Ins and Outs of Hybrids

Strike one against hybrids is the styling. Without forcing my perfectly unbiased opinion on any of you, I feel like it's safe to say that the models that make it to production have traditionally been... ugly. Normally I would end my hybrid discussion right there (because really, who wants to be caught in a car that looks like a slug), but in the interest of full disclosure of information, I shall elaborate.

Le Cost of Le Hybrid

It all starts at the dealership: the increase in the upfront cost of buying a hybrid car as opposed to a regular gasoline-powered vehicle can be significant. As in $5,000+ significant. Now this isn't true for every hybrid, but considering that the Toyota Prius accounts for 48% of all hybrid sales in the US in the last 10 years, it isn't unreasonable to assume that the average consumer will see this price difference or one that is similar.

Consider for a moment the Prius and Toyota Corolla. These cars appeal to a relatively similar consumer base, but the Corolla costs much less up front ($16,000) than the Prius ($22,000). That's a HUGE difference right off the bat. Scroll down for a second and look at the bottom of that table- that's the extra cost of owning a Pruis after 5 years... Remember that extra wad of cash you handed to that salesman? Congrats! You've now saved 800 bucks! Just kidding...you've actually only lost 5200.

Unfortunately, this is frequently the case. Scan the table again and of these cars, the only comparison that is actually in favor of the hybrid is the Prius-Camry matchup.

Model	Edmunds.com True Market Value® price plus ownership costs*	Additional cost to own hybrid
Ford Escape Hybrid	$50,521
Ford Escape XLT AWD	$47,092	$3,429
Honda Accord Hybrid	$49,972
Honda Accord EX V-6	$46,156	$3,816
Honda Civic Hybrid	$36,666
Honda Civic LX	$32,993	$3,672
Toyota Prius	$37,893
Toyota Corolla LE	$32,610	$5,283
Toyota Camry LE	$37,974

Table courtesy of Edmunds.com

Bummer.

But in all fairness, there are a few newer models not included in that particular study that do actually give little improvements after a while if you can stomach the initial price jump. See this if you have time to peruse a lot of numbers, or this if you'd rather see some pretty pictures and take somebody's word that they're right. And when all else fails, fueleconomy.gov can give you personal estimates of costs for whatever comparison you want.

 Green? Or Not?

So let's just assume that you didn't actually buy your hybrid for the financial savings because you already knew that it would take way too long to actually see a positive difference. I mean, by the time you could start bragging to your buddies at the bars that your hybrid is saving you money, they'll probably be flying around on nuclear-powered hoverboards. Instead, you bought your hybrid in order to cut back on the harmful gases you're pumping into the atmosphere (so you feel better about towing your 9-second '72 Camaro to the drag strip with your souped up hummer).

Hybrids do get better fuel economy than regular gasoline-powered cars. That's pretty much an accepted fact. Therefore it stands to reason that they must produce fewer harmful emissions, right? How much fewer? Well, not as much as they ideally could.

Think about it: the key advantage to hybrids is the fact that they can shut the gas engine completely off. This is great for city use when a lot of time is spent stopped at lights in constant stop-and-go traffic. The problem with this is that hybrids tend to spend a lot of time on the highways as well, and the engine runs that whole time. Assisted by the electric motor, yes, but still burning gas just like the rest of us (mwuahahaha).

Without going into all the math behind the studies, during the average life of a hybrid, it'll produce roughly 20% less greenhouse gases than your comparable gas-powered vehicle. (Sidenote- I'm 99% sure that hyperlink is behind a firewall on the University of Delaware network so if it doesn't work, it's not your fault. It's just a lengthy study done at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute about hybrids that would be interesting if you have time and can read it.  The emissions stuff is on page 16 but the whole report in general is decent).

This is a good thing! If every person in the US traded every car they own for a hybrid, there would be a 20% reduction in automobile pollution. Right? Well, kinda.

That just does not look good for my lungs

Yes, emissions from the actual use of the car would decrease, but that's not the only part of a hybrid's life that pollutes the environment. It's important to consider the production energies and costs involved in hybrids. All those advanced materials in hybrid cars come with a cost. Aluminum, cobalt, lithium, these metals all require significant processing before they are turned into something useful. In particular,  obtaining cobalt and lithium requires extensive mining operations using big and inefficient gasoline and diesel machines. The basic effect of this is an even further reduction of the positive environmental impact of hybrids. 

TL;DR What it comes down to is this: the two primary driving factors for buying a hybrid have some serious flaws. Very few hybrids will actually save the purchaser money in the short run (sorry, I know that's not what you wanted to hear). And in case you thought you were safe taking the financial hit for the sake of the environment, more bad news: pollution reduction over the complete life of a hybrid is actually kinda pitiful. To really be nice to mother nature, you're much better off just buying some training wheels and hopping back on your bike if you want to be green.