I'm sure by now, if you haven't been living completely under a rock (where this blog is indeed published to), you've noticed the recent surge towards "green" power. I mean besides algore and his "Warming the Globe with Global Warming" tour.

More people are simply wanting to "go green." There's reports of people modifying cars to run on oil instead of diesel. Many want solar power for their homes. There's kits for solar everything. Half the shows on DIY and other such networks reference "green" technologies. And Ford has taken the lead in offering people "green" solutions with hybrid cars.

I've mentioned before -- I have absolutely NO problem with people who want to use so-called "alternative" sources of energy. It's new technology, so I'm always interested in it. My problem is when people FORCE me (or others) to use things that they like, just because they like them. This issue is loaded with emotion, so I thought I'd add some facts.

Many people who want to "go green" want to do so to save the earth. I think that's a total load of crap. I think people who actually believe man can really shape the earth's climate are awful full of themselves. The biggest reason I haven't "gone green" is the same problems solar and other sources of energy have always had -- they're too expensive and not as efficient as other sources. Once they become economically feasible, they'll explode in popularity. Seriously. When it costs LESS to power my house with solar, I'll buy it in a minute. So will lots and lots of other people.

The environmental wackos and their church of environmentalism know this, so they want you to think you're saving money. The Ford Escape Hybrid is a recent incarnation of this attempt to fool people. You see, with high gas prices, members of the church of the earth want you to think you'll save money by using hybrid cars (while "saving" the environment). Well, a simple analysis shows that's simply NOT true:

The Ford 2008 Escape Hybrid (SUV), according to the Ford web site gets 34 mpg and costs $25075 (starting MSRP). The Ford 2008 Escape Non-Hybrid (SUV) gets 28 mpg and costs $18770 (starting MSRP). None of those numbers are real accurate or great, but they'll do for comparison.

The "average" US driver goes about 15000 miles per year. Comparing the two vehicles, the Hybrid uses 441.18 gallons in a year, while the Non-hybrid uses 535.71 gallons in the same year. At an average of $3 a gallon, the Hybrid costs $1,324 to fuel for a year, while the Non-hybrid costs $1,607.

For purposes of this comparison, I'm only including initial costs and fuel.

For 10 years of service:
Non-hybrid costs: $18770 + 16070 = $34,840.
Hybrid costs: $25075 + 13240 = $38,315.

In other words, if one person bought a hybrid and his neighbor bought the non-hybrid, the hybrid would cost about $3,500.00 MORE over the same 10-year time period. In fact, it would take over 22 years of driving the vehicle for the reduced cost in gas to make up for the increased cost of the vehicle -- and that's not including possible additional repair expenses associated with the electric motor and battery (because the hybrid simply will cost more to repair because it has the same parts as the non-hybrid and more).

So if you're buying a hybrid Escape because you think you're saving money, you're simply wrong. If you're a member of the environmental church, feel free to buy the hybrid to "save the earth," but realize it is costing you money to do so.

Posted by: Ogre at 02:21 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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