eskrimast1
04-02-2006, 08:25 PM
Hi all- I'm from the "other" site and I've been lurking on cleanmpg for awhile. The title of this thread is the title of the article below that was posted on autoblog.com over the weekend. While the "hybrid does not make economical sense" message is nothing new to me or most other hybrid drivers, the article does open up the question of overall energy consumption to not only operate a given vehicle per mile, but the energy cost from cradle to grave (raw materials to junk car), despite not mentioning how they calculated these costs. The one point that struck me was while hybrids save gasoline, they may cost more energy to produce than conventional vehicles, thus negating any energy savings during the vehicle's operational lifetime. I'd like some reactions to the article and possibly data that shows the flipside of this coin.
FYI, I drive a HCH I and I just finished my best ever segment of 165 miles @ 58MPG this afternoon.
Hybrids Consume More Energy in Lifetime Than Chevrolet's Tahoe SUV
Source: CNW Marketing Research, Inc.
For example, the Honda Accord Hybrid has an Energy Cost per Mile of $3.29 while the conventional Honda Accord is $2.18. Put simply, over the "Dust to Dust" lifetime of the Accord Hybrid, it will require about 50 percent more energy than the non-hybrid version.
One of the reasons hybrids cost more than non-hybrids is the manufacture, replacement and disposal of such items as batteries, electric motors (in addition to the conventional engine), lighter weight materials and complexity of the power package.
And while many consumers and environmentalists have targeted sport utility vehicles because of their lower fuel economy and/or perceived inefficiency as a means of transportation, the energy cost per mile shows at least some of that disdain is misplaced.
For example, while the industry average of all vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2005 was $2.28 cents per mile, the Hummer H3 (among most SUVs) was only $1.949 cents per mile. That figure is also lower than all currently offered hybrids and Honda Civic at $2.42 per mile.
"If a consumer is concerned about fuel economy because of family budgets or depleting oil supplies, it is perfectly logical to consider buying high- fuel-economy vehicles," says Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research, Inc. "But if the concern is the broader issues such as environmental impact of energy usage, some high-mileage vehicles actually cost society more than conventional or even larger models over their lifetime.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060331/sff031.html?.v=38
FYI, I drive a HCH I and I just finished my best ever segment of 165 miles @ 58MPG this afternoon.
Hybrids Consume More Energy in Lifetime Than Chevrolet's Tahoe SUV
Source: CNW Marketing Research, Inc.
For example, the Honda Accord Hybrid has an Energy Cost per Mile of $3.29 while the conventional Honda Accord is $2.18. Put simply, over the "Dust to Dust" lifetime of the Accord Hybrid, it will require about 50 percent more energy than the non-hybrid version.
One of the reasons hybrids cost more than non-hybrids is the manufacture, replacement and disposal of such items as batteries, electric motors (in addition to the conventional engine), lighter weight materials and complexity of the power package.
And while many consumers and environmentalists have targeted sport utility vehicles because of their lower fuel economy and/or perceived inefficiency as a means of transportation, the energy cost per mile shows at least some of that disdain is misplaced.
For example, while the industry average of all vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2005 was $2.28 cents per mile, the Hummer H3 (among most SUVs) was only $1.949 cents per mile. That figure is also lower than all currently offered hybrids and Honda Civic at $2.42 per mile.
"If a consumer is concerned about fuel economy because of family budgets or depleting oil supplies, it is perfectly logical to consider buying high- fuel-economy vehicles," says Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research, Inc. "But if the concern is the broader issues such as environmental impact of energy usage, some high-mileage vehicles actually cost society more than conventional or even larger models over their lifetime.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060331/sff031.html?.v=38