What driving a hybrid will really cost you

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(coloradospringsprius @ Apr 28 2006, 06:32 PM) [snapback]246895[/snapback]</div>

I guess you missed some key news releases. Every major car manufacturer has hybrids coming out, and Toyota has stated that every car in its lineup will be a hybrid within five years.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(gippah @ Apr 29 2006, 01:40 AM) [snapback]247104[/snapback]</div>

I've read the same news. Toyota has said that every car in its lineup will be available as a hybrid by 2010 (they made this statement in 2005). That's very different from saying every Toyota will be a hybrid.

Even with the success of the Prius, Toyota has only been increasing hybrid production by 50 to 65 percent a year. That percentage will have to rise for Toyota to reach its other stated goal of a million hybrids a year by 2010. Even if all those hybrids were sold in the US (I don't recall, but I don't think that's Toyota's claim), that would be fewer than half of the 2,260,000 Toyotas sold in the US last year.

And that's Toyota, the acknowledged leader in hybrid technology. Except for Honda and (barely) Ford, all other manufacturers are orders of magnitude behind. Ford, you'll recall, was complaining a few months ago that they were having a hard time getting battery packs because Toyota was hogging so much of the available production. So I stand by my original post.

 

You read a different news article. There was one this year stating that Toyota is going all hybrid.

Stand by your post all you want to. I wouldn't expect you to do any different. But in 3-5 years, you'll be buying the beer for me, not vice-versa.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(clintd555 @ Apr 27 2006, 08:59 AM) [snapback]246068[/snapback]</div>

15,000 miles per year, EPA fuel economy numbers, which are really a little high for the Prius real-world.

Sorry for the delayed responce.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(gippah @ Apr 29 2006, 03:48 PM) [snapback]247259[/snapback]</div>

Reference, please - I can't find this in either the PriusChat archives or on Google.

If your're right, I will HAPPILY buy the beer in five years - I think it would be great if hybrids were that common!