A recent report by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University concludes that the cost-effectiveness of plug-in electric vehicles is suspect.
"Large-capacity PHEVs sized for 40 or more miles of electric-only travel are not cost-effective in any scenario," the report's authors insist. Yeah, 40 or more miles of travel, you might have heard that figure before.
According to the report that will appear in an upcoming issue of "Energy Policy," the added cost of the systems required to provide long distance electric power outweighs the savings in fuel costs.
"Forty miles might be a sweet spot for making sure a lot of people get to work without using gasoline, but you're doing it at a cost that will never be repaid in fuel savings," Jeremy Michalek, an engineering professor who led the study, told Bloomberg News in an interview.
compliance says:
05:09 PM, 02/26/09
Duh. But the tech needs to come out, it's still useful for other reasons (greenies), and eventually it will be cheaper. Who was expecting this to be cost effective up front?
ne1butu2 says:
06:04 PM, 02/26/09
The same might be said of the hybrid vehicles people currently drive today. When looking at the entire lifespan of a hybrid, they are more harmful to the environment to produce, more expensive to build and maintain, more expensive and harmful to the environment to dispose of, and generally don't provide any fuel savings when driven on the highway than comparable vehicles conventional engines.
ne1butu2 says:
06:05 PM, 02/26/09
The same might be said of the hybrid vehicles people currently drive today. When looking at the entire lifespan of a hybrid, they are more harmful to the environment to produce, more expensive to build and maintain, more expensive and harmful to the environment to dispose of, and generally don't provide any fuel savings when driven on the highway than comparable vehicles conventional engines.
tmanz says:
08:02 PM, 02/26/09
The early hybrids cost the manufactures more to make than they sold for. It is part of the technology curve.
mycatcroaked says:
07:50 AM, 02/27/09
Do so called "greenies" realize that power to charge these things primarily comes from coal in many parts of the US? Somehow people think electric power generation does not produce harmful byproducts...but in cases of coal or nuclear, it certainly does. Oh, and forget Obama's much heralded "clean coal" ... it's a farse from what I've seen so far.
redliner says:
08:30 AM, 02/27/09
"clean coal"
I'v never heard of such animal.
tmanz says:
09:16 AM, 02/27/09
good point mycatcroaked, it drives me up the wall when they refer to electric cars as 'zero emission'.
firstwagon says:
11:48 AM, 02/27/09
Hybrids can be cost effective, it just depends on how much driving you do and where. If you drive a lot in the city, most hybrids will pay for the premium is a reasonable amount of time. If you don't drive much or if you use hwys a lot then don't buy a hybrid.
Plug in hybrids do have a place especially if you get your power from green sources like hydro (like most of Canada).
The cost issue is a tough one. What's the pay back on leather seats or a nav system? There isn't one but people buy then anyhow because they want them.
The ability to drive without using gas has a great appeal to a lot of people.
It doesn't matter if it's energy independance from the Arabs, a greener car or just that's it's neat to drive around town in a silent electric car. If people place a value on something, they will pay for it.
estreka says:
12:14 PM, 02/27/09
"Everything is worth what it's purchaser will pay for." - Publilius Syrus
kyolml says:
11:23 AM, 02/28/09
No one bought all the Prius was thinking it's gonna save gas so I can save money in the long run... If it is not much more expensive than Prius and cost less on Energy, then it is already making sense
kyolml says:
11:24 AM, 02/28/09
Or maybe it was that people thinking Prius will save their money in the long-run...then hope this one will work the same magic...