Study Says Hybrids Are a Lousy Value

You can look at it any whay you want.

Hummer H2 12mpg vs. Prius

1. Hummer 50,000 + 200k mile gas cost so 12mpgX$3 a gallon= $50,000 in gas Total cost over 200k miles is $100,000
2. Prius 23,000 + 200k mile gas cost $12,000 Total cost over 200k miles is $36,000

PRIUS WINS BY $64,000

 

Chogan, aren't you an economist ? I'm surprised you are ignoring interest cost differences.

 

The strange part about all of these analysis is today's gas prices staying unchanged for 5-10 years.

 

I'm Not Dancing To This Tune

This morning I got up planning how to gather the 'counter study' data when I decided to see who else had picked it up. Using a Google news search, I found:

A massive press release and only one echo from Chuck Squatriglia. We've seen this pattern before. A hybrid skeptic will issue a press release, the 'executive summary' of some 'private' study and then journalists repeat the press release as a story. Where is the study?

We know the study has not been released to the public but only to sympathetic 'journalist.' So someone without a history of accuracy posts some outlandish claim that supports a point of view. Then a sympathetic, advocacy 'news' group echos what is no more than a false rumor. Finally, news groups that should know better considering the source report the story about the false rumor without fact checking the original false story. This is exactly what "Hybrids Are a Lousy Value" seeks.

As to the facts and data, we know hybrids span a wide range of price-performance values. Some have thankfully been discontinued like the GM belt-assisted-systems. So this story belongs in the "guilt by association" category. It would the same as saying all Americans are horrible because of American mass killers, Ted Bundy, John Gracy, and Timothy McVeigh.

So the answer to this latest hybrid smear campaign is to ask:

• Where is the study? - only people 'cooking the books' announce a summary without providing the facts and data for public scrutiny. Private studies often hide flaws. A better article would point to the study.
• Guilt by association? - point out this story follows the same pattern as criticizing journalism because of reporters Janet Cook and Jason Blair. Just as both reporters were fired for filing false stories and not all hybrids make sense.
• Consumer Reports study "Civic and Prius hybrids DO save money" - in fact, Consumer Reports published a correction when they discovered a math error which their readers pointed out. If someone loves truth, they do not fear their readers. In contrast, we can not tell if this 'private' report excluded important data and possibly the hybrid cars that do save money. BTW, the Toyota and Honda hybrids that save money have been nearly 75% of all hybrids sold.

Bob Wilson

 

I seem to notice nobody talking about if it does take 10 years to break even with a hybrid, We get to burn half of the gas we could have. So breaking even on total cost and saving up to 4,000 gallons of fuel is a good thing. I bet these people who write these studys beleive there is a endless supply of oil, and that polution/golbal warming are made up.

 

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

 

Over the top?

Bob Wilson
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You have written my sentiment exactly. I just do not understand how a greener choice that costs the same as a dirty one is anything but a no-brainer.

 

So I went to fueleconomy.gov and put in my driving pattern--more miles/yr (biassing things in favor of the Prius), higher % of highway driving (biassing things towards the Corolla) and wound up with about a $400/yr difference, rather that the default assumption $600/yr.
This would make the payback time longer.

However, I appreciate those who point out that this does not account for either additional retained value of the Prius (though this has to be proven in the market, not assumed) or for additional interest paid on the Prius (or earnings from property retained if you bought the cheaper Corolla for cash) or for differences in maintenance and insurance.
And yeah, FL_Prius_Driver, the assumption that gas prices will remain unchanged for N years is pretty funny.

As I recall, there are studies out there which try to account for all of those. Consumer Reports maybe?

If I remember, these studies tried to calculate total cost of ownership for five years, so those of us who keep cars longer, like me, need to account for that.

 

I found a study that says the opposite - http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-h...autos-save-money-in-long-run-study-finds.html

I can find you a study on anything you want. Really ;-)

 

Just make a list of this and other numerous "studies" then next time we have a gas spike like in Summer 2008, put it on the front page of PC, then comment to all said online articles.

 

Well, they are a lousy value here. But they are a good value in countries with more progressive attitudes about the environment and global warming--like the European countries and Communist China. LOL. Who would have thought.