Why doesn't the media report how much the Hybrid cars cost in added electricity bills?

Question

I saw a hybrid on the road yesterday- the owner was so proud of himself he had a license plate that said "Low CO2"

DUH- Everyone seems to act like electricity is free!!- we all know its expensive- and its production is hardly pollution free

The real questions are is how does the cost of added electric bills compare to cost of ordinary cars

How much pollution do electric plants cause- most are coal fired.

Answer 1

Hybrid cars generate their own electricity and store them in onboard batteries.  

They do not plug into the power grid.

Answer 2

The stock Toyota Prius goes nowhere without gasoline.  And you wont see a PHEV Prius that plugs in until well after 2010 from Toyota.  You can buy kits  that add more battery capacity that convert the newer Prius to a plug-in.  These are the cars that boast 100-150 MPG.  Depending on the size of the kit you can go as far as 40 miles on electricity before the gas engine turns on.  For 80% of americans this means a complete trip to work and back on American made electrons not on foreign made oil.

Compared to gas it costs, at most, 1/5 the cost to go a mile on electricity than on gas.  Many cars hover around 1/8 to 1/10 to go a mile on electricity.  If you can convince your utility company to provide you with a TOU (time of use) meter you can charge your car at night when the rates are the cheapest.  And no, if you avoid burning $200 worth of gasoline your electricity bill wont go up $200.  It's more like $10 to $20.

As for pollution, if you get 100% of your electricity from coal, then your per mile pollution is half that of a gas car.  The power grid is getting cleaner every year.  More nonpolluting renewable sources like wind and solar come on-line every day.  The power plants get better emission controls every year.  A gas car as it ages emits more and more pollution.

Answer 3

Hybid cars aren't plugged in and charged. They generate electricity from the brakes. I can't explain the mechanism but that is why hybrid cars get better mileage with city driving as compared to highway.

At any rate, they don't require any coal, since they self generate the electricity.