by: Brittanie Claire
Since I entered at the University of Georgia I have seen so many organizations at the Tate Plaza encouraging people to “go green.” Although these organizations seem to focus on the movement of “going green,” they only really cover the base of recycling at the University of Georgia and even more recently, they have been talking about eating organic food. Very little is discussed on the transportation aspect, so my paper is here to analyze hybrid cars and whether or not they are actually worth the money spent.
To start off this literature review I decided to actually find out what a definition of a hybrid was. According to wikipedia.org, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a hybrid vehicle that combines a conventional propulsion system with a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) to achieve better fuel economy than a conventional vehicle. Its secondary propulsion system, additional to the electric motors, means that it does not require regular visits to a charging unit as a battery electric vehicle (BEV) does. In college student language, a hybrid electric vehicle is a car that operates off of more than one source, such as gasoline and battery.
The first person I thought when I thought of this paper was Clark Howard and his show, “Save More, Spend Less, and Avoid Rip-Offs.” He is constantly talking about hybrid cars and whether or not they are worth the money. In 2008, Clark Howard thought that because hybrids were so expensive, $25,000 or more, that it would be a waste of money to buy a new hybrid car but it would most definitely be a smart investment to buy a used hybrid car. The reasoning behind this was because when the gas prices skyrocketed in summer 2008, so did the prices for fuel-efficient/hybrid cars. Now in 2009, Clark Howard has stated that Honda has recreated a one of their cars called the Honda Insight Hybrid that cost only $19,800 but it also has plenty of room and four doors, unlike the two it originally had. This car promises to be a good investment from day one of ownership (Howard). Overall, Clark Howard feels like a hybrid car is a great investment if it is bought used or if it is under $20,000.
A similar opinion to Clark Howard is one Mark Hamer who wrote an article named “Hybrid Cars cost driven by rising oil prices,” that stated that in the United Kingdom, hybrid cars are cheaper because they have to compete with diesel fueled cars, which get just as good a mileage as their hybrid counterparts. In Hamer’s article, a motor industry analyst named Anthony Pratt states that hybrids are appealing to people who want to add a “green tinge” to their automobile. Pratt also states that in 2008, hybrid cars should have sold one for every 40 conventional cars. Also, he says that for it would take at least seven to eight years, while driving at least 14,912.91 miles a year, for a hybrid to pay off. The last thing Pratt says was that the Prius was never really marketed when it first came; its popularity came from chat rooms and word of mouth (Hamer 22). The Prius seemed to be a prized possession for consumers of the green market. It then leaked to other consumers in the mainstream market. From this article, it seems as if getting a hybrid vehicle is perceived as a thing to do if you want to save money, even though you won’t be saving money.
In the third article that I read, John Rockhold discussed the fact that two of America’s favorite cars makers, Toyota and Honda, were coming out with a hybrid option for their two most popular cars, the Camry and Civic, respectively. Rockhold stated that it seems like a popular choice to buy a hybrid car because the government gives tax incentives, tax credits, for around $2,500, if you buy a new hybrid. Also, Rockhold mentions that hybrids sometimes aren’t a sensible option for some consumers because of the price tag. He list alternatives for cars that get good gas mileage, such as the Honda Fit which gets 34 miles per gallon (mpg) and cost $15, 200 and the Toyota Yaris which gets 36 mpg and cost $12, 430. Whereas, the hybrid Honda Civic cost $22,700 and gets 49 mpg and the hybrid Toyota Camry gets 40 mpg and cost $26,480 (Rockhold). Overall, Rockhold seems to support the claim that hybrid cars are better for the environment but they are not always better for the pocket. Also, Rockhold shows other alternatives to hybrid cars for consumers who cannot afford them.
Out of all of the articles I searched, there was only one real, very short article about how two French scientists feel as if hybrid cars are stopping the research and development of hydrogen fuel cells and electric cars (“Hybrid cars over-hyped?”).
According to the polls that my group took in downtown Athens, people feel as if hybrids are “cool” but too expensive. We noticed a trend that many people from the Georgia area did not really have an opinion about whether or not hybrids were better for the environment or the pocket but the people from other states, such as California, New York and Florida, had a bigger appreciation for hybrid vehicles and how they affected the environment. Also in our poll, we noticed that a disproportionate amount of college students seemed to like the idea of a hybrid but did not understand how they worked or what the point of one was; all they could say was, “Well, Cameron Diaz bought a hybrid car, so they must be pretty cool.” The discussion after that was whether or not they felt it was a fad to like hybrids cars because the celebrities endorse them.
All in all, most articles I found state that hybrid cars are environmentally beneficial but the price of a hybrid might not make it worth it. During this project, I have figured out that people see “going green” as a way to be included in the “in crowd” that is really just following the Hollywood stars. Clark Howard believes that getting a used hybrid car is worth the money but a new one is not necessarily a smart consumer choice. A motor industry analyst, Anthony Pratt, states that it would take at least 7 to 8 years for hybrid vehicle to pay off. At the end of the day it is up to the individual, whether or not they believe that hybrids are really worth the money because evidence shows that they help the environment.
Sources:
Hamer, Mick. "Hybrid cars driven by rising oil prices." New Scientist 183.2464 (11 Sep. 2004): 22-22. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. UGA Library, Athens, GA. 28 Apr. 2009 <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN =14558901&site=ehost-live>.
Howard, Clark. "Hybrids & Alternative Cars on clarkhoward.com." ClarkHoward.com Home: Save More, Spend Less and Avoid Rip-Offs on clarkhoward.com. 28 Apr. 2009 <http://clarkhoward.com/liveweb/shownotes/category/5/434/>.
"Hybrid cars over-hyped?." CCPA Monitor Sep. 2008: 13+. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. UGA Library, Athens, GA. 28 Apr. 2009 http://search.ebscohost.com/lo gin.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=34738420&site=ehost-live>.
"Hybrid vehicle -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 28 Apr. 2009 <http://en.wikip edia.org/wiki/Hybrid_cars>.
Rockhold, John. "Two of America's Favorite Cars Go Hybrid." Mother Earth News (Aug. 2006): 22-22. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. UGA Library, Athens, GA. 28 Apr. 2009 <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h &AN=21559753&site=ehost-live>.
