Okay, if this has been mentioned before, then forgive me; I'm new.
It occurs to me that the media is making a big deal about gas savings with a hybrid, especially in relation to the higher initial cost. When it seems that the real milage doesn't always live up to the hype, and there's all these concerns, I wonder if the wrong angle is being taken, gaswise. (Oh, there are a lot of arguements to be made there, I know.) Like all arguements, there are circumstances which can make my arguement moot, but by the majority, it seems that it's a valid point.
As the old saying goes, "Time is money." Well, given how time and output focused our society has become, perhaps the quiet benefit of the hybrid that will save the most isn't quite so mechanical. It's time. Time spent at the gas pumps. In the analogy that I liked, Hybrids sip fuel, while other vehicles chug it. Without the hybrid system, even the most fuel efficient ICE vehicles run far more than any hybrid, and any way you look at it, will consume more fuel on the road, even if it does get more MPG's than a hybrid. Yet, because of that, they end up having to get gas more often. And compared to other vehicles? The savings timewise explode.
Like I said in my intro, I drive a long commute (45 miles one way), and in my '95 Explorer, that meant I was filling up once a week, and in some cases, depending on the 'other' stuff I did, there were times when I filled up twice. Each stop, I had to put 16 or so gallons of gas in, pay, get my money back (or receipt), and then get back on the road. While I haven't duplicated an identical full week yet in my '06 FEH, I already know my visits have been cut in half, if not quartered. (Filling up every other week or so.) That alone could save me 10 minutes a week. (Doing some fun math, [10*52 /2] that's 4.3 hours a year saved.
) A silent savings indeed.
So, while the gas savings of a hybrid are still up in the air, and if you save money or not is hotly contested, it seems that one of the biggest gifts of all, is the one that no one has talked about. Since, what greater gift can there be then of time?
Quiet Hybrid Benefit: Gas Savings VS Time Savings?
