By Jim Grey

With all the attention to gas prices this year, you may be contemplating a change from the gas guzzling SUV you currently drive to a highly touted and super efficient hybrid vehicle.
 
But does it make sense?
From a strictly financial point of view, the answer is rarely.  If you are as concerned about the environment as you are with your budget, the answer is it depends.

Most hybrid vehicles use a combination of electric motors and a gasoline engine in parallel to provide power to the wheels. The electric motors are used initially from a stop and once cruising speed is achieved the gasoline engine kicks in.
 
Regenerative braking is used to charge the battery as well as the charging system run by the gasoline engine. The biggest inefficiencies in gasoline powered vehicles occur when starting a stopped vehicle, so using the electric motors in this case provides a huge advantage in fuel consumption when driving around town in stop and go conditions. However, the difference on highway miles-per-gallon is negligible, so if you do a significant amount of highway driving, you might think twice about how much advantage a hybrid will give you.

Next Generation
The next generation of hybrid vehicles such as General Motors VOLT still uses both electricity and gasoline; however, only the electric motors are used in series to provide power to the wheels. The very small gasoline engine is used strictly to generate electricity to recharge the battery. The vehicles will also have an 110v input so you may charge the batteries overnight in your garage. Distance will be limited due to the need for the batteries to be periodically recharged.

Hybrid Batteries
The battery is another big unknown for hybrid owners. How long will the battery last?  How much will it cost to replace? What will happen to it at the end of its life? 

Current estimates for replacement of a full battery pack come in around $3,000, but most hybrid vehicle manufacturers do offer 8 year and 80,000 to 100,000 mile warranties on the battery. Buyers and sellers beware though as not all warranties are fully transferable. 

Currently battery production capacity is one of the biggest bottlenecks in the increased production and availability of hybrids. Demand for hybrids due to the higher costs of gasoline make it all but certain that replacement battery costs will increase significantly over time. 

Because of this, it is doubtful that the current hybrid technology will ever become a realistic alternative to the automobile, as we know it today.

Real Savings?

Pay me now or pay me later. 
With a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) premium of around $4,000 or so for instance in the case of a Toyota Camry Hybrid – compared to a gasoline-only powered Camry - it would take over 4 years of strictly city driving and over 23 years of highway driving just to break even, even with $4 a gallon gasoline. 

And that doesn’t even take into account any price negotiation below MSRP that are typically much easier to obtain on a gasoline engine vehicle vs. the hybrid.
Are there hybrid specific repair shops?
 
Hybrid vehicles are not significantly different with respect to repair and maintenance than conventional vehicles. As such, any service center with ASE certified technicians, such as AAA Car Care Centers is perfectly capable of performing any and all services for your hybrid. 
           
Jim Grey is president of AAA Car Care and a master technician. For more car care tips and money-saving coupons, visit AAA.com/carcare.