This of course, excludes all the extra costs associated with owning a hybrid: its significantly more complicated, with significantly more parts that can go wrong (you’re insane if you’re going to argue this: you have two engines, all sorts of electronics to regulate the balance of power between each engine, recharging the electric engine, turning the combustion engine on and off repeatedly, regenerative breaking…all cool things, but all cool things that can break that a normal car does not have); when they DO go wrong, you are stuck going to your (expensive) dealer because they are the only ones that can work on the thing. But go ahead and pretend you live in a fantasy world where a hybrid will never break because its shiny, new and environmental friendly…

More parts equates to more complexity, and more complexity can, but does not always, equate to higher risk. You could certainly point to the difference between a vacuum-tube computer and a modern-day PC as a very good example of the relationship between complexity and risk, for instance – vacuum-tube computers certainly broke down much more easily than a modern-day PC’s hardware. I would argue that hybrids are actually fairly well developed at this point, considering that the first version of the Prius was released in Japan in 1997, years before its U.S. release. Regenerative braking, for instance, actually reduces maintenance by reducing the amount of wear and tear on the brake pads. The hybrid engine does the same for the internal combustion engine by reducing the amount of time that engine has to run. The cost of a repair can vary wildly – as with any car – depending upon the kind of service required.

I do want to say a little about the recent string of recalls issued by Toyota, since those can be brought to bear here – these do not indicate a catastrophic marketing effort. Think of the Prius as a PC, since that’s essentially what it’s driven with. Every program has bugs, which is why Toyota is responsible enough to start Special Service Campaigns to ensure the health of the car and the safety of the driver. In addition, several of these recalls were across the bulk of the Toyota line and were not isolated to just the Prius.

If you want to be environmental, then perhaps you should think about how much sense it makes for you to drive yourself around your own personal 3,000 pound air-conditioned box while the vast majority of the world is lucky to consume as much energy in a lifetime as you (and I) probably do in a year.

Being environmental and facing the reality of the modern consumer culture put an environmentalist at odds. A true environmentalist would never incur a large carbon footprint. A true environmentalist would live in a city with high urban density and their residence close to their place of work; a true environmentalist would ride a bike or zero-emissions mass transit; a true environmentalist would never, ever drive a car, lest they contribute to pollution. But this isn’t reality. Reality is that one must travel long distances – mass transit is not necessarily always a viable option to this, and for the sake of convenience, it is often easier to simply buy and maintain a car. This is what consumer culture has forced upon us as a society. Does it not make sense to buy a car that reduces your impact, even if it’s not always economically feasible?

This of course, excludes all the extra costs associated with owning a hybrid: its significantly more complicated, with significantly more parts that can go wrong (you’re insane if you’re going to argue this: you have two engines, all sorts of electronics to regulate the balance of power between each engine, recharging the electric engine, turning the combustion engine on and off repeatedly, regenerative breaking…all cool things, but all cool things that can break that a normal car does not have); when they DO go wrong, you are stuck going to your (expensive) dealer because they are the only ones that can work on the thing. But go ahead and pretend you live in a fantasy world where a hybrid will never break because its shiny, new and environmental friendly…

More parts equates to more complexity, and more complexity can, but does not always, equate to higher risk. You could certainly point to the difference between a vacuum-tube computer and a modern-day PC as a very good example of the relationship between complexity and risk, for instance – vacuum-tube computers certainly broke down much more easily than a modern-day PC’s hardware. I would argue that hybrids are actually fairly well developed at this point, considering that the first version of the Prius was released in Japan in 1997, years before its U.S. release. Regenerative braking, for instance, actually reduces maintenance by reducing the amount of wear and tear on the brake pads. The hybrid engine does the same for the internal combustion engine by reducing the amount of time that engine has to run. The cost of a repair can vary wildly – as with any car – depending upon the kind of service required.
I do want to say a little about the recent string of recalls issued by Toyota, since those can be brought to bear here – these do not indicate a catastrophic marketing effort. Think of the Prius as a PC, since that’s essentially what it’s driven with. Every program has bugs, which is why Toyota is responsible enough to start Special Service Campaigns to ensure the health of the car and the safety of the driver. In addition, several of these recalls were across the bulk of the Toyota line and were not isolated to just the Prius.

