Savings come slowly for hybrid, electric car owners

[daveman]

Savings come slowly for hybrid, electric car owners

If you're thinking about buying a fuel-efficient hybrid, electric or otherwise eco-friendly vehicle as a way to save money over time, do your homework — or be prepared to wait.

Buyers who choose Nissan's all-electric Leaf ($28,421) over its approximate gas-powered equivalent, Nissan's Versa ($18,640), will likely wait nearly 9 years until they break even, according to a new report by The New York Times that examines the cost of fuel efficiency.

For drivers of the Chevrolet Volt ($31,767), the wait is even longer— 26.6 years.​

 

[daveman]

That's an awful long time to be smug.

 

[BrandySmith]

I want to buy Nissan's all-electric Leaf .Can it have any other fuel efficiency regarding with fuel?

 

[percysunshine]

9 years?

Liberals probably have sex more often than that.

 

[inALIENable]

How do one of those electric cars work in a cold wintry place where it can get damn cold. What happens when it's -20° F and snowing and you've been stuck in traffic for 3 hours. Will the heater continue to keep me toasty warm and the windows clear? What happens if it drops to -30° F and it's snowing and blowing like hell and we're stuck in traffic with thousands of other electric cars for 4 hours. Will we ALL still eventually get home okay?

 

[daveman]

I want to buy Nissan's all-electric Leaf .Can it have any other fuel efficiency regarding with fuel?

Huh?

 

[daveman]

How do one of those electric cars work in a cold wintry place where it can get damn cold. What happens when it's -20° F and snowing and you've been stuck in traffic for 3 hours. Will the heater continue to keep me toasty warm and the windows clear? What happens if it drops to -30° F and it's snowing and blowing like hell and we're stuck in traffic with thousands of other electric cars for 4 hours. Will we ALL still eventually get home okay?

You can set one on fire and huddle around it to keep warm while people with ICE 4-wheel-drives are already home and cozy.

 

[Old Rocks]

Hmmm........ As gas goes up in price, the payback time goes down. And the Prius is not that expensive compared to other vehicles. Once the battery price goes down, and power density goes up, the electrics will be very competive.

 

[Ravi]

I've had a Honda Civic Hybrid for 10 years. Still gets 45 mpg.

 

[Old Rocks]

I've had a Honda Civic Hybrid for 10 years. Still gets 45 mpg.

And undoubtedly have made back the differance in price many times by now. As fuel prices soar, supply and demand, the hybrids and electrics will become more desirable. And we have the technological curve here also. For the price of the batteries will be going down while the power density goes up. As we have seen this with the solar panels, we will see it with the batteries.

 

[Ravi]

I've had a Honda Civic Hybrid for 10 years. Still gets 45 mpg.

And undoubtedly have made back the differance in price many times by now. As fuel prices soar, supply and demand, the hybrids and electrics will become more desirable. And we have the technological curve here also. For the price of the batteries will be going down while the power density goes up. As we have seen this with the solar panels, we will see it with the batteries.

Yep. And I am still using the original battery.

 

[Old Rocks]

Oddly enough, one would think that the conservative members of the board would be all for anything that promises more individual freedom, and national independence from foreign energy sources. Could it be they really don't mean their talking points?

 

[uscitizen]

Savings come slowly for hybrid, electric car owners

If you're thinking about buying a fuel-efficient hybrid, electric or otherwise eco-friendly vehicle as a way to save money over time, do your homework — or be prepared to wait.

Buyers who choose Nissan's all-electric Leaf ($28,421) over its approximate gas-powered equivalent, Nissan's Versa ($18,640), will likely wait nearly 9 years until they break even, according to a new report by The New York Times that examines the cost of fuel efficiency.

For drivers of the Chevrolet Volt ($31,767), the wait is even longer— 26.6 years.​

Any one who buys a Nissan is not too bright anyway.

Those figures will change with $5 gas though.

 

[uscitizen]

Oddly enough, one would think that the conservative members of the board would be all for anything that promises more individual freedom, and national independence from foreign energy sources. Could it be they really don't mean their talking points?

Heck in another thread one RWinger was complaining about congress cutting NASA's funding.
I recall in the past how they wanted to cut NASA's funding.

 

[Old Rocks]

And, should the economy significantly improve, and we add a lot more funding to NASA, which would be a very good thing, they will once more scream, puke, and whine about the waste of shooting money into space.

 

[inALIENable]

Rickshaws, that's the renewable powered transportation solution we should pursue, especially in light of our present economic predicament where we have an apparent excess of slaves begging to work for another.

 

[Big Fitz]

Savings come slowly for hybrid, electric car owners

If you're thinking about buying a fuel-efficient hybrid, electric or otherwise eco-friendly vehicle as a way to save money over time, do your homework — or be prepared to wait.

Buyers who choose Nissan's all-electric Leaf ($28,421) over its approximate gas-powered equivalent, Nissan's Versa ($18,640), will likely wait nearly 9 years until they break even, according to a new report by The New York Times that examines the cost of fuel efficiency.

For drivers of the Chevrolet Volt ($31,767), the wait is even longer— 26.6 years.​

I know I laughed.

 

[Big Fitz]

How do one of those electric cars work in a cold wintry place where it can get damn cold. What happens when it's -20° F and snowing and you've been stuck in traffic for 3 hours. Will the heater continue to keep me toasty warm and the windows clear? What happens if it drops to -30° F and it's snowing and blowing like hell and we're stuck in traffic with thousands of other electric cars for 4 hours. Will we ALL still eventually get home okay?

Read reviews of people who have had them in cold climates. No, they do horrible in those areas, AND because of the cold reducing battery effectiveness AND the need to keep from freezing to death and seeing out windows, they have far shorter range and efficiency. Especially plug-ins

 

[Katzndogz]

I saw one car dealer bitch slap a reporter over the Volt.

The Volt sells very poorly. I've never seen one on the road. This car dealer was being questioned about why someone would buy a Volt when there is no appreciable savings for so many years. The car dealer said "They want a new car". These fuel efficient cars do cost several thousand dollars more than a comparable conventional fuel car. That cost is amortized over the life of the loan adding just a few dollars to a per month car payment. This is certainly offset by the savings in gas. So the use of the operation cost of a Volt or other alternative fuel car is unfair. Especially to people who are driving a 10 year old gas guzzler needing repairs every month.

 

[Katzndogz]

How do one of those electric cars work in a cold wintry place where it can get damn cold. What happens when it's -20° F and snowing and you've been stuck in traffic for 3 hours. Will the heater continue to keep me toasty warm and the windows clear? What happens if it drops to -30° F and it's snowing and blowing like hell and we're stuck in traffic with thousands of other electric cars for 4 hours. Will we ALL still eventually get home okay?

Read reviews of people who have had them in cold climates. No, they do horrible in those areas, AND because of the cold reducing battery effectiveness AND the need to keep from freezing to death and seeing out windows, they have far shorter range and efficiency. Especially plug-ins

Plug ins just aren't appropriate for all regions or all people. I live in an apartment. I park in a 3 story parking structure. A plug in is completely inappropriate for me. As always, exercise personal responsibility in vehicle choices.

I'd bet that the hybrid Escape or Escalade would be a decent choice.