Interesting article at drive.com.au
Comparing the costs of ownership of hybrid cars to normal cars. Drive are quoting a RACV study into the issue:
” Fuel for thought for potential hybrid car buyers is the revelation that the Toyota Prius, which uses an electric motor to help the petrol engine, costs about $50 a week more to run than its closest petrol equivalent, a Toyota Corolla small hatch, and up to $5 a week more than a mid-sized four-cylinder Camry.”
The Honda Civic hybrid costs about $23 a week more to run than its four-cylinder petrol equivalent, the survey shows”
This has a lot to do with the $10 000 premium you are paying for the hybrid power plant over the petrol equivalent. I’ve always thought that with this “early adopter” premium on hybrids that they are not a good way to save money. But that not why most people buy them, they are trying to contribute to the global warming and carbon emmissions solution. Its more of a token gesture than a practical money saving measure. That why you see so many hollywood celebrities buying the Toyota Prius. They be doing a lot less damage in a turbo Diesel golf!
Im not against Hybrids, i just think they are a stop gap, temporary, technology platform for the automakers to be test new batterys and technology and to provide a token gesture to governments about reducing emmision. It buys them time to get to the real hybrids, plug-in electric models with extended range engines.
I dont personally believe that hybrids will be efficient until the petrol motor is removed from the actual drive train. In other words when hybrids operate like a diesel electric train where you have modest sized motor running at a constant RPM only when needed to top up the batteries. the motor isnt connected to the wheels at all like it is in the Prius. The motor drives an electric alternator that charges the batteries. Then the petrol/diesel motor can be made cheaply and can be run very efficiently as the motor is only designed to run at a single RPm setting. Then you dont neccessarily need multivalve and VVTI VTEC engine technology and so on. This will make the motors cheaper,lighter and more fuel efficient.
Then wtih mass production more people will afford hybrids, that only run on petrol/diesel on long trips. Not just the rich.Otherwise they are on electric only with the option to be topped up at home on the grid using off peak power or preferrable green power from solar/hydro etc
A good example of a car like this is the Chevy Volt from GM. see more on its Wiki 
I believe this to be the future of hybrids. Then eventually they will be cheaper to run and to buy. But for now they are a toy for people making a lifestyle statement, not a way of solving the oil crisis and enviroment.
I’ve got a lot more to post about this issue …
July 8th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
A number of large car manufactures (including Honda) are investing large amounts of time and resources into the feasability of hydrogen energy. A limiting factor here currently is the safety aspect with Hydrogen being a volatile fuel. Carbon fibre clearly is the better material for m/vs of the future being stronger and lighter that steel. In the mean time drive less, walk more.
July 8th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Yes, but I dont see hydrogen viable in the future as it really a medium to store energy, like a better rather than a fuel as you have to make it. And it has to be made from renewable sources or its not clean at all. That and the storage issue. The only place you can find “freely available” hydrogen is floating in space.
Carbon fibre has been around since the space race, but its too expensive for main stream vehicles at this stage. ( there are some supercars that use it yes like the BMW M3) I think we will likely be seeing highly engineered plastic structures. Cheaper, and light/strong.
I do agree with the sentiment of your comment though, we need to get more technologies on board as soon as possible.