Reaching that point takes longer for the consumer. Most hybrids sell for $2, 000 to $3,000 more than comparable sedans, and drivers would need at least 10 years and 100,000 miles to recoup that much in gas savings, analysts say. But those who say hybrids must narrow that gap to boost sales ignore the power of instant gratification: Richard Pearce says he pays $10 a week in gas, compared with his neighbor's $60. (MSNBC Newsweek) http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5963500/site/newsweek/

Does anyone see anything wrong in this?
It claims that drivers need 10 years and 100,000 miles to recoup 2,000 to 3,000 dollars in savings. But right after that it gives you a comparison. 10$ per week for a Prius compared to 60$ per week for his neighbor.

LETS COMPUTE THAT!
(10$ per week)(54 weeks/year) = 540$ per year
(60$ per week)(54 weeks/year) = 3240$ per year

3240$ - 540$ = 2700$ In one year.

One year compared to 10 years.... quite a difference dont you think?

A Prius a day keeps the doctor away!

But what car does that neighbour have? Hardly a car of comparable size and performance. The Prius gets good mileage, but not six times better than a comparable car. 50 % better mileage, which still is too optimistic, gives a payback time of 10 years in this example.

Johan Erlandsson

See mileage data for my 00 Prius.
See my environmental performance (still in swedish only, feel free to ask).

Even if the gas mileage doesn't justify the higher cost, it still pollutes much less than most other compact cars. That alone to me is worth the extra $$$.

(Yes, I know I misspelled "glorious")
My car

My car is of comparable size ( actually smaller but weighs more )
And I'd save 1200$ a year.
That's a payback time of 2.5 years

A Prius a day keeps the doctor away!

Just curious how we now have 54 weeks in a year. I always thought it was 52 weeks per year. Hmm. Must be something I missed in school - darn. :huh:

I'm wrong, its 52

10*52 =$520

60*52 =$3120

3120-520= $2600

which is still in between the $2000-3000 they state.

A Prius a day keeps the doctor away!

I've gone through this arithmetic as well, although I completely agree that if it is the basis for deciding whether to buy a hybrid, the larger picture is being missed.

I would consider a Toyota Corolla or Honda Accord as alternative purchases. The 2005 Accord MPG EPA estimates are unavailable, but the Corolla is 35 MPG. I average 50 MPG with the Prius.

At $2/Gallon, $4000 is spent to run the Prius 100K miles.
$5714 is spent on gas for the corolla
Gas savings: $1714/100K miles.

This isn't a bad number to be aware of, since (apparently) many people keep their car for 100K miles. What reasonable person would thumb their noses at the chance to lessen America's dependence on foreign oil, FOR FREE !

R2-E2, 2G Prius.
Highway/City/Husband/Wife MPG: 56.5, as of 12/2005, 26K miles

Jac Nasser, Ford President: "We are planning to launch a hybrid version of
this car [P2000] within this year [1998]. We will also make FCEV available in
2004."

I calculated what I would save with my 17mpg audi and it comes to 1200 a year

i think that's 14k miles a year is what i calculated with
i'd save 8571$ in 100k miles

A Prius a day keeps the doctor away!

I have done some cost analysis - comparing the cost of my Audi A4 Quattro vs. the projected costs of my soon to be had Prius.

The Audi requires premium fuel, and here in Silicon Valley today that costs $2.60/Gal
The car cost me close to $40K 6 years ago - all available options. Today, I will be lucky if I can sell it for $12K - (40-12=28 / 6 = $4600 per year to own). If I behave myself, I can get 20 MPG. I drive an average of 15K miles/year. At todays gas price, I will spend $2166 a year. Add this to the 6 years of ownership, and this car has cost a small fortune to own and operate - not counting repair costs and other maintenance. Close to $45K.

I am expecting to get between 45-50 MPG in the Prius. Cost of an Option 9, out the door will be close to $30K. At the end of 10 years, the expected value will be about $10K. Fuel costs (assuming todays price of $2.25/Gal for Reg) will be about $7K. Maintenance costs will be almost non-existant (based on my other Toyotas - 1984 Van, and Avalon) compared to the Audi.

I try to keep cars 10 years or longer, so the Prius should cost me about $4K/year to own and operate.

This works out to about to a saving over the Audi ($7.5K - 4K) $3500 per year. Or $35K over 10 years - the cost of the Audi to start with.

Therefore owning a Prius is Free!

True you do gain savings on Gas. But My insurance went up by $20 a month. This doens't entirely negate the savings I get on Gas, but it does reduce it. I was told by STate Farm that the increased cost on repairing hybrids was being passed on to me. So I suppose if you were going to figure cost/gain on the Prius you'd need to included the raised insurance premium.

That said, I didn't buy my prius to save money. I bought it for convience (getting gas once a month instead of once a week) and because I'm a technophile and I love all the gadgets that come with it.