This is a very well-written piece but it does ignore on point that is commonly missed regarding the people who buy a hybrid. Anyone who buys one of these vehicles knows that they are paying several thousand more than they would for an equivalent non-assisted vehicle. That tells you that the current generation of hybrid owner is not necessarily in it for the money savings. Rather, they are in it to save fuel. Maybe they believe that the reduced emissions and oil consumption are worth it, maybe they think that the technology is just too darn cool to pass up. I would further argue that people who choose a hybrid may well have been looking at different vehicles at the same price point and decided to compomise for the fuel savings. In the latter case the consumer really does save a bit of money.

An anecdotal point: One of my coworkers just replaced the transmission on his '98 Accord with 115K miles on the odometer. The cost to him was $3000. It would have been nicer not to replace the transmission at all, but the fact is that it was a financially sound decision. The car is in otherwise immaculate condition and could easily run for another 100,000. Buying a comparable new car could have easily cost him seven to ten times that amount.

He doesn't know it but this was also an environmentally sound decision. Buying a new car comes with an inherent environmental price that is paid in the emissions and energy consumption of the manufacturing process. Several years ago I read an article stating that this accounted for roughly half of the average vehicle's net lifetime emissions, and in the days of SULEV and PZEV cars I would be willing to bet that the percentage is even greater.

I fully understand and recognize the logic presented in articles such this one and many, many others. I'm just saying that the world of hybrid ownership is much more complicated than putting numbers on paper. Those who see it that way will buy hybrids, those who don't will not buy hybrids. It believe that this first group will pave the way to more efficient, more reliable, and cheaper hybrid technology over the next five to ten years. At that point it will be a no-brainer because the nubmers will agree with the other benefits. Buy a hybrid today and you play a small role in what could be a catalytic revolution in transportation technology.