Hybrid Cost Differential

Not to mention the other costs. Such as:

Opportunity cost: hybrid manufacturers mis-lead consumers to believe that they have taken positive steps in addressing our nations fossil fuel/ecological/economical problems, which leads to complacency and inactivity on the part of consumers in finding real solutions. Bottom line: hybrids still burn fossil fuel, and they use other toxic elements in their batteries for short term energy storage. While hybrid buyers are lead to believe that they are acting green, in fact best case, they are doing nothing positive, worst case, they are adding to a toxic eco-soup and delaying action toward real solutions.

Economic cost: eco-minded consumers are mis-lead into thinking that the hybrid premium is an investment into eco-solutions, when instead it goes straight into the pockets of hybrid manufacturer shareholders. And what about long-term maintanence costs to the consumer? Sure, the manufacturers paint a rosey picture now, while they are fighting for product adoption and grabbing market share, but what about in a few years when they start shorting out?

Ecological costs: while we know the eco-costs associated with present day fossil fuel technologies, hybrids present a future with a host of ecological unknowns, such as, what about the batteries and all the toxins contained within, not to mention the sheer mass of the battery in each car - several hundred pounds each. Sure the manufacturer's websites claim a high % of the elements are recyclable, but they want to sell cars, and Toyota will likely farm out the reclaimation to a third party. So who will be responsible in a few years when they start dying? Big ???s.

Hybrids are just another product to sell, not a solution. Hybrids are a band aid at best, and at worst, they are a distraction from the problems, a contribution to problems, and a demotivator to action towards solutions.

You haven't been reading all the threads.

I paid $15,500 for my Mazda 6i. The cheapest Toyota Prius model is $22,795.00. That's a $7,295 price difference. After taxes and such, I figured it would be about $8k difference between the two cars.

I'm not compairing hybrid vs non hybrid models (IE Toyota Highlander V6 vs. Highlander Hybrid).

Even with all the tax incentives (which for Toyota just decreased) it still takes years to make up for the difference in Hybrid prices.

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/116513/article.html