Hybrids

I read this article today and thought it was interesting. New standards about reporting the gas efficiency of these cars are lowering the numbers of some hybrids by quite a bit. And even now with gas prices as high as they are, the amount of money saved vs. what you pay extra for, is hard to break even.

It's hard right now because for those that drive, gas is killing right now ($3.40 a gallon here in Oregon). So an immediate instinct is to look to hybrid's or other more gas efficient vehicles. I personally pondered the thought whether I should give up my poor little Subaru for something a bit more gas efficient... but realized I would be in the end wasting a lot more money than saving. And I've calculated over the past few weeks that my car gets an average (including commute to work, driving to school, going to friends/parents, etc) around 26 mpg, so not great but not horrible either.

BUT hybrids aren't just about money. It's also about the working on technologies that lessen our dependence on oil. I think the work on hybrids still needs to be done as well as other completely non-gas based vehicles (hydrogen, fuel-cell, etc). But, if you are looking for a hybrid just for saving money... really make sure that you are actually doing that. Some hybrids are better than others against their non-hybrid counterparts. Calculate the amount you'll save if you buy a hybrid in gas vs the premium you pay for the car. And make sure you are abiding by the new EPA ratings (not the old standards... as they are inflated).