You’d think you wouldn’t really need to run the numbers to make sure, but it turns out that some people have, and, as expected, it’s less expensive to own and operate either a diesel of a hybrid car than a gasoline fueled ride. Who knows what their motivation was, maybe it was that bogus study that showed a Hummer has less environmental impact than a Prius, but the numbers, which do look very good, are laid out after the jump.
For the fourth year running, IntelliChoice.com has released its annual survey of eco-conscious rides and it shows what anyone who has bought a car for long term use has found out first hand: Gas cars are cheaper in initial costs, but over the years of ownership, diesels and hybrids take less from your pocket.
The IntelliChoice survey looked at diesels and hybrids from 2009, and after a projected 70K miles or five years of running, either green engine choice costs less than a more common gasoline fueled engines to operate. IntelliChoice surveyed more then just MPGs, they also accounted for overall maintenance costs and resale value in addition to projected fuel savings offered up by the non-gas cars. According to IntelliChoice, hybrids and clean diesels are built and sold as top-of-the-line models and have more of a tendency to have higher resale value.
The majority of the cars tested “deliver a cost-of-ownership that is somewhat or significantly lower than gasoline versions of the same vehicle,” said IntelliChoice editor James Bell. Bell had particularly high praise for VW’s Jetta TDI and the Mercedes Benz E320 diesels. Saying that they “perform even better than hybrids in saving thousands of dollars in costs and recouping their purchase premium.”
Of course, what Mr. Bell and the IntelliChoice survey didn’t say is that if the price of gasoline drops, so does the perceived value of owning a diesel. But seriously, what are the chances of gas prices dropping significantly any time soon?
Source: AutoBlogGreen
Photo from Flickr user goldberg
Audi is making a strong push for clean diesel:
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS138669+22-Jun-2009+PRN20090622
America is going to have to invest in some type of infrastructure eventually if we truly “want” to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. It’s not going to happen without the government forcing the issue. Most European nations have done it, and they have about 60% of their cars running diesel. Imagine how much less foreign oil we’d consume if we simply ran half our cars on clean diesel (refer the the article linked above).
As for hybrids and electrics – how “clean” are they when the batteries have to be replaced? People automatically think diesels are “less clean” than hybrids and electrics, but when you start doing some in-depth research, that might not be the case.
Plus, from the perspective of performance, diesel has a ton of appeal over hybrid technology. If you’ve paid any attention to the diesel pickup market, you’d know how much potential diesels have in terms of performance. So from a car guy, here’s hoping Audi is successful with their clean diesel promotion!
Hybrids and diesels may take less from your pocket over the years, but your break-even point, to make up for the higher upfront costs is nearly unreachable.
Here’s a post with some comparison figures:
http://www.whybuyusedcars.com/2009/07/16/3-reasons-hybrid-car-save-money/