Hybrid Cars vs Gasoline Cars

We have all heard the advantages and positive environmental impacts that hybrid cars get. Is it all true? This study that was released by Worcester Polytechnic Institute completely goes against most positive reasons to purchase a Hybrid. Some excerpts from the study…

The data suggested that the production of hybrids consumes more energy and releases more emissions than the production of conventional cars. This is mostly because of the advanced materials that are required in hybrids. It was also determined that hybrids are not a great investment for the consumer.  For a hybrid to break even with the higher price a
consumer will have to drive primarily in the city and for more miles than the average person keeps a car for.

With the current gas price hovering around $2.80 per gallon, a consumer would have to drive Fusion Hybrid over 150,000 miles, only in the city, before they started saving gas money. Conversely, if all of their driving was done on the highway, they would have to drive nearly two million miles before saving any money.  If we compromise and split the driving evenly between the highway and the city, the consumer will have to drive over 300,000 miles until the extra investment was worth it.   

Read it yourself and let me know what you think.

http://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-042810-194328/unrestricted/Hybrid_Cars_IQP.pdf