This entry was posted on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 8:17 am and is filed under hybrid vehicles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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November 16, 2009
I hate to sit on the fence, but the answer is: it depends. Not all hybrids are built the same, not all hybrids do as well as others.
At the end of the day, a good hybrid system (a full hybrid) is capable of upping your fuel efficiency by at least 25%. That is worth it in my book.
If you want to talk about economic gains, all hybrids pay off in time, it just takes longer for some. The Prius is estimated to pay off it’s premium in about 3 years. The current Vue Greenline can take up to 7 years. But that’s the difference between a full hybrid and a mild hybrid system.
Plug-ins, which are supposed to be available in reasonable numbers by 2010 (maybe 2011) may be a more viable energy alternative, since you may be able to switch your day to day energy consumption wholly from oil/gas and onto the electric grid. That’s a true alternative. Some may argue that it’s not a better alternative, but it does give you a choice.
My opinion on hybrids, as they exist today, is they are not really energy alternatives. They simply extend your gasoline useage by giving you better fuel economy.
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