Focus PZEV gets 25 miles per gallon in the city and 33 mpg on the highway.

Selling millions of less complicated PZEV vehicles nationally, rather than in the few current states, would do much for the ecology.

Encouraging the production of cleaner gasoline, alcohol additives, diesel technology and local production of more hybrids would do more for our ecology and economy than importing a mix of hybrids, some designed for power and acceleration and negligible fuel savings.

Any national economy can operate for years on money borrowed from other countries. Unfortunately, sooner or later the foreign holders of treasury notes say: No more.

There needs to be a balance between ecological and economic needs. Hybrids may or may not be the ultimate solution, but encouraging a mix of fuel-efficient vehicles currently built in the United States would do a better job of benefiting America both environmentally and especially economically.

Answer 3

Yes/No. The problem with the hybrids are that the insurance for them is so high. By the time you consider all the variables for the cost of ownership you are paying the same if not more then the lowest model with a manual transmission of a traditional car. For example they did some number crunching for the Honda Insight v.s. the Honda civic 2-door hatchback with manual transmission. It is actually cheaper to own (considering all factors of cost) a honda civic 2-door hatchback with a manual transmission then a honda insight. However, I think this will change in the future when insuracne companies further recognize these vehicles. The cashback offers or tax cuts for hybrid vehicles are also dwindelling the government are cutting some of these programs. You also have to consider reapair on these vehicles. You can't take these to your normal mechanic when something goes wrong.

Answer 4

WAIT, Toyota and some other companies are planning Plug-In Hybrids, http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGIC,GGIC:2006-32,GGIC:en&q=plug+in+hybrid, some startup companies in CA are converting Prius's to PIHs. Instead of the car charging the batteries, you plug it in at home. Read up on it.

Answer 5

Absolutely! Because electricity is also used to run the car so therefore if you are not using only gas to run the car you are using less of it and therefore getting more miles for your gallon

Answer 6

what is going to be the big issue is battery replacement. theres a place in California that has better batteries that can raise mpg into the hundreds. However $7,000 for batteries.

Answer 7

Some get over 60 MPG.