Hybrids are fueling delusions
A Times EditorialPublished August 11, 2005
Touted as the latest answer to rising gas costs and increased auto emissions, the hybrid car has emerged as the silver bullet for dispatching America's car-fueled woes. Known for traveling up to 70 miles per gallon, the vehicles - which use both gasoline and electric power - are expected to top 200,000 in sales this year.
But some hybrid models, which can cost up to $9,000 more than their conventional counterparts, don't get better gas mileage. Instead, with a nod to consumer demand for bulk and speed, manufacturers have turned the hybrid technology to making the cars accelerate faster, ignoring the need for fuel efficiency, according a recent New York Times story.
The Times noted the 2005 Honda Accord hybrid gets the same gas mileage as its four-cylinder, conventional counterpart, and just two miles per gallon more than the six-cylinder version. According to Businessweek magazine, the second-generation Toyota Prius hybrid gets just 45 miles per gallon and the Lexis RX 400 earns 31 miles per gallon for city driving. And thanks to their higher price tag, drivers must keep the cars for eight years or more to save enough in gas expenses to break even. The automotive Web site Edmunds.com estimated the hybrid Accord costs owners nearly $4,000 more than the conventional version over five years.
Despite this deception, the government continues offering hybrid drivers tax credits, with President Bush suggesting hybrid owners should receive a new, $4,000 break to spur continued purchase of those vehicles. Experts have long noted that the Environmental Protection Agency's method for calculating all vehicles' gas mileage is outdated and inflates figures, particularly favoring hybrid vehicles.
American consumers often seem unable to bear real energy conservation, even when purchasing a car allegedly designed for that purpose. Now the auto industry and U.S. government seem content to promote the illusion of fuel savings without sacrifice while returning to the real qualities many car owners value: size and speed.
With oil topping $60 per barrel and gas prices heading toward $2.50 per gallon, the nation cannot afford such an expensive delusion. It is time for the auto industry to get real about fuel savings and hybrid technology by leveling with consumers about how well such cars actually perform. And government must stop rewarding consumers for purchasing fuel efficient cars which aren't.
Otherwise, hybrid cars will become little more than a pricey placebo - false assurance that the nation is solving a problem we can't even honestly acknowledge.