Part of the solution
Part of the solution
In Tuesday’s letter to the editor (June 19, Tribune-Herald, “Hybrids cost more”) a reader says that buying a hybrid costs more than the owner will save in fuel costs. My calculations yield different results.
First, the arithmetic is way off. The writer is overstating the cost of a new battery system by a factor of 10. The stated savings of $300 in yearly fuel cost is less than what most drivers save. Also, fuel prices won’t stay the same over time. They will keep increasing.
More importantly, the writer misses the big picture. Buying a hybrid, or supporting any new, efficient technology, is being part of the solution. In a world of global warming and dwindling oil reserves, some of us realize that such a calculation fails to consider what’s really important.
Will our grandchildren understand that our generation considered cost savings more important than saving the world? Or will we be viewed as the most selfish generation ever, using up the Earth’s resources with our head in the sand about the consequences of our actions.
Our true wealth lies in a healthy, sustainable environment. One cannot calculate this value using traditional arithmetic.
Russell Ruderman
Keaau
Hybrid math
In “Hybrids cost more” (Tribune-Herald, June 19), Norm Stahl contends that a Prius costs $9,000 more than a comparably equipped 4-cylinder. In the “HowStuffWorks ConsumerGuide” review of cars, in the comparable car segment that includes the Prius, the least expensive of those cars in the segment considered “Best Buys” or “Recommended” is the Mazda 5.
At the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $19,195, the Mazda 5 is $4,805 cheaper than a comparable Prius. It’s estimated that the Mazda gets 25.7 mpg, which at 6,800 miles per year and $4.58 per gallon will cost $661.59 more than my Prius for gas. At this rate of savings, the Prius will take 7.26 years to make up its extra cost, not 30 years.
Regarding Norm’s second point, although long-term longitudinal data on the performance of the Prius’ drive-train battery isn’t yet available, anecdotally it appears as though he has underestimated the battery’s longevity. My Prius battery is warrantied at eight years/100,000 miles. At the 6,800-mile benchmark of this correspondence, my Prius battery should last a minimum of 14.7 years.
With a replacement battery and installation costing about $4,000, I’d have to set aside $272.10 a year to replace the battery; which, when compared to the Mazda 5, is $389.49 less than my annual savings on gas.
In sum, when everything is comparable — cars in the same segment, miles driven and the cost of a gallon of gas — I’m saving money with my Prius.
Ed Comstock
Hilo