Updated April 9, 2012
To save money
O.K. this isn't the best reason to buy a hybrid, but it
isn't as impossible as many critics would have you
believe. If you live in a city, hybrid
cars offer the best ability to save money on
gasoline; however, not all hybrids are equal in city
driving. In fact, a NYTimes study -- very critical about hybrid cost-effectiveness -- claims the Toyota Prius and the Lincoln MKZ hybrids save money within two years. For more, check out best hybrid cars financially speaking.
Honda hybrids are not the best for city conditions.
Unlike Ford and Toyota hybrids, Honda hybrids do not
function on electric power only at low speeds.
In city driving, the Toyota
Prius can easily achieve 45 mpg or more. Something
like the Ford Focus, achieves just 17 mpg. In fact, in
the city, the far majority of ALL conventional vehicles
are going to achieve less than 20 mpg. Even worse, many
trucks and SUVs will achieve less than 10 mpg in the
city. Here again, the Toyota
Highlander hybrid or the Ford
Escape hybrid offer their best gasoline savings. The Lexus
RX400h does its best here as well, but who buys a
Lexus to save money?
To reduce pollution
Pollution, like fuel economy, is a tricky subject. For
example, why does smog develop in cities? Is it just
because of the large number of cars, or are driving
conditions an important factor?
Congestion, stop-and-go, and idling bring out the worst
in our vehicles, except for hybrids. A Prius or Escape
hybrid will function on mostly electric power in these
conditions, and in these conditions, conventional
vehicles simply offer no competition. Overall, hybrids
produce far less pollution than conventional vehicles,
and in the conditions that produce the most pollution,
hybrids perform their best.
To help end foreign oil dependency
Why do people buy Hummers, Cadillacs, and BMWs? Why do
people put rims on their cars? Don't they want to make a
statement?
For many hybrid buyers, buying a hybrid is a message
that says, 'I am willing to fund fuel efficient
technology.' This message is especially aimed at
automakers whom have contributed to America's yearly
increase in foreign oil consumption - automakers that
have for decades successfully lobbied Congress not to
raise fuel efficiency standards nor to make the EPA
accurate.
How do you put a cost on foreign oil consumption? How
much does it cost to maintain a military presence in the
Middle East to protect America's oil addiction? How much
money does it cost to influence the politics of the
Middle East? How much money does it cost to try to stop
the flow of money that moves from oil into the hands of
terrorists?
How much? How many lives?
If the real costs of foreign oil dependency were added
into the price of gasoline, the question of hybrid costs
would immediately be over. Since oil wealth largely runs
America, should we be surprised those costs are
separated?
Only in America can Hummer ads fill the advertising
slots of articles criticizing the costs of hybrid cars.
Only in America is materialistic ignorance more
acceptable than intelligence.
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