Since my friend and other people are considering hybrid, so I might as well share my simple calculations and research that I've done last time. It's a hip thing for hybrid as you are doing your part for the environment, but at what cost? Let's first look at the cost savings, which everyone is talking about.
For the smallest model in the range in Malaysia now, we have the Honda Insight and a comparable model should be Honda City, so let's see.
Honda Insight = RM99,800.00
Estimated Fuel Consumption = 20km/l
Honda City = RM90,480.00
Estimated Fuel Consumption = 13km/l
Based on a 20,000km range per year,
Honda Insight = 1,000 liters x RM1.90 = RM1,900.00 petrol price per year
Honda City = 1,538 liters x RM1.90 = RM2,922.20 petrol price per year.
Savings of RM1,022.20 per year. It's well known that hybrid runs on battery and whoever use handphone will know battery doesn't last. The last report from Autocar magazine earlier indicated the price for a new battery is almost RM7,000 and you should be changing it by the 4th or 5th year. Let's take 5 year for battery change out. Savings of RM1,022.20 x 5 years = RM5,111 savings and it's not even enough to pay for the battery! Now that sounds a little stupid, not to mention depreciation of the hybrid car as who will want to buy an old battery hybrid? Unless for a bargain as the next owner will need to take the RM7,000 into his calculations as well. Depreciation will suffer, savings is non, then why buy hybrid? Because you want to pretend to do environment a favour.
People will argue that hybrid will do less harm to the environment as it dispose off less carbon monoxide, but do you know how much harm it does by manufacturing the battery?? Either way, you are destroying the earth. Want to save the earth? Do it like the western style, cycle to work!
Insight is a bad example for Malaysia petrol price, let's take the crown of the hybrid, Toyota Prius and compare it against the Toyota Altis.
Toyota Prius = RM139,900
Estimated Fuel Consumption = 31km/l
Toyota Altis = RM112,900
Estimated Fuel Consumption = 10km/l
Based on 20,000km range per year,
Toyota Prius = 645 liters x RM1.90 = RM1,225.50
Toyota Altis = 2,000 liters x RM1.90 = RM3,800.00
Substantial savings of RMRM2,574.50!
However, Prius battery is quoted RM12,000 and how many years you will need for the savings to breakeven? 4 years. Whoever driven the Toyota Prius will know that the features provided is not as much different to a mid-range Toyota Altis, so for the additional price tag of RM27,000, now that will take a long long time to recover. So call hybrid car, I don't get the logic on cost savings actually, anyone mind enlighten me?
Worse, if you do a search online, you will see why Prius is bad for environment. Not particularly only Prius, but all hybrid cars. Top Gear tested the Prius agaisnt BMW M3 and M3 recorded a better mileage than Prius in their test circuit. It's all about how you drive. Then Prius battery contained nickel where the emission will cause acid rain that's damaging to all living things out there. Prius nickel is mined from Canada and it's send to Europe for refinement and then send to China for production into nickel foam and then only send to Japan for assembly. The process alone is more damaging that what you individual can do with a car! There is also another comparison made for Prius and Hummer, reported that Prius life expectancy of 100,000 miles is more environmentally damaging and expensive than a Hummer life expectancy of 300,000 miles.
We are in the information age, verify what I wrote online and don't listen to me blindly.
For other country that have more expensive petrol price, then fuel savings might play a bigger role, but not in Malaysia. As the fuel prices go up, and the battery price go down, cost savings is inevitable but definitely not for now and not within few years span in my opinion.
But if you are talking about helping the environment, I'm going to slap you in the face next time.
To me, I will just wait for the better technology before committing myself. Solar sounds good, anyone?
For greener place, here is what you can do now!
1. Change all your bulbs to energy-savings bulb. It's more expensive, but it really help.
2. Cut down on all eletricity usage and set your air-condition temperature a degree higher and on the fan, it does make substantial difference.
3. Cut down on plastic bag and recycle everything you can.
4. When buying next heavy eletricity appliance like air-condition, refrigerator, choose 5-star green rated appliance and claim RM200 from the government.
5. Switch of all switches when not using, it does draw electricity.
6. Live like your grandfather, throw your kids to the playground and stop them from playing iPad or PS3.
7. Stop printing emails and unnecessary things, save the trees.
8. Walk or cycle to work if you can, no one will be greener than you!
9. Plant some plants in your house, if every household have some plants, it will help substantially.
10. There are many more than buying a hybrid, let's show some action.
