Two year payback on hybrids?

[/quote]Just a guess, but it might have had something to do with a large fraction of the early adopters being liberals, progressives, and educated to climate change.

 

Just a guess, but it might have had something to do with a large fraction of the early adopters being liberals, progressives, and educated to climate change.[/quote]

It could be. I think EV is evolving from early adopters to Critical Mass is some places like Japan and California where a Hybrid (Prius) is the #1 selling car. However the Press needs to get behind it and help a little rather than spin nonsense around the product and reduce momentum. lets face it if we can increase MPG and have Cleaner Air consumers and companies benefit. One Day ICE will be a relic of the past as was the Steam Engine. It will be museums and the memories of the old.

 

While nationally hybrid sales are at 3%, the Prius was or is the best selling vehicle in CA. With the intro of CMax, ES 300H and the new MKZ Hybrid listed for same msrp as the non-hybrid model, I see hybrid vehicles becoming more mainstream within the next 5 years. I recently saw many Pri's in NY, used as taxi's, delivery vehicles, even local goverments. But I still have people asking me how often I have to "plug it in". People won't get the whole hybrid thing until it's not a "thing" anymore. When it gets to the point where people need/want a new car, and they find the one they want because it's exactly what they're looking for, in spite of it being a hybrid, then you'll see hybrid sales pushing 30 - 50% of the market.

 

I think the key to wider adoption is lower financing costs that transfer any initial purchase premium into a monthly expense that is lower than the gasoline costs of a lower mpg vehicle.

You still have the expense of insuring a premium cost vehicle, so the fuel cost savings need to accommodate the extra insurance costs as well.

 

Not to mention completely irrelevant unless you pay cash for the car.

 

Perhaps the media, news, and the manufacturers need to educate the public on what a Hybrid is. It seems many have half-truths and many just lack basic information. Recently when I pulled my new Prius up to a parking spot and sat at a sidewalk cafe a couple struck up a conversation with my wife and I on how I like the Prius. I was amazed about what little they new about the car. I felt like the Prius spokesperson. They had range anxiety on a Hybrid and I said you just full up the tank with gas just like your Ford. they also thought that resale value would be much less because the battery would be expenisve to replace. When I mentioned the 15 year or 150,000 California Prius battery warranty they almost jumped in there car and raced to the dealer. I also said that salvage battery goes for about $500 + labor if they are out of warranty that quickly dispelled the myth. Now they looked at the car as a good investment.

 

I always thought that cars are emotional buys and not financial buys because people are more emotional than logical. Point in case if the decision was strickly financial than we all would be driving stripped down Honda Civic's or the cheapest car in the lineup.

 

If my car just sat in my driveway, the lowest cost car would be the cheapest. For better or worse I drive 30,000 miles a year, so lowest cost is not cheapest.

 

I used to drive 35,000 - 40,000 miles a year 15 years ago. I had a Honda Civic and a great Stereo, good phone plan, and just highway driving for the most part. Had to change the oil every month. I drove a Honda Civic and before I sold it I clocked over 200,000 miles. It was low cost compared to many cars. I used to car pool but the guy I car pooled with left the company. I have freinds who live and work in the City and gave up on cars for public Transportation and the occasional Zip Car rental by the hour on weekends etc. Most like it except for the lack of privacy public transportation provides and occasional safety issue.

 

...yes that was short and semi-sweet. I think is was 50,000 or about 1/2 year for Toyota purchase at the rate Prius sales were going. I have paraphrased it here as a gov't money given to auto companies other than Toyota to help them compete against Prius.

 

^^ My recollection is 4 blocks of 60k cars each, with each block an additional 25% less than the maximum starting subsidy.

I do not recall clearly if this subsidy was the initial tax deduction subsidy or the later tax credit.

Addendum: I jogged my memory courtesy of fueleconomy.gov:
This was the era of the tax credit, although the tax deduction also had sunset provisions.
Each 60k cars sold triggered the next drop in subsidy, although the drop would not take effect until the then present six month interval had passed.

A bit confusing -- I think it was done this way to assure a consumer that they had not unknowingly exceeded the presumed 60k tranche.

 

Yes it did step next to 50% based on sales, not sure about 25% but no one wants to go back to that exact example.

It was a tax credit, but it was a mess on the IRS FORM 1040
calcs reduced your credit starting at middle class-type income levels due to AMT considerations. It stands more as the example of how not to do a auto tax credit incentive.

But our Prius is paying off like a slot machine. I think environmental awareness is all about doing the right thing for the long term payout vs. 2 yr payout. So what - we had to wait 4-5 yrs to break even? Now every day I get a check in the mail. If only the non-Prius owners knew our little secrets!

 

I disagree (but not by much)

My environmentalism only demands that people protect the environment if it is no more expensive than damaging the environment. That would seem to be a low bar to hurdle, but not for this country.

 

I have multiple clients I visit in a large area, so I am not going to the same locations each day. Today I saw two clients in Clarksdale MS, then one in Cleveland MS. Tomorrow may well be Clarksdale and Lyon MS. Some days are as many as 250 miles, others as short as 110 miles.

 

All those miles and how mang other Prius do you see?

 

First, understand that MS has the fewest Prius per capita of any state: one car in 1400 is a Prius. I see about 5 Prius, two Gen 2 with Episcopalian stickers, one other Gen 2 in the Little Theatre, and a white Gen 3.

I spent last week in WA, I am sure I saw more Prius than I saw all year in MS. Today I saw my second v in MS, I think.

 

Well you are doing cart wheels to the bank with all the money you are saving.

 

Yep hybrid early adopters, So we row on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

 

Which is nice as I did not buy it to save money!

2010 Prius School Project! | PriusChat

Given that I can't reduce the number of miles I drive, I set out to reduce the impact of those miles.