If you want to be environmental, then perhaps you should think about how much sense it makes for you to drive yourself around your own personal 3,000 pound air-conditioned box while the vast majority of the world is lucky to consume as much energy in a lifetime as you (and I) probably do in a year.

Being environmental and facing the reality of the modern consumer culture put an environmentalist at odds. A true environmentalist would never incur a large carbon footprint. A true environmentalist would live in a city with high urban density and their residence close to their place of work; a true environmentalist would ride a bike or zero-emissions mass transit; a true environmentalist would never, ever drive a car, lest they contribute to pollution. But this isn’t reality. Reality is that one must travel long distances – mass transit is not necessarily always a viable option to this, and for the sake of convenience, it is often easier to simply buy and maintain a car. This is what consumer culture has forced upon us as a society. Does it not make sense to buy a car that reduces your impact, even if it’s not always economically feasible?

Now, let’s crunch some numbers together. You’re *probably* right that a regular commuter will realize no advantage if their commute is <= 30 miles each way and all they do is commute (300 miles per week, divided by 5 days per week, divided by 2 for each way). If we add in incidental driving and growing commutes, we might find that 10 year number slashed down to something more reasonable. Take drivers who commute to the Bay Area from places like Manteca, Lodi, Sacramento, and points further out. Take drivers who commute all over Los Angeles. Take drivers who live in the suburbs but work in the city. Take drivers who, while driving in the city, stop frequently and if in a full hybrid, get their gas motor turned off entirely. It is not outside the realm of possibility that people drive more than 600 miles a week on a regular basis. Even partial hybrids, like the Camry, which use more efficient gas engines augmented by an electric motor do their part. Car manufacturers, even their laggard American counterparts, are starting to realize that the push for cleaner vehicles is here again. Tesla Motors, a California company, has produced the first mass-market (at a startlingly high price, but it’s a start!) all-electric roadster. Where do we go from here? Away from the internal combustion engine, 1 step at a time.

Now, let’s crunch some numbers together. You’re *probably* right that a regular commuter will realize no advantage if their commute is <= 30 miles each way and all they do is commute (300 miles per week, divided by 5 days per week, divided by 2 for each way). If we add in incidental driving and growing commutes, we might find that 10 year number slashed down to something more reasonable. Take drivers who commute to the Bay Area from places like Manteca, Lodi, Sacramento, and points further out. Take drivers who commute all over Los Angeles. Take drivers who live in the suburbs but work in the city. Take drivers who, while driving in the city, stop frequently and if in a full hybrid, get their gas motor turned off entirely. It is not outside the realm of possibility that people drive more than 600 miles a week on a regular basis.

Even partial hybrids, like the Camry, which use more efficient gas engines augmented by an electric motor do their part. Car manufacturers, even their laggard American counterparts, are starting to realize that the push for cleaner vehicles is here again. Tesla Motors, a California company, has produced the first mass-market (at a startlingly high price, but it's a start!) all-electric roadster. Where do we go from here?

Away from the internal combustion engine, 1 step at a time.

Gee, let me go buy one today. “Buy a hybrid–it might make economic and environmental sense*. *but only if you try, really, really hard”

FACTS:
A 4-door civic costs $14k and will get 30-40mpg
http://automobiles.honda.com/models/specifications_full_specs.asp?ModelName=Civic+Sedan&Category=3

A civic hybrid costs $22k (and much of the research is subsidized, less it be even MORE expensive) and will get around 50mpg
http://automobiles.honda.com/models/specifications_full_specs.asp?ModelName=Civic+Hybrid&Category=3

Lets say you drive 300 miles per week. That means you will use 10 gallons of gas with your normal car, and 6 gallons with your hybrid. If gas is $4/gallon, that will be either $40/week or $24/week. There are 52 weeks per year. So you spend $2080/year with a normal car, or $1248/year with a hybrid. You save $832 per year using a hybrid. The hybrid is $8,000 more expensive, so it will take you 10 years before you can recoup the losses.

This of course, excludes all the extra costs associated with owning a hybrid: its significantly more complicated, with significantly more parts that can go wrong (you’re insane if you’re going to argue this: you have two engines, all sorts of electronics to regulate the balance of power between each engine, recharging the electric engine, turning the combustion engine on and off repeatedly, regenerative breaking…all cool things, but all cool things that can break that a normal car does not have); when they DO go wrong, you are stuck going to your (expensive) dealer because they are the only ones that can work on the thing. But go ahead and pretend you live in a fantasy world where a hybrid will never break because its shiny, new and environmental friendly…

If you want to be environmental, then perhaps you should think about how much sense it makes for you to drive yourself around your own personal 3,000 pound air-conditioned box while the vast majority of the world is lucky to consume as much energy in a lifetime as you (and I) probably do in a year.

Gee, let me go buy one today. “Buy a hybrid–it might make economic and environmental sense*. *but only if you try, really, really hard”

FACTS:
A 4-door civic costs $14k and will get 30-40mpg
http://automobiles.honda.com/models/specifications_full_specs.asp?ModelName=Civic+Sedan&Category=3

A civic hybrid costs $22k (and much of the research is subsidized, less it be even MORE expensive) and will get around 50mpg
http://automobiles.honda.com/models/specifications_full_specs.asp?ModelName=Civic+Hybrid&Category=3

Lets say you drive 300 miles per week. That means you will use 10 gallons of gas with your normal car, and 6 gallons with your hybrid. If gas is $4/gallon, that will be either $40/week or $24/week. There are 52 weeks per year. So you spend $2080/year with a normal car, or $1248/year with a hybrid. You save $832 per year using a hybrid. The hybrid is $8,000 more expensive, so it will take you 10 years before you can recoup the losses.

This of course, excludes all the extra costs associated with owning a hybrid: its significantly more complicated, with significantly more parts that can go wrong (you’re insane if you’re going to argue this: you have two engines, all sorts of electronics to regulate the balance of power between each engine, recharging the electric engine, turning the combustion engine on and off repeatedly, regenerative breaking…all cool things, but all cool things that can break that a normal car does not have); when they DO go wrong, you are stuck going to your (expensive) dealer because they are the only ones that can work on the thing. But go ahead and pretend you live in a fantasy world where a hybrid will never break because its shiny, new and environmental friendly…

If you want to be environmental, then perhaps you should think about how much sense it makes for you to drive yourself around your own personal 3,000 pound air-conditioned box while the vast majority of the world is lucky to consume as much energy in a lifetime as you (and I) probably do in a year.

I suppose the reason for a Toyota dealership not recommending new hybrids would be mystifying – they’re trying to sell a product. To not recommend that product makes absolutely no sense. They’re salespeople, first and foremost.

Again, how much have you paid for gas in the last year? How much gas have you pumped in the last year? I’m guessing you don’t have these numbers because you don’t track MPG by your gas receipts, and thus also don’t have the gallons pumped. It is entirely possible to recoup the cost of a hybrid – it’s not easy, but it is possible.

I suppose the reason for a Toyota dealership not recommending new hybrids would be mystifying – they’re trying to sell a product. To not recommend that product makes absolutely no sense. They’re salespeople, first and foremost.

Again, how much have you paid for gas in the last year? How much gas have you pumped in the last year? I’m guessing you don’t have these numbers because you don’t track MPG by your gas receipts, and thus also don’t have the gallons pumped. It is entirely possible to recoup the cost of a hybrid – it’s not easy, but it is possible.