Hybrid Cars Enter the Fast Lane - PriusChat mentioned

Very good summary article -- I'm impressed.

The writer got the mechanics of the hybrid engine in a nutshell -- uses gas or electric engines when it's most economical to do so.

Also illuminating (to me at least) regarding markets for hybrids other than the U.S. I hadn't realized that one of the reasons hybrids haven't sold as well in countries other than the U.S. or Japan is that there are already gas-efficient non-hybrid cars aplenty there.

The relatively high cost of gas outside of the U.S. has led to a larger market for fuel-efficient cars.

 

This will probably be "preaching to the choir". While I see relative benefit in comparing the Prius against "other" vehicles, if you actually go and read the Edmunds.com article, I find it hard to establish an apple-to-apple type of comparison. The fixation seems to be about "payback over time". "N" number of miles per year for "Y" number of years to pay for difference between the Prius (apple) and another choice (orange).

There is increasing acceptance that gas could reach $3 or higher. I know that some folks still believe it will get back below $2. I hope it will. The world dynamics don't seem to support that direction of movement in fuel pricing.

At the expanding rate of articles addressing the effects of rising fuel prices on the economy, I am curious to read a well-researched article on how we will fare (individually, nationally and globally) should energy (gas, electricity, etc) become a rationed commodity.

 

When comparing cost, they seem to always use an equivalent equipped car. Threads in this forum suggest SUV owners moving to Prius. Do the math now and Prius wins.

In the UK, where I cam from, a typical family car has a 1.7L engine. Many cars are less than 1.3L. These cars can happily do >100 MPH and carry 4 people. With gas (petrol) there at $6 a gallon (imperial conversion done here), the math is attractive, but you are competing against cars which get 35 MPG aleady. Hence the take up is not so great. But dodging that congestion charge in London which just went up to eight pounds ($14.4) a day with a Prius makes it very economical. Some members of parliament have got them now.

I would expect the British Government to start providing more incentives for hybrids. The government has chased company car drivers in the past. I used to have to drive 18,000 business miles a year to get the minimum taxation for having a company car. You got taxed more the less you drove, the next tax bracket was 2,500 miles. Crazy? So they now tax according to the vehicles CO2 emissions.