Is it really worth it to drive a hybrid or electric car, compared to a all gasoline powered car?

Question

The problem with hybrid and electric vehicles is the battery, so, do the gas savings (the money you save on gas) provided by a hybrid vehicle outweigh the cost of a $2000.00 replacement lithium car batery?

Answer 1

At todays Gas prices, a gasoline powered car that get 30 miles to the gallon, it will cost you a little over 11 cents a mile, and the average car is driven 12,000 miles a year at a cost of $1,320,

where an electric car cost at the highest estimate 3 cents a mile or $360 a year.

For a difference of $960 a year, and most batteries are supposed to last 7 years for a difference of, $6720.

and a savings of $4720, I don't know about you but I could find better uses for that money.

Answer 2

Buy a car that runs on natural gas(methane) if you have a station nearby. I have 2 of these cars, and they're much cleaner and much cheaper to run than gasoline cars. I pay 85 cents per gallon and get the same mileage as a gasoline car of the same type (Ford Crown Victoria). That's about 5 times cheaper than paying for gasoline. Do the math! We looked at hybrids and decided to go with natural gas due to the battery issue in hybrids. We're very happy with the nat. gas cars and wish there were lots more of them available. Maybe someday...

Answer 3

yes...this is the 5th time tonight i have to tell this story since i can't find the video online

was watching discovery channel, specificaly the show daily planet. and they were doing a story on some 17 year old who converted an old pick up into a highway driveable pick up. and its battery lasted atleast 3 times longer than what you'd expect from an average sedan's gas tank. and they said it only cost him 10 to 15 bucks to recharge the batteries each month. plus he did it all by himself for 6000 dollars canadian and he did it in his spare time.

there is technology out there, watch the documentary "who killed the electric car"...you'll find it really REALLY fasinating. its not just another eviornmentalism video, it also talks about the blackmail thats going behind the public's eyes and how the media makes us believe one thing when everything is the opposite...the technology existed since the 90's!!! watch the movie to find out

Answer 4

I'm not sure where you get that $2000 replacement battery figure.

For a Prius (which uses NiMh batteries), the battery is supposed to last the lifetime of the car.  Priuses used as taxis have over 250,000 miles on the original batteries.

For a fully electric car which puts more strain on the battery, certainly it won't last as long.

One thing to consider is that an electric car costs about 2-3 cents per mile to recharge.  A Prius costs 9 cents per mile with gas at $4.50 per gallon.  A 30 mpg car costs 15 cents per mile.  So with the electric car, you're saving about 12 cents per mile, depending what car you compare it to.

So in fuel costs, you'll save $2000 in 16,667 miles over the 30 mpg gas car.  Just a bit over a year's worth of driving.

Of course, that's not all there is to it.  There's also the initial cost of the car, maintenance costs (lower for electrics, which have fewer parts), etc.  But if you're just comparing fuel savings to battery cost, yes, the electric car is worth it